Western leaders call for democracy in Cuba after Castro quits

The United States was joined by Britain and the European Union today in calling for a transfer to democracy within Cuba, the West's old communist foe, after the resignation of Fidel Castro.

Mr Castro, 81, the dictator who has not been seen in public since emergency intestinal surgery 19 months ago, signalled the end of nearly 49 years in power when he issued a statement saying he had no desire to continue as President or commander-in-chief.

“To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honor in recent days of electing me a member of parliament," he wrote in the online version of the official daily Granma.

"I neither will aspire to nor will I accept - I repeat - I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief.

“It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total commitment that I am not in physical condition to offer."

Speaking on a visit to Africa, President Bush – the 10th American President that Mr Castro has seen since he took office in a 1959 revolution – said now was the time for democratic reform in Cuba, claiming that Cubans had suffered under Mr Castro's rule.

"What does this mean for the people in Cuba?" Mr Bush said, at a press conference in Rwanda.

"They’re the ones who suffered under Fidel Castro. They’re the ones who were put in prison because of their beliefs. They’re the ones who have been denied their right to live in a free society. So I view this as a period of transition, and it should be the beginning of the democratic transition in Cuba."

Mr Bush’s comments were echoed by Britain, the Europeans and Cuban dissidents persecuted by Mr Castro's regime.

David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, said: "The Cuban people will now be looking to the future, a future which we hope will offer them political progress founded on democracy and human rights, and continued progress based on social justice and individual need."

The European Commission offered to enter into a "political dialogue" with Cuba to encourage a transition to democracy while Oswaldo Paya, a well-known Cuban dissident, added: “This is a crucial moment. Cuba wants change, the people want change."

Allies of the veteran Cuban President, however, claimed that he had pursued the right policies and urged his brother, Raul, to continue his legacy.

"It’s a brave decision and, in taking it, I’m sure Fidel Castro was guided by the interests of his country and his people," Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Russian Communist Party, told the state's Interfax news agency. He added that the President was "a fantastic political leader who has hosted high the flag of freedom".

Communist Vietnam also praised the President, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying: “To the leadership and the people of Vietnam, President Fidel is forever a great friend, a comrade and a very close brother."

Mr Castro’s relationship with the Soviet Union during the Cold War took the world to the edge of nuclear conflict in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which was sparked off when Moscow sought to position nuclear-tipped rockets on the island, facing Florida.

His announcement today came ahead of a session of the Cuban National Assembly this Sunday which was due to pick key governors, including the president.

There had been speculation about whether Mr Castro would accept a nomination for re-election to that post or retire. That increased when the dictator published a letter in December in which he said it was his duty "not to cling to power".

It followed his decision in July 31 2006, amid growing health problems, to hand over day-to-day running of the country to his brother, Raúl, who is 76. He also sparked speculation about a succession beyond the Castro family by appointing a group of six other men to head up projects in the fields of health, education and energy.

Since his rise to power on New Years Day 1959, when the fiery guerrilla leader reshaped Cuba into a communist state, he resisted attempts by ten American administrations to topple him, including the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.

Then, a year later, President John F. Kennedy announced the discovery of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. After a tense week of diplomacy, the Soviet President Nikita Khrushchev pulled them out.

With the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, and the loss of aid from the collapsing Soviet Union, Cuba plunged into a financial crisis but the economy slowly recovered in the late 1990s, boosted by tourism, although it remained beset by low wages, chronic shortages and a crumbling transport system.

During this period, Mr Castro's regime ensured Cuba remained among the world’s five last remaining communist countries.

His supporters admired his ability to provide a high level of healthcare and education for citizens while remaining fully independent of the United States. However, his detractors called him a dictator whose totalitarian government denied his people individual freedoms and civil liberties such as speech, movement and assembly.

Cuban watchers say that Mr Castro's decision to stand aside could mark a change in the country's relations with the West after half a century of conflict, with younger economic reformers recently gaining in influence at the expense of hardline Castro loyalists such as Felipe P鲥z Roque, the Foreign Minister.

In addition, Carlos Lage Dᶩla, the Vice-President, 55, who enjoys the support of Raúl Castro, has become one of the most visible figures on the political scene.

The former doctor has represented the Cuban Government at most international meetings and trips abroad and nurtured the all-important relationship with Hugo Chᶥz. The Venezuelan President provides vital aid to the Cuban economy.

Mr Lage is credited with implementing the economic reforms that helped Cuba to ride out the Soviet collapse. After the worst of the economic crisis was over, many of those tentative reforms were subsequently reversed by Fidel Castro.

His younger brother is believed to favour a gradual opening of the economy while retaining firm political control.

Waiting in the wings

Raúl Castro (b1931) Nominated his brother’s successor in the late 1990s. Lacks Fidel’s popular appeal and talent for public speaking. Former Cuban Defence Minister

Carlos Lage Dᶩla (b1951) Vice-President of the Council of State and Secretary of the Council of Ministers, is considered the ‘de facto Prime Minister’ of Cuba. Credited with negotiating the favourable deal bringing Venezuelan oil to Cuba

Felipe P鲥z Roque (b1965) Cuban Foreign Minister, one of the youngest members of government and one of few born after the revolution. Thought to be open to negotiating an end to the US embargo on Cuban goods

Sources: nndb.com ; Cuban Government; Times archives

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