Cuba was on heightened alert, wary of what many fear is a possible invasion by US-based Cuban exiles with Castro sidelined.
HAVANA: Cuba was on heightened alert Thursday, wary of what many fear is a possible invasion by US-based Cuban exiles, as US President George W Bush called on islanders to push for democracy with strongman Fidel Castro sidelined by surgery
While Fidel and his younger brother Raul have yet to appear in public since the elder Castro handed power to his sibling Monday, Bush said the United States was ready to help Cuba’s transition to democracy. “I urge the Cuban people to work for democratic change on the island,” Bush said in his first statement since Fidel temporarily relinquished power to Raul while he recovers from surgery.
“We will support you in your effort to build a transitional government in Cuba committed to democracy, and we will take note of those, in the current Cuban regime, who obstruct your desire for a free Cuba,” Bush said.
The US State Department earlier lashed out at the “imposition” of Raul Castro as interim president replacing the 79-year-old Fidel. While the island has largely been calm since the announcement, tension began to rise with announcements in the official media of “combat alerts” and reservists being called to military to duty.
“The means of combat are ready to defend us,” announced the front page of the official newspaper Granma. The news media, fully controlled by the government, called on Cubans to face “the threats of the empire and the terrorist mafia.”
The former refers to the US and the latter to the US-based Cuban exile community. Calls from Cuban exiles in Florida for a popular uprising against the Communist regime have only exacerbated the sense of alert.
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