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| Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has penned a lengthy column, published in today's Granma newspaper. |
Havana
It seems as though the first Democrat to announce her candidacy for the American presidency has an unlikely ally. In a column appearing today in the Cuban newspaper Granma - the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party - Fidel Castro gives former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton high praise for seeking the highest office in America. Castro, the long-time president of Cuba and adversary of the United States, was known for his marathon speeches. He once spoke for 4.5 hours at the UN General Assembly, and for 7 hours and 10 minutes at the gathering of the 1986 Communist Party Congress. It is no surprise, then, that today's article spanned 6 full pages.
Within the intriguing tome, Castro admits that he was initially skeptical about the thawing of relations between once bitter enemies. "When (brother and current president) Raul and the party first approached me for advice on the situation, before the beginning of the talks, I adamantly said that it would be like dealing with the diablo himself. Like many of you, my brothers and sisters, I thought it was an affront and a betrayal of everything that our fathers and grandfathers stood for."
Castro, who handed over the presidency to his brother in 2008, told Granma that it took several months for him to come around to the idea that Cubans and Americans could be friendly with one another, let alone form business partnerships or sit across from each other at diplomatic tables. "Age does something to a person. Some of you will call this a softening, or even a touch of dementia. But I think of the children playing in the streets of Havana. Do I want them to grow up with hatred in their heart for someone, just because they fly a different flag than we do? That's not the kind of legacy I want to leave."
While it was widely reported that the elder Castro has had very little to do with the current American-Cuban negotiations, according to Fidel, this is not the case. "I fully respect my brother's role and his competency as president. At the same time, I am grateful that he, as well as the party, still consult me from time to time."
In an interesting, even eyebrow-raising paragraph, Castro writes that he has supported the Clinton family for many years. "Quietly, and from a distance, I had respect for Mr. Clinton, and the Democratic Party in general. During his time in the Oval Office, his country saw economic stability and growth; it was a relatively peaceful time. The same can not be said for George Bush or his son."
Castro then addresses Hillary Clinton's newly-announced candidacy for the American presidency. "I have always respected and admired strong female leadership, whether it be Angela Merkel or Margaret Thatcher. They are good role models for our daughters who are taking classes in our universities. It was during her time as Secretary of State that the Americans reached out to us to seek peaceful relations."
"I personally spoke to Mrs. Clinton's team months ago and told them that not only would I support them in my writings and meetings with international leaders, but I would also support them financially. To that end, I have already contributed 250,000 pesos (approx. $250,000 US) to the campaign. I also offered to appear with Mrs. Clinton on the campaign trail when my health allows, but I understand that doing so may have a negative effect."
According to Castro, the only thing that he asked for in return was a symbolic gesture of appreciation from the Hillary For America team. "I was touched, frankly, when they revealed their campaign logo yesterday, that they clearly incorporated Cuba's great and proud flag. Our two countries, though divided for many years, have much in common, such as freedom of expression, assembly, and the right to justice."
From Our Havana Bureau