Castro Opens Fire Against Obama Despite Expectations of Distension

Cuban leader Fidel Castro opened fire against the president of the United States, Barack Obama, when he energetically demanded the return of Guantanomo Bay without any strings attached, hardening his tone in the middle of a dialogue expected to diffuse conflict.

In a newspaper article published this Friday, Castro harshly criticized Obama for keeping the Guantanomo base open despite its rejection by the Cubans who considered it a violation of international rights.

“It is the obligation of the president of the United States to comply with these rules without any conditions. Not respecting this constitutes an act of arrogance and an abuse so great against such a small country,” stated the 82-year-old ex-president of Cuba.

Having relinquished power in July 2006 because of sickness, Castro reiterated that the supposed condition of change in the Cuban communist regime for Obama to deliver the enclave located on the extreme east of the island, would be a “price that Cuba has fought against for half a century.”

The communist leader, who had originally praised Obama, criticized him again for supposedly continuing the policies of his predecessor, George W. Bush, in the Middle East and for supporting the relationship between the United States and Israel.

“Our friend Obama has fallen into sharing the genocide against the Palestinians,” Castro said, exemplifying what he considers to be another example of the “abusive character of the imperial power” similar to what’s happening at Guantanomo.

The announcement by Obama to close the Guantanomo prison was cheered as a good sign in Latin America, and governments allied with Cuba-Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua-asked him to go one step further and return the territory comprising 117 square kilometers.

“Now he should return the territory of Guantanomo to the Cubans,” said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in a social forum at Belem (Brazil) on Thursday. By his side, the Paraguayan Fernando Lugo, who backed him up by saying that the Cuban zone “should return to its roots.”

Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother and successor during his absence, expressed itself more moderately. “If good is the first positive step, it is insufficient,” affirmed Chancellor Felipe Perez Roque on Wednesday.

It has been a week since the interview with the Russian newspaper “Izvestia,” when Raul, during a visit to Russia, said that Cuba will now more firmly on the base’s closure. “For them, this base has no militaristic importance,” he commented.

“It’s a good sign. We urge the United States government to leave the territory they occupy in Gunatanomo, free the prisoners, pick up their things and leave,” declared the head of Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon.

Castro has judged Obama, who is the eleventh president after half a century of revolution, to be sincere, honest and noble, but he also warned that he had questions as to the expectations he created.

“Now that the excuses started to be lifted to mine the bridge of understanding and the door of dialogue that Obama has opened with Cuba. An excuse at the final hour,” claimed historian and moderate opponent Manuel Cuesta.

Raul Castro, who also considered Obama to be a good man but thought there were excessive expectations of him, said he would be willing to speak without intermediaries and with similar treatments.

“Nobody should entertain the smallest illusion that the empire, which carries in itself the genes for its own destruction, would negotiate with Cuba,” warned Fidel Castro in 2007.

Cuban critics took note that Fidel fired off his tirade against Obama even though he had announced a week before that he did want to “interfere or disturb” government leaders in their decisions.