-DATE- 19771010 -YEAR- 1977 -DOCUMENT_TYPE- MEETING -AUTHOR- F.CASTRO -HEADLINE- DECORATED SAMORA MACHEL -PLACE- CUBA -SOURCE- HAVANA DOMESTIC SERVICE -REPORT_NBR- FBIS -REPORT_DATE- 19771011 -TEXT- CASTRO DECORATES MACHEL FL101905Y Havana Domestic Service in Spanish 1100 GMT 10 Oct 77 FL [Text] Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, first secretary of the PCC Central Committee and president of the Council of State, last night decorated Samora Machel, president of the People's Republic of Mozambique and the FRELIMO, with the Playa Giron National Order. Reading the resolution by which the Council of State confers the order, Blas Roca, president of the National Assembly, stated that our revolutionary fatherland is honored by decorating Machel as a symbol of friendship, solidarity and recognition of his exceptional historic merits. After pinning the medal on his chest, Fidel embraced Machel, who was deeply moved by the solemn ceremony. Machel made a speech in which he expressed gratitude for the honor, pointed out the historic merit that victory at Playa Giron had for Cuba and other countries struggling for independence and added that he found himself without words with which to respond to the honor of receiving an award that marks such heroic deed. The solemn ceremony of presentation of the Playa Giron order was attended by Army Gen Raul Castro, second secretary of the PCC and first vice president of the Council of State, and other members of the Politburo, Secretariat and Central Committee. -END-