-DATE-
19840105
-YEAR-
1984
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
INTERVIEW
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
SPAIN'S RELATIONS WITH L. AMERICA
-PLACE-
CUBA
-SOURCE-
MADRID EFE
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19840106
-TEXT-
CASTRO VIEWS SPAIN'S RELATIONS WITH L. AMERICA

PA052316 Madrid EFE in Spanish 2136 GMT 5 Jan 84

[Text] Madrid, 5 Jan (EFE) -- Cuban President Fidel Castro has stated in an
interview on Spanish television that "the further removed Spain from the
military blocs, the better its relations with Latin America and the Third
World will be."

"I would like Spain to be neutral; we would like Spain to stay out of
military blocs," Castro said. He added Spain "would be making a great
historic mistake if it renounced the level of confidence and the level of
relations possible with Latin America" and jointed a military bloc.

The Cuban politician noted that one "need only view the standard of
commercial relations between Spain and Cuba and Spain and Latin America
when this country enters the EEC" to see that "we might end up losing."

Regarding relations between the Cuban Government and the current Spanish
Government, Castro said that "logically" there is greater political
affinity with this government, "since a leftist party" is in power.

Castro positively assessed the 25 years since the Cuban revolution, and
said that "throughout our struggle contact with reality has enriched the
initial program, a very advanced program that envisioned the creation of
the bases for building socialism."

The Cuban politician affirmed that U.S. hostility, although "it did not
determine the course of our revolution, which would have marched inexorably
toward socialism," did "accelerate the process and, in fact, gave it
impetus."

Castro expressed the opinion that history's judgment of him will be
"absolutely favorable," because although he is judged now as a
revolutionary, "future generations will recognize the merit of our
revolutionary struggle under such difficult conditions and with the most
imperialist country of the world as a neighbor."

The Cuban leader stressed the great achievements of the revolution in the
fields of education and public health, "areas in which we are the leader
among the Third World countries, and ahead of a few developed countries."

Castro speculated that he was not indispensable to the current Cuban
process because "we have created a collective leadership which really
functions."

"I do not make unilateral decisions; all decisions are discussed by an
organization, a collective leadership," he added.
-END-