Latin American Network Information Center - LANIC

-DATE-
19850218
-YEAR-
1985
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
INTERVIEW
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CASTRO DISCUSSES FURTHER ON COUNTRIES
-PLACE-
HAVANA
-SOURCE-
MADRID EFE
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19850219
-TEXT-
Further on Other Countries

PA182000 Madrid EFE in Spanish 1831 GMT 18 Feb 85

[Excerpts] Havana, 18 Feb (EFE) -- Fidel Castro, sure of himself but
openly worried about the world's situation, said today that the enormous
Latin American debt is a threat to peace and deplored the U.S. influence
upon relations between Cuba and Spain.

Castro, 57 years old and in power for 26 years, made the statements during
a 6-hour interview with Ricardo Utrilla, president of EFE, who was
accompanied by Marisol Marin, the agency's delegate in Havana.  The
transcript of the interview covered 115 pages.

In the interview Fidel Castro also discussed the following subjects:

The CIA -- "When I went to Chile, for example, when the Popular Unity
government took office, elements trained by the CIA organized a hunt...some
of them were even disguised as journalists, Venizuelan journalists,
carrying television cameras with arms inside the cameras."

"Whenever there is talk of Castro taking a trip, they begin to organize the
hunt, the safari."

The OAS -- "...The OAS is the organization which, in addition to the United
States, takes charge of creating, discrediting, and destroying at the same
time."

Heritage of the Latin American military -- "They all know that their
countries have become unmanageable and they are returning power to the
civilians.  That is, the crisis is so deep that they no longer consider
themselves capable of ruling."

Dominican Republic -- "They applied the IMF's formula, and the Army and
police had to be called out to kill dozens of persons and wound hundreds
more after the initial measures were taken."

Panama -- "The attempt to apply some tax measures...also caused a social
upheaval.  In Panama the National Guard has a patriotic position.  It is
not prepared to take to the streets to shoot the people."

Alliance for Progress -- "Kennedy proposed...imaginative measures...he
proposed reforms and economic aid totaling $20 billion over several years.
Today the interest amounts to $40 billion a year."

Africa -- "Although very serious, the situation is different.  There, a
large part of the population lives in villages as they have lived for many
centuries."

Bolivia -- "The real situation at this moment is that no government party
controls the workers; they refuse to accept further sacrifices."

Peru -- "Social convulsion is evident there.  From afar no one can figure
it out, no one understands it, and without question it reflects crisis and
instability."

The pope -- "The pope's trip was subversive because the pope visited some
native communities, poor districts, workers' districts and there he spoke
of the need to give land to the peasants....  He reflected a situation that
exists in Venezuela, that exists in Ecuador, that exists in Peru....  He
proposed this as a need of society."

Brazil -- "In Brazil the opening occurred as a result of the people's
struggle, tile mobilization of millions of persons behind the direct
vote....  The political change that occurred in Brazil was not violent, but
it was deep, that is, the opening is serious, it is solid."

Chile -- "They resorted to the military.  Pinochet does not have much time
left.  The situation is at the most critical in Chile's history..., even
the United States no longer likes Pinochet.  It is like a volcano."

China -- "Twenty years ago they talked about the yellow peril,
the red danger..., now they are investing there....  They prefer a more or
less orderly China, with social justice, a feudal China, a hungry China."

Conservatives -- "If you speak with Latin Americans...you will find that
there are very few conservatives left.  Occasionally, it is possible that
you will not note differences between what a conservative will say and what
I tell you...they are horrified."

Radio Marti -- It is almost ridiculous at this stage, considering the
problems that exist in the area..., a really silly thing to spend money on
that station."
-END-


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