-DATE-
19851030
-YEAR-
1985
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
MESSAGE
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CASTRO SCORES REAGAN SPEECH AT UNITED NATIONS
-PLACE-
HAVANA
-SOURCE-
PRENSA LATINA
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19851030
-TEXT-
CASTRO SCORES REAGAN SPEECH AT UNITED NATIONS

PA310422 Havana PRENSA LATINA in Spanish 2035 GMT 30 Oct 85 -- FOR OFFICIAL
USE ONLY

[Text] Havana, 30 Oct. (PL) -- Cuban President Fidel Castro thinks that
Ronald Reagan's recent speech at the UN was "a disaster" and "disappointed
the entire world." The head of state issued this statement during an
interview granted to the national radio of Angola on the occasion of
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos' visit to Cuba, which was
published here today by the newspaper GRANMA. Fidel Castro said that many
in UN circless said that the U.S. President's speech "was terrible,
ill-fated, and a political maneuver."

According to the Cuban leader, Reagan talked about national reconciliations
"in nations where the U.S. imperialism has promoted wars," and mentioned
Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Angola, and Nicaragua. He added: "the CIA
organized mercenary bands there."

Fidel Castro stated that Reagan did not mention the situation in El
Salvador, which is a genocidal war being waged with Washington's support;
or the Saharan Arab Republic, which is struggling against the foreign
occupation that is openly supported by the United States; or what is taking
place in Mozambique, where the CIA, the South Africans, the racists are
trying to destablize the country; or Namibia; or the South African people's
heroic struggle against apartheid.

The U.S. President said that he was going to bring up the initiative of
reconciliation among the forces in order to solve the regional problems and
to discuss those problems with the USSR later, Castro said.

Castro noted that actually Reagan did not talk about anything the world
expected him to talk about: "the serious commitment to reduce the nuclear
weapons, the measures to safeguard peace."

"He did not say a single word about the awful crisis the world is
undergoing; the economic crisis; and the huge debt of the Third World
countries," he said. "Reagan, the Cuban president noted, is more and more
mistaken, less and less serious, more and more demagogic, and more and more
a political schemer [politiquero]," he added. [quotation marks as received]
At this point, the head of state remarked that he is holding back a large
number of adjectives, "not because he does not deserve them -- he does --
but, rather, to save time and energy."

Regarding the foreign debt, Fidel Castro stressed that this is a common
problem affecting all the Third World countries. He also mentioned unequal
trade and the deterioration of prices. In this respect, he added that
because of the economic problems that tie them, the need for a new
international economic order is a demand of all the Third World countries.

Commenting on the dos Santos' visit to this country, the Cuban president
underscored the sharing of ideas and views as well as unity between the two
countries. He felt that in the past 2 years, Angola has taken a great
qualitative leap forward and has been greatly supported in every sense.
Fidel Castro also stated that he felt that apartheid has entered into
a crisis from which it will never recover.
-END-