-DATE-
19911206
-YEAR-
1991
-DOCUMENT TYPE-
-AUTHOR-
-HEADLINE-
Castro Interviewed by EL SOL DE MEXICO
-PLACE-
CARIBBEAN / Cuba
-SOURCE-
Mexico City NOTIMEX
-REPORT NO.-
FBIS-LAT-91-238
-REPORT DATE-
19911211
-HEADER-
*********************
Report Type:         Daily Report             AFS Number:     PA1112005891
Report Number:       FBIS-LAT-91-238          Report Date:    11 Dec 91
Report Series:       Daily Report             Start Page:     3
Report Division:     CARIBBEAN                End Page:       4
Report Subdivision:  Cuba                     AG File Flag:   
Classification:      UNCLASSIFIED             Language:       Spanish
Document Date:       06 Dec 91
Report Volume:       Wednesday Vol VI No 238

Dissemination:  

City/Source of Document:   Mexico City NOTIMEX

Report Name:   Latin America

Headline:   Castro Interviewed by EL SOL DE MEXICO

Subheadline:   Calls Government `Democratic'

Author(s):   Mexico City newspaper EL SOL DE MEXICO; place and date of
interview not given]

Source Line:   PA1112005891 Mexico City NOTIMEX in Spanish 1645 GMT 6 Dec 91

Subslug:   [Report on fifth part of interview with President Fidel Castro by
Mexico City newspaper EL SOL DE MEXICO; place and date of interview
not given]

-TEXT-
FULL TEXT OF ARTICLE:
1.  [Report on fifth part of interview with President Fidel Castro by Mexico
City newspaper EL SOL DE MEXICO; place and date of interview not given]

2.  [Text] Havana, 6 Dec (NOTIMEX)-The Cuban system is democratic because there
are so many people who participate in elections here and this is not seen in
any other country, Cuban President Fidel Castro asserted.  ``The country lives
from one congress to another and everybody participates. Matters that in theory
used to be discussed at the party level are openly and fairly discussed at
these congresses,'' he added.

3.  In the fifth part of an exclusive interview to the Mexican newspaper EL SOL
DE MEXICO, Castro said that politics is not the party's sole prerogative. He
added: ``It is the prerogative of all the masses and when an agreement is
reached at one of those congresses, it unquestionably has the support of the
party and the government.''

4.  ``We are not going to act against the wishes and interests of the masses
because there is an enormous participation here. It is not like in the United
States where deputies are constantly monitoring how their town people feel,''
Castro added.

5.  The people appoint their deputies to the National Assembly and these
deputies are constituency delegates.  ``The deputies are not elected by the
party machinery because the Cuban electoral system is not one of direct
election of deputies; it is an indirect election system.''

6.  ``The assembly can make recommendations regarding administrative matters
and it is the body that makes and revokes laws. The assembly can and does
decide on economic matters and many other topics,'' Castro explained.

7.  In Mexico, he added, the president enjoys much authority to make
administrative decisions. In other countries they can appoint ambassadors,
national bank officials, deputy ministers, important officials, and even state
governors, but this is not the case in Cuba. On the island, the Executive
Committee can issue decrees, but these must be approved by the National
Assembly, which has the highest authority; it makes the laws and can also make
certain constitutional reforms that would have to be decided on by a
plebiscite.

8.  When Castro commented on the changes that were adopted at the Fourth
Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba and said that he had explained these
changes to the presidents of Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela, he said that
apparently ``they were pleased with what we have done.'' The Cuban leader said
that although these changes satisfied them there were a lot of pressures, many
different ideas, and many variants.

9.  He added that ``there is a great deal of confusion over what democracy
means. Let us just say that the world cannot get together to explain what we
have and that there are some who describe the United States as a democracy.''
Castro said: ``I have my opinion on the U.S. system. In the United States, half
the population does not vote because they do not have any respect for the
Constitution, the elections, or the parties. Can you imagine the level of trust
there is when half the population goes to recreation sites on election day?''

10.  He highlighted the fact that Cuba is an educated nation and does not spurn
elections in this way and that ``in our elections-in which it is not obligatory
to vote to designate the delegates to the constituency-over 95 percent of the
people always participate.''

11.  ``The U.S. elections cost an enormous amount of money.  They have to spend
hundreds of billions of dollars and if they do not, they cannot hold
elections,'' he noted. The U.S. president is elected by 25 percent of the votes
and ``after that the president does what he pleases in many things but not in
all. However, he can declare war and can unleash a nuclear war,'' and he can
threaten the survival of mankind. ``If he goes crazy before somebody finds out,
he has this suitcase with the atomic secrets in it and can declare a nuclear
war without consulting anybody,'' Castro asserted. He added: ``The U.S.
President can burn the world seven times over with the amount of nuclear
weapons he has.''

-END-