-DATE-
19940103
-YEAR-
1994
-DOCUMENT TYPE-

-AUTHOR-

-HEADLINE-
Castro Interviewed in Santiago de Cuba
-PLACE-
CARIBBEAN / Cuba
-SOURCE-
Havana Cuba Vision Network
-REPORT NO.-
FBIS-LAT-94-003
-REPORT DATE-
19940105
-HEADER-
=================================

Report Type:         Daily report             AFS Number:     FL0401020494
Report Number:       FBIS-LAT-94-003          Report Date:    05 Jan 94
Report Series:       Daily Report             Start Page:     1
Report Division:     CARIBBEAN                End Page:       2
Report Subdivision:  Cuba                     AG File Flag:   
Classification:      UNCLASSIFIED             Language:       Spanish
Document Date:       03 Jan 94
Report Volume:       Wednesday Vol VI No 003

Dissemination:  

City/Source of Document:   Havana Cuba Vision Network

Report Name:   Latin America

Headline:   Castro Interviewed in Santiago de Cuba 

Author(s):   unidentified reporters in Santiago de Cuba on 1 January-recorded] 

Source Line:   FL0401020494 Havana Cuba Vision Network in Spanish 2320 GMT 3
Jan 94 

Subslug:   [``Excerpt'' of interview with President Fidel Castro by
unidentified reporters in Santiago de Cuba on 1 January-recorded] 

-TEXT-
FULL TEXT OF ARTICLE: 1.  [``Excerpt'' of interview with President Fidel Castro
by unidentified reporters in Santiago de Cuba on 1 January-recorded] 

2.  [Text] [Reporter] I am from Santiago de Cuba and I, like my people,
recently experienced the same difficult times other eastern provinces
experienced. Have you been able to learn what is being done? What aid has the
country received from the international community? 

3.  [Castro] Not much here in Santiago de Cuba. The country provided the money
needed, especially to rebuild homes, repair mattresses, to give the people back
what they lost, to purchase cement. Almost all has been done with money
provided by the country. uch has been done in Guantanamo, the most affected
province, Sagua, and Santiago. Guantanamo was strongly affected by the rains.
Just imagine what it was like to have 700 millimeters of rain fall on the area
in 36 hours. This happened in one municipality. It was tremendous. If affected
the coffee, tuber, and orchard crops. However, the storm of the century caused
more damage than these rains. The storm of the century affected many provinces.
However, this recent storm caused much damage in Guantanamo. It destroyed
thousands of homes. 

4.  [Reporter] Years ago you made a speech at Cespedes Park. You said that
there was much for the Revolution to do in the future. At that time, you said
that the people had all their hopes set on the rebel army and on you.  However,
you told them you did not want to be a demagogue and admitted that difficult
times lay ahead.  A few minutes ago you repeated those words. 

5.  [Castro] When I entered Havana on 8 January, I stressed that even more. I
warned the people that even more difficult times lay ahead. I told the people
that. 

6.  [Reporter] And you have repeated those same words today. 

7.  [Castro] I did. Being a demagogue would be lying to the people. It would be
a lie to tell the people that the problems are small and that the path ahead is
an easy one to travel. 

8.  [Reporter] Comparing.... 

9.  [Castro, interrupts] We are enduring a test no other country has ever
endured. We are the only country to endure it; it is a tremendous test. 

10.  [Reporter] In your opinion, [words indistinct] the Revolution? 

11.  [Castro] As if we were starting all over again. The struggle is much
harder, but we have more people who are more revolutionary, more aware, better
prepared.  This revolutionary contingent must win this battle. It is better
prepared and more aware. No other country in the world has waged a battle as
difficult as the one Cuba has waged. We have been resisting the empire for the
past 35 years. That is an unheard of prowess. We do not really realize what
this has meant, what victoriously resisting the United States for the past 35
years has meant. The United States is trying to take advantage,
opportunistically take advantage of the fact that the socialist bloc has
disappeared. The most extraordinary thing is that despite the disappearance of
the socialist bloc, we continue to challenge the United States and continue to
wage our battle. This is a first in the history of Cuba. I have no doubts that
this generation is waging the most difficult and most heroic battle in Cuba's
history. You, all of you, are waging this battle. 

12.  [Reporter] Tell us how you spent the last day of the year. 

13.  [Castro] I spent the last day of the year meditating a bit about today's
event. I rested. I rested on the last day of the year. It was a hectic and
tiring month; I was tired. I knew that I had to be here today, that I had to
come here today. I spent almost the whole day reading, but I was reading about
other things. I read about economics and international matters. I also read a
bit of fiction. What I did was rest. At midnight I went to visit some friends. 

-END-