Plots By Us To Kill Castro 'will Aid Smooth Transition'

The Age

Thursday February 21, 2008

Ian Munro, New York

AMERICA'S repeated attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro will unintentionally aid Cuba's smooth transition to a new president, according to a US strategic expert.

Dr Castro, 81, who underwent major surgery in August 2006, announced his retirement on Tuesday night after leading the country for 49 years.

Cuba expert Peter Kornbluh said US plans for killing the revolutionary leader, which included slipping him an explosive cigar, poisoning his food and even planting a bomb in a type of conch shell native to Cuba, had ensured the country prepared succession plans.

Mr Kornbluh, director of the National Security Archive's Cuba project, said US attempts to isolate the country had failed along with the assassination plots. "History will record him as a legend in his time. He took a small Caribbean island that was the play park of the rich and famous of the US and he transformed it into a major actor on the world stage," he said.

Mr Kornbluh said Cuba might become less repressive if the US eased its sanctions.

"If we moved to normalise the relationship, that would weaken the hardliners in Cuba who built their careers by meeting the threat from the north with an iron fist on dissent."

More than 100 members of Congress this week urged a review of US policy, which they said had left the country without influence over Cuba.

But Secretary of State John Negroponte said he did not see sanctions being lifted "any time soon".

Mr Kornbluh said: "The next (US) president will inherit a failed 50-year policy and will hopefully take the opportunity to move towards a more pragmatic policy that is in the US' interests."

The Democratic presidential frontrunner, Barack Obama, said any policy change should depend on change in Cuba first.

"If the Cuban leadership begins opening Cuba to meaningful democratic change, the United States must be prepared to begin taking steps to normalise relations and to ease the embargo of the last five decades," he said.

Rival Hillary Clinton said America would be willing to support Cuba if it moved towards democracy.

Republican frontrunner John McCain said the US must maintain sanctions until Cuba allowed free elections and released political prisoners.

Dr Castro's move came five days before the National Assembly meets to install Cuba's president for the next five years.

Philip Brenner, professor of international relations at American University, said Dr Castro's announcement only formalised "a de facto transition in Cuba since 2006".

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