A former Cuban Ambassador to the UN, Alcibiades Hidalgo, has defected to United States. He held a news conference and provided some inside details on the "socialist paradise":
A former Cuban ambassador to the United Nations who recently defected said Monday that widespread economic problems on the island could produce an uprising against President Fidel Castro and his system.I wonder if it galls Fidel that Cuba's principal industry is tourism? Apparently not, since in addition to wanting food on credit (i.e. free) from the USA, he wants hordes of imperialist lackeys to visit and spend their dollars. I can see the commercials now:
Alcibiades Hidalgo, who arrived in South Florida on July 29, said many aspects of daily life in Cuba could produce a "social explosion" at any time.
"There is lot of concern among the elite that this could occur," said Hidalgo, who also served as chief of staff to Defense Minister Raul Castro, brother of the Cuban leader.
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Hidalgo is one of the most important Cuban defectors whose escape has been publicly reported since Gen. Rafael del Pino fled the island in May 1987. Del Pino was instrumental in the defeat of the U.S.-sponsored invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961. Hidalgo said his defection has not yet been reported in Cuba's state-controlled press.
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Speaking in Spanish, Hidalgo said Castro, who turns 76 on Tuesday, has differences with his brother Raul, 71, who is defense minister and the second ranking official in the Council of State and the Council of Ministers.
Although Raul is the heir apparent, Hidalgo said he drinks too much, has health problems and doesn't sleep much. Fidel, in contrast, takes care of himself, he said.
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Hidalgo got to know Raul Castro well during the 1980s when he served as his chief of staff. The Cuban military, under Raul's direction, has become an economic powerhouse through its involvement in tourism and other dollar-generating activities, he said.
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Cuba has endured a series of economic blows over the past year. Like other Caribbean islands, Cuba suffered a severe drop in tourism after Sept. 11 and is still recovering from a devastating hurricane that struck Nov. 8.
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Hidalgo shares the Bush administration's view that congressional attempts to end curbs on Americans' travel to Cuba, if approved, would be an economic windfall for Cuba and a "gift for Fidel."
The U.S. economic embargo against Cuba aggravates the island's problems, he said, but he believes Castro's socialist policies are principally to blame, something he did not say when he was ambassador to the United Nations in 1992-93. Then he followed the party line by identifying the embargo as the culprit.
"The truth," he said Monday, "is otherwise."
Hidalgo disagreed with Cuba's policy of using its U.N. mission as an espionage hub. He estimated that 90 percent of the 50-60 personnel working there were spies, but he was not told details of their activities.
We'll keep the light on for ya!
