Jul 27, 2008 9:02 am US/Eastern
Cuba Marks 55th Anniversary Of The Revolution
Castro Issues A Warning To The U.S.
Advises Cubans To Prepare For Tough Times
HAVANA, CUBA (CBS4) ―
Amid flag waving and parades, Cuban President Raul Castro issued a warning to the U.S. as the island nation marked the 55th anniversary of the Cuban revolution.
During his Revolution Day address in front of the Moncada military complex, Castro said Cuba would maintain its defenses up no matter who wins the U.S presidential election in November.
"We shall continue paying special attention to defense, regardless of the results of the next presidential elections in the United States," said Castro.
Moncada was a symbolic location for Raul Castro's speech; 55 years ago his brother Fidel launched an attack on the complex that planted the seeds for the 1959 Cuban revolution. The Moncada attack was a disaster, many of Fidel's forces were captured or killed, but it launched a movement that brought him to power when President Fulgencio Batista fled the country.
Raul Castro also warned Cubans to prepare for tough times ahead as rising oil and commodity prices take a toll on the island's economy and demanded that Communist Party leaders fulfill the promises they made to the Cuban people.
"Regardless of our great wishes to solve every problem, we cannot spend in excess of what we have," Castro said.
Perhaps showing his age, the 77-year-old president ended the speech by mistakenly dedicating the 59th anniversary of the Moncada attack to his brother, Fidel. He then laughed at himself, noting that this year actually marked the 55th anniversary of the event.
The last time Fidel Castro was seen in public was at a Revolution Day event two years ago. Five days later he underwent emergency intestinal surgery and has since only appeared in official videos and photographs.
Since becoming Cuba's president five months ago, Raul Castro has made some changes his older brother refrained from making including opening up more unused state land to private farmers, legalizing cell phones for private citizens and allowing some workers to seek legal title to their homes.
During the speech, many had hoped that Raul Castro would have additional reforms, he didn't and now some Cubans say their hopes for change under the new government are fading.
"There are a lot of people on the street who talk about change, but we haven't had even one economic or political reform that counts, nothing we hoped for with Raul," said Oswaldo, a 69-year-old retired construction worker. He declined to give his last name, saying, "Being able to openly criticize things is something else we can only hope for."
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
