Usa Forum - Raul Castro Makes First Cabinet Change (Gulf Times

NY.Transfer.News

9/2/2006 2:36:00 AM

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Raul Castro Makes First Cabinet Change (Gulf Times)

Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit

Gulf Times (Qatar) - Sep 1, 2006
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.aspx?cu_no=2&item_no=105457&version=1&template_id=43&pa...

Raul Castro makes first cabinet change

HAVANA: In the first cabinet change since Raul Castro, 75, took communist
Cuba's interim presidency a month ago, a seasoned 74-year-old was named
yesterday as new communications chief.

The Council of State led by Castro - who replaced his brother, ailing
80-year-old Fidel Castro, at Cuba's helm as he recovers from intestinal
surgery - announced that Ramiro Valdez would replace Ignacio Gonzalez Plana
as minister for computers and communications.

The politburo of the Cuban Communist Party recommended the appointment
approved by the 31-member council, an official statement said.

Fidel Castro stunned Cubans when he announced in a statement on July 31 that
he was recovering from intestinal surgery and had temporarily ceded power to
Raul, his constitutionally designated successor and the Caribbean nation's
defence minister, for the first time in 48 years.

Authorities have said Castro would be back in charge as soon as he feels
better, but have become less insistent on the topic as the weeks go by.

Castro himself, in one of the few statements attributed to him, said Cubans
should remain optimistic but brace for possible bad news.

Analysts and a great many Cubans believe that even if he does return to
office following surgery, it will be with a greatly reduced workload, and
possibly only in a ceremonial position.

That would mark a major change for the bearded leader who micromanaged the
country for almost five decades and regularly lectured Cubans on a wide
variety of topics, ranging from alleged US threats to the proper use of a
pressure cooker.

Analysts believe that Raul, who lacks his brother's popularity, would be
likely to delegate far more than Fidel ever did. - Agencies

*
================================================================
NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems
Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us
Search Archives: http://olm.blythe-systems.com/htdig/s...
List Archives: http://olm.blythe-systems.com/piper...
Subscribe: http://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/lis...
================================================================

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.2.2 (FreeBSD)

iD8DBQFE+Oz1iz2i76ou9wQRAvCnAKC74A79vK/4GNz+kN2RGKjZsgzfrwCfduyM
QAPsYhk2De5XTPTWzDtAig0=
=tKPy
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

soc.culture.cuba

Raul Castro Makes First Cabinet Change (Gulf Times

NY.Transfer.News

x Login to ForumsZone