RAUL DELIVERS CASTRO BIRTHDAY SPEECH

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 023564 "NOTE PROCESSED AS IS PER EAP BARBARA BARTSCH-ALLEN" E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2016 TAGS: CU PGOV PREL SUBJECT: RAUL DELIVERS CASTRO BIRTHDAY SPEECH REF: A) HAVANA 23548 B) HAVANA 23552 Classified By: COM MICHAEL E. PARMLY, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 1.(C) Summary: Raul Castro's speech before the December 2 military parade marking Fidel Castro's 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Granma invasion was a missed opportunity on two fronts: to start to turn the page on the Fidel era; and to make a sincere overture to the United States, if that was his intent. Raul proffered no obituary for Fidel nor commented on his brother,s absence, but also did not fully assert his own authority, perpetuating the state of limbo that has hung over CUBA since July 31. Nowhere does he address the Cuban people or speak to their concerns. Instead, he expends the bulk of his speech in a caustic anti-U.S. diatribe. The press has focused on one paragraph of the speech where Raul, repeating language from his August 18th "Granma" interview, calls for improved relations with the U.S. 2.(C) Summary continued: An estimated 300,000 people participated in the military parade along with and array of missile launchers and MIG flyovers. Largely a command performance, USINT observers noted a lack of revolutionary fervor though many in the crowd expressed personal sentiments for Fidel and turned to see whether he had appeared on the reviewing stand. End Summary. FIDEL A NO SHOW 3.(C) Fidel Castro was too ill to appear at his own mega-birthday party, which was delayed almost four months to begin with. Raul Castro's speech hardly talks about his brother, nor offers any explanation for his absence from the long anticipated 80th birthday celebration. Fidel's own apology for not appearing, read to a TV audience Wednesday evening, was a non-sequitur that emphasized energy-saving measures (ref b). After a perfunctory homage to the elder Castro at the beginning of the speech, Raul turned backwards in history to the 1956 Granma invasion, and quoted Fidel's remarks 31 years earlier to the first Communist Party Congress. 4.(C) At the same time, Raul did not use this critical opportunity to speak directly to the Cuban people in his own right as the new leader of Cuba. All he came up with was an appeal for unity of the people, armed forces and Communist party. He avoided any talk about the future or about the economic concerns of most ordinary Cubans. This performance is consistent with Raul Castro's previous public appearances which demonstrated no new direction since Fidel Castro's incapacitation was announced on July 31st. FOCUS ON THE U.S. 5.(C) Raul Castro made most of his speech an acerbic and puerile tirade against the U.S. He said since the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States has exercised "unprecedented hostility and aggression" to asphyxiate CUBA economically and undermine the Revolution. Yet Cuba, he continued, "defied those who suggested that generations of Cubans would abandon the ideals of the Revolution." He lauded the "maturity and confidence in the Revolution the Cuban people have demonstrated during the last four months." "Despite maneuvers and pressure from the United States," Raul continued, "Cuba has enhanced its prestige internationally as leader of the NAM and in the UN General Assembly with the vote against the embargo." He condemned U.S. "neo-liberal" policies in Latin America "that popular majorities have rejected" in Venezuela and elsewhere. ¶6. (C) Raul reviewed the "U.S. administration,s adventurism in the international arena" and described our November 7 mid-term election as a rejection of these policies. He denounced in lurid detail the war in Iraq, and concluded that in the eyes of the world the "so-called" war on terrorism "has been a humiliating failure for the U.S." Raul called upon the U.S. government to learn the lesson that "power based on intimidation and terror brings terrible consequences." OLIVE BRANCH? ¶7. (C) Following this tirade and almost in the same breath, Raul repeated his offer to the U.S. to improve relations. CUBA would agree to "resolve prolonged differences on the negotiating table" with the United States through direct dialogue. However, as stated in his August 18 "Granma" interview, CUBA would insist on relations based on "equality, reciprocity, non-interference and mutual respect." Raul then added that the Cuban government is "ready to wait patiently for common sense to take hold in circles of power in Washington." In the meantime, Raul concluded, "Cuba will continue to consolidate all levels of its national defense structure." MASSES PARTICIPATE IN THE SPECTACLE 8.(C) As with all official parades, the 300,000 or so Cubans who turned out for the celebration were obliged to demonstrate support for the regime. Arrayed in red shirts, the crowd spilled over into the Plaza de la Revolution. While they chanted "Viva Fidel, Viva Raul, Down with Imperialism" at appropriate times during the speech, there was a demonstrable lack of revolutionary fervor. The parade took on the guise of a social event with megaphone-led chanting and much chatter that no one seemed to take seriously. As the marchers passed the reviewing stand all eyes turned to see if Fidel was present. Many in the crowd held up hand-made posters wishing him a happy birthday or expressing personal sentiments about the man. The only thing that mattered to most ordinary Cubans present or watching from home, was whether Fidel appeared or not. The reaction among the crowd to Raul's speech was disengagement. The military flyovers were the only source of genuine excitement. 9.(C) French and Canadian diplomats who were invited to participate in the ceremony said they took note of the preponderance of military hardware on display. The French Military attach reported that the Cubans did a good job to keep the old Soviet era equipment running, not unlike Cuban mechanics keeping 1950s era U.S.-model cars running. One tank apparently stalled or ran out of gas, which was not shown on TV; others drove for a short distance, then parked on the side of the parade route, perhaps paying homage to 2006 being Cuba,s "year of energy efficiency." 10.(C) Comment: The December 2 activities made clear that Fidel cannot return to center stage. Yet Raul presented himself as second-in command and head of the armed forces, rather than as the new leader of Cuba. He chose to make this speech, arguably his most important public appearance since assuming power, about the U.S. rather than about the Cuban people or their future. His rhetoric castigating the U.S. administration demonstrated a lack of sincerity in calling for better relations. The media and diplomatic community want to create a buzz about this, missing the point that Raul's conditions are a non-starter. The stage-managed parade and homage to Fidel were trademark totalitarian performances, and should call into question the key issue in Cuba,s upcoming transition: How do they get from here to legitimacy? Raul, who personifies illegitimacy (in every sense),cannot take them there. PARMLY