‘Cuba can never be defeated’

Press, 27 February 1984, Page 10

‘Cuba can never be defeated’

NZPA-Reuter Havana President Fidel Castro said at the week-end that Cuba had strengthened its defences in preparation for any American military thrust in which’“millions of Yankee soldiers would be killed.”

Speaking at a trade union congress, President Castro said 500,000 men and women had been armed for service in the territorial militia over the last six- months and that “Cuba can never be defeated, never occupied.”

He said more than 1.5 million Cubans were now in the regular army or militia and added the United States would have to kill “every inhabitant” to conquer the Socialist island.

“But it is impossible to kill a whole people and before this could happen, millions of Yankee soldiers would be killed,” he declared.

Only the last 30 minutes of his two-hour speech dealt with non-economic issues. But diplomats said it contained the most defiant anti-

American message since last October’s U.S.-led invasion of Leftist Grenada.

He said Nicaragua’s Leftist government had the strength to repel any “imperialist” intervention and that the United States could never solve the problems of El Salvador where U.S.backed government troops are battling guerrillas. Speaking amid chants of “Fidel, Fidel, give those Yankees hell,” President Castro called the Reagan administration a “Fascist, reactionary regime.” He listed what Cuba sees as U.S. crimes in foreign policy — "its open and shameless aggression towards Nicaragua ... its role in the genocidal war in El Salvador ... its base and cowardly crime against the people of Grenada.” President Reagan has accused Cuba of exporting revolution to Central America while President Castro maintains the bloodshed is mainly due to U.S. support for Right-wing military governments.