Will Raul or Fidel Castro attend the Hoisting of the US Flag in Havana?

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Fidel and Raul Castro at a session of the Cuban parliament on February 24, 2013. Photo: granma.cu

By Circles Robinson

HAVANA TIMES — A regular HT reader just asked me whether I thought Fidel and/or Raul Castro would be on hand to watch the United States flag go up this Friday at the newly opened embassy in Havana.

I mentioned that the protocol makes it very unlikely for President Raul Castro to attend, although not impossible, and that Fidel, who celebrates his 89th birthday on Thursday, would most likely not want to be directly associated with the event because of his stated mistrust of the US government.

The foreseen scenario includes a replay of what took place at the Cuban embassy in Washington on July 20. The US will invite its guests for the ceremony headed by Secretary of State John Kerry. Then a brief meeting will be held with Cuban foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez as well as a press conference.

Kerry will not be spending the night in Havana on this protocol visit.

9 thoughts on “Will Raul or Fidel Castro attend the Hoisting of the US Flag in Havana?

  • Moses, Yes, they migrate for ECONOMIC REASONS, we have gone through this before, get out a bit out of the USA bubble while you are on the hike/walkabout I’m sending you on right now and CHECK IT OUT!

  • This is a silly debate. You allege world “hates” the US and loves Cuba? They should send them toilet paper. It’s ironic that most people choose to migrate to the country they hate over the country they love. They line up to become citizens and swear allegiance to our flag. Put an American flag on a t-shirt in France and it sells like crazy. Jus’ saying. …

  • I guess you don’t know us Cubans very well after all, our fighting prowess is well known all over Africa, in fact we shot the pants right off the White Supremacists and their Black mercenaries in Angola; and it’s beyond being simply my opinion ’cause I walked the walk a couple of times. I lived in Cuba during the USA domination period, the Batista era and was old enough to “see” what was going on. I lived in Miami and in many other places in the Belly of the Monster, and “saw” right through the “American Dream” mirage, then traveled. Saw what you did in Chile, and what you did in Mexico, in Jamaica, in Lebanon, in Yemen and Somalia; talked to the People there, many people from all walks of life with 3 things in common: Extreme poverty caused by USA Venture Capitalism, Extreme hatred for the USA and Extreme admiration for Fidel Castro and Cuba for standing up to Uncle Sam. Hey Moses, you are not the “Truth”, but it’s highly telling that you think of yourself in those terms.
    Next time you go abroad, even to Canada, for any length of time, put on a stars and stripes flag or decal on your car, luggage or T-shirt, cap, etc…see what deferential treatment is from inflated bills to malicious damage, theft and even violence. I get a kick out of proving that your view of Cuba is the complete opposite of how the rest of the World sees it; Yours is a true Matrix view! Count the Votes every single year at the UN for the taking down of the USA Blockade. It’s the USA, Israel and either Liberia or a small South Pacific island, sometimes not even these last 2.

  • It is clear then that you have no respect for the truth and would prefer to live in your altered reality where you opine who is good and who is bad and label it as fact. I don’t think your concern about the US invading Canada is warranted. Just the same, it is obvious that you are quick to use your gun to “shoot your pants off”. Sounds very American.

  • Detainees at Guantánamo are human beings, many totally innocent as we have found out, some like the Canadian 15-year-old kid Mayer whose house in Pakistan was suddenly attacked by invading and illegal USA assassination troops and he resisted, are Heroes to me and to most people in this Earth that believe any invading USA soldier anywhere outside the USA deserves to be shot on the spot for crimes against humanity and invasion. Cross the border here to impose your will upon us Canadians and watch me shoot your pants off; JERKS! You think you can go anywhere outside your territory and do whatever because you are the Bully, you have the uniformed idiots and the guns. You took these Patriots to Guantánamo to avoid USA Law, so no hair splitting here, thank you. Just like saying your accusations against Fidel are “opinions” and the USA is in Guantánamo legally. Sorry Dude, I have no respect for you or for your agenda.

  • Detainees in Guantanamo are “enemy combatants” and therefore are not covered by the same rights to due process. In addition, as enemy combatants, their rights to a speedy trial are set aside until cessation of the conflict. This is the same as prisoners of war are not required to be be released until the end of the war. Guantanamo IS a lawful US possession regardless of what Fidel told you to say. The US entered into a lease with the legitimate government of Cuba at the time. Further legitimized when Fidel cashed several lease payment checks.

  • Oh, your jaundiced view is loose again Moses, blame and blame Fidel for the ruin and the suffering that the USA has subjected Cuba to for the 53 years of the Blockade. You are RIGHT, though about the pending issues and the Castro Brothers not being there, but WRONG again about the Guantánamo Base and Torture Center being a “lawful USA territory”. In fact, the USA government installed their Torture Center there to avoid USA jurisdiction and violate the prisoners’ civil rights, human rights or due process of USA Law and protections granted under the Constitution, such as exists in “lawful” USA Territories like Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands or “American” Samoa; not to speak of violations of Cuban Law and Territorial Sovereignty.

  • Did Obama attended the the raise of the Cuban flag at the Cuban embassy in Washington? NO.! so screw the yanks.!

  • Fat chance anybody named Castro will be there. After all, even as the flag as hoisted up the flag pole, the US embargo remains fully in place, the State Department continues to fund pro-freedom anti-CASTRO programs and Guantanamo remains lawful US territory. These are all issues that the Brothers from Brian have railed against for generations. As the stars and stripes unfurl under Cuban skies, and the Castros look around nearby Vedado at the ruins of once was a beautiful middle-class suburb, I would love to ask them one thing: is this what you had in mind 56 years ago?

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