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AP. 1 January 2002. Cuba Promises to Fight for Return of Five Secret Agents as It Commemorates 1959 Revolution. HAVANA -- The Cuban government promised Tuesday to fight for the return of five agents sentenced in Miami on espionage charges as it celebrated the 43rd anniversary of the Cuban revolution. "Cuban men and women, we toast this heroic nation capable of so many great achievements, the revolution that illuminates our hopes, (and) the return of the heroes to the homeland," read the government's New Year's message, published on the front page of the Communist Party daily Granma. Jan. 1 is the most important day on communist Cuba's calendar, marking the day in 1959 that Fidel Castro and his bearded revolutionaries entered the eastern city of Santiago after dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the country. Winning the return of the five agents has become a top priority for Castro. Last week, he called a special session of the National Assembly, which unanimously agreed to bestow the title of "Heroes of the Republic of Cuba" on the five men. The men were convicted in December and given sentences ranging life in prison to 10 years. Prosecutors said they were assigned by Havana to warn about signs of a U.S. invasion. Gerardo Hernandez was sentenced to life on charges of trying to infiltrate U.S. military bases and conspiring in the deaths of four Cuban-Americans whose private planes were shot down by Cuba in 1996. The others received lesser terms - two on charges of trying to penetrate U.S. military bases and two convicted of failing to register as foreign agents and conspiracy. Castro said the men were patriots protecting their country from possible terrorist attacks. During the special parliamentary session Saturday, Castro told the assembly that because of the men's importance, 2002 would be officially known as the "Year of the Heroic Prisoners of the Empire" - a reference to the United States. The Cuban government regularly chooses a slogan for each year, which then is used in official correspondence and in state media instead of the year's number. In its New Year message, the government also claimed 3 percent economic growth during 2001, despite a drop in tourism, sinking prices for Cuban exports and heavy damage from Hurricane Michelle in early November. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
