By JOHN RICE, Associated Press PANAMA CITY, Panama (November 17, 2000 5:37
p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Cuban President Fidel Castro said
Friday that a U.S. Cuban exile group is planning to kill him, and has
smuggled weapons and explosives into Panama, where he is attending an
international summit. At a news conference held at the hotel where he is
staying during the 10th Ibero-American summit of Latin American and European
leaders, Castro said the Miami-based Cuban-American National Foundation "has
sent people to Panama with the purpose of eliminating me physically." "They
are already in Panama and they have introduced weapons and explosives," he
said. Ninoska Perez, a spokeswoman for the Cuban-American National Foundation
in Miami, said the group has no one in Pa! nama and that Castro "should get a
new story." "He has accused us of everything in the book. There is no reason
why we should have to respond to unfounded accusations," she said. "He is the
terrorist. They are accusations without proof. Where are the people he's
talking about?" Castro said the squad plotting to kill him was directed by
Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles, whom he called "a cowardly man totally
without scruples." The Cuban-American National Foundation said it has no
links to Posada. Castro repeated previous claims that Posada organized the
1976 bombing of a Cubana de Aviacion jetliner that killed 73 people, as well
as several other plots against his own life. Posada was twice acquitted of
bombing the jetliner. He spent nine years in a Venezuelan prison before
escaping in 1985. Castro said Cuban officials would make a formal report to
Panamanian authorities. He said his agents had come close to locating Posada
and! they would cooperate fully with Panamanian officials. Panamanian Interior
Minister Winston Spadafora said he had learned of the allegation earlier in
the day and said Panamanian intelligence chief Pablo Quintero Luna had been
sent to speak with Cuban security about the issue. He said Castro "has had
his advance security in Panama for several months. He has been offered all
security and all cooperation." Castro, 74, veered between the grim and the
almost playful as he joked that there had been "about 600" attempts on his
life. His statement overshadowed the start of the Ibero-American summit of 19
Latin American countries along with Spain and Portugal. In brief remarks at
his arrival, Castro praised Panama for achieving "full sovereignty" with the
December 1999 handover of the formerly U.S.-owned Panama Canal and the
departure of U.S. troops, who maintained a presence in the country for 97
years. With Panama a stronghold of U.S. ! influence, Washington's
least-favorite Latin leader had never visited the country since taking power
in 1959, though he made a brief stop here in 1948 on the way to a student
conference in Colombia before taking up arms against Cuba's old government.
"Today everything has changed," Castro said after shaking hands with
President Mireya Moscoso. "There are no troops shooting on students and the
people of Panama own its canal and administer it excellently." The
Ibero-American leaders planned to adopt resolutions attacking exploitation
and other problems affecting children before ending their summit on Saturday.
They were expected to promise to dedicate more resources to aid children in a
region where many live in poverty and must drop out of school. Two presidents
said they would not be able to attend: Peru's Alberto Fujimori and
Nicaragua's Arnoldo Aleman. El Salvador proposed a resolution condemning
political violence, especia! lly that of the Basque separatist group ETA in
Spain, but Cuba reportedly balked at singling out ETA.
