Tribute to Fidel Castro in Harlem NEW YORK, September 9 (PL).- Thousands of people honored Cuban President Fidel Castro in Harlem, during a rally in solidarity with the island organized by various sectors of the U.S. population, including Cuban immigrants. The packed meeting, described by President Castro as an expression of the healthiest and most noble friendship, took place shortly after the close of the Millennium Summit, which the Cuban president attended at the United Nations. In his speech, frequently interrupted by applause, the Cuban leader, dressed in his traditional olive green uniform, spoke in greater depth about the warning he issued at the Summit, concerning the need to change the catastrophic situation in which the world is living. The encounter was also an opportunity for Fidel to express his appreciation for the affection with which he has always been received by friends in the United States, despite the fact that the U.S. government has maintained a tight economic and political stranglehold on the island for more than 40 years. He recalled that on previous visits he has always received support, as on this occasion, and that in 1960 he was welcomed in Harlem; in 1995 he had a similar reception in the Bronx. Fidel said it was an honor to have been invited on this occasion to that district bordering the river, in the midst of what he called a river of the healthy and noble friendship. The rally was organized by the Committee to Welcome the Cuban Delegation to the Millennium Summit, composed of social and religious organizations, and it took place at the Riverside Church, a Gothic-style building housing a Protestant congregation. The crowd surpassed the 2,000 seats available, and the organizers had to set up chairs in other areas of the building, where guests followed the rally on closed circuit television, while hundreds of friends of Cuba also lined the streets outside. Prior to President Castro's speech, several Cuban films were shown and the stage was decorated with a huge sign welcoming President Castro, surrounded by a multitude of Cuban flags. Shouts of "Down with the blockade," "Viva Fidel" and "Cuba S�, Blockade No" had a special meaning in New York, in the presence of the Cuban leader and the members of the delegation that accompanied him on his trip to attend the largest meeting in the history of the United Nations. � Copyright. 1996-2000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. GRANMA INTERNATIONAL/ ONLINE EDITION
