From: "Jose G. Perez" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sun, 12 Aug 2001 21:40:18 -0400 To: "Cuba News" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [CubaNews] AP: Castro Visits Falls in Venezuela By ALEXANDRA OLSON, Associated Press Writer PUERTO ORDAZ, Venezuela (AP) - Basking in praise from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro (news - web sites) on Sunday visited towering Angel Falls - a trip that is Chavez's gift for the Cuban leader's 75th birthday. After a day and a night spent honoring each other and discussing close bilateral ties, Castro and Chavez flew over the 2,900-foot falls in Canaima National Park, a land of towering mesas thought to have inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's ``The Lost World.'' Chavez and Castro visited a Pemon Indian community where a pair of children gave them good-luck necklaces. They toured Canaima Lagoon in a canoe and drove an off-road vehicle. During the tour, the two leaders also signed a deal in which Cuba will provide tourism expertise to Venezuela. Castro described his trip as ``a marvel'' and said that ``Venezuela has great prospects in tourism.'' A tour of an ecology museum in Puerto Ordaz and an emergency police center capped the agenda Sunday - the eve of Castro's birthday. Castro had planned to return to Cuba late Sunday or early Monday. It was the Cuban leader's first trip abroad since fainting during a speech on June 23 - prompting speculation about the health of the man who has ruled Cuba for more than four decades. On Saturday, Chavez and Castro gave a typical display of mutual admiration, praising their battles against poverty, frequently embracing and recalling past battles. Castro sprang up from his seat when Chavez led thousands in singing ``Happy Birthday,'' and he laughed when the 47-year-old Chavez joked about his age. The leaders spent Saturday night talking politics, dining and playing dominoes at an exclusive club in a sprawling hydroelectric complex in Puerto Ordaz, an industrial city about 300 miles southeast of Caracas. But Castro couldn't dispel concerns about his health. He stumbled when reporters mobbed him after his arrival in Caracas. He sweated profusely, fanned himself and repeatedly complained about the heat during a walking tour of a hilly colonial neighborhood Ciudad Bolivar. He kept his acceptance speech short - 40 minutes - citing the tropical humidity and a hoarse throat. He leaned to one side of his chair and rested his head on his hand while Chavez delivered an energetic address. Chavez is one of Castro's few steadfast allies in a world increasingly committed to free market economies. The United States - Venezuela's biggest consumer of oil - keeps a wary eye on the relationship, and was irritated last week when Chavez ordered a U.S. military mission to vacate offices in Caracas' army headquarters. Despite a barter pact that has brought hundreds of Cuban advisers to Venezuela in exchange for Venezuelan oil, both Castro and Chavez insist that Venezuela will retain its democratic government and market economy. While polls show Venezuelans oppose Castro's ideology, thousands have excitedly shadowed him this weekend. ``I don't think we should isolate a country that needs our help so badly,'' said Alberto Ruiz, struggling to catch a glimpse of Castro in Ciudad Bolivar. ``I guess he is a dictator. But he's done a lot for his people. I welcome him and wish him many more years.'' _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
