NY Transfer News:

Pablo Milanes and Ruben Blades Dispute Over Castro

Cuban singer Pablo Milanes hotly defended Fidel Castro in
Caracas, Venezuela, where he was appearing at a Latin American
music festival which ended on Feb. 24. Ruben Blades, the
Panamanian singer who is also now a politician, and who also
appeared at the concert, said at a press conference, in Milanes'
presence, that Castro should step down as Cuba's leader. Milanes
said Blades' remarks showed a lack of respect and political
ignorance.

Blades said Castro should leave power, give the Cuban people
freedom to speak and demonstrate and that the communist
dictatorship should end.

Milanes responded, saying that Blades had become more anti-
Castro than Argentine president Carlos Menem or Peruvian writer
Mario Vargas Llosa. He said it was inadmissable that someone like
Blades should speak about a 66-year old man (Castro) who still
symbolizes courage and dignity to Latin America.

Blades said he had sent a letter to Castro asking him for
freedom for the poet Maria Elena Cruz Varela and others who are
imprisoned in Cuba for their ideas, but that he had also asked
that Milanes and his colleague, Silvio Rodriguez, be allowed to
enter the US. Blades said he had no problems with Milanes and is
not a proponent of an invasion of Cuba, but that he does think
Castro should go.

He further explained that he accepted an invitation to sing
at the inauguration of US president Bill Clinton because he saw
it as recognition of Latin American reality inside the US, and
that if it had been Reagan or Bush, he would not have accepted.
(edlp 2/25/93 from EFE)