Castro Accuses Bush of Assassination Plot
VOA News
30 Jan 2004, 18:14 UTC
Cuban leader Fidel Castro has accused President Bush of plotting with organized crime to kill him.
At the end of a five-hour address to anti-free trade activists in Havana, Mr. Castro said Friday that President Bush had made a commitment "with the Cuban-American mafia" to assassinate him.
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
The Cuban leader also vowed that if the United States were to invade the island, he would, "go down fighting." He said Cuba is prepared for a conflict, and will not budge from its principles.
Last month, the White House said a special commission of senior Bush administration officials is expected to put forth recommendations by May first for a peaceful removal of Mr. Castro.
In the early years of Mr. Castro's rule, there were several documented cases of U.S. attempts to assassinate him. In 1976, a U.S. executive order banned the assassination of foreign leaders.
The Reuters news agency quotes Mr. Castro today as asking the Bush administration to clarify its position on the assassination issue.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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