Castro warns Bush against mounting invasion

Fidel Castro warned President George Bush today against launching a military attack on Cuba if the current American measures aimed at dislodging him don’t succeed, saying it would provoke a mass exodus and an all-out ground war.

Washington has repeatedly denied it is planning any military action against Havana.

But an increased tightening of sanctions against the island, along with the Bush administration’s pre-emptive strike on Iraq, has convinced the Cuban leadership that a military attack is not impossible.

“Do not try crazy adventures such as surgical strikes or wars of attrition using sophisticated techniques because you could lose control of the situation,” Castro said in a speech addressed specifically to Bush before a morning protest of tens of thousands of Cubans in Havana.

“You could shatter the immigration agreement and provoke a mass exodus that we would not be in a position to prevent, and you could bring about an all-out war between young American soldiers and the Cuban people,” he said. ”That would be very sad.”

“You would never be able to win that war,” the Cuban leader said. “Here you will not find a divided people.”

Last month, a presidential commission delivered Bush what amounts to a policy of regime change in Cuba, recommending that the US subvert the planned succession in Cuba under which power would pass from Castro to his younger brother, Raul.

The release of the report coincided with a new round of tough new measures that will further limit travel to Cuba by US citizens- including Cuban Americans.

Dressed in his typical olive green uniform and cap, Castro spoke at a mahogany wood podium on a stage outside the oceanfront US Interests Section – the American mission.

“Under the present circumstances in Cuba, and in case of an invasion of our country if I cease to exist – either from natural causes or others – this will not in any way hurt our capacity to fight and stand firm,” said Castro.

The coastal Malecon highway was crowded with tens of thousands of people called out by their workplaces, schools and neighbourhood authorities. The government estimated the crowd at 200,000, a number impossible to confirm independently.

The Communist Party newspaper Granma said the gathering was called to deliver Cuba’s “most energetic condemnation and protest against the brutal anti-Cuban measures by the current US government.”