Saturday 03 January
2009, San José, Costa
Rica
Panama Solidarity With
Cuban Revolution
Mexico Deports More
Guatemalans Than U.S.
Cuba Celebrates 50 Years
of Socialist Revolution
Hostages' Relatives Call
On Colombian Government
To Ease Release Process
Venezuela,
Bolivia, Nicaragua Congratulate Cuba On
50th Anniversary of Revolution
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Cuba Celebrates 50 Years
of Socialist Revolution
Havana - The Cuban
government on Thursday
celebrated the 50th
anniversary of its
Socialist Revolution
triumph in the country.
A 21-gun salute was
observed in San Carlos
de la Cabana fort in the
east of Havana Bay to
kick off the
celebrations.
The main festivity,
presided by Cuban leader
Raul Castro, was held in
Santiago de Cuba Square
where former leader
Fidel Castro 50 years
ago declared the triumph
of the Revolution. Some
3,000 people attended
the event.
It opened with the words
of Fidel after occupying
Santiago de Cuba
"Finally we have arrived
in Santiago!", the
Granma newspaper said.
TV and other local media
on Thursday broadcast
the first speech given
by Fidel, now 82 years
old, after victory of
the insurgent forces
against Fulgencio
Bastista's dictatorship.
"The (Socialist)
Revolution begins now,
the Revolution will not
be an easy task, the
Revolution will be a
hard work and full of
dangers," Fidel said.
He congratulated the
Cuban People for the
50th anniversary of the
Socialist Revolution
victory.
"I congratulate our
heroic people," he said
in a message published
by the local media.
Chinese President Hu
Jintao also
congratulated Cuba and
vowed to strengthen
bilateral cooperation.
The victory of the Cuban
revolution had helped
the country realize
national independence
and set it on the path
toward socialism, Hu
said.
Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev also sent a
congratulatory message
saying that "the Cuban
Revolution, the work of
all his (Fidel) life,
opened a path to the
freedom of the Cuban
People."
The Revolution was led
by Fidel and legendary
Argentine Ernesto "Che"
Guevara. On Jan. 1,
1959, Fidel proclaimed
the triumph of the
Socialist forces over
Batistas' dictatorship.
In July 2006, Fidel
temporarily handed power
to then defense minister
Raul Castro, due to
health problems. On Feb.
24, 2008, he officially
resigned and passed the
presidency to Raul.
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