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Havana to Commemorate Castro Today | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Cuban President Raúl Castro saluting a crowd of thousands at a rally honoring his deceased brother Fidel Castro in Revolution Square in Havana. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, second from left, attended, as did many leaders of countries critical of U.S. foreign policy. Photo: Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press


Havana- Havana commemorates today Wednesday the late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro in the presence of a number of world leaders and countries’ representatives who came to deliver their speeches before the ashes of Castro are taken.

The commemoration will start with a moment of silence in the capital’s square and will be specialized for the remembrance of Castro.

Following these ceremonies, Castro ashes will go across the country from 30 November until 3 December. On the fourth day, the ashes will be buried.

The list of attendees did not cover a great number of world leaders, especially that the U.S. President Barack Obama will not attend the commemoration. This seems to be a direct effect to the U.S. president-elect Donald Trump tweet that if Cuba is unwilling to make a better deal for the Cuban people, the Cuban/American people and the U.S. as a whole, he will terminate the deal announced by the U.S. President Barack Obama on 17 December 2014 and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro.

According to Russian statements, Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be absent because he is preoccupied with his agenda. Experts in Russian-Cuban relations affirmed that both countries share a solid relation and have tight strategic cooperation.

A great number of European leaders will not attend the commemoration as well including: French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister and other Latin countries’ leaders.

Meanwhile, some Latin politicians hinted that the list of attendees has political and diplomatic indications, especially that the U.S. stance towards the Cuban Island has not been finalized.