Chicago Tribune - July 27, 2004
Gary Marx, Tribune foreign correspondent

Clad in his familiar olive green military fatigues, Castro called Bush's charges "perfidious accusations" and spent much of his speech quoting from a book recently published in the United States that describes Bush as a paranoid megalomaniac who is unstable, bellicose and incompetent.

Castro called Bush a "sinister character who keeps threatening, insulting and slandering us" to justify a recent tightening of the 40-year-old U.S. economic embargo against the island.

Castro also fired back by citing prostitution, pornography and gambling in the U.S.--none of which, he said, exists in Cuba--and by laying out what he described as the revolution's successes, including universal education and a low infant-mortality rate.

"Long live the truth!" Castro shouted as he ended his speech in the central provincial city of Santa Clara that marked the 51st anniversary of the beginning of the Cuban revolution.

Earlier this month, Bush charged in a Tampa speech that Castro promoted sex tourism to attract money to this impoverished nation.

The president said Castro "bragged" about Cuba's sex-tourism industry, quoting the Cuban leader as saying, "Cuba has the cleanest and most educated prostitutes in the world."

Bush's speech sparked an immediate backlash from those accusing him of taking Castro's words out of context.

Castro taken out of context

Castro's quote apparently was lifted by Bush administration officials from an essay by a Dartmouth College undergraduate, who paraphrased a July 1992 speech that the Cuban president gave before the Cuban National Assembly.

In his 1992 speech, Castro acknowledged prostitution on the island, but said the practice is "is not allowed in our country."

"There are no women forced to sell themselves to a man, to a foreigner, to a tourist," Castro said, according to a BBC translation. "Those who do so do it on their own, voluntarily and without any need for it. We can say that they are highly educated hookers and quite healthy, because we are a country with the lowest number of AIDS cases."

Experts say prostitution is less prevalent than in previous years but remains a fact of life in Cuba, where prostitutes frequent bars and clubs attended by foreigners. But experts say there is no evidence that Cuban officials are actively sponsoring the sex industry. Castro outlawed prostitution when he took power in 1959.

"There is prostitution in Cuba, but it's far-fetched to say the government is promoting it," said Philip Peters, a former U.S. State Department official and Cuba expert at the Lexington Institute. "There are people arrested. There are people rounded up. You see the cops checking ID cards."

Rather, Peters and others say Cuba's faltering socialist economy forces many of the island's 11 million residents to scrounge for dollars through various black-market activities, including prostitution.

"The government's economic policies provide a foundation where young women find that engaging in prostitution is a more effective way to provide for themselves and their families," said John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Economic and Trade Council, which tracks commercial relations between the two countries.

Escalating tensions

The war of words over Cuba's alleged promotion of the sex industry is the latest in a series of moves that have escalated tensions between the Bush administration and Castro's communist government.

In recent weeks, Bush has instituted measures designed to slow the flow of hard currency to the island as a possible way to bring about a rapid, peaceful transition to democracy.

Castro has responded by accusing Bush of planning a military invasion and vowing that Cubans will fight to the death to defend their homeland.

040727
CT040709

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2004. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .