A Castro son rises in Cuba

A Castro son rises in Cuba
By Daniel Trotta

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban President Raul Castro's son has emerged as one
of his father's closest aides, taking on an increasingly important role
reminiscent of the one Raul used to play for his older brother Fidel Castro.

Alejandro Castro Espin, 49, is a colonel in Cuba's interior ministry and
was until recently a little-seen figure. As his father has moved to
improve relations with the United States after decades of hostility,
however, his son has been right by his side.

When Raul Castro, 84, met with U.S. President Barack Obama in a historic
encounter at a regional summit in Panama in April, Alejandro Castro
Espin was part of the small group in the room. It was unknown what role
the son may have played in the 18 months of secret negotiations leading
up to the announcement of detente by both presidents last December.

"Clearly Raul is grooming him for more responsibilities, probably higher
office and/or rank," said Brian Latell, a former CIA analyst who has
closely followed the Castros for decades.

Still, it seems extremely unlikely that Castro Espin is being prepared
to take over for his father. Cuba experts see no sign the Castro
brothers plan to hand power to any of their children.

"Raul is determined, as his elder brother is, that this isn't going to
look like a monarchy," said Hal Klepak, a Canadian historian living in
Havana who has written two books on Cuba's military.

The heir apparent is First Vice-President Miguel Diaz-Canel, 55, and
Castro Espin flatly ruled out the idea of succeeding his father in an
interview with Mega TV of Greece earlier this year.

His sudden high profile began on Dec. 17, the day his father and Obama
announced plans to restore diplomatic ties. Under a prisoner swap that
was part of the deal, three Cuban spies returned home as national heroes
and there was Castro Espin, in uniform, saluting them at the bottom of
the airplane steps.

When Raul Castro met Pope Francis at the Vatican on May 10, his son
stood with them in a business suit.

Raul Castro had a similar role as confident and adviser to older brother
Fidel, 88, the leader of the 1959 revolution who resigned as president
in 2008.

"What comes to mind is the way Fidel used Raul all through the years,"
Latell said. "Raul has raised his son to be at his side, his eyes and
ears, especially in the Interior Ministry, reporting to his father. The
son is totally trustworthy."

Raul Castro employs another close relative in a position requiring
absolute trust. His grandson and Alejandro's nephew, Raul Rodriguez
Castro, is a bodyguard.

Castro Espin is a member of a commission on defense and national
security that advises his father. As a colonel in line for promotion to
one-star general, he would rank high in the interior ministry, which is
in charge of internal security and was practically absorbed into the
armed forces 25 years ago.

The government did not respond to requests to interview him or provide
biographical or professional details.

His future beyond 2018, when Raul Castro is due to step down as
president, remains unknown, although Klepak said the military brass
likes and trusts Castro Espin.

Castro Espin lost all or part of the vision in one eye in a training
exercise in Angola, where Cuba sent forces from 1975 to 1991 to defend a
Marxist government against South African and U.S.-backed insurgents.

"He had a very good career as a junior officer, and not just in Angola.
This is an officer who would have been watched for rapid promotion under
any circumstances," Klepak said. Then he added: "It doesn't hurt to have
those surnames."

His mother, Vilma Espin, who died in 2007, was a prominent figure in
Cuba who led the Federation of Cuban Women.

For years the most visible of Raul and Vilma's four children has been
Mariela Castro, an advocate for gay and transgender rights and a member
of the National Assembly, but she does not appear to have the same
access as her brother on matters of state.

Sister Deborah, a chemical engineer, married Luis Alberto Rodriguez
Lopez-Callejas, a general who heads the armed forces' enterprises, which
generate between 30 percent and 40 percent of Cuba's hard currency
earnings. The fourth sibling, Nilsa, does not have a public profile.

Alejandro Castro Espin wrote a 2009 book called "The Price of Power"
which portrays the United States as an imperial power bent on hegemony
in order to serve corporate interests.

Reissued this year, the new edition added an author's note that refers
to his father's rapprochement with the United States but still describes
U.S. leaders as "those who seek to subjugate humanity to satisfy their
interests and hegemonic goals."

One of his former professors said he believed Castro's thinking was
"more sophisticated" than that.

"Maybe he published that in his book because he believed it to be
politically correct," said Carlos Alzugaray, a retired Cuban diplomat
who taught Castro Espin in a master's course on U.S. and Cuban foreign
policy.

"He is open to contrary ideas ... He's not a person who doesn't listen."

(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Kieran Murray)

Source: A Castro son rises in Cuba - Yahoo News -
http://news.yahoo.com/castro-son-rises-cuba-153518456.html