Cuban defence chief dies

CUBA: Cuban Defence Minister General Julio Casas Regueiro, the right-hand man of President Raul Castro, died of a heart attack in Havana on Saturday, state media reported. He was 75.

Casas Regueiro, one of Cuba’s most powerful men though his influence was wielded largely behind the scenes, is replaced under national regulations by his first deputy, General Leopoldo Cita Frias.

The defense chief — who succeeded Raul Castro as head of the armed forces in 2008 when he became president — fell “victim to cardiac arrest,” and his body was cremated according to his wishes, the Communist Party politburo said in a statement read out on the state television news.

“He was known for his loyalty to the Party, to the people, to the Revolution, and to his commander-in-chief Raul Castro,” the statement said.

“He made numerous contributions to strengthening (Cuba’s) defense,” the statement added.

From before the 1959 Revolution — he joined Raul’s rebel unit at age 22 — through the Cold War era and after its collapse, Casas Regueiro backed up Raul.

He formally rose to the helm of the armed forces when Raul Castro assumed the presidency from his brother, revolutionary icon Fidel Castro, on February 24, 2008.

Havana, Sunday, AFP