BY ANITA SNOW
 Associated Press

 HAVANA -- The government promised on Tuesday to fight for the repatriation of five Cuban agents sentenced in Miami on espionage charges as it celebrated the 43rd anniversary of the revolutionary triumph that brought Fidel Castro to power.

 ``Cuban men and women, we toast this heroic nation capable of so many great achievements, the revolution that illuminates our hopes, for the return of the heroes to thehomeland,'' read the government's New Year's message, published on the front page of the Communist Party daily Granma.

 Jan. 1 is the most important day on communist Cuba's calendar, marking the day in 1959 that Castro and his bearded revolutionaries entered the eastern city of Santiago after dictator Fulgencio Batista fled the country.

 No large public events were held here on New Year's Eve, when most Cubans celebrate the holiday at home with their families. The government did organize a series of public concerts for Tuesday evening, featuring performers such as nonagenarian musician Compay Segundo and the Los Van Van band.

 This year's Jan. 1 message indicates that the government plans to devote as much time and energy to the fight for the five agents as it did to the battle for the repatriation of castaway boy Elián González. The child returned to Cuba in June 2000 after a seven-month custody battle between his family in Miami and his father on the island.

 The battle over the five spies has not created the kind of sympathy among average Americans or Cubans that the fight for Elián did.

 But it has become a top priority for Castro. Last week, he called a special session of the National Assembly, which unanimously agreed to bestow the title of ``Heroes of the Republic of Cuba'' on the five men convicted on charges of spying on the United States.

 After a six-month trial, the men were given sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison for espionage conspiracy and lesser counts. They allegedly were assigned by Havana to warn about signs of a U.S. invasion.

 Castro says the men are patriots who were protecting their country from possible terrorist attacks.

 During the special parliamentary session Saturday, Castro told the assembly that because of the men's importance, 2002 would be officially known as the ``Year of the Heroic Prisoners of the Empire'' -- a reference to the spies. The Cuban government regularly choses a slogan for each year, which is then used in official correspondence and in state media instead of the year's number.

 In its New Year message, Havana also mentioned the country's economic problems, deepened by world recession, the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States and widespread damage caused by Hurricane Michelle.

 The message said Cubans were working together to recover from the damage the hurricane caused in early November. ``Not a single Cuban was forgotten in the tragedy,'' the letter said.

                                    © 2001