BY PABLO SOROA AND REINALDO SANTANA (AIN)

                   GUANTANAMO.- On Saturday, January 19, General of the Army Raúl
                   Castro, minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, highlighted the
                   climate of détente prevalent for the last several years along Cuba’s
                   border with the U.S. Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay.

                   In an interview with the national and foreign press in the Loma Malones observation
                   point, right after the rally held in the Guantánamo municipality of San Antonio del
                   Sur, the second secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba
                   attributed the improvement to the tranquility desired by the two countries in
                   the zone.

                   He explained that this cooperation was established in the mid-1990s,
                   and since then there has been absolute tranquility, noted by both
                   sides, along Cuba’s only artificial land frontier.

                   Asked about the sending of Taliban prisoners to that enclave, Raúl
                   responded that – in line with the recent declaration issued on the
                   subject by the Cuban government – our country was informed ahead
                   of time about this operation and stated its willingness to cooperate in
                   aspects related to medicine and sanitation.

                   The minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces cited official U.S.
                   statements to the effect that the prisoner transfer offers no danger
                   to Cuba, and that the captives would be treated according to
                   international norms.

                   He explained in regard to Cuba’s defenses along this border that the
                   only reinforcement it has made was the promotion of a woman on
                   Saturday to the position of second chief of the Border Brigade, the
                   armed force guarding the frontier of that naval base, maintained
                   since the start of the 20th century against the will of the Cuban
                   people.

                   Raúl said that thiks collaboration was useful, because the 35 years
                   between the time the Revolution triumphed until 1994 were complex
                   and tense along this frontier.

                   He noted that the last great provocation coming from that military
                   enclave took place on December 7, 1989, when Cuban defense
                   posts were fired on, at the same time as ceremonies were being
                   held, honoring the fighters who died in Angola and other African
                   lands.

                   After reflecting on the consequences that such an incident could have
                   had, if the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Cuban government
                   had not remained calm, Raúl explained that the situation became
                   more positive eight years ago, when minimum levels of cooperation
                   were established between the two countries’ armed forces.

                   He added that there is an atmosphere of mutual respect and
                   collaboration in this and other aspects of bilateral relations, which of
                   course is not to the liking of the fauna in Miami, where the dregs of
                   the worst elements that existed during the pseudo-Republic (before
                   the triumph of the Revolution) have taken refuge.

                   Raúl went on to say that this collaboration could be extended to
                   dealing with problems related to drugs and immigration, as well as
                   other areas such as the fight against terrorism, on which Cuba’s only
                   disagreement with the United States refers to the meods of ending
                   that scourge. "I still agree with Tolstoy that war is an event contrary
                   to human reason," concluded Raúl, who then invited the journalists
                   on a tour of the Border Brigade units.