By Steven Pearlstein
                  Washington Post Foreign Service

                  MONTREAL, March 2—Cuban diplomat Jose Imperatori left Canada
                  today after his five-day stay to protest his expulsion by the United States
                  on spying charges. He returned home to Havana, where he received a
                  hero's welcome led by President Fidel Castro.

                  After spending five days at the Cuban Embassy in Ottawa, Imperatori was
                  driven under police escort to the city's international airport, where he was
                  put on a plane sent by the Cuban government. Heavy snow fell as Cuba's
                  ambassador and aides waved goodbye to Imperatori, whom the United
                  States has accused of being a spy while serving as vice consul of the
                  Cuban interest section in Washington.

                  Reuters reported that Castro hugged Imperatori and chatted with him on
                  the runway in Havana. Also present were Imperatori's wife and child;
                  National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon, who is Castro's point man
                  on U.S. affairs; and the family of 6-year-old shipwreck survivor Elian
                  Gonzalez.

                  In a statement, Cuba said it agreed to recall Imperatori, 46, after reaching
                  a "reasonable and satisfactory settlement" to the diplomatic standoff, with
                  "maximum possibilities" to return to the United States and testify on behalf
                  of an Immigration and Naturalization Service official accused of passing
                  secret U.S. government information to the Cuban.

                  The State Department insisted there had been no negotiations. It repeated
                  a statement made earlier in the week that "we would be willing to consider"
                  allowing Imperatori and another diplomat implicated in the case to return to
                  Washington to speak to law enforcement agencies "under specified
                  conditions."

                  Imperatori, who had been given a Feb. 29 deadline to leave the United
                  States, had demanded he be allowed to stay and clear his name. Instead,
                  he was expelled that night to Canada with the understanding that he would
                  catch a flight to Havana the next day. But he defied Canadian insistence
                  that he leave and took refuge in the Cuban Embassy in Ottawa. Cuban
                  officials said he had gone on a hunger strike.

                  The final deal concerning Imperatori's departure was reached Wednesday
                  night, and Cuba said he ended his hunger strike at 1:40 a.m.

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