1 - Louis Farrakhan Visits Cuba
2 - Farrakhan says 'black masses' in U.S. admire Cuba
.c The Associated Press
HAVANA (AP) - Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, a longtime critic of U.S. policy toward Cuba, was visiting this communist island Tuesday in one of his final stops on a months-long world tour.
The black leader was expected to address university students later in the day in the eastern city of Santiago, according to the government's Prensa Latina news agency.
During his stay, Farrakhan was expected to meet with senior government leaders. He met President Fidel Castro on his last visit in 1996.
Farrakhan is nearing the end of a world journey that has carried him to dozens of nations, including Iraq and Libya, which, like Cuba, are under U.S. sanctions.
AP-NY-02-17-98 1719EST
17 February 1998
HAVANA (Reuters) - U.S. black militant Louis Farrakhan on Tuesday condemned Washington's longstanding economic embargo on Cuba and said American blacks admired the example set by the Caribbean island and its revolution.
"There is not a member of the black masses in the United States who is not proud of the example set by Cuba and its revolution, with Comandante Fidel at its head," Farrakhan said in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, where he began a two-day visit to the communist-ruled island.
In remarks quoted by the Cuban domestic news agency, AIN, the Nation of Islam leader said his visit aimed to express support "for the Cuban people and their revolution."
"We condemn the cruel blockade against Cuba," he added, referring to the economic embargo that the U.S. government has maintained against Cuba for more than 30 years.
Farrakhan, who delivered a speech at Oriente University in Santiago de Cuba, was received on arrival by Juan Carlos Robinson, a member of the Politburo of Cuba's Communist Party and the city's senior party official.
The Muslim leader said his organization and Cuba shared common objectives in the struggle for justice and equality and against racism and exploitation. "Stay firm and continue on your path. Don't stop," he said.
Farrakhan was scheduled to fly to Havana for a meeting with the president of Cuba's National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcon.
The black activist, who last visited Cuba in 1996, when he met President Fidel Castro, was due to leave Havana on Wednesday for Bermuda and then Canada. He is on a world tour that has taken him to more than 30 countries since December.
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