Castro Says He Hopes Bush Is 'Not as Stupid as He Seems'

AP 26jan01

HAVANA -- Fidel Castro this week fired his first verbal shot at President Bush since he took office, saying he hoped his new adversary in the White House is "not as stupid as he seems."

In a Sunday speech shown late Wednesday on state television, Mr. Castro said that "someone very strange, with very little promise, has taken charge of the leadership of the great empire that we have as a neighbor."

"That gentleman has arrived there, and hopefully he is not as stupid as he seems, nor as mafia-like as his background makes him appear," the Cuban leader said. He added, however, that he was not troubled by Mr. Bush's presence, saying "he's there, and we are calm over here."

The U.S. "cannot invent anything against us," said Mr. Castro.

In Washington, White House spokeswoman Mary Ellen Countryman declined to comment on most of the Cuban leader's remarks. As for Mr. Castro's statement that the island nation was "calm" about the Bush presidency, she said lightheartedly: "That's good. We are calm over here too."

Mr. Bush is the 10th American president to serve since the 1959 triumph of Mr. Castro's revolution.

The new U.S. president has expressed support for the four-decade American trade embargo on Cuba. He has said he envisions no change in U.S. policy toward the communist island unless free elections are held and political prisoners are freed.

During last year's presidential campaign, Mr. Castro described Mr. Bush, a Republican, and Democratic candidate Al Gore as "boring and insipid."