Cuba holds massive march to protest U.S. squeeze on island

Friday, May 14th 2004, 6:01 am

By: News On 6

HAVANA (AP) _ The communist government summoned hundreds of thousands of Cubans to participate in a massive demonstration on Friday morning to protest new U.S. measures aimed at squeezing the island's economy and pushing out President Fidel Castro.

Cuban state television said Castro would speak before the start of the march and it displayed detailed maps of where Cubans should gather for the event.

Headlines of state-run newspapers Thursday urged Cubans to march along Havana's Malecon coastal boulevard against the ``fascist policies'' of President Bush, promising the event would be ``the largest revolutionary demonstration of our history.''

Buses were to start picking up participants early Friday and those living outside of the capital were urged to arrive Thursday night ``to avoid the risk of arriving late,'' said the Communist Party youth daily, Juventud Rebelde.

The Labor Ministry freed most state employees from work for the day.

The march was announced Tuesday, a day after the government stunned Cubans by suddenly halting most of the dollar sales they have come to count on due to the scarcity of many products in Cuban pesos. Only food, personal hygiene products and gasoline were exempt.

Officials have promised the measures are temporary but said prices would be increase when the dollar-only stores reopen. They blamed the U.S. government and its latest additions to the 44-year-old U.S. embargo aimed at Cuba's communist system.

The U.S. measures, announced last week, are meant to reduce hard currency on the island by limiting how often Cuban-Americans can visit relatives, decreasing how much they can spend and prohibiting money transfers to Cuban officials and Communist Party members.

Bush said the United States would also spend $59 million over the next two years to help promote the goal of a democratic Cuba, including $18 million to evade Cuba's jamming of Radio and TV Marti, which are anti-Castro U.S. government broadcast operations.

Cuban officials have warned the measures could be a possible prelude to stronger U.S. attacks, possibly even an invasion.