By: Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer (AP) Fidel Castro, in rare public comments about a Cuban signature drive seeking liberties such as freedom of speech and the press, said his government will respond to Varela Project organizers "in due course."
"Yes, they have the right to present a petition, but not to change the constitution," Castro told ABC News' Barbara Walters in an interview conducted this week and set to air Friday night on "20/20." The transcript was released Wednesday.
"Anyone has the right to present a petition ... yes, and they will receive the response from the National Assembly," said the Cuban president. "They will have their response in due course."
In a separate part of the interview focusing on criticisms that Cuba's press is not free, Walters said: "But what it seems to boil down to is freedom, freedom of expression. People in your own country have asked for more democracy."
Castro countered that freedom is impossible in countries with high illiteracy rates, implying that Cuba is freer than most because virtually all citizens can read and write. Speaking about nations where many people cannot read, the president said: "Can you speak of freedom there? Is it possible for them to be free?"
Organizers of the Varela Project reform petition complain they have received no response since May 10, when they gave the National Assembly more than 11,000 signatures seeking a referendum.
Cuban officials have said they view the referendum effort as an attempt to change the constitution, something that Varela Project organizers deny.
Shortly after the signatures were submitted, the unicameral parliament approved an official proposal to enshrine Cuba's socialist system in the constitution as "irrevocable."
Varela Project organizers saw that as the government's answer to their drive seeking a referendum to ask voters if they favor civil liberties such as freedom of speech and assembly and the right to own a business.
Walters' exclusive interview, conducted in Havana shortly before the 40th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, also dealt with Castro's reflections on the events that led the world to the brink of nuclear war. The crisis began in mid-October 1962 after American officials discovered Soviet nuclear warheads on the island.
Castro said that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev aggravated the standoff by misleading President Kennedy -- indicating that there were no nuclear weapons in Cuba.
"He believed what Khrushchev told him," Castro said. "Therefore, Kennedy was misled. That was a very big mistake on the part of Khrushchev ... one that we opposed vehemently."
The wide-ranging interview touched on many domestic issues as well.
Castro, now in power for 43 years, indicated he has no plans to relinquish his leadership while alive. "It would have to be an accident that would incapacitate me," he said. "It is not up to me ... whether I stay in charge or not."
"I would have to ask for our people's permission," he added. "They could consider that treason. You know, I have the experience of so many years."
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