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Cuba Declares Nine Days of Mourning; Putin Calls Castro a "Strong and Wise Man"; New Generation of Leaders Set to Rule Cuba. Aired 2-2:30a ET

Aired November 27, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The day after: the world reacts to the death of the controversial Cuban leader who held on to power for nearly five decades.

Thank you for joining us. I'm Cyril Vanier, live from Atlanta, and this is CNN NEWSROOM.

Cuba has declared nine days of mourning for its former leader, Fidel Castro. He died at the age of 90 late on Friday and his divided life has been matched by the reaction to his death.

People in Cuba are devastated, having lost what many consider the father of the nation; whereas people who have left Cuba, many of them from Miami, Florida, plainly call him a tyrant.

The city's Little Havana neighborhood has been celebrating Castro's death as the start of a new era. Our Boris Sanchez described his own connection to this historic event.

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Being in exile in Miami, it's impossible to separate yourself from this story because it's such a part of who you are.

For me, personally, my grandfather was a political prisoner. He fought to bring free elections to Cuba and, when he crossed Fidel's vision of what that meant for Cuba, he was jailed. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

He was fortunate to get out. He considers himself lucky because he wasn't put in front of the a firing squad like many of his friends.

For my grandmother, she owned a business and she owned land and that was taken from her by the Castro regime. That became part of state property. Since I -- for as long as I can remember, she kept an obscenely large Cuban flag under her bed and a bottle of wine inside the house waiting for this moment. Unfortunately, neither her nor my grandfather could be here. That's

something I've heard from people in the crowd too, that they wish their family members could be here for something they've been waiting for for generations.

I just saw my mom. She's actually in the crowd here. And she brought that flag out. So for her, it's certainly a symbolic moment. As I said before, the end of an era and hopefully one that leads to closure.

My family, for example, has never been back to Cuba. I joke with my mom about potentially going back at some point in the future and she just seemed heartbroken about it. So hopefully for her it means that she can now begin to process healing of what has been a very deep wound.

There it is right there. That's my mom and dad. They came out to celebrate. You can see the flag is about the size of my mom. So it's a really emotional moment for everyone around the world.

You're not going to find a real gray area when it comes to Fidel Castro. Some people absolutely adore him and think that he was someone that stood up to American imperialism. Others, including people in my own family, feel that he stole their homeland from them.

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VANIER: So what about political reactions here in the U.S.?

Well, U.S. President Barack Obama struck a neutral tone. Here's part of his statement.

"At this time of Fidel Castro's passing," he said, "we extend a hand of friendship to the Cuban people. We know that this moment fills Cubans, both in Cuba and the United States, with powerful emotions, recalling the countless ways in which Fidel Castro altered the course of individual lives, families and, indeed, of the Cuban nation."

Donald Trump, on the other hand, has openly opposed restoring ties with Cuba.

On Friday, Trump called Castro "a brutal dictator," saying "while Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom that they so richly deserve."

The words of Donald Trump there.

U.S. Republican senator Ted Cruz, who has Cuban ties, said, "Fidel Castro's death cannot bring back his thousands of victims nor can it bring comfort to their families. Today we remember them and honor the brave souls who fought the lonely fight against the brutal Communist dictatorship that he imposed on Cuba."

As for Russian president Vladimir Putin, well, he says that Fidel Castro was, quote, "a strong and wise man" and that his memory will live forever in the hearts of Russian citizens. CNN contributor Jill Dougherty has more.

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JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From Russian president Vladimir Putin to average Russians, there was a lot of nostalgia for Fidel Castro, an ally for more than half a century. President Putin called him "a symbol of an era and a sincere and reliable friend of Russia."

Here in Moscow over at the Cuban embassy, Russians went by, laying flowers and candles in memory of Fidel Castro, some of them even crying, saying that they remember him from their childhood. They remembered him as an old revolutionary, who stuck to his guns and also as a leader of a small island that stood up to the big United States.

Russian TV, meanwhile, had nonstop coverage all day, showing old --

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DOUGHERTY: -- black-and-white footage of the relationship, showing video of Fidel Castro as a revolutionary up in the mountains, showing him with a variety of Russian leaders and also very interesting footage of the Cuban missile crisis.

Even there was an implied comparison between Fidel Castro and President Vladimir Putin, one Russian politician saying that sanctions didn't work and also international isolation didn't work when you have a strong leader -- Jill Daugherty, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: Meanwhile, a somber air hangs over the streets of Havana as residents grieve their leader's death. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more on what's next in this report from the Cuban capital.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cubans entered a nine-day period of national mourning following the death of Fidel Castro.

The news came suddenly on Friday night when Cuban president Raul Castro took to the airwaves to announce that his older brother, former Cuban president Fidel Castro had died.

Even though Fidel Castro had been in ill health for over a decade and rumors abounded of his death, it was still a shock for many Cubans that I spoke to. They seemed stunned. They were uncertain about the future.

And already we've seen a massive beefing up of security on the island, military taking to the streets, distance (ph) reporting a spike in arrests.

What happens now? During this nine-day period of national mourning. First, Fidel Castro, we're told, is going to be cremated; that has already happened. And then early next week his ashes will be placed in the center of power in Havana, Havana's Revolution Square.

That is where he gave some of his most iconic speeches over the years, where hundreds of thousands of people attended. During these days, though, Cubans, we expect, will file past his coffin, his ashes, to pay respect to the former Cuban leader.

From there, his ashes will be transported down the island about 700 miles from where I am now, to Cuba's second largest city, Santiago, Cuba, and on that journey certainly we expect many Cubans to pack the roadways to see off this man who is either beloved by some as a revolutionary hero or hated by others as a dictator.

But just about every Cuban has a very strong opinion about Fidel Castro. In Santiago, Cuba, he will be laid to rest. This is the region where he hailed from. And we certainly expect many heads of state to attend that funeral.

The Cuban government is making furious preparations to have everything ready. They know this is going to be a worldwide event. And, of course, even though Fidel Castro will be laid to rest, the controversy over his legacy, over his impact on the island, will continue.

Quite simply he is a man who forever changed Cuba and Cubans -- Patrick Oppmann reporting from Havana, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: Where is Cuba going next?

That's the question we're putting to Arturo Lopez-Levy, lecturer at the University of Texas/Rio Grande Valley and co-author of the book, "Raul Castro and the New Cuba: A Close-Up View of Change."

Sir, you also worked as a political analyst for the Cuban government in the early '90s. You no longer do. The death of Fidel Castro comes at a time of transition in Cuba. His brother, Raul, is expected to step down in less than two years. It looks like he's grooming his vice president, Miguel Diaz Canel (ph), to take over.

So that means there's going to be a changing of the guard even as this father figure, Fidel Castro, has passed away.

Does that open a wider window for reform in Cuba?

ARTURO LOPEZ-LEVY, HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR: I think, yes, on the margin. After the loss of Fidel Castro's charisma as well the main pillars of the system, the Cuban Communist Party, under the leadership of Raul, launched the processes of economic reform and political liberalization because they need (INAUDIBLE). One center of legitimacy will be a good economic performance.

But it's easier to say it than do it. And there are ideological dangers. There are groups that are (INAUDIBLE) of the reform that tried to paralyze the rhythm.

But I think that now Cuba is more decisively, in generational terms, in the search for a society more market-oriented, more open to foreign influences in terms of opening to foreign investment and tourism and other influences (ph). And as a society, there is more freedom to travel, more freedom of religion --

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LOPEZ-LEVY: -- and the policies that used to stigmatize private property and market has come down.

VANIER: What about the constraints that the next Cuban president, the next Cuban leader is going to be working with?

I'm thinking specifically you mentioned the economy and the importance of the economy. I'm thinking of the army. The army holds major sway over what happens in Cuba.

LOPEZ-LEVY: Yes. You need to understand that Raul Castro's coalition -- and particularly after the defeat of a faction that was more associated to the management of the economy from the consulate minister (ph), the person that used to lead this group was (INAUDIBLE) the group that basically consolidated power under Raul Castro is an alliance, a coalition between provincial party czars and leaders of the army.

Remember that Raul Castro was the locus (ph) minister of defense before he became the president. And the role of the armed forces as the central bulwark of the revolutionary elites has been strengthened. They have an important role in the economy and an important role also in national security.

All the economic reform, all (INAUDIBLE) the political opening in terms of freedom to travel has been decided by commissions that has had a heavy military presence.

So I think that a big challenge for the first civilian leader of the revolution, who was supposed to take office in 2018, will be a major management of civil-military relations.

VANIER: All right. Arturo Lopez-Levy there, weighing in on how important the army's going to be to the next Cuban leader. Thank you very much for fielding our questions here on CNN.

And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier. "MARKETPLACE AFRICA" is next. Stay with CNN.

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