Castro says ex-communist countries suffering

HAVANA, Aug 9 (Reuter) - Cuban President Fidel Castro said the former communist countries of the old Soviet bloc were suffering the ``trauma of disaster.''

In remarks broadcast on Saturday, he said the former east European communist countries were suffering the ``triumph of reaction'' and a ``world counter-revolution.''

Castro made his comments to Cuban journalists late on Friday after a meeting of international trade unions against ``neo-liberalism.''

Castro said he did not want to talk about the problems suffered by the former East bloc communist countries, but added people should be aware of what it was like to return to capitalism.

The Cuban leader, in power since the 1959 revolution that toppled former dictator Fulgencio Batista, has defied predictions Cuba's own one-party communist system would collapse after the island lost its main political, economic and military ally the former Soviet Union.

Castro has made some cautious economic reforms but vowed that he was not taking Cuba along the road to capitalism.

Castro's comments were broadcast by Cuban state television on Saturday. The Cuban leader, who turns 71 on Tuesday, has been silent in public in recent months.

He has appeared, but not made a speech, at several events in the last few weeks, including the opening and closing of an international leftist youth festival in Havana July 28-Aug 5, and ceremonies marking the anniversary of the July 26, 1953 launch of his rebel struggle.

Castro's last public speech was April 4 and the last time Cuban state media reported him talking with journalists was May 1, which has led to speculation in some quarters that he may be ill. But the Cuban leader has been known in the past to lapse into public silence for several months at a time.

14:31 08-09-97