Cuban officials contact exile who has come home to live

HAVANA - A former rebel commander turned opposition leader who returned from exile last week to live permanently in Cuba said this weekend he has been contacted by officials here, but declined to provide details of the discussions.

Eloy Gutiérrez-Menoyo, who fought alongside Fidel Castro in the Cuban revolution, then later spent 22 years in Cuban prisons after breaking with the regime, also declined to say who he spoke with.

''Logically there would have been some contact,'' Gutiérrez-Menoyo told The Associated Press in an interview here late Saturday afternoon. ``I understand that initially my attitude created irritation in the highest ranks.''

Gutiérrez-Menoyo, 68 years old and nearly blind, would say only that he assured authorities that he did not intend to ''destabilize'' the island's socialist system.

After breaking rank with Castro, Gutiérrez-Menoyo lived in Miami, where he became the military leader of the anti-Castro group Alpha 66. In late 1964, he landed in Cuba with three men in hopes of launching an armed uprising. But he was captured and sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to 30 years. In 1986, after 22 years, the Cuban government released him, honoring a request from Spain's prime minister at the time, Felipe González. Gutiérrez-Menoyo lived in Spain for a while but eventually resettled in Miami.

The Castro government in recent years has had a respectful but cautious relationship with Gutiérrez-Menoyo, who has traveled here occasionally to visit family. He met with Castro himself in 1995.

It still remained unclear whether officials would allow him to remain permanently in Cuba and operate his Cambio Cubano, what he says is an ''independent'' opposition movement.

''In this country, there are intelligent people who think that my presence here can be beneficial to change the image of a government that has repressed the opposition,'' he said.

Gutiérrez-Menoyo said that being able to talk with Cuban officials about his intentions was ``an acceptable starting point.''

Gutiérrez-Menoyo had a visa for three weeks when he arrived here on July 20 with his wife and three school-age sons. Born in Spain, he holds a Cuban passport and has legal U.S. residency.

Cuban former revolutionary commander Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo, right, participated in the funeral of the victims of the explosion of the ship named La Coubre in March 1960 in Havana, Cuba. With him, from left, the Cuban First Minister Fidel Castro, the former Cuban President Osvaldo Dorticos, the revolutionary commander Che Guevara, Augusto Martinez-Sanchez, Antonio Nunez-Jimenez and William Morgan. Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo, a rebel leader in the Cuban revolution who long ago broke with Fidel Castro's government and served 22 years in prison, said Thursday he was returning from exile to operate an opposition movement. (AP Photo)

Foe back in Cuba to oppose Castro*** Later, at a press conference at the couple's southwest Miami-Dade home, Gladys Gutiérrez-Menoyo tearfully told reporters that she learned of her husband's intention to remain in Cuba at the last minute at the airport, where it was not unusual for reporters to interview him as he left the island. ''I found out when he was telling them. I was shocked,'' she said in her living room, flanked by her three sons, Carlos, 13, Alex, 11, and Miguel, 9. The family had flown to Cuba for a 17-day getaway. In a prepared statement, she urged Miami exiles to support her husband.

''Do not be fooled. This is a very serious step he has taken. A risky decision made in the middle of much tension in Havana,'' the statement said. She said her husband did not discuss his decision with anyone -- including the Cuban government. She said her husband has always sought ''legal opposition space'' on the island.

Gutiérrez-Menoyo's daughter, Patricia, said in a phone interview from Puerto Rico that she too was shocked by her father's decision. She feared he may now face prison in Cuba again. ''This time he goes with more powerful weapons than back then,'' she said. ``Moral values, ethics, and a desire for peace and reconciliation. He knew how to make war when it was time. Now years later, with greater maturity, he firmly believes that peaceful means are required.''

But some Miami exiles have long considered Gutiérrez-Menoyo to be soft on Castro. His organization is seen as far more left of center than the majority of exile groups, most of which oppose any dialogue or contact with Castro's government. After breaking rank with Castro, Gutiérrez-Menoyo lived in Miami, where he became the military leader of Alpha 66. In late 1964, he landed in Cuba with three men in hopes of launching an armed uprising. But he was captured and sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to 30 years. In 1986, after 22 years, the Cuban government released him, honoring a request from Spain's prime minister at the time, Felipe González.***

Cuban former revolutionary commander Eloy Gutierrez-Menoyo speaks during an interview Saturday August 9, 2003 at a hotel in Havana, Cuba. Gutierrez-Menoyo, was a commander who fought in the Cuban revolution that triumphed on Jan. 1, 1959, when then-President Fugencio Batista left the country. Now 68, Gutierrez-Menoyo later broke ranks and went to Miami, where he became military leader for the newly formed anti-Castro group Alpha 66. In 1964, he landed in Cuba with three men in hopes of launching an armed uprising. But he was captured and went on to spend 22 years in Cuban prisons. (AP Photo/Cristobal Herrera)

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