Reply #1: Yup. It was the Peruvian Embassy.

[flamingdem]

CUBANEWS

here:

Castro's government Thursday accused the U.S. government's Miami-based Radio Marti of provoking the embassy occupation by repeatedly broadcasting statements made in Miami by Mexican Foreign Secretary Jorge Castaneda, which it said were interpreted as "an open invitation to occupy the embassy of Mexico in Cuba.''



February 28, 2002


Cuban-Americans monitoring embassy occupation in Havana

By Ken Thomas. Associated Press Writer.Posted on Thu, Feb. 28, 2002 in The Miami Herald

MIAMI - (AP) -- Cuban exile leaders Thursday were closely monitoring reports from Havana, where a group of asylum-seeking Cubans were occupying the Mexican Embassy and threatening to jump from the roof if police tried to apprehend them.

Many saw the situation as a possible foreshadowing of the 1980 storming of the Peruvian Embassy in Havana by Cubans anxious to flee the island. The infamous Mariel boatloaft soon followed, flooding Florida with 125,000 refugees.

''It's just like the Mariel thing -- a small group takes action and then all this follows,'' said Jose Basulto, founder of exile group Brothers to the Rescue. "This may be the beginning of all of the situations to take place.''

City and Miami-Dade County police said there were no early reports of demonstrations in Florida. Many residents were also monitoring local news and radio reports, which were broadcasting information about the situation.

A hijacked bus crashed into the gates of the Mexican Embassy late Wednesday and about 20 Cubans rushed inside the building. Later, more than a dozen stood on the roof shouting anti-Fidel Castro slogans and promising to jump if police came after them.

Castro's government Thursday accused the U.S. government's Miami-based Radio Marti of provoking the embassy occupation by repeatedly broadcasting statements made in Miami by Mexican Foreign Secretary Jorge Castaneda, which it said were interpreted as "an open invitation to occupy the embassy of Mexico in Cuba.''

Castaneda said Tuesday during the dedication of the Cultural Institute of Mexico in Miami "the doors of the Mexican embassy are open to all Cuban citizens, just as are those of Mexico.''

Leobardo Rueda, a Radio Marti spokesman, declined immediate comment about the Cuban government's accusations.

Joe Garcia, executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation, said the embassy occupation was an "indication of the close relationship (Mexican President Vicente Fox) has with the opposition in Cuba.''

Garcia said the leadership in Miami was calling for calm. The powerful exile organization denounced comments by the Cuban government that blamed Radio Marti for inciting the embassy occupation.

''This is created by Cuba. Make no mistake about it,'' Garcia said.

Members of the Cuban Liberty Council in Miami issued an appeal to Fox, asking the government to respect the Cuban citizens right to seek political asylum and assure their safety.

''Under no circumstances should they be handed over to Cuban authorities in whose hands they will face brutal reprisals,'' said the council, formed by people who recently broke away from CANF, seen by some exiles as softening its stance against the Cuba government.

Basulto called the occupation "a natural response from the people who can interpret any and every sign from the outside of the possibility of being free.''

''These type of things will likely occur in the future with more frequency because of the worsening conditions in the island,'' Basulto said.

Basulto and others noted the similarity to the circumstances that led to the Mariel boatlift in 1980, when a dispute over Cubans occupying the Peruvian Embassy led Cuba to withdraw its guards, leading to about 10,000 people to flood the mission grounds.

The 1980 occupation of that embassy began when six people crashed a bus into the gate and sought asylum.

Castro then opened the port of Mariel, and 125,000 Cubans fled to the United States in a chaotic boat exodus. The occupation of Peruvian embassy began when six people crashed a bus into the gate and sought asylum.

''We're watching the situation closely,'' Basulto said.