The Cuba Friendship Societies sponsored Fernández on her four-city visit May 17-22, arranging for her to speak before four high school classes, two university classes, three meetings at universities, and three evening public meetings. Some 450 people nationally took the opportunity to hear her.

At the Wellington public event, Fernández noted that the development of the Elián González case did not show a lessening of Washington's aggression toward Cuba.

"The United States government agreed to return Elián to his father," she said. "But it doesn't mean it favors Cuba." She added that "relations between the U.S. and Cuba will not be solved in the short term," pointing out that "they have not done anything to lift the blockade against Cuba."

Fernández condemned Washington's use of the Cuban Adjustment Act, which facilitates U.S. citizenship for Cubans who emigrate to the United States by raft or other means outside legal channels. "This gives special rights to Cubans different from what happens to Mexicans and other immigrants. Their goal is to encourage illegal immigration in order to make propaganda, instead of giving people visas."

Earlier that day, at a meeting at Victoria University in Wellington, Fernández answered a question about Cubans living in Miami. "There is a very big community in the United States, which is divided between those who oppose relations with Cuba and those who support them.

"The ones who organize counterrevolutionary activities are a small group, mainly those who date back to the ones who left Cuba at the time of the revolution. Their activities are a source of revenue for them. Alongside them are hundreds of thousands of Cubans who travel from the United States to Cuba, who send money to their families there, and have other links."

Fernández outlined some of the economic changes Cuba has made to confront the effects of the world economic crisis on the island, including Cuba's efforts to diversify trade, joint ventures with capitalist enterprises outside Cuba, and the development of tourism. She said these brought "ideological and social problems," but that the Cuban revolution has survived despite them and that "we cannot live in a glass bowl" isolated from the world.

One questioner at the Auckland University meeting argued that "people aren't allowed to leave Cuba." After asking him to give evidence for this assertion, Fernández explained, "In Cuba there are all types of people, including some who want to leave. The problem for those who want to leave is first finding the money for airfares. Most difficult, however, is getting a visa to enter another country. You think the Australian government, for example, will freely give visas to any Cuban who wants to leave? Ask Cubans living here or in Australia how they got here. The Cuban government did not stop them from leaving."

Ruth Gray and Mike Tucker contributed to this article.  
 
 
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