For just a moment, she wished that the Cuban president had been visiting the naval base when the American firepower had rained down on it.

"Because I like you a lot," replied the Cuban president.

The fans also had a small sign with the same message about the Cuban president, as did an airplane pulling a sign that appeared over the ballpark.

She said Raúl Castro, who succeeded her father as the Cuban president, had helped her on several occasions.

The new Cuban president, Manuel Urrutia Lleó, took steps to close the casinos.

He accepted the Cuban president Fulgencio Batista's offer to let all refugees stay in the country and work.

The barricades were up because Fidel Castro, the Cuban president, was at a television studio nearby.

Whether we like it or not it is the Cuban president who has won this battle, even though his political health is far from excellent.

In their place, the officials said, is a more familiar set of concerns, including the Venezuelan and Cuban presidents.

Fidel Castro, the Cuban president, attended most of the closed-door sessions in Havana and offered long commentaries.