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Sunday, October 05, 2008

Cintra elevated to deputy defense minister

Cintra elevated to deputy defense minister

Cintra2 Gen. Leopoldo ("Polo") Cintra Frías, commander of Cuba's Western
Army, has been promoted to First Vice Minister of the Revolutionary
Armed Forces (FAR), the Prensa Latina news agency reported Friday. Gen.
Lucio Morales Abat replaces him as Western Army chief.
At a ceremony in Havana, President Raúl Castro awarded Cintra the Order
of Playa Girón "for his exemplary trajectory as a military chief."
Cintra, 67, is a member of the Communist Party's Politburo and was
appointed to the Council of State last February at the recommendation of
Fidel Castro. He served three missions in Angola and one in Ethiopia,
1975-78, and was given the National Hero Award.
Cintra has been a loyal ally of Raúl Castro since the Revolution, as
evidenced by the following quotes from the official book Secrets of
Generals:
• "I don't know a person who is more simple, sensitive, humane and
attentive to the slightest detail than [Raúl]. As a military man, he is
very clear, realistic and precise. He says things very clearly. Calls a
spade a spade, as the saying goes.
• "With Raúl you can talk about all kinds of problems, even personal
ones, difficult though they may be. He always gives you healthy advice.
[...] He and Fidel complement each other in an incredible manner."
Cintras will report to the FAR's Minister, Gen. Julio Casas Regueiro.
---Renato Pérez Pizarro.

October 03, 2008

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2008/10/cintra-elevated.html

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