July 5, 1999

HAVANA, July 4 (Reuters) - President Fidel Castro's son rebuffs foreign criticism of Cuba's aspirations to build and operate a nuclear power plant in a book presented by a Cuban newspaper on Sunday.

Foreign critics, especially in the neighbouring United States, have cited security and safety issues to attack communist-ruled Cuba's efforts to develop a nuclear power plant.

``The alleged danger does not exist,'' writes Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart in a book entitled ``Nuclear Energy. Environmental Threat or Solution for the 21st Century?,'' excerpts of which were published on Sunday by Juventud Rebelde newspaper.

Castro Diaz-Balart, the son of Fidel Castro's marriage to Mirta Diaz-Balart before his 1959 revolution, is a nuclear physicist who was head of Cuba's national nuclear programme from 1980 to 1992.

It was in 1992 that Cuba's government ordered a halt to the construction of the twin-pressurized water reactor nuclear plant it was building with assistance from the former Soviet Union at Juragua near Cienfuegos on the south-central coast.

The project was halted because of lack of funding after the collapse of Cuba's trade and aid ties with the ex-Soviet bloc.

In his book, Castro Diaz-Balart says foreign criticism of the Cuban programme is motivated by political and economic factors: ``They (the critics) cannot accept the idea of Cuba dominating the atom as a genuine product of the Revolution and the vision and tenacity of (president) Fidel (Castro).''

He adds that nuclear power plants of the same Soviet type and technology as the one planned in Cuba exist in Finland and Hungary and have worked without problems.

The Cuban plant remains unfinished but in May this year, Russia and Cuba announced they were forming a joint venture to complete the project. Western companies have appeared reluctant to participate in the Cuban nuclear power project, partly because of strong opposition against it from the United States.

Foreign analysts said they believed some $800 million dollars were needed to complete the first planned 430MW reactor and questioned whether the Russian-Cuban venture could raise the funds to do this.

Castro Diaz-Balart largely disappeared from public view after he was replaced as head of Cuba's nuclear programme.

Juventud Rebelde said he was currently working as a science and technology adviser to the Basic Industry Ministry.

15:34 07-04-99

Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited

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