Castro a no-show at start of Cuba parade

HAVANA, Dec 2 (Reuters) Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro was not present as a military parade marking his 80th birthday began today in Havana's main square.

The event, expected to last perhaps 1 1/2 hours, is being closely watched to see if Castro is well enough to appear in public for the first time since he had intestinal surgery in late July and temporarily turned over power to his brother, defense minister Raul Castro.

Castro's health and questions about his future have overshadowed the military display that experts say is a show of muscle to anyone who thinks communist Cuba is vulnerable because of uncertainty about the man who has led it for 47 years.

The parade began with a standing Raul Castro riding on a jeep through Havana's main square after a 21-gun salute.

The event will put on display tanks, rocket launchers and MiG jet fighters provided by the Soviet Union, which was Cuba's biggest benefactor before its collapse in 1991.

The loss of Soviet aid forced the Revolutionary Armed Forces to cut its troop strength by 80 percent. It is now believed to have no more than 60,000 active-duty soldiers More than 300,000 civilians and soldiers were expected to march through the plaza.

A replica of the Granma, the leaking yacht that carried Castro and his small band of rebels from Mexico to Cuba on Dec.

2, 1956, will also roll through the streets.

REUTERS PDM KP1956