Castro to speak at birthplace of Cuba revolution

By Jeff Franks

HAVANA (Reuters) - President Raul Castro returns to the birthplace of the Cuban revolution this week for a speech that will be watched for news on what some consider another, quieter revolution now taking place on the socialist island.

Instead of the armed rebellion that brought his brother Fidel Castro to power in 1959, Raul Castro has launched reforms aimed at revitalizing Cuba's state-run economy while keeping it under the control of the ruling Communist Party.

His changes have raised hopes among Cubans and speculation about the depth and breadth of a transition that began in earnest when he formally replaced his brother as president in a February vote by the National Assembly.

Castro's speech, to be given in the eastern city of Santiago on Saturday, will mark the 55th anniversary of the July 26, 1953 rebel assault which Fidel Castro led on the nearby Moncada army barracks.

The attack was a military disaster, with many rebels killed, but it began the revolution that ended with the elder Castro toppling U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.

The annual July 26 speech is the most important of the year for Cuba's leader, and will be the second for Raul Castro, who provisionally took charge when Fidel Castro underwent intestinal surgery in 2006 that forced him to step aside.

Fidel Castro's last public appearance was his speech on July 26, 2006.

Since taking over, the 77-year-old Raul Castro has lifted caps on wages and restrictions on goods including cell phones and computers, and promised to eliminate "excessive prohibitions" to productivity.