Castro defends country's record ahead of elections

Cuban President Fidel Castro has lauded the achievements of his country, "an island surrounded by imperialism and capitalism from all sides" , saying the success of Sunday's elections to the national and provincial assemblies were linked to the future of the revolution and humankind, the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina reported.

At a meeting in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba Castro said his country had never invented a blockade or economic war because it wanted what was best for the world.

He also criticized what he saw as campaigns by the foreign media to slander his country, the agency said.

"While in capitalist countries misery and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few increases, in Cuba citizens own their houses without having to pay taxes for it, children receive free education and medical care and the state guarantees social security and food" , Castro was quoted as saying.

He said that while Cuba had adopted measures to attract foreign investment "no-one can come here to buy off this country, or to buy ministers or leaders".

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.