CIA can't confirm voice on tape, diplomat says

Disputing previous assertions from other sources, the U.S. official said he was told by the CIA Friday that a voice analysis of the tape recorded during the incident failed to confirm that Raul Castro was the official who gave the ``authorized to destroy'' order.

``Their conclusion is that they do not think it's Raul Castro, but they cannot rule it out because it's only a few words to do a voice analysis,'' he said. ``They think this is a story that somebody is spinning.''

On Friday, The Herald quoted sources familiar with the investigation as saying that U.S. authorities may have tried to conceal Raul Castro's role in the attack. Four pilots of the Miami-based volunteer group Brothers to the Rescue were killed when their unarmed planes were shot out of the sky over the Florida Straits.

That story led some Cuban exile activists to speculate that the White House was delaying the full release of the tape because an admission of Raul Castro's participation would have forced the United States to step up pressures against Cuba beyond recently imposed economic sanctions.
`Decision . . . from the top'

The United States turned over its recordings to the International Civil Aeronautics Organization (ICAO) on Thursday, two months after demanding that the group conduct a swift investigation into the downing of the planes.

Asked about the controversy over the tapes Saturday during a visit to Miami, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Madeleine Albright, said ``it is impossible at this stage to determine'' whether the voice on the recordings is that of Raul Castro.

``But whether his voice is on or not, there is little doubt in our minds that a decision of this kind had to have come from the top, either from Fidel or from Raul,'' she said, referring to President Fidel Castro and his brother.
Mideast event could affect vote

The ICAO is scheduled to rule in coming weeks whether the downing of the planes took place over international waters, as the United States says, and whether Cuba broke international civil aviation laws by shooting down the two aircraft. The report will then go to the U.N. Security Council, which will decide whether to issue a formal condemnation of Cuba.

But even if the ICAO report blames Cuba, U.N. diplomats say the Security Council is unlikely to condemn the island's government. This is because Cuba is likely to get the support of Russia and China, and because Egypt -- which is scheduled to preside over the 15-member council next month -- will probably side with Cuba as well, they say.

U.S. officials say Egypt is currently leading Arab world efforts to win U.N. condemnation of Israel for its recent attack on a U.N. camp in Lebanon that killed 91 civilians. The United States is defending Israel, saying the Israeli army hit the camp by mistake while responding to Katyusha rocket attacks from Lebanese territory.

``If the Egyptians fail to obtain a strong condemnation of Israel, they will make it harder for us to obtain a strong condemnation of Cuba,'' one U.S. diplomat said. ``The Security Council deals with a plethora of issues that apparently have no relation to one another, but they do.''