January 26, 2000
Web posted at: 6:16 PM EST (2316 GMT)

HAVANA (CNN) -- The Havana daily Granma, Cuba's state-run newspaper, published excerpts Wednesday of what it said was a message sent by the father and other members of the family of Elian Gonzalez to the child's grandmothers in the United States. The text is as follows:

"Before this edition of Granma went to press, the father, the grandfathers, and the great-grandmother sent the grandmothers the following message:

'Mariela and Raquel:

1. You will receive a cellphone in the morning. We will call you one hour after you are with the child in Miami. If we cannot establish communication with you at that time, then you should call us, because we want to speak with the child when he is with you, entirely free.

2. The reverends, as was promised before, should be in the same residence, in a room near the one where the meeting will take place.

3. You should ask for one more hour, so that the boy can talk with each of us for a few minutes.

4. As was promised before, neither Lazaro nor any other relative should be in the same house where you are with the boy. Also, there should be no cameras, no demonstrations, no circus.

5. Under no circumstances should you agree to meet or to have any contact with Lazaro, the daughter, or any other relative who has supported the kidnapping of the child. You can meet only with Manolo y America (his wife).

6. As soon as you complete the meeting with the boy, you should return to Washington, as was agreed, to conclude your meetings with the greatest possible number of legislators, with the purpose of persuading them not to support any law imposing U.S. citizenship on Elian, or permanent residency. These have the purpose of withdrawing the INS from the case and indefinitely delaying a solution to the problem.

Greetings, Juan Miguel, Juanito, Rolando, Ramona (the great-grandmother)'"