Castro accuses Bush administration of aggression toward Cuba.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

Byline: Vanessa Bauza

HAVANA _ Addressing a massive May Day crowd, Fidel Castro accused the Bush administration and his enemies in Miami of trying to provoke a war with Cuba and warned that his people would defend their island to the death in case of an armed invasion.

"In Miami and Washington they are now discussing where, how and when Cuba will be attacked," he told hundreds of thousands of Cubans who poured into Revolution Square Thursday morning. Castro said the United States may be preparing to assassinate him or stage a military attack.

"If the solution were to attack Cuba like Iraq, I would suffer greatly because of the cost in lives and the enormous destruction it would bring," Castro added. "But, it might turn out to be the last of the (Bush) administration's fascist attacks, because the struggle would last a very long time."

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said Washington would not initiate a military campaign to bring about a transition in Cuba.

Smarting from heavy world criticism for an unprecedented crackdown on dissidents and the recent executions of three hijackers, Castro again justified the harsh measures as a necessary defense against U.S. aggressions. A wave of hijackings had to be stopped, he said, in order to prevent a potential mass exodus that could spark a war between the estranged countries.

Castro's combative rhetoric comes as Cuba has accused U.S. diplomats of working with dissidents to subvert the island's socialist system _ a charge U.S. officials deny.