CARACAS -- Hundreds of thousands of President Hugo Chávez’s followers waited hours Thursday under a fiery sun for a chance to file past the late leader’s coffin lying in state at the Military Academy, as Cuban leader Raúl Castro and other presidents arrived to attend Friday’s state funeral.
Castro’s unexpected arrival in the early afternoon at the Simon Bolivar International Airport was broadcast live by the official Venezuelan television network VTV. Castro was greeted by Foreign Minister Elías Jaua and a small military honor guard, but did not make public comments.
Castro’s arrival was followed a few minutes later by the arrival of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, and her predecessor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Venezuelan Vice President Nicolás Maduro said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was expected late Thursday.
Maduro also said that while at least 55 foreign leaders planned to attend Chávez’s funeral Friday, he also made the startling announcement that the government will not bury the late Venezuelan leader as had been expected. Instead, said Maduro, Chávez will be embalmed like the late Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin and will lie in state for the foreseeable future at a soon-to-be-built mausoleum at the Museum of the Revolution to which his remains will be transferred.
Meantime, said Maduro, the huge crowds that still awaited a chance to file past Chávez’s coffin late Thursday will be asked to return after the funeral because the viewing of the remains will be extended for at least seven more days. It was unclear whether the seven-day viewing will resume at the Military Academy or be shifted to the Museum of the Revolution.
Castro’s arrival put to rest speculation about why neither the Venezuelan nor the Cuban governments had previously provided information about the Cuban leader’s travel plans. Cuba is Venezuela’s closest ally.
The line where mourners stood hoping to catch a glimpse of the coffin stretched for more than three miles. Those who filed past the coffin gave it quick military salutes, crossed themselves religiously, or touched the bier. There were women carrying babies, elderly couples and young men and women, many wearing the red shirts typical of those worn by Chávez supporters. Many of the people who came to see the coffin spent the night in the long line.
Throughout the morning Thursday, the line that snaked around the gardens and monuments near the Military Academy was slow but orderly. But by early afternoon, some chaos ensued as guards unexpectedly removed some of the metal barricades that had held the line in check. Suddenly, the crowd rushed forward and began running toward the academy. It was unclear if guards closer to the academy managed to restore it, but the line inside the academy was not disrupted.
On Thursday, Venezuelan foreign ministry officials said they expected at least 55 foreign leaders to be on hand for the funeral service Friday morning. Castro’s name was not on the list. But suddenly, around 1:30 p.m., VTV broke into the live broadcast of crowds filing past the coffin to show Castro’s airport arrival. He was seen getting off a small executive-type jet and being greeted by Venezuelan officials. The foreign ministry statement, issued prior to the arrival of Castro and Rousseff, said that among leaders expected to be on hand for the funeral were:
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