By ANALISA NAZARENO
             Herald Staff Writer

             Cuban exiles came by the thousands to Calle Ocho Saturday afternoon to affirm
             their decades-old message: The United States should make no deals with Fidel
             Castro.

             During the march, which commemorated the 130th anniversary of Cuba's
             declaration of war for independence, exile leaders denounced what they described
             as a shameful softening in attitude toward the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba.

             ``Without a doubt, with the strength of our words and our voice united, we can
             force Washington to listen to us,'' said Armando Perez Roura of WAQI AM
             Radio Mambi at the end of the march at Fourth Avenue.

             Leaders from eight Cuban exile groups passed out a proclamation titled ``Cuba at
             a Crossroads,'' rejecting any improvement in relations with the Cuban government
             and promising to continue fighting for the rights of Cubans on the island.

             Perez Roura, who helped organize the march, pointed to the spring visit of the
             Canadian prime minister to Cuba as one sign of growing pressure on Clinton to lift
             the embargo.

             Perez Roura and other broadcasters on Spanish-language radio had urged
             listeners to come out for the event, which became a fiesta-like outpouring of
             nationalist pride.

             Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeb Bush showed up to shake hands and vow
             that he would use the state leadership position to pressure other politicians to
             strengthen the embargo.

             ``There is no reason to reward Fidel Castro for no efforts on his part,'' Bush said.
             ``We should be strengthening the embargo, not weakening it.''

             Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas and Miami Mayor Joe Carrollo were among the
             elected officials who appeared.

             Flag-waving children wearing blue and white school uniforms from the Lincoln
             Marti Schools marched in front of militant exile group members, clad in
             camouflage battle fatigues and berets.

             Some participants literally wore their emotions on their sleeves -- either black
             armbands or armbands proclaiming allegiance to Brigade 2506, the association of
             Bay of Pigs veterans.

             Vendors hawked hot dogs and sodas, Cuban and American flags, keychains and
             small toys as the sounds of salsa and merengue music echoed through the streets
             from the stores on Calle Ocho.

             ``I miss my country and I want to return, but not while Castro is in power,'' said
             Gloria del Viso, 60, who pushed a cart with a mannequin dressed in a Cuban flag
             and chains on each hand.

             About 70 police officers blocked off access to the street from 22nd Avenue to
             Fourth Avenue, said Miami City Assistant Police Chief Raul Martinez, who also
             said event organizers were not charged for the security services.

             Neither Martinez nor event organizers would estimate the size of the crowd.

             The parade-like atmosphere contrasted with the scene earlier that morning at
             Bicentennial Park on Biscayne Boulevard, where a couple of dozen anti-embargo
             demonstrators modestly made their message: Lift the economic embargo now.

             ``We are but a few here in Miami, but there are millions throughout the world who
             support the idea of a Cuba free of the tyranny of the United States,'' said Andres
             Gomez, head of the Antonio Maceo Brigade.

             Few people were actually able to hear the message live, as about 50 police
             officers blocked pedestrian and car access to the normally bustling downtown
             thoroughfare from Northeast 11th Street to Northeast 15th Street.

             The group dispersed a little after 10:30 a.m., after police officers notified them that
             they would no longer be offering them protection.

                               Copyright © 1998 The Miami Herald