HAVANA -- (AP) -- Paying homage to independence hero Jose Marti on the 105th
 anniversary of his death, thousands of Cuban children rallied outside the U.S.
 mission to Cuba on Friday and called for the return of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez
 to his homeland.

 ``Return our elfin prince to his fatherland!'' student Ernesto Fidel del Canal
 shouted from a stage to the crowd of about 7,000 other children and teen-agers
 gathered behind a new bronze statue of Marti. The statue, which stands more
 than 9 feet tall, depicts Marti holding a baby in his arms and pointing an
 accusatory finger at the nearby U.S. Interests Section -- an apparent reference to
 the Elian case. It was put in place on Thursday.

 Wearing their school uniforms and the red or blue neckerchiefs of the Communist
 Pioneers youth group, the boys and girls cheered wildly when President Fidel
 Castro arrived in his traditional olive green uniform and cap. Castro held a small
 Cuban flag. He was accompanied by top leaders, including Foreign Minister
 Felipe Perez Roque and Ricardo Alarcon, president of Cuba's National Assembly.

 ``How exciting,'' Oswaldo Ramos, 12, said when Castro walked nearby. ``I hope
 he comes over here.''

 Marti, revered both here and among Cuban-Americans, died fighting for Cuba's
 independence from Spain in 1895.

 The calls for Elian's return to Cuba are part of a national campaign launched
 shortly after the boy was rescued off the coast of Florida in late November. His
 mother and 10 others perished during the sea journey from Cuba to the United
 States. The Cuban government and the boy's father say Elian should be returned
 to Cuba, while many Cuban exiles in Miami say he should not be sent back to
 live under communism.

 For the first few months of his U.S. stay, Elian lived with his relatives in Miami. He
 was returned to his father last month during an armed raid by the federal
 government. The two are now staying on a farm in Maryland as they await an
 appeals court decision on whether they can return to Cuba.