Cuba's former President Fidel Castro, 83, was not in attendance at the event which marked the 57th anniversary of his eventually successful efforts to oust Batista in a ceremony held at the central city of Santa Clara.

Rumors that he would attend have swept the island in past weeks.

Second, President Raul Castro presided over the event but broke with tradition and did not deliver the main speech. Instead he yielded the podium to 1st Vice President Jose Ramon Machado, considered a hardliner.

It was like a glass of cold water in the face for Cubans who hoped to hear the president speak about issues of bread and butter in what is usually an annual State of the Union address.

Even though Raul Castro, 79, is known to dislike public speaking, his failure to do so today fuels rumors at street level that he is ill, although he appeared healthy enough during the morning's event.

Machado quoted previous statements by Raul Castro on the priority that must be given to the economy, food production and agriculture, but he also declared, "we will not be led by foreign press campaigns," presumably irked by articles dealing with the need for more openness and opportunity in the Cuban economy.

Furthermore, Machado's statement that Cuba would not improvise or act hastily was bound to be unwelcome to a population largely frustrated by the government's failure to move more rapidly to improve deteriorating living conditions.

There has been great expectation among Cubans ever since Raul Castro stepped into his elder brother's shoes, precisely because he is known as a pragmatic problem solver.

However, the slowness with which the government has moved since then has frustrated people struggling to make due on inadequate salaries, coping with shortages, and a deterioration of health care, education and other services.

Not everyone is discouraged by this morning's showing. An academic who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he believed Raul Castro was reserving his remarks for the National Assembly, or parliament, meeting on August 1.

"That's where they're going to discuss economic changes," he said. "It's going to be a very important meeting."

The academic said like many other people said Raul Castro's decision not to deliver a major economic statement was probably influenced by the presence of a large, high-level Venezuelan delegation at the rally.

A bilateral economic cooperation summit is underway on one of the keys off the northern coast of Villa Clara province, close to the city of Santa Clara.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was supposed to fly to Cuba yesterday to attend the July 26th rally before participating in the summit.

He cancelled at the last minute, citing escalating hostilities with neighboring Colombia.

In his place, Venezuelan Energy Minister Ali Rodriguez spoke at the rally. "There are some things you don't discuss when you have guests in your home," said the academic.

"Rodriguez gave a speech on international issues and I'm sure Raul didn't want to follow with a speech on domestic problems."

Two reliable sources say the privatization of services and other small businesses is most likely on the agenda of the upcoming parliament session.