By Marc Frank

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban President Fidel Castro on Sunday scoffed at Bush administration efforts to ease social problems in Latin America, boasting his poor country could run circles around the United States in health and education aid.

“Bush will discover that the empire’s political and economic system can’t compete in the area of vital services such as education and health with Cuba, assaulted and blockaded for almost 50 years,” Castro wrote in an editorial published by the official newspaper Rebel Youth.

“Everyone knows the U.S. specialty in the area of education is to steal brains,” Castro charged, citing an International Labor Organization report that 47 percent of foreign-born students that complete a Ph.D. in the United States stay on there.

A Cuban literacy program is being used by millions throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, Castro said.

The 80-year-old Cuban leader has taken to writing opinion pieces as he recovers from a series of intestinal surgeries over the last year.

Castro’s brother and defense minister, Raul Castro, 76, has been temporarily running the government.

The Bush administration hosted 150 Latin American and 90 U.S. organizations this week to discuss U.S. social work in Latin America and promote corporate efforts in the region. (emphasis mine)

The White House Conference on the Americas was attended by Bush, his wife, Laura, and five Cabinet members as part of an effort to counter Venezuela’s and Cuba’s growing use of education and health programs to win hearts and minds in South America. (emphasis mine)

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