Cuba has celebrated the seventh birthday of Elian Gonzalez in grand style despite leader Fidel Castro's promise that there would be no media circus surrounding the boy after he was returned to the communist Carribean island following a bitter custody battle in the US earlier this year.

The young castaway was treated to a visit from the Cuban President who arrived with body guards at for the boy's birthday festivities, attended by a 1,000 people, at his school to the chants of "Fidel! Fidel!" by scores of children in Communist uniforms.

"All of us must work to ensure that this boy is a symbol ... for all the children in the world," he said.

"We never lost hope. We always knew that our little friend was going to return," he later told the schoolchildren in an impromptu speech.

Elian's mother had taken her son with her as she left Cuba by boat in the hope of finding a better life in Florida. But the boat sank and his mother and 10 other would-be immigrants died. The youngster was found clinging onto a life ring and he was placed with relatives in the US.

There then ensued a protracted custody battle in which Elian was snatched from the relatives in a raid on their Florida home by FBI agents while his father fought for his son's return to Cuba.

The battle received international coverage. Eventually the US court decided the best place for the boy was with his father and he returned to Cuba in June.