Luis Posada Carriles may be the most wanted man in Cuba and Venezuela, but on this recent afternoon, the man accused of deadly terrorism peacefully sips a peach drink, reads about Confucius and marvels at the Miami skyline from the balcony of a Brickell Key high-rise.

"At first I hid a lot, " Posada said of his arrival in Miami, noting that he spends much of his time reading or painting oil-on-canvas landscapes of Cuba. "I thought the [U.S.] government was looking for me."

Brought to this luxury condo - just a few blocks from offices of the Department of Homeland Security - for his first interview since sneaking into the United States in March, the anti-Castro militant said he has come to realize that the U.S. government is not looking for him.

"Now I hide a lot less. People have recognized me in the market, at the doctor's office, mostly older people." Still, he declines to reveal where he's staying.

His arrival in Miami has created an international uproar: Presidents Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela are demanding that U.S. authorities arrest Posada on terrorism charges. Castro and Chávez are branding U.S. leaders hypocrites for going after terrorists overseas but not aggressively pursuing Posada, who has applied for asylum.

During the two-hour sit-down on Wednesday, Posada:

* Maintained that he played no role in the bombing of a Cubana de Aviación passenger jet in 1976 - despite recently declassified federal documents linking him to meetings where such an attack was discussed. "Sincerely, I didn't know anything about it."

* Refused to confirm or deny his involvement in a string of 1997 tourist-site bombings in Cuba - despite having admitted it previously. "Let's leave it to history."

* Spun an extraordinary tale of how he made it to Miami on a Greyhound bus from Houston - saying he narrowly avoided detention when immigration officers boarded and started demanding papers from foreign nationals. "I said, 'Sir, I'm 80 years old. I forget things. Right now I don't even remember where I'm going.' "

The Herald's interview with Posada came after several days of negotiations with his South Florida contacts. They issued cloak-and-dagger-style instructions on rendezvous points and strict interview rules - no cellphones, tape recorders or cameras.

Posada's contacts told the reporters to drive to a Brickell Avenue parking garage and wait next to a pair of fourth-floor elevators for a short ride to a gated Brickell Key condominium. The reporters then rode an elevator to one of the upper floors, knocked on a wood-paneled door and were led to the small balcony, where Posada extended his hand.

"Luis Posada, " he said, smiling. "Pleasure to meet you."

FEARED FOR HIS LIFE

Posada, 77, resembled a wealthy retiree, clad in leather topsiders, khaki linen pants and a linen cream-colored shirt - a dapper style that has been his throughout his 40 years as a self-styled warrior determined to topple Castro.

Posada said he sneaked into Miami in March because he feared Castro agents were close to killing him.

He survived an assassination attempt in 1990 in Guatemala, which he blamed on Castro gunmen. Bullets tore into his face, and he still bears scars on his nose, jaw and cheek, which left him with a permanent mumble and the need to slurp sometimes when speaking. He constantly dabs at the corner of his mouth with a napkin. Other than his scars, he's healthy, Posada says.

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