Chronicle on Cuba - January 2004

Foreign Affairs

January 1: Relations between Cuba and Haiti are based on mutual respect and in the friendship of its peoples, Haitian Ambassador to Cuba Marie-Andrine Constant said in Havana. According to Juventud Rebelde newspaper, 744 Haitians are currently studying in Cuba. Around half are in Santiago while the rest are in Havana, Camagüey, Ciego de Avila and Guantánamo. The results are promising and make us proud; since each year our young people are included among the best students. (Prensa Latina, 1/1/03)

January 2: The mayor of a Newfoundland town is among hundreds of Canadians whose foreign spouses are being ordered to return home to be re-sponsored to Canada in a policy change. Cec Stein, 68, said it could take years before his Cuban wife, Sandra Marguerita Figueroa, 31, is allowed to return to Canada with their three-month-old son, Bill. Toronto lawyers said Figueroa is among the hundreds of out-of-status spouses ordered by immigration officials to leave Canada to reapply for spousal sponsorship. Stein said he has spent about $10,000 on legal fees in failed bids to obtain status for Figueroa, who has been ordered to leave Canada or face deportation. (Canadian Press, 2/1/04)

January 7: Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque has called for peace and justice for the Haitian people, demanding that their right to development be respected. Pérez Roque attended a ceremony in Havana to commemorate Haiti's National Day. (Radio Habana Cuba, 7/1/04)

January 7: The Cuban Ambassador to Mexico, Roberta Lajous, said that Cuba-Mexico relations would become stronger this year, following a deterioration of bilateral ties during the Summit Segment of the International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Monterrey City in 2002. She added that, possibly this year, an agreement would be reached on the options available to Cuba for payment of its debt to Mexico, further strengthening relations between the two nations. (Notimex, 7/1/04)

January 7: The Argentine government responded angrily to declarations by Roger Noriega, US assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, on relations between Nestor Kirchner government and Fidel Castro’s. Noriega told reporters he was "disappointed" that officials visiting Cuba failed to meet dissidents, a reference to Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa's recent trip. "We consider the declarations aggressive (...) and inopportune, and the foreign minister has expressed this in the name of the Argentina government," Vice Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana told local radio. Some US officials have said there is a growing alliance emerging in Latin America between Cuba, Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina, countries that have swung to the left in recent years amid a backlash against free-market policies advocated by Washington. (Reuters, 7/1/03)

January 7: The Iranian Embassy in Havana has expressed its appreciation to the people and government of Cuba for their support and condolences after the devastating earthquake that destroyed the city of Bam. (Radio Habana Cuba, 7/1/04)

January 9: Cuba accused Colombian paramilitary groups of working in collusion with US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega to assassinate Cuban doctors in Venezuela. An editorial in the official daily Granma says that the plot aims at discouraging bilateral collaboration. (Europa Press, 9/1/04)

January 9: Argentine Cabinet Chief, Alberto Fernández, said that his government will once again abstain from voting against Cuba for human rights violations in the island at the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission, scheduled for next April. (Europa Press, 9/1/04)

January 10: Wives and mothers of Cuban dissidents that received harsh prison sentences last year demanded more activism on the part of the Latin American governments with regards to the social and political crisis in the island. Under the title "Message to the Heads of State of the Americas," a score of women wrote a letter to the presidents in the Hemisphere, asking them to consider the human rights situation and lack of democracy under Fidel Castro. (El Nuevo Herald, 10/1/04)

January 10: Cuba has offered five professors to teach technical programmes at the 2-year old Kyambogo University over the next two years, reports Geresom Musamali. Cuba has also offered three more professors to teach at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST). At least 10 Cuban professors have already been supporting teaching programmes at MUST since it was started about 10 years ago. Tom Butime, state minister for foreign affairs, said there was wide co-operation between Cuba and Uganda in the fields of education, agriculture and medicine, among others. (All Africa, 12/1/04)

January 11: The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), César Gaviria, acknowledged that regional disagreements have prevented an OAS intervention to advance democracy in Cuba. Gaviria pointed that the community of nations in the continent is divided on the subject of Cuba, whose OAS membership has been suspended since 1962. (EFE, 11/1/04)

January 12: Brazilian doctors have expressed their concern over a governmental decree that allows Cuban doctors to work in the country without having their medical qualifications validated. Despite the opposition they tend to receive from doctors in host countries, Cuban doctors often provide medical services in locations shunned by their domestic counterparts. In Brazil, many of the Cuban doctors work for low salaries in challenging environments such as the Amazon rainforest. (Tanja Sturm, 12/1/04)

January 12: President Bush told Latin Americans they had a "God-given right" to freedom in a sharp attack on Cuba's Fidel Castro and other rivals in a region where anti-US sentiment is rising. Speaking at a 34-nation summit of leaders across the Americas, Bush singled out Fidel Castro for his toughest condemnation. "Through our democratic example, we must continue to stand with the brave people of Cuba, who for nearly half a century have endured the tyrannies and repression," Bush said at the summit's inaugural ceremony. "Dictatorship has no place in the Americas. We must all work for a rapid, peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba," he said. (Reuters, 12/1/04)

January 12: In his intervention during the inauguration ceremony of the Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez commended Fidel Castro's government for the health care and education assistance it provides Venezuela. (AFP, 12/1/04)

January 12: Amnesty International expressed concern at the impact on freedom of expression and information of Cuba's new law restricting internet access. "The new measures, which limit and impede unofficial internet use, constitute yet another attempt to cut off Cubans' access to alternative views and a space for discussing them," said Amnesty International as a new law came into force. "This step, coming on top of last year's prosecution of 75 activists for peacefully expressing their views, gives the authorities another mechanism for repressing dissent and punishing critics." (Amnesty International Press Release, 12/1/04)

January 12: Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo has awarded the Cuban medical brigade serving in his country the Order of Quetzal. Expressing his gratitude for the solidarity shown by the Cuban people and government, the Guatemalan president noted that the Order of Quetzal is the highest distinction granted by the Central American country. (Radio Habana Cuba, 12/1/04)

January 13: Spanish President José María Aznar said that any decisions regarding Cuba should be made with the "Cubans of the future" in mind, as their president, Fidel Castro, "is a tyrant who will fortunately disappear one day." Aznar made these comments following an exchange with business people, organized by the US Chamber of Commerce. (EFE, 13/1/04)

January 13: Reporters Without Borders has strongly condemned an assault against Victor Rolando Arroyo Carmona, a journalist who was brutally beaten by prison guards in the provincial Guantánamo prison, eastern Cuba, and urged the authorities to punish his assailants and to protect prisoners from further harm. Arroyo was taken from his cell by three prison guards and dragged to a room where they beat him about the face and body. They also deliberately shut his leg in a door. He told his wife Elsa González Padrón in a telephone call that he was still suffering from the after effects of the attack. "It is the second time in a month that a jailed journalist has been attacked," said Robert Ménard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders. (Notimex, 13/1/04)

January 13: Foreign Affairs First Vice Minister, Fernando Remírez de Estenoz, left for Guatemala, presiding over the official delegation to the inauguration of the new government. Oscar Berger, was elected Guatemalan President on December 28. (AIN, 13/1/04)

January 13: Irish officials managing their nation's term in the European Union's rotating presidency say they're willing to resume talks and seek improvement of recently frosty relations with Cuba, if they receive a formal proposal from Havana to do so. "There's no date or concrete plans," presidential sources said, adding that "we are always ready to renew the dialogue" with the Caribbean island. They made it clear, however, that it would be up to Fidel Castro's government to make the first move. (EFE, 13/1/04)

January 13: Mexican President Vicente Fox avoided expressing his opinion on George W. Bush's criticisms of Cuba and Venezuela by stating that Mexico maintains a "solid relationship" with Cuba and respects Venezuela's sovereignty. He said that a relationship with Cuba "is, and will continue to be, part of (Mexican) foreign policy." (AFP, 13/1/04)

January 13: Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez asserted that there is no reason for Mexico to share the US views on Cuba, "since our relation with the Caribbean state is very transparent and rooted in tradition," and we share a maritime border. (Notimex, 13/1/04)

January 13: The Round Table, a Cuban TV talk show that features pundits' discussions of the latest political developments, labeled Mexico as the US "backyard" and criticized President Vicente Fox's actions at the Special Summit of the Americas in Monterrey. (La Jornada, 13/1/04)

January 14: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez made a surprise stop in Cuba to rest after an "exhausting" hemisphere-wide summit in Mexico and to review bilateral accords with Fidel Castro, Havana's Radio Reloj reported. The station said the two leaders and friends met for several hours during Chavez' stopover to discuss their nations' Cooperation Agreement, which includes allowing Cuba to purchase 55,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude a day under preferential terms. (EFE, 15/1/04)

January 14: Guatemala’s vice president Eduardo Stein expressed to Fernado Remírez, Cuban viceminister of Foreign Affairs, the interest of his country in increasing the current number of medical students in Cuba. Remírez headed the Cuban delegation to the presidential transfer of power ceremony in the Central American country. (Notimex, 14/1/04)

January 14: Demetris Christofias head of the Representative Chamber (Parliament) of Cyprus, met in Havana with Ricardo Alarcón, president of the National Assembly of People’s Power. (AIN, 15/1/04)

January 15: Argentine President Néstor Kirchner confirmed that he would not be visiting Cuba in February, as previously announced. He explained the cancellation citing important meetings involving the Jewish community in Argentina. (Radio Martí, 15/1/04)

January 17: Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister, Fe lipe Perez Roque, stated that the solution to current conflict between the European Union and Cuba is “in the hands of the EU”. "This situation was created by and is the full responsibility of the EU”. “The only posible solution to this situation would be to end the diplomatic sanctions imposed on Cuba, especially those of inviting mercenaries [dissidents] to their diplomatic parties. (AFP,17/1/04)

January 18: In a letter commending his ministry and pastoral efforts, Pope John Paul II congratulated Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega's, Archbishop of Havana, on the 25 th anniversary of his episcopal ordainment. (El Nuevo Herald, 18/1/04)

January 18: A Russian delegation led by Tax Minister Gennady Bukayev will hold talks with Cuban officials on several important issues as part of its visit to Havana. The Russian delegation arrived in Cuba on an official visit. During the visit, Bukayev will meet Cuban Finance and Price Minister Georgina Barreiro and officials of the national tax bureau. The sides are expected to sign an intergovernmental agreement on the exchange of information and tax cooperation. "The agreement will help our businessmen to actually plan their work in Cuba. I am sure that in the end the information exchange will make it possible to raise [tax] contributions to the two countries' budgets," Bukayev said. (ITAR-TASS, 19/1/04)

January 20: Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has appointed his brother as ambassador to Cuba, Venezuela's foreign minister said. Roy Chaderton said that Adán Chávez, the president's older brother and close confidant, would replace Julio Montes at the Venezuelan Embassy in Havana. Montes has been ambassador to Cuba since November 2000. (AP, 21/1/04)

January 20: Reporters Without Borders demonstrated against the imprisonment of 30 journalists in Cuba, at an art exhibition at a major Paris landmark attended by the Cuban Culture Minister. Demonstrators made their protest at the Great Arch of La Defense as the Cuban minister and the Cuban ambassador to Paris visited the rooftop opening of a major exhibition of contemporary Cuban art. (Netfo Cuba.com, 20/1/4)

January 20: Public librarians from around the world have condemned Cuba's violation of human rights after it introduced new restrictions on access to the Internet. The new law increases the Cuban government's control over Internet use. It had previously taken measures to block various Internet sites and restrict general access to the Web. "While the World Summit of the Information Society was debating how best to improve access to information using information technology, the Cuban government was preparing a law that will further restrict Internet access for its citizens," said International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Chair Paul Sturges. (Local Government International Bureau UK, 20/1/04)

January 21: Fidel Castro received the leader of the world's estimated 300 million Orthodox Christians, Patriarch Bartholomew I, upon his arrival in the Cuban capital. Bartholomew I is making his first trip to Latin America to this country, which for decades was officially atheist, to consecrate a tiny cathedral for a faith representing fewer than one in 5,000 of the island's residents. The many flashbulbs going off as journalists took pictures of the two men spurred Castro to remark jokingly, "It looks like the bombing of Baghdad." Neither Castro nor the patriarch made any official statement at the airport and from there they rode in the same car to the Palace of the Revolution, where an official welcoming ceremony had been scheduled. (EFE, 21/1/04)

January 21: Cuba said that the naming of the brother of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as the new ambassador in Havana will further fortify bilateral relations. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque commented on the appointment of Adan Chavez to the key diplomatic post. Perez Roque said that Adan Chavez "is not only the brother of the president, but also a man who has worked hard throughout the years in the Bolivarian process (...) [and] knows our country." (EFE, 21/1/04)

January 22: The Cuban Ambassador to New Zealand refused the accusations made by Amnesty International about a crackdown on internet in the island. In a letter published in a local newspaper, Miguel Ramírez says that the assessment of Amnesty International against freedom of expression in Cuba is “totally biased and full of prejudices according to the values of western and developed countries, that do not take into consideration particular and historical conditions in Third World countries.” (Scoop, 22/1/04)

January 22: Following denunciation by Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF), the French Minister of Culture, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, expressed his "firm condemnation" of the physical assault of a reporter at the hands of the security staff during a Cuban art exhibit in Paris. [AFP journalist attacked outside contemporary Cuban art exhibition] (EFE, 22/1/04)

January 22: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I toured the new Byzantine cathedral that he will consecrate on Sunday, the purpose of his first visit to Latin America. Accompanied by City Historian Eusebio Leal, the spiritual leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians walked through the small sanctuary and later stopped outside to look at an Eastern-style mosaic of himself and Fidel Castro plastered on the side of the church. "I'm very grateful for the construction of the temple of St. Nicholas," said Bartholomew. The religious leader was attending a concert of Greek music. (AP, 22/1/04)

January 22: The Cuban Parliament President, Ricardo Alarcón, met with a delegation from Mexico’s Democratic Revolution Party (PRD). During the delegation’s stay in Havana, the visitors will meet with Cuban Vice-president Carlos Lage, and with Foreign Affairs Minister Felipe Perez Roque. (AIN, 23/1/04)

January 23: Cuban dissidents have expressed their hope that the visit by Patriarch Bartholomew, leader of Orthodox Christians around the world, will occasion the release of dissident prisoners. It is often during such visits that Castro does make such gestures. They are usually politically motivated. Indeed, during the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1998, 200 prisoners were released, an event that marked a period of relative political liberalisation on the island and brought about improved relations with EU states, amongst others. (WMRC, 23/1/04)

January 23: The Ecumenic Patriarch Bartholomew I met with Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega, archbishop of Havana, and other Latin American and US religious leaders. The meeting between Bartholomew, who is the spiritual head of some 300 million Orthodox Christians, and the head of the Catholic Church in Cuba was "very cordial," according to the Orthodox prelate's spokesman, Benjamin Leavenworth. Bartholomew is the leader of Greek Orthodox Christians and is considered "first among equals" of 14 patriarchs representing Orthodox Christian congregations in eastern Europe and the Middle East. Local Orthodox clergymen as well as from other religious groups also took part in the meeting between Bartholomew and Ortega at the Rivera Hotel. (EFE, 23/1/04)

January 22: In a letter, five Argentine authors petitioned the Foreign Affairs Ministry to have the Argentine embassy in Havana, and all other Latin American diplomatic missions, open doors to Cuban dissidents. The letter was signed by, Marcos Aguinis, María Sáenz Quesada, Sylvina Walger, Juan José Sebreli, and Fernando Ruiz. (Radio Martí, 22/1/04)

January 23: Bartholomew I, Fidel Castro, and 23 others dined at Havana's posh landmark Hotel Nacional, said Benjamin Leavenworth, spokesman for the Orthodox patriarch. "It was an extremely successful dinner," he told the press, without elaborating.

January 24: Oswaldo Paya, leader of the banned dissident Christian Freedom Movement (Movimiento Cristiano Liberación), issued a statement saying that those "wanting to be respectful and supportive of the Cuban people" should support "peaceful democratic change, referendum and dialogue, liberation of political prisoners, raise their voice and pray for our silent people, and not lose hope." The statement was handed to Orthodox Archbishop Dimitrios of New York - who traveled to Cuba for Ecumenic Patriarch Bartholomew’s visit - at a reception at the residence of the US representative in Havana, James Cason. Several dissidents asked the Archbishop to press the Cuban government to free dozens of opposition figures sentenced to lengthy prison terms in last year's sweeping political crackdown."I told him about the situation of the 75 political prisoners in Cuba and that they had to be released," said Miriam Leiva, wife of imprisoned dissident Oscar Espinosa Chepe. "He said that they are praying." Cason's event was attended by several dissidents, spouses of jailed dissidents, foreign diplomats and a delegation of Greek Americans. Bartholomew I and his entourage, invited and expected to attend the reception, did not show up. (AFP, The Chicago Tribune, 24/1/04)

January 25: The spiritual leader of 140 million Orthodox Christians called the US embargo of Cuba a "historical mistake". Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I expressed the view during his sermon at the new Orthodox Church in Havana. The Orthodox leader said: "The blockading of peoples and countries by society in general from other nations on earth is a historical mistake." "And the problems between nations and countries, like those between people, are resolved through dialogue." In the four-hour ceremony filled with centuries-old pageantry, the head of Greek Orthodoxy also consecrated the tiny limestone Cathedral of Saint Nicholas. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, in turn honoured Mr Castro with his church’s Cross of St Andrew the Apostle, which is given to supporters of the Orthodox faith. Former Greek King Constantine and his family attended the consecration, along with wealthy Greek American businessmen and hundreds of Orthodox Christians who travelled to Cuba for the event from the United States and Greece. There are only a handful of Orthodox Christians living in Cuba, and most are Russians. Fewer than 50 Greek Orthodox followers call the island their home. (Aljazeera.Net, AP, 25/1/04)

January 26: The Ecumenical Patriarch His Holiness Bartholomew I, leader of over 300 million Orthodox Christians from all over the world, concluded his six-day visit to Cuba. (Radio Habana Cuba, 26/1/04)

January 26: Cuban opposition leader Oswaldo Paya telephoned Madrid from the island to express his gratitude for Spain's support of the Cuban people's efforts to achieve a peaceful transition to democracy similar to its own following the 1975 death of dictator Francisco Franco. The Cuban dissident spoke with those attending the presentation of a document entitled "National Dialogue in Cuba" drafted by Paya in his capacity as the leader of the Christian Liberation Movement together with other Cubans. (EFE, 26/1/04)

January 26: Ten Cuban intellectuals released a letter of support for the government in response to criticism by five Argentine authors who petitioned their Foreign Minister, Rafael Bielsa, to have the Argentine embassy and all other Latin American diplomatic missions in the island open their doors to Cuban dissidents. (Encuentro en la Red, 28/1/04)

January 26: The International Committee for Democracy in Cuba (CIDC) and the Czech non-governmental organization People in Need Foundation (PINF) have nominated Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya Sardiñas for the Nobel Peace Prize 2004. The nomination reflects their acknowledgement of Oswaldo Paya and the Cuban democratic opposition's continuous effort for a non-violent transition to democracy, CIDC and PINF said in a statement. According to the organizations, Paya is a man of firm moral principles and an example of courage who contributes to the strengthening of freedom and peace in the world. The nomination of Paya for the Nobel Prize also means full support for the Varela Project, which strives for a referendum on extending political freedoms in Cuba, and for the Cuban opposition in its fight for freedom and democracy, according to the organizations. (Czech Republic Business News Service, 26/1/04)

January 26: The Spanish Popular Party (PP), the Socialist Party of Spain (PSOE), the Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC), and other organizations, stressed the importance of maintaining a dialogue and consensus within Spanish political circles with regards to a "peaceful political change" in Cuba based on the Varela Project and inspired by the Spanish Transition. (EFE, 26/1/04)

January 26: Leonel Godoy, leader of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), of the Mexican opposition, met briefly with Fidel Castro before concluding his five-day visit to the island. (Notimex, 26/1/04)

January 27: European Foreign Commissioner Chris Patten deplored and condemned the Cuban government's decision to prevent dissident Oswaldo Paya from traveling to attend the 2003 Sakharov Prize ceremony, which this year will be bestowed on US Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The decision "evinces great weakness" on the part of Cuban leaders and "deserves condemnation," the commissioner told the European Parliament's Foreign Committe, to which he reported on his recent trip to Latin America. Answering a question from Spanish MP Jose Ignacio Salafranca, Patten expressed hope that the Cuban leaders would "reconsider" the ban and allow Paya to attend the awards ceremony. The delivery of the Sakharov Prize for Human Rights and Freedom of Thought is slated to take place at European Parliament headquarters. (EFE, 27/1/04)

January 27: The Bolivian Congressional Representative and Farmers' leader, Evo Morales, called for unity amongst the progressive social forces in both continents against the FTAA. Morales spoke of the Bolivian experience as proof that an organized and mobilized population can overthrow neo-liberal governments that refuse to accept local realities. The Bolivian leader issued a severe warning to the United States, which although it may succeed in imposing what Morales called the "hegemonic project", will never be able to apply the FTAA because "the people will no longer permit the rape of their countries by the IMF and transnationals." (Radio Habana Cuba, 27/1/04)

January 28: A formal invitation will be extended to Fidel Castro to visit Mt. Athos, by Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos, in his letter thanking him for the warm welcome during his historic visit to Cuba, which opened up new horizons for Orthodoxy and Hellenism, both in this island country of the Caribbean, and throughout the American continent. In a discussion with the press shortly before the landing of the “Olympic Airways” flight in Istanbul, the Ecumenical Patriarch mentioned the unexpectedly warm welcome he received from the Cuban government and Fidel Castro, as well as the pressures of the US. (Macedonian Press Agency, 28/1/04)

January 28: Still confined after more than nine months in a Curazao prison, five Cuban immigrants, three of which with have alleged ties to the Cuban dissidence, risk deportation back to their country. (El Miami Herald, 28/1/04)

January 28: Fidel Castro may visit Russia this year, said Cuban Ambassador to Moscow Jorge Martí Martínez. "I do not rule out that Fidel Castro could pay a reciprocal visit to Russia this year. I hope this will happen as soon as possible. He accepted an invitation to visit Russia from Vladimir Putin long ago," the ambassador told the press. The ambassador recalled that Putin was on an official visit to Cuba on December, 2000, during which he invited Castro to visit Moscow. Marti also said Cuban Minister Without Portfolio Ricardo Cabrisas, who oversees Cuba's foreign economic relations, will pay an official visit to Moscow in the first half of 2004. (Interfax, 29/1/04)

January 29: Amnesty International added four more Cubans to its list of "prisoners of conscience," reinforcing Cuba's status as the country with the highest number of such prisoners in the Western Hemisphere. "At least in terms of prisoners, it's not getting any better in Cuba," Eric Olson, Amnesty's Americas advocacy director, said in a telephone interview. The move brought to 84 the number of "prisoners of conscience" in Cuban jails. That includes all 75 government opponents convicted in summary trials during an island-wide sweep last spring. [Newly Declared Prisoners of Conscience] (The Miami Herald, 29/1/04)

January 29: The III Hemispheric Meeting Against the Free Trade of the Americas Agreement (FTAA) concluded in Havana with calls for further resistance to what representatives from 32 countries called "economic aggression". One of the results of the meeting is the discussion of alternative models to the free trade agreement that delegates have labeled 'neo-colonial'. The Venezuelan delegation proposed a 'Bolivarian Alternative for America' (ALBA) that focuses on regional integration against what many see as the threat of United States hegemony. The meeting advocated greater unity and cooperation in the fight against the FTAA and convoked the First Social Forum of the Americas to be held in Quito, Ecuador this July. (Radio Habana Cuba, 29/1/04)

January 29: Fidel Castro expressed his admiration for the serious and profound analysis of issues dealt with at the 3rd Hemispheric Encounter against the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Speaking to one thousand representatives of social and people’s movements from 32 nations, Fidel Castro warned about the dangers posed by the “imperialist project”. (AIN, 29/1/04)

January 29: One hundred Venezuelan intellectuals signed an open letter addressed to Cuban Minister of Culture Abel Prieto, accusing Havana of "disseminating propaganda among Venezuelan writers, exalting the virtues of the Cuban regime." Prieto is currently attending the First Cuba-Venezuela Meeting of Writers, in Caracas. Personalities from a sector of the Venezuelan intelligentsia openly expressed their criticism of a conclave to which only pro-Chávez intellectuals were invited, excluding those who oppose him. (El Nuevo Herald, 29/1/04)

January 29: Venezuela's health minister accused opponents of President Hugo Chavez of trying to bribe Cuban doctors to defect from a health program at the center of a growing political alliance between Caracas and Havana. Roger Capella was responding to local media reports that a number of the more than 10,000 Cubans working in the "Inside the Barrio" program had left their posts and were seeking asylum in third countries. Left-winger Chavez has made the program, which brings primary health care to poor Venezuelan slum dwellers, the flagship of his cooperative ties with Fidel Castro. Although Venezuelan officials declined to confirm any defections, diplomatic sources said a number of Cuban doctors had deserted the joint project. (Reuters, 29/1/04)

January 29: Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with Fidel Castro to discuss relations between the two countries. (ITAR-TASS, 28/1/04)

January 30: The Russian Orthodox Church harshly criticized the visit to Cuba by Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. "The Patriarch of Constantinople has no more than 50 followers" in Cuba, yet Bartholomew I "has been able to open a church in the middle of Havana," said the Russian Orthodox hierarchy in a press release. They added that the Cuban authorities, however, "have not allowed the Moscow Patriarchs a single church, not one room, leaving them no choice but to hold service at the offices of the Russian Commercial Mission. (El Nuevo Herald, 2/2/04)

January 31: Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque, who is attending the two-day Forum for the Cooperation of Eastern Asia and Latin America, said that the Cuban delegation worked hard and that he believes the meeting has been useful. Pérez Roque added that the forum could turn into a mechanism for dialogue and cooperation between Latin America and eastern Asian nations. The Cuban official stressed that discussions among nations were based on mutual respect of each other’s sovereignty. (Radio Habana Cuba, 31 /1/04)