Chronicle on Cuba - May 2004

Foreign Affairs

May 1: At a massive May Day rally in Havana's Revolution Square, Fidel Castro called the European Union a "Mafia allied and subordinated to Washington" and spared no words for Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Baltic states, former Communist allies he feels have let down the cause of socialism. "A plague of renegades, anxious for loans and consumer society goods has joined the Mafia of the European Union," he said. Departing occasionally from his prepared speech, the Cuban leader reiterated that “Cuba will not bow down before the dictates of the old colonial powers of Europe”. [Fidel Castro’s May Day speech] (Radio Habana Cuba, 1/5/04)

May 2: Peru withdrew its envoy to Havana after harsh criticism from Fidel Castro at a May Day speech. Castro lashed out at Lima, saying Peru was an example of the "wretchedness and dependency" left by neo-liberal economic policies. He slammed unpopular President Alejandro Toledo as a man who "does not and cannot direct anything." A Foreign Ministry statement in Lima said Peru rejected Castro's "offensive" comments and was downgrading its diplomatic representation to a business attache.“The Peruvian government energetically rejects offensive remarks made by the Cuban head of state with regard to Peru,” the ministry said in a statement. It added that Castro's comment “will inevitably have consequences for bilateral relations.” It is the second time Toledo's government has pulled out its envoy. (Reuters, Europa Press, The Australian, 3/5/04)

May 3: Mexico has pulled its ambassador from Havana and accused Cuba of interfering in its internal affairs as bitterness over Mexico's close relations with the United States comes to a head. In his May Day speech, Fidel Castro severely criticized Mexico’s stance at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva towards Cuba, saying that the prestige Mexico once gained in Latin America and throughout the world for its foreign policies had "turned to ashes" as it began toeing the line for the United States. Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez indicated that Castro's remarks were unacceptable. "Mexico does not and will not tolerate under any circumstance any foreign government trying to affect our decisions on foreign or domestic policy," Derbez told a news conference. Mexico asked Cuba to pull its envoy out of Mexico City within 48 hours, he said. Mexico's Interior Minister Santiago Creel also said two members of the Cuban Communist Party's central committee, José Antonio Arbesú and Pedro Lobaina, had been "carrying out activities incompatible with their status" in Mexico. Creel added that the pair had dabbled in "affairs which should be dealt with by diplomatic channels in the relevant institutions," suggesting they had become involved in Mexican politics. The pair spent several days in Mexico in April and entered the country on diplomatic passports, he said. He said Mexico had declared Orlando Silva, a diplomat at the Cuban Embassy, "persona non grata," meaning he had to leave the country immediately. A spokesman for the Cuban government said Havana had no immediate comment on the Mexican decision. [Mexican Official note] (Reuters, La Jornada, AP, 3/5/04)

May 3: Cuba has the dubious distinction of being the world's biggest jailer of journalists. Of 130 journalists in jail around the world, according to Reporters Without Borders, the largest number -- 27 -- were imprisoned last year as part of a crackdown on dissent by the regime of Fidel Castro. To draw attention to what it claims are Castro's human rights violations, Reporters Without Borders has started a poster campaign to get tourists to think about what lies behind promotional images of the country's sun and sand. The poster shows a young woman on a beach wearing a T-shirt that says " Cuba Si, Castro No." (Vancouver Sun, 3/4/04)

May 3: The jailed Cuban journalist, Raúl Rivero Castaneda, was yesterday awarded the UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize. The prominent journalist and poet, who was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment last year, was awarded the prize for his "long-standing commitment to independent reporting - the hallmark of professional journalism". Imprisoned along with 25 other journalists in March 2003, Mr Rivero was tried under Article 91 of the penal code, for "undermining the independence or territorial integrity of the State". He was said to have written biased articles and to have collaborated" with the United States. Chairman of the international jury, which recommended he receive the $25,000 award Jamaica's Mr Oliver Clarke of Gleaner Co Ltd, said he hoped the international attention would encourage the Cuban authorities "to respect individuals' basic human rights to express their views freely". [World Press Freedom Day in Belgrade] (Irish Times, 5/4/04)

May 3: US and European diplomats visited the home of jailed Cuban reporter Raul Rivero, offering support to relatives of the dissident and others put in prison after a government crackdown on the opposition last year, Rivero's wife said. James Cason, chief of the US Interests Section in Havana, and officials from half a dozen European countries arrived together on the same day Rivero was awarded a press freedom prize in Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro. The diplomats said they lamented the imprisonment of all the activists and called for their immediate release, according to Blanca Reyes, Rivero's wife. (CNN, 3/5/04)

May 3: A wealthy developer at the center of a Mexico City corruption scandal said that controversial statements he made while in custody in Cuba were the product of psychological duress, the local media reported. They cited a letter from Argentine-born Mexican citizen Carlos Ahumada to Mexico's attorney general, Rafael Macedo, claiming the statements he made to Cuban authorities had been obtained "arbitrarily and illicitly," since he had been "forced to give them." (EFE, 3/5/04)

May 3: The Cuban Government published a note in the digital version of Granma newspaper, informing on the decision taken by Mexico of declaring persona non grata a Cuban diplomat based in the DF, and the withdrawal of its ambassador to Havana. [Official Information] Granma, 3/5/04)

May 3: Thousands took to the streets in Mexico City to protest against President Vicente Fox' decision to reduce diplomatic relations with Cuba on what many political observers have called insubstantial grounds. The demonstrators blocked part of the Reforma Avenue in the Mexican capital as they marched to the United States embassy with placards claiming that the US, not Cuba, was guilty of external interference in Mexico. (Radio Habana Cuba, 3/4/04)

May 3: Ten Cubans on a raft rowed their way to Honduras from their native communist-ruled country, landing on a beach northeast of Tegucigalpa after a seven-day journey. Two had to be treated for dehydration. The seven men and three women were transferred to the Migration Department, a spokesman for the Honduran Security Ministry said. (AFP, 3/5/04)

May 4: Cuba's ambassador to Mexico, Jorge Bolaños, left Mexico City for Havana after the Mexican government ordered him to leave and recalled its envoy from the island nation in a move reducing bilateral diplomatic ties to a minimum. "The Mexican and Cuban people will be the judges" of the decision made by the government of Mexican President Vicente Fox, Bolaños said before boarding a Cubana de Aviacion flight for his homeland. Mexican officials on Sunday gave Bolaños 48 hours to leave the country. He was seen off by a dozen members of the "Solidarity with Cuba" civic group and accompanied by security guards and members of the diplomatic mission. [Statement by Ambassador Jorge Bolaños] (EFE, 4/5/04)

May 4: Cuba welcomed home its diplomatic team expelled from Mexico and denied violating any laws or the sovereignty of that nation, saying that such "fallacies will be crushed." "At the right time, we will respond to the lies. At the right time, we will crush the fallacy with the force of truth and our arguments," said Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque. "The truth is the Cuban people's most powerful weapon and it will be employed," Perez Roque said at an event to welcome home expelled Cuban Ambassador to Mexico Jorge Bolaños. The entire Foreign Ministry leadership and high-ranking members of the Cuban Communist Party met Bolaños at the airport. (EFE, 4/5/04)

May 4: Cuba has agreed to release three students from Dominica sentenced to long prison terms on drug trafficking charges last year, officials said. Fidel Castro agreed to pardon the students after meeting with Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit in Havana last month, according to a statement from the Dominica Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth Affairs. The statement did not say when the students were scheduled to be released. They were given sentences ranging from 10-20 years. Castro "agreed on conditions to be followed by all parties involved to issue a presidential pardon," the statement said, but did not specify what the conditions were. (AP, 4/5/04)

May 4: Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez sent a letter to Cuba suggesting officials from both countries work together to improve their strained relationship. Derbez sent the diplomatic "with the clear aim of getting relations between Mexico and Cuba back on track, at least in diplomatic terms," he wrote to his Cuban counterpart, Felipe Perez Roque. "I declare my absolute belief that by re-establishing trust and dialogue between the two of us we can arrive at a relationship equal to our mutual needs."[Mexican Diplomatic Note] (AP, 4/5/04)

May 4: Nicaragua sent Cuba a note of protest over Fidel Castro's May Day speech in Havana. Nicaragua protested because Castro said a small unit of "Sandinista troops" had been sent to Iraq to serve under the US-led occupation. The reference to the left-wing Sandinista government, which was voted out of office in 1990, has rankled Nicaraguan officials. They say the troops have no party affiliation. Castro's statements have "nothing to do with the truth (and) constitute a complete falsification of reality," the Nicaraguan Foreign Ministry said. Castro should know that Nicaragua's military is nonpartisan, Foreign Minister Norman Caldera said, though many senior army officers are veterans of the 1979 Sandinista revolution. (Reuters, 4/5/04)

May 5: More than 1,000 Venezuelan doctors are slated to join "Barrio Adentro Mission" next month, replacing some of the Cuban physicians who currently provide health care in Venezuela's most impoverished areas, officials said. Under the program - unprecedented in Venezuela - the nation's poorest citizens receive outpatient-type treatment in their own homes. President Hugo Chavez has reported that the program, currently staffed by more than 10,000 Cuban doctors and aides, is benefiting 14 million people. (EFE, 5/5/04)

May 5: Cuba's foreign minister accused Mexico of fabricating a crisis with Havana as a smoke screen to divert attention from a corruption scandal brewing among Mexico City officials. Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque called Mexico's unexpected decision to expel Cuba's ambassador and recall its own envoy from Havana "unjustifiable, rash and arrogant." “Cuba considers that all this has had the purpose of deviating attention from a matter which is exclusively an internal issue for Mexico," Perez Roque said, referring to Mexican businessman Carlos Ahumada, who fled to Cuba after the release of videotapes showing him passing wads of cash to officials in Mexico City. The Foreign Minister held a three-hour news conference in which he accused Mexican officials of lies, insults, erratic behavior and diplomatic incompetence. Perez Roque also rejected Mexican charges that two high-ranking members of the Cuban Communist Party engaged in "unauthorized activities" during a trip to Mexico last month and meddled in the country's internal affairs. He said the men met with members from various political parties, as well as journalists. Perez Roque defended Fidel Castro's May Day speech, which accused Mexico of trying to curry favor with Washington by criticizing Cuba's human rights record. [Press Conference] (Sun Sentinel, AP, 5/5/04)

May 6: The Mexican government offered to resume with "respect" relations with Cuba, though it used harsh terms to deny Havana's accusations that Mexico is solely responsible for freezing the century-old ties. "We're keeping our hand extended. We would like to resume dialogue with Cuba under respectful conditions," said Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez. Mexican Interior Minister Santiago Creel said he hopes bilateral relations "will return to the level where they've always been." The ministers said there will be no "break in relations," but they stressed that the dialogue must come through diplomatic channels, alluding to Cuba's tendency to vent its problems through the press. Despite the hand extended to Cuba, both officials "categorically" and in harsh terms ruled out Havana's claim that the Mexican government masterminded a conspiracy centered on the corruption case involving jailed businessman Carlos Ahumada to hurt its political opponents. (EFE, 6/5/04)

May 6: Referring to the new Cuban strategy announced by US President George W. Bush, Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez asserted that Mexico would not allow, accept or support interference of one nation in another's affairs. Instead, it would denounce it because it is wrong. He said that, just as Mexico told the US "Thank you, but no, thank you" when asked to express support for the military intervention in Iraq, his country would reply in similar fashion if invited to endorse the new actions against the island. (La Jornada, 7/5/04)

May 6: Salvadoran president-elect, Antonio Saca, expressed in Mexico his hopes that Cubans will eventually live in a democratic society in which governments are freely elected, a goal towards which his government is willing to contribute. "Democratic governments are the most fitting (to society's needs), so I would expect that Cuba should experience total democracy, as we all do in the rest of the countries (of the region)," said Saca. (Europa Press, 6/5/04)

May 7: Cuban Government Minister Ricardo Cabrisas thanked the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) members in Gaborone for their position in favor of Cuba in Geneva.Cabrisas addressed the 79th meeting of the ACP Group Council of Ministers held in Gaborone about the support of ACP member countries and their rejection of the maneuvers to condemn Cuba at the 60th period of sessions of the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC). (Prensa Latina, 7/5/04)

May 7: Sources close to former soccer superstar Diego Armando Maradona informed that Fidel Castro put a charter plane at the disposal of the former athlete's family so he can travel to Havana and continue his drug rehabilitation treatment. (Europa Press, 7/5/04)

May 7: 20 Cuban illegal migrants, who reached the Cayman Islands, told local authorities that their boats had been destroyed when they hit nearby reefs. (AP, 8/5/04)

May 7: Mexican President Vicente Fox said Friday that his government will not take part in a new US program designed to help Cubans speed an end to the communist regime. Speaking in the Mexican city of Culiacán, Fox said his country's policy was based on noninterference in the internal affairs of other nations. ''We reject all interference in this case,'' Fox said, referring to the report of the White House's Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba suggesting measures that would enable the United States to hasten a transition to democracy on the island. ''Thus, Mexico will in no way take part in this proposal that has been made against Cuban sovereignty, and neither will we accept interference in that country's affairs by any other nation,'' Fox said. (EFE, 11/5/04

May 9: Venezuela's president has condemned the United States as a "terrorist state" for toughening sanctions against Cuba. Hugo Chavez vowed that his government would increase its trade and cooperation with the Communist island. "That's called state terrorism, inciting people to kill President Castro, to overthrow him, inciting violence," Chavez said. (AlJazeera, 9/5/04)

May 9: Heightening US concerns, President Hugo Chavez has posted dozens of Havana ''advisers'' to his intelligence services and key ministries, foreign diplomats and former Venezuelan government officials say. The deployments mark a significant expansion of Cuba's influence over security and government affairs in Venezuela, which already includes an estimated 10,000 Cuban doctors working in poor neighborhoods and scores of sports coaches. Former officials of the Chavez government said most of the dozens of Cuban advisers have been spotted at the following government agencies: Venezuela's main civilian intelligence agency, the Directorate of Intelligence and Preventive Investigations, known by its Spanish acronym, DISIP; the Department of Military Intelligence, or DIM; the Central Bank; the Interior Ministry, in overall charge of domestic affairs; and the immigration department known as DIEX. (Monterrey County Herald, 9/5/04)

May 9: Two South African medical students have died following a car accident in Cuba over the weekend, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said. Daniel Tinyiko Nkuna, 28, from Moretele in the North West died at the scene, while Thulile Maureen Mbatha, 25, from Kwazulu-Natal, died later in hospital after the accident in Santa Clara, about 400km from Havana. Three other South African medical students were injured. (SAPA, 11/5/04)

May 10: Cuba's Ambassador to Tehran José Ramón Rodríguez called for Iran's support for his country to face the renewed and further broadened US sanctions. Rodriguez, who was speaking to the press, added: "The US Government intends to extend its 45-year sanctions against Cuba once again, while broadening the range of those sanctions to an unprecedented level." (IRNA, 10/5/04)

May 10: The European community has been urged to inspect the conditions of Cuban prisons, where 75 Cuban dissidents are being held after they were arbitrarily arrested in March 2003 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 28 years. In a statement, 124 members of the European Parliament said they are calling for the "urgent dispatch" of a mission to Cuba, adding that the Communist-ruled island is a member of the United Nations and is therefore required to respect the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights regarding the legal rights of those accused of crimes. The European Parliament, the legislative branch of the European Union, also adopted a resolution calling on the regime of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro to release the political prisoners arrested in March 2003. (Washington File, 11/5/04)

May 11: Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez asserted in Madrid that the Cuban crisis is best resolved, not through wars of words on the press, but through diplomatic channels, with the mediation of a Group of Friends of Cuba. He said that Vicente Fox's government does "not intend to judge the regime" of Fidel Castro, and reminded that his country has always condemned the US economic embargo on the island. "In the case of Cuba, all the elements are there. All that is required now is to establish a dialogue and respect diplomatic channels," he said. (Europa Press, 11/5/04)

May 11: According to Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos, the Spanish government will continue to push for the normalization of relations with Cuba in the context of EU policy. Likewise, it will keep promoting democratization and the advancement of human rights. Moratinos warned that, considering first the Cuban citizens' situation, his government's policy towards Havana would avoid "straining" bilateral relations, remaining "calm" but "vigilant." (Europa Press, 11/5/04)

May 12: Cuban Ambassador to the United Nations, Orlando Requeijo, said that Cuba would second the creation of a Group of Friends… for the United States. In response to the Mexican proposal for the creation of a Group of Friends of Cuba, a regional initiative previously implemented to deal with political crisis in other Latin American countries, Requeijo said that the nation that actually needs it is the United States. (Notimex, 12/5/04)

May 12: During a press conference, Cuban Ambassador to the UN, Orlando Requeijo, said that the Cuban delegation to the UN delivered a letter to Secretary General, Kofi Annan, about the US decision of toughening measures against the island. The Cuban ambassador said that he hopes the letter is distributed among all delegations to the UN as an official document, and that a resolution be adopted in its support by the General Assembly. (Notimex, 12/5/04)

May 12: In Port au-Prince, Cuban Ambassador to Haiti Rolando Gómez told the press that, following President Jean Bertrand Aristide's exit from power, cooperation between Cuba and Haiti has continued in "most of the areas" it covered. Collaboration is taking place in the areas of health care, veterinary medicine and agriculture. He said that the number of Cuban doctors and health technicians in Haiti remains at 550. (AFP, 12/5/04)

May 12: Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Mexico City to show support for the Cuban government, one week after President Vicente Fox told the Cuban ambassador to leave and withdrew Mexico's top representative in Havana. The demonstrators condemned Fox's decision to downgrade diplomatic relations, and also protested US measures to tighten the embargo on cash transfers to the island. Chanting "Cuba yes, Yankee no," the demonstrators, mainly from leftist and student groups, marched past the US Embassy but did not attack it. (AP, 12/5/04)

May 12: During an interview in Buenos Aires, Argentinean President Néstor Kischner told US magazine Newsweek that he would meet with the Cuban opposition, should he ever visit the island. (Noticias ProCuba Libre, 12/5/04)

May 13: The Irish Presidency of the European Union issued a Declaration on the continuity of violations of human rights in Cuba. The European Union is “deeply concerned at the recent trials and sentencing of a further group of 13 Cuban human rights activists and journalists, all of whom were arrested while peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression, opinion, association and assembly”, the official statement says. Among those dissidents was blind Cuban attorney Juan Carlos Gonzalez Leiva, sentenced to four years under house arrest. [Declaration by the EU Presidency] (EU Press Release, EFE, 13/5/04)

May 13: Václav Havel, Former President of the Czech Republic, sent a message to the Cuban People on the birth date of the Cuban martyr Pedro Luis Boitel, and Day of International Support to the Cuban Opposition. The message was read at the Church of Our Lady of Charity, in Miami, Florida, by Carlos González, an activist of the Czech NGO People in Need. (PuenteInformativo, 13/5/04)

May 15: The Spanish joint parliamentary group requested the Socialist government of Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to come out openly against the new plan of aggression of the United States against Cuba. They called on the government to criticise this aggression in the European Union and to promote favorable relations with Cuba based on dialogue, improvement of all forms of relations and to contribute to the will of the Cuban people to decide their future freely and in peace. (Prensa Latina, 15/5/04)

May 16: Ecuadorian foreign minister Patricio Zuquilanda has admitted that the diplomatic conflict pitting Mexico and Peru against Cuba could be addressed during the next General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS). However, Zuquilanda added that, for the matter to be added to the OAS General Assembly's agenda, a motion to that effect "must be approved by all the nations and Ministries of Foreign Affairs" of the continent. (Cubanet, 16/5/04)

May 16: Cuba’s Ambassador to Syria, Claudio Ramos, described the American administration’s measures adopted against his country as unjust and as a flagrant violation of the international legitimacy charters and laws. In a press conference, he said "the American administration works in an irresponsible way", adding that the US escalation policy is being adopted against Syria and Cuba and many other countries aimed at turning eyes away from the American plight in Iraq and the American forces scandal against the Iraqi detainees. (SANA, 16/5/04)

May 17: Cuban oppositionist Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo has called for the next EU-Latin America Summit not to endorse any hostile US policies against the island and to renew efforts for dialogue with Cuba. The ex-political prisoner and leader of Cambio Cubano revealed his organization's " Five-Point Document," that includes recommendations to the participants in the 3 rd EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit. (Notimex, 17/5/04)

May 17: Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno traveled to Kuala Lumpur to lend a helping hand to the Palestinian cause, despite his country’s mounting problems with the United States. The former career diplomat left for home satisfied with the outcome of the Non-Aligned Movement’s (NAM) special ministerial session on the Middle East conflict, but still thinking of a way out for his homeland. “The meeting was convened at a vital hour by the Malaysian Government, and NAM members have reaffirmed their solidarity by standing united on the Palestinian issue. I am happy to have played a role,” he added in an interview. (The Star.Com, 17/5/04) 

May 17: Cuban Ambassador to the European Union (EU) Rodrigo Malmierca said that, if the EU wants its relations with the island to resume, the steps taken last year against the Cuban authorities must be rectified. In a Brussels press conference, Malmierca said that Cuba is willing to have once again a relationship with the EU that is conducive to dialogue on an equal footing, but, as a first step towards that goal, the EU measures against the island must be lifted. (AFP, 17/5/04)

May 17: Upon arrival to the Cathedral of Havana, newly appointed papal nuncio Luigi Bonazzi received a welcoming ovation from Cuban clerics and churchgoers, prior to officiating mass. Bonazzi, former Vatican Envoy to Haiti, entered the building, prayed to Jesus Christ, and presided over the Eucharist. 300 people were in attendance at the ceremony, during which the nuncio communicated John Paul II's blessings for the country. (AP, 18/5/04)

May 17: Peruvian chancellor Manuel Rodríguez explained his country's stance on human rights in Cuba to be a matter of principle, while he also questioned the US economic embargo against the island. " With regards to our ties to Cuba, which we value, this is a responsible vote. Besides, the content of the resolution is not condemnatory and should be interpreted in a context of cooperation," he said. (Notimex, 17/5/04)

May 18: Havana and Rio de Janeiro were eliminated as candidates to the Olympic Games 2012. Only Madrid, New York, London and Paris maintain their candidacies. (AP, 18/5/04)

May 18: The World Trade Organization General Council heard Cuba´s denouncement of Washington´s reinforcement of its highly aggressive economic policy aimed to destroy the Cuban Revolution. Celia Labora, counselor minister of the Cuban UN mission, read a declaration in which Cuba states that the WTO was founded to support and safeguard a multilateral system of free, no discriminatory trade to develop its members´ standard of living. The text refers to the Doha Declaration, establishing the important role of international trade in promoting economic development as well as relieving poverty. (Prensa Latina, 18/5/04)

May 19: A Chinese Communist Party delegation expressed solidarity with Cuban leader Fidel Castro as he confronts a mounting US embargo, the official press reported. The delegation led by Wang Jiarui, head of the international department of the Chinese party's central committee, met Castro, said Granma, the Cuban Communist Party daily. Wang said "China is working to consolidate fraternal links" between the two countries, the official Prensa Latina news agency said, without giving more details of the meeting. The Chinese official also met Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Vice President Carlos Lage. (AFP, 19/5/04)

May 20: A group of 124 legislators presented a petition to the European Union's highest bodies to send a delegation to visit Cuban jails "to guarantee that prisoners' rights are respected," officials said. The group's leader, Italian Eurodeputy Maurizio Turco, said the petition was delivered to both the European Commission and Council of Ministers out of concern for the many people convicted last year who are "without international human rights guarantees." Among the document's signers were Spaniards Fernando Fernandez, Concepcio Ferrer, Manuel Perez Alvarez, Javier Pomes and Rosa Diez. The text notes that, "since October 1945, Cuba is a member of United Nations and is therefore subject to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights." (AFP, 20/5/04)

May 20: A group of 69 Venezuelans suffering from various illnesses on Wednesday traveled to Cuba to receive free medical care provided by the communist regime. The group brings to 6,499 the number of Venezuelans who have gone to Cuba since 2001 for medical care. Authorities say that 20,752 more are waiting to go to be treated and will visit Cuba soon. Jhonny Romero, coordinator of the healthcare program, spoke with journalists about the plan, which was set up three years ago and is part of the Cooperation Agreement signed in 2000 by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Cuban counterpart, Fidel Castro. (EFE, 20/5/04)

May 20: Russia criticized US moves to tighten the US embargo against Cuba, calling the measures a counterproductive step reminiscent of the Cold War. "Russia sees the American policy of sanctions against Cuba as an anachronism, an echo of the Cold War period that does not answer to today's realities," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said. "In today's rapidly globalizing world, any attempts to isolate any individual country are, in our view, counterproductive," Yakovenko said in a statement. He called for an end to the 44-year-old US embargo against communist Cuba, Moscow's Soviet-era ally, and for a "constructive dialogue" between Washington and Havana. (AP, 20/5/04)

May 23: The "political climate is not appropriate" for Fidel Castro to attend the European Union, Latin American and Caribbean Summit in Guadalajara, Mexico, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said. Perez Roque said the political situation stems from the "confrontation" that has resulted from "the Mexican government's unilateral decisions". Mexico and Cuba have strong historical ties, but a diplomatic crises led Mexico to recall its ambassador in Havana and expel Cuba's representative from the country in early May. (EFE, 23/5/04)

May 24: The new US sanctions against Cuba "will be foremost" during the political consultations between the Russian Foreign Ministry and Cuban representatives, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov, head of the Russian delegation, said in Havana. "The US sanctions run counter to the opinion of a huge number of countries which have unequivocally expressed their attitude to them in the course of the UN General Assembly's 58th session," Trubnikov stated. He said the number of states which understand "the senselessness and danger of moves such as the economic blockade" of this Caribbean republic was growing every year. (ITAR-TASS, 24/5/04)

May 25: Amnesty International (AI) expressed concern in its annual report over the health of many prisoners of conscience in Cuba, where the organization found the human rights situation deteriorated significantly in 2003. In its 2004 report, issued simultaneously in London and Madrid, AI noted that in mid-March of 2003, Cuban authorities unleashed an "unprecedented wave of repression" against dissidents with the arrests of 75 people. According to AI, the 75 activists "were arrested," tried without due process and sentenced to up to 28 years in prison, leading to an upsurge in "criticism (of the Fidel Castro regime) by the international community." [2004 Annual Report. Americas] (EFE, 25/4/04)

May 25: Mexican president Vicente Fox declared that his country would attempt to resolve the current bilateral crisis with Cuba. "We are going to sit with (Cuban government representatives) and start a dialogue and work toward resuming full bilateral relations in the future," Fox told the foreign press. "This will not occur in a short time," he added. (Reuters, 25/5/04)

May 25: Official media in Cuba confirmed that, at the 3 rd EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit, the country's efforts would focus on obtaining an "explicit" condemnation of the US economic embargo against the island. State run television showcased statements by Cuban chancellor Felipe Pérez Roque, anticipating the Summit participants' condemnation of US president George W. Bush's new measures against Cuba. (Notimex, 25/5/04)

May 26: Cuba and Russia have expressed satisfaction with the current level of friendship and bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Speaking with journalists at the end of what he described as a productive visit to Havana, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Viacheslav Trubnikov said that Moscow continues to work for increased ties with Cuba. Following a meeting with his Cuban counterpart, Fernando Remírez de Estenoz, the high-ranking Russian official told reporters that Moscow will support Cuba at international forums on the issues of the US blockade and human rights. (Radio Habana Cuba, 26/5/04)

May 26: Fidel Castro said European complicity with the United States and the betrayal of some of his "submissive" Latin neighbors will keep him from attending the summit of European Union and Latin American leaders in Mexico. The meeting promises to be a hollow ceremony devoid of any agenda for dealing with the social problems facing Latin Americans, the 77-year-old Cuban leader said in a fiery statement explaining his absence from the summit in the Mexican city of Guadalajara. He said the expulsion of Cuba's ambassador from Mexico on May 1 and "dishonest" Mexican accusations of Cuban meddling in Mexican politics were also factors in his decision to stay home. In an open letter to the Mexican people, Castro blasted European and Latin American leaders for bowing down before to the policies of his arch-enemy, the United States. [Mensaje al Pueblo Mexicano] (Reuters, 26/5/04)

May 26: Prominent Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer has ratified his unconditional support for the Cuban Revolution and its leader Fidel Castro, while condemning the actions of US President George W. Bush against Cuba and the world. In an interview with Prensa Latina News Agency at his workshop overlooking Rio's Copacabana Beach, the creator of Brasilia said Bush hates the Cuban Revolution and the example that it represents for the world. The 96-year-old architect and political activist said Fidel Castro is one of the greatest leaders of humanity and that he has always expressed his support and admiration for the leader of the Cuban Revolution. (Radio Habana Cuba, 26/5/04)

May 26: Negotiations for the Final Declaration of the upcoming European Union, Latin America and Caribbean Summit (EU-LAC) in Guadalajara are underway and, so far, the results are few. According to the head of the Cuban delegation to the meeting, Bruno Rodríguez, there has been little progress because "Europe does not seem to understand our countries' problems." Noting that Cuba is actively participating in the EU-Latin American Summit, Rodríguez told reporters that among Europeans, "there is a selfish position, a great misunderstanding of their historical responsibility and a great lack of political will to establish true cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean." (Radio Habana Cuba, 26/5/04)

May 26: Clara Chepe, whose son Oscar Espinosa Chepe was jailed last year as part of Cuba's biggest opposition crackdown in years, asked leaders taking part in the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit in Mexico to lobby Havana authorities to release him. Chepe sent an open letter to the heads of state and government saying her son is gravely ill and denouncing his living conditions in a Havana hospital. "I beg you to intercede with Cuban authorities so that Oscar Espinosa Chepe is adequately treated and, basically, released," she said in the letter. (EFE, 26/5/04)

May 27: Reporters Without Borders is urging the heads of state of the 58 countries attending the EU-Latin America and Caribbean summit in Guadalajara, Mexico to press the Cuban delegation for the release of journalists jailed in Cuba [Spotlight on Cuba] (RWB Press Release, 27/5/04)

May 27: Cuba's foreign minister met with his Mexican counterpart, an effort to smooth over a diplomatic row that resulted in both countries withdrawing their respective ambassadors. Cuba's Felipe Perez Roque arrived at the hotel of Mexico's Luis Ernesto Derbez, but said nothing to reporters as he headed to the meeting. The day before, he said he wasn't expecting a breakthrough. "I don't know if the actual diplomatic crisis (…) can have a solution," he said. (AP, 27/5/04)

May 27: Cuba's foreign minister said his nation and Mexico agreed to return their respective ambassadors, an attempt to mend relations strained by accusations that the communist-run island was meddling in Mexico's affairs. At a news conference on the sidelines of an international summit here, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said his meeting earlier with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez had gone well and that they had decided to restore the ambassadors to their post. "The objective is to normalize our relations as they were before”, Mr Ernesto Derbez said. "I believe there will be a solution but I don't know when. I think it will take some time." "The atmosphere and discussion [at the meeting] point to a solution to the diplomatic crisis we have lived through," said Mr Perez Roque. Mr Perez Roque did not give a date for the ambassadors' return. (Sun Sentinel, BBC, 27/5/04)

May 27: Commenting on Fidel Castro's assertion in a letter "the people of Mexico" that the EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit answers to US interests, Jalisco governor Francisco Ramírez said that caution should be exercised and all negative and accusatory pronouncements avoided. (Mural.Com, 27/5/04)

May 28: Cuba issued a call to defend Venezuela, following US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger Noriega's "insolent and threatening declarations" against president Hugo Chávez's government. During a gathering in "solidarity" with Cuba at Guadalajara State University, Cuban chancellor Felipe Pérez Roque said that it was time to defend Bolívar's Venezuela. (AFP, 28/5/04)

May 28: Cuba denounced the European heads of states attending a summit meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico, as cowards for failing to condemn Washington's aggressive policy toward the Caribbean island and for making what it called weak criticisms of the US-led war in Iraq. A declaration signed by the leaders of 58 Latin American, Caribbean and European nations expressed horror at the abuse of prisoners in Iraq and urged nations to gain the support of international organizations before going to war. But it failed to mention the United States by name, as Cuba and Venezuela had demanded. Cuba refused to sign, citing the failure to mention the US by name, and to include specific language condemning the Helms-Burton law, which penalises US companies that trade with the US. Fidel Castro, the Cuban leader, described the EU as "cowardly" and "hypocritical," while Felipe Perez Roque, the Cuban foreign minister, criticised "flagrant omissions" and "ambiguous language". [Cuban Foreign Affairs speech at the Guadalajara Summit; Cuba’s statement of reserve to the final Declaration] (Houston Chronicle, Financial Times, 29/5/04)

May 28: Bill Rammell, the UK foreign office minister, said that Cuba’s position in the European Union-Latin America summit is “pure political theatre”. “We are not supporting the American blockade, and we were prepared to make that abundantly clear in the communiqué, but they wanted to drive a wedge." European Commission President Romano Prodi called Cuba's attitude "regretful." Britain's undersecretary of state, Bill Rammell, told British journalists that the Cubans deliberately made unrealistic demands at the meeting and tried to inject wording in the declaration that they knew would be unacceptable. (Houston Chronicle, 29/5/04)

May 29: In a press conference, Spanish president , José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, said that Cuba’s position at the Guadalajara summit was in clear minority. Rodríguez Zapatero said that the disqualification that the Cuban delegation made of the final declaration of the III Summit was “the opinion of a minority, that should make that country reflect on what happened there”. (Europa Press, 29/5/04)

May 29: The Cuban and South African governments strengthened their bilateral relations with the signing in Havana of a Framework Programme for Scientific and Technological Cooperation for the period 2004-2008. The document establishes the foundations for increased cooperation in the fields of biotechnology, information and communication technology, plant and animal development and organic science. Cuba and South Africa also agreed to improve mechanisms for cooperation between universities and research institutes in both countries by promoting specialist exchanges and scientific fora. (Radio Habana Cuba, 29/5/04)

May 31: The Spanish government has asked for Cuba's approval for the appointment of Carlos Alonso Zaldivar as Spanish ambassador in Havana, replacing Jesus Gracia, the press has learnt from diplomatic sources. Alonso Zaldivar, posted in Rome as cultural adviser, is an experienced diplomat with great analytical abilities who has always taken leftist positions and he has occupied various posts, including that of ambassador to Korea. (ABC, 31/5/04)