Chronicle on Cuba - November 2005

Foreign Affairs

November 2: The Czech Foreign Ministry officially protested against the way Cuban authorities used to prevent the celebrations of the Czech national holiday in Havana. The ministry summoned the Cuban charge d'affaires, Aymee Hernandez Quesada, and handed her a diplomatic note expressing a sharp protest. The Cuban authorities banned as "a counter-revolutionary action" a reception that the Czech Embassy planned to hold in a luxurious hotel in Havana on October 28, the 87th anniversary of the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia. The event then took place in the residence of Czech Charge d'affaires Petr Stiegler. (CTK, 2/11/05)

November 3: The Czech government's policy of inviting to its national day celebrations at diplomatic functions in Havana people from all walks of Cuban society, including advocates of democracy, has again sparked expressions of ire from the Communist regime. The charge d'affaires at the Cuban Embassy in the Czech Republic, Aymee Hernandez, rejected the protest lodged by the Czech Foreign Ministry, which in a diplomatic note accused the Castro regime of blocking celebration of the Czech national day because dissidents had been invited. "The entire Cuban dissident movement is a fabricated dissident movement, mercenaries of the United States," Hernandez told the press. Helena Bambasova, a Czech diplomat dealing with relations with Latin American nations, held what was described as a "tense" meeting with the Cuban diplomat. (EFE, 3/11/05)

November 3: Fidel Castro was the only leader excluded from the Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina, but that did not stop a Cuban delegation from making the trip. About 300 Cubans milled around a sports complex several miles away from the luxury hotel where the summit will take place. Mostly dressed in red and white sweatsuits with ''CUBA'' emblazoned across the back, they arrived to take part in a ''People's Summit'', where thousands of leftist activists are holding rallies and marches to protest the US-supported Free Trade Area of the Americas. Among the Cubans on hand in Mar del Plata was Cuba's world record-holding high jumper, Javier Sotomayor, who shyly said he opposes Bush but has nothing against Americans. Ricardo Alarcon, Cuba's parliament speaker who is leading the Cuban contingent, is scheduled to take part in a thousands-strong march through the streets of Mar del Plata. About 8,000 police and soldiers are deployed in the city to prevent violence. (AP, 3/11/05)

November 5: Twelve Cubans arrived in Honduras by boat trying to join their relatives in the United States. The group, comprised of seven men and five women, arrived at Puerto Lempira, from where he was transferred to Tegucigalpa by Honduran authorities. The Cubans said they are from Santa Cruz, south of Camagüey province. (El Nuevo Herald, 5/11/05)

November 7: The Czech Republic and Slovakia continue to promote a change in the European Union's policy towards Cuba, Jan Kohout, Czech Ambassador to the EU said. Kohout informed the EU foreign ministers about the incident where Cuban authorities prevented the celebrations of the Czech national holiday in a Havana hotel on October 28. However, a debate on the regime of Fidel Castro can be expected only at one of the next meetings. Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda told journalists before he left Brussels that the information on the incident "will be one of the pieces of the mosaic which will be assessed when the EU position towards Cuba will be evaluated next year." (CTK, 7/11/05)

November 7: Former Czech President Vaclav Havel praised Czech diplomacy for "taking again a principled attitude towards the dictatorial regime in Cuba," in an interview with the press. Havel was reacting to another in a series of shoot-outs between Prague and Havana that banned the celebrations of the Czech national holiday in a luxury Havana hotel, to which Cuban dissidents were also invited. "When the European Union was going to adopt a recommendation to the member states not to invite dissidents to the celebrations of their national holidays, it probably wanted to prevent similar things from happening. But such policy is extremely short- sighted. It is a compromise with evil; it is accommodating the totalitarian power. I am glad that they contributed to the rejection of the draft resolution," Havel told the press. Havel, a former dissident, said that it is only a matter of a short time before Castro's regime collapses. The international community can fight against it through embargoes, diplomatic boycotts, financial support to the regime opponents as well as the biggest supply of information to them, Havel said. (CTK, 7/11/05)

November 7: A legal suit against Fidel Castro filed by the Foundation for Human rights in Cuba (FDHC) for genocide, crimes against humanity, torture and terrorism was dismissed by Spanish judge Ismael Moreno, who deemed the affairs of a head of state to be beyond his jurisdiction. This magistrate of the Spanish National Court argued the same reasons to reject in 1998 another suit filed by the same Foundation against Castro based on similar charges. (El Nuevo Herald, 7/11/05)

November 7: Peace activists gathered in Cuba for a conference aimed at creating a global organization against military bases operating in foreign countries -- particularly the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Some 60 delegates from 24 countries attended the conference, organized by the Cuban World Peace Council. "Condemnation is no longer enough," Manuel Terrazas, the president of the Mexican Movement for Peace, told the press. "It's time for concrete action (…) to coordinate what needs to be done to achieve the dismantling of all foreign military bases in the world." (AP, 7/11/05)

November 7: The Cuban delegation to the parallel Summit of the Americas held in Argentina was received at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana by leaders of the Communist Youth organization, Israel Sosa Ramos and Yoel Queipo. "You represented the Cuban people and President Fidel Castro with dignity," said Sosa Ramos. Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Lizette Martinez of the Federation of Secondary Students and Yoerkis Sanchez, a journalism student, both noted the historic nature of the event that showed the peoples of the continent are on alert against the pretensions of Washington. (Granma, 7/11/05)

November 8: Cuban ambassador to Spain Alberto Velazco affirmed that, as long as the European Union’s Common Position on Cuba is maintained, it will be "very difficult" to normalize bilateral relations with Spain, since it has been precisely that issue the reason why these ties have not been "more fluid or quite as smooth as we would like." (EP, 8/11/05)

November 8: The ambassadors of European Union nations in Cuba say respect for human rights and freedoms has not increased on the island since the bloc suspended its diplomatic sanctions, but even so favor keeping dialogue open with Fidel Castro's government. The EU Council's Commmittee for Latin America, or COLAT, received the diplomats' report on human rights developments in Cuba since June, when the 25 nations' foreign ministers voted to keep the sanctions off until June 2006. According to diplomatic sources, the report says the human rights situation has seen "no improvements in recent months" and no progress has been made regarding the political dissidents behind bars since the spring of 2003. Despite that, the report recommends "keeping critical dialogue open with authorities" and at the same time engaging in "intense dialogue with Cuban civil society," the sources said, noting that the ambassadors were "unanimous" on this. (EFE, 8/11/05)

November 9: An anonymous caller threatened to shoot dead Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda and his family unless the country changes its policy toward Cuba, police said. Spokesman David Kubalak said police received the call on an emergency number on November 7. "We informed the minister and adopted appropriate measures," Kubalak said without elaborating. Vit Kolar, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, confirmed the minister learned about the threat from the police. (AP, 9/11/05)

November 9: In a document sent to the United States and the European Union, Cuban opposition activist Oswaldo Payá, leader of the Christian Liberation Movement (MCL), asked them to review their their policies towards Cuba and considered that it is not their prerogative to develop a "political transition program" for the island. The document was sent to the conference "Common Goals, Different Strategies? Options for a Transatlantic Agenda on Cuba," held in Brussels, which was attended by US Cuba Transition Coordinator Caleb McCarry and representatives of institutions from the EU and Spain’s Department of Foreign Affairs. (EFE, 9/11/05)

November 13: The Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez apologized to “Fidel (Castro) and Cuba" for an incident in which several Cuban doctors were assaulted and two female doctors were raped at a medical station ran by the social initiative Barrio Adentro. The assault took place in Zulia, in the western region of Venezuela. (AFP, 14/11/05)

November 13: Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad held talks with visiting Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque in Teheran. In the meeting, Ahmadinejad stressed the necessity for deep political, economic, cultural, and social ties between the two countries. The president praised Cuba’s revolutionary and constructive stance toward Iran’s right to the peaceful application of nuclear energy and urged Cuba to confer with other Latin American countries to win their support for Iran’s civilian nuclear program.  “Through the coordination and joint efforts of the two countries and by using the great potential of the international community, especially the Non-Aligned Movement, and the expansion of cooperation between its member states, we can turn the current system of domination into one that would benefit nations,” the president noted. For his part, the Cuban foreign minister expressed his government’s support for Iran’s nuclear program and called for the further development of Tehran-Havana ties. (MNA, 13/11/05)

November 13: Cuba and Venezuela signed three new bilateral cooperation agreements at the conclusion of their 10th consultative meeting in Havana. The agreements were signed at the conclusion of two days of meetings between delegations headed by Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Rafael Daussá and his Venezuelan counterpart, Pavel Rondón. Among the agreements signed by the officials was the 2005-2006 action plan for implementation of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, or ALBA, a regional integration initiative being promoted by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Officials discussed regional and Cuban-Venezuelan relations, as well as development issues and cooperation between Havana and Caracas under ALBA. Daussá said the talks were "fruitful" and noted that the foreign policies of Cuba and Venezuela had "many points in common." (EFE13/11/05)

November 14: The number of Mexican inmates in Cuban jails rose to 12, the majority of them incarcerated for human smuggling-related transgressions. The latest apprehension took place when a citizen of Veracruz was captured in Pinar del Río, where he remains in prison. According to consular Mexican officials, the local authorities have opened a case against him on charges of human trafficking. (El Sol de México, 14/11/05))

November 14: International concern is being raised about the health of Cuban journalist Roberto de Jesús Guerra Pérez, who has been imprisoned in a Cuban jail since July 13. He began a second hunger strike protesting his detention on November 3. In a November 10 statement, Paris-based press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders said Guerra is a contributor to the US-government-run Radio Marti and to the U.S.-based Web sites Payolibre and Nueva Prensa Cubana. In demanding Guerra's "immediate release" from jail, Reporters Without Borders said: "We are all the more concerned about this second hunger strike as he had only called off the preceding one a few days before and he was still very weak. There are no serious grounds for holding him [in jail] as all he did was describe what life is really like for Cubans." Guerra was arrested in July while staging a fast, along with a dozen other dissidents, in protest against the harassment he has undergone as an independent journalist and representative of a movement called the "Corriente Martiana". (US Fed News, 14/11/05)

November 15: The government-sponsored TV program “Round table“ was devoted to broadcasting segments of Hugo Chávez’s "Aló Presidente," in which the Venezuelan head of state voiced harsh criticism of Mexican president Vicente Fox. According to the official daily Granma, "the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution renewed his condemnation of the attitude of the Mexican president, whom his Argentine counterpart, Néstor Kichner stopped short, telling him the matter was not on the agenda, when Fox insisted on bringing up FTAA issues." Cuban official media announced that, “key segments” of “Aló Presidente,” in which Chávez called Fox a "puppet of the empire" would be broadcast during “Round Table.” (AFP, 16/11/05)

November 15: Cuba recommended that the United Nations should address the needs of countries impacted by natural disasters by once again calling for emergency economic actions, such as the elimination of the foreign debt and the mobilization of additional financial resources. Luis Alberto Amorós, with Cuba's diplomatic mission at the UN, said the international community must take all needed actions with respect for countries hit by natural disasters to help them recover, reported the Prensa Latina news agency. Speaking during the UN General Assembly on strengthening that organization's humanitarian aid coordination, the Cuban delegate pointed out that recent natural disasters -such as hurricanes in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and Central America, and earthquakes in Southern Asia- demand a change in the UN's system related to planning and coordinating humanitarian aid. (AIN, 15/11/05)

November 15: The Angolan Ambassador to Cuba, Antonio Condesse de Carvalho, "Toka”, said to be convinced that with the same determination with which the Angolan people conquered the independence and achieved peace, it will now be able to overcome the great challenges for reconstruction and national reconciliation. The Angolan diplomat, who was speaking at the ceremony marking the 30 years of the independence of Angola, promoted by the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples "ICAP", stressed that on cooperation with Cuba, given the perfect political understanding that involve the good relations between the two countries, "we are working to ensure that our cooperation can reach higher stages and become privileged". "In this ceremony in which we celebrate the 30 years of our independence, we would like to highlight the solidarity of Cuba in the preservation of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Angola", he stressed. The diplomat stressed that it was in Angola that Cuba gained an unprecedented political and humanistic dimension in Africa and in the world. (Angop, 15/11/05)

November 16: Cuba emphasized that to truly achieve an "Information Society" requires a world without hunger, ignorance, unhealthiness, discrimination and exclusion. Speaking at the first plenary of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), meeting in this North African capital, Cuban Information and Communication Minister Ignacio Gonzalez Planas stressed that starving, sick, illiterate and marginalized people will never understand new technologies. Presenting a summary of Cuban positions and proposals, Gonzalez said that far from becoming the means to a more just and equitable world, the new information technologies replicate the present neoliberal unjust economic order. (Prensa Latina, 16/11/05)

November 16: In a press conference, members of the Paraguayan Association of Ophthalmologists (SPO) released a document outlining their position with regard to Paraguayans going to Cuba to undergo eye surgery free of charge. The professionals rejected the Government’s actions “in transferring to a foreign nation its responsibility to guarantee the citizens’ access to eye care” and considered them a rather serious matter. (Europa Press, AP, 16/11/05)

November 16: As part of the festivities for the 486th anniversary of the foundation of the city of Havana, an original stone from Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral was placed in the Cuban capital. The event was held at the recently opened Victor Hugo House Museum located in Old Havana. French Ambassador to Cuba Marie-France Pagnier commented that "it is time to have the symbol of history's artisans in this place of culture." Pagnier pointed out that this fragment of stone evokes the unseen challenges and the memories of the liberation of Paris when it overcame fascism. (AIN, 16/11/05)

November 17: The Israeli Department of Foreign Affairs recommended that his citizens do not visit Cuba, which attracts numerous local tourists, claiming that they can fall victim to violent crime and arrests. The recommendation follows a rise in crime rates, in particular the increasing number of assaults and mugging incidents targeting foreigners in Old Havana and the beaches. (EFECOM, 17/11/05)

November 17: Fidel Castro labeled the state of Israel as "pro Nazi" and "a major accomplice" of the US Government. In a speech before several hundred students at the University of Havana, Castro made reference to a Cuban resolution against the US embargo submitted to the UN General Assembly. The resolution was approved by a majority vote with the exceptions of Israel, Palau, Marshall Islands and the United States, who voted against it. Cuba has had no ties with Israel since 1973, when the Government of the island decided to break relations in solidarity with the Palestinians, during a conference of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Libya. (EFE, 17/11/05)

November 17: The Cuban-Venezuelan solidarity campaign “Operation Milagro” established its first base outside of Cuba in the Bolivian Ophthalmologic Institute, now equipped with Cuban specialists and technology, in order to operate on poor patients. The Cuban solidarity initiative was praised by Fanny Arguedas, wife of President Eduardo Rodríguez; Alvaro Muñoz, minister of health; and Juan del Granado, the mayor of La Paz, in a ceremony at the institute. Luis Felipe Vázquez, the Cuban ambassador, emphasized that the center has the conditions to operate on poor patients from all over Bolivia who are suffering from blindness as a result of cataracts or other disorders, without them needing to travel to Cuba. He noted that the initiated program is within the framework of Operation Milagro, in virtue of which some 1,000 Bolivians have received operations for their sight on the island. (Granma International, 17/11/05)

November 17: Reporters Without Borders marked the World Summit on the Information Society by presenting Cuba among 15 countries that are “enemies of the Internet” and pointing to a dozen others whose attitude to it is worrying. “President Fidel Castro’s regime has long been good at tapping phones and these days is just as skilled when it comes to the Internet”, RWB said. “The Chinese model of expanding the Internet while keeping control of it is too costly, so the regime has simply put the Internet out of reach for virtually the entire population”. “Being online in Cuba is a rare privilege and requires special permission from the ruling Communist Party. When a user does manage to get connected, often illegally, it is only to a highly-censored version of the Internet”, the report said. (RWB, Press Release, 18/11/05)

November 18: A détente reached at the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) on domain name management has hardly resolved long-running disputes about Internet management, the primacy of the English language online, and the so-called digital divide between nations with functioning economies and those with dysfunctional ones. The deal resulted in the creation of a UN Internet Governance Forum expected to meet in Greece in 2006. "Fidel Castro, the unflinching promoter of the use of new technologies," believes "it is necessary to create a multinational democratic (institution) which administers this network of networks," said the WSIS delegate from Cuba. (ABC, 18/11/05)

November 19: The 8th Meeting of Legislators of Cuba and Mexico agreed to beef up parliamentary diplomacy in Monterey, Mexico. The Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, Francisco Arroyo, said it must go further than governments and reach levels of "friendship and solidarity," with strong currents of non-intervention and self-determination. The chief of the Cuban delegation Ramón Pez Ferro said his group is moved by a spirit of cooperation and respect of sovereignty, and the right of people to select the political, economic and social system they wish. The 8th Meeting of Legislators of Cuba and Mexico will dedicate its two sessions to evaluating programs of exchange and collaboration, and will adopt a final declaration. Alejandro González Yáñez of the Mexican delegation told the press that this declaration will include explicit condemnation of the US blockade of Cuba. (Prensa Latina, 19/11/05)

November 20: New Cuban Ambassador to Tehran Fernando N. Garcia conferred in this capital city with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and submitted a copy of his credentials to him. According to the Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Bureau, at the meeting the two sides reviewed the latest developments in mutual ties and explored avenues for the expansion of ties between Tehran and Havana. Describing Fidel Castro as among prominent international politicians, Mottaki said Castro taught a very good lesson to world countries particularly those in Latin America on how to stand firm in their positions. Iran considers Fidel Castro as a valuable asset for the Latin American nations, Mottaki said, adding that the comments made by Castro about late Imam Khomeini showed his firm stance which is very valuable for Iran. (IRNA, 20/11/05)

November 20: Cuba has requested to be the Chairman of Conference of the Ministers of Information of Non-Aligned Countries (Cominac) earlier than scheduled. Information Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Siti Balkish Mohamed Shariff said Cuba wanted to take over the Cominac Chair next year in conjunction with its upcoming position as Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 2006. Cuba will be hosting the NAM Summit in middle of next year and thus hold the chairmanship until 2009. Malaysia is the current Chairman of NAM while its chairmanship for Cominac VI ends 2008. (BERNAMA, 20/11/05)

November 21: Cuba, a strong proponent of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), called on the 114-member movement to form a common front to confront and defeat the increasing influence and dominance of the western media. Failure to do so would result in the continued dominance of the western media at the expense of developing countries and their interests, Minister of Cuban Institute of Radio and Television Ernesto Lopez Dominguez said. He said the NAM countries must use all means of information -- both traditional and the latest technologies such as newspapers, radio and television and the Internet -- to defend their rights and interests. "We use all available means despite limited resources to defend our interest and we can say we are successful," Lopez told the press on the sidelines of the Sixth Conference of the Ministers of Information of Non-Aligned Countries (Cominac VI) which began in Kuala Lumpur. (BERNAMA, 22/11/05)

November 21: The Speaker of the Cuban Parliament, Ricardo Alarcón, arrived in Spain on a tour of several cities, including Andalusia, the Basque Country and Madrid, for various celebrations and academic events. A wide program of conferences by the Cuban legislative leader will begin in the Basque Country where he will participate at the so-called 2005 Askencuentroa, annually organized by association Alfonso Sastre Kultur Elkartea (ASKE). Alarcon will present his book "Cuba and the Fight for Democracy" at the Cuban embassy in Madrid. (Prensa Latina, 21/11/05)

November 21: Deputy Foreign Affairs Ministers of Cuba and Chile looked into bilateral relations and exchanged outlooks regarding regional and international issues. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Rafael Dausa received at Havana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry his Chilean counterpart Christian Barros, who is leading a delegation from his country for the second meeting of bilateral consultations. Dausa welcomed the visitors and expressed his interest in tackling pending topics in bilateral links. He also approached the regional situation, as well as international matters in view of the next Non-Aligned Countries summit, scheduled for 2006 when Cuba will chair this movement. The first Chile-Cuba consultation took place in 2002 and today's had been postponed since last year. (Prensa Latina, 21/11/05)

November 22: Delegates from 61 countries, gathered in Athens, Greece, for the “International Meeting of Communist and Worker's Parties”, ratified their solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela. The participants issued two resolutions in support of the Cuban and Venezuelan revolutions; and approved actions demanding the release of the “Cuban Five”, who remain imprisoned in the United States. The delegates also decided to organize international solidarity brigades that will travel to do volunteer work in Cuba and Venezuela. (AIN, 22/11/05)

November 22: Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda made some modst attempts to organize his visit to Cuba since June, but Havana has not reacted to his interest until now, he told BBC Radio. Svoboda said he has unofficial information that he is not wanted in Cuba. "As for me, I can pack my suitcase anytime. I can leave for Cuba the day after tomorrow," he said. If Svoboda visited Cuba, he would meet representatives of both the government and the democratic opposition, he said. (CTK, 22/11/05)

November 22: Rogelio Polanco, Cuban representative to the EU-ACP Assembly, held in Edinburgh, said that Havana has no plans to request admission to the Cotonou Agreement since "it does not need" anything from the twenty-five. Cuba — the only one of 78 nations in the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific countries) group that has not signed the agreement — has already submitted its candidacy in two occasions only to withdraw it later on as it was not willing to meet democratization demands that the EU imposes on all members of the agreement. "We have no need of the European Union; not for our development, nor for our international relations," added Polanco. (AFP, 22/11/05)

November 23: Cuba will open its embassy in Islamabad in 2006, said Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, while talking to Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, the PML (Pakistan Muslim League) secretary-general. According to a PML press statement, the Cuban foreign minister told the PML secretary-general about opening the embassy in a meeting to condole casualties and damages in the 8 October earthquake. The statement said that Cuba had sent so far 1,091 medical contingents consisting of 690 doctors, 279 paramedics, and 122 back-up staff in the affected areas. (Daily Times, 23/11/05)

November 23: President of the British Olympic Association, Colin Moynihan, praised the Cuban sports system during his participation in the First National Meeting on Physical Education and Participatory School Sports, in Havana. Moynihan noted the development reached by the island in both making sports available to the general population and in identifying the talented athletes at an early age. (AIN, 23/11/05)

November 24: Cuba called for the exchange of information on drug trafficking among the Caribbean nations as an effective way to fight this scourge. "We consider, and it is how we conduct affairs in this regard, that the collaboration between our countries, and among all nations in the region, must contemplate the exchange of information, and of course with the rest of the world," said the Deputy Director of the National Anti-Narcotics Department, colonel José Ruiz, in closing a Caribbean seminar on "Commercial Marine Traffic Control," organized with the cooperation of the French Police. (AFP, 24/11/05)

November 24: Human rights organizations from three European countries called on the European Union to increase support for Cuba's pro-democracy movement and toughen its approach to Fidel Castro's communist regime. "Effective political sanctions, rather than policy of appeasement toward a dictator in office for 46 years, are essential to ensuring basic human rights," said a statement issued by Czech Republic's People In Need, Slovakia's Pontis Foundation and The International Society for Human Rights based in Frankfurt, Germany. The EU should strengthen its role as "a promoter of human rights and democracy in Cuba," and "establish a relationship with the Cuban government based on a responsible and reliable human rights policy," the statement said. In doing so, the EU "should demand a report of the Cuban government's adherence to human rights in Cuban prisons and labor camps" and "free elections and freedom of opinion for the Cuban population," it said. The EU should also make sure that Cuba cannot become a member of UN Human Rights Commission or UN Human Rights Council, it said. (AP, 24/11/05)

November 24: The Vice-President of the Cuban Council of State, Carlos Lage Davila, met with Ibero-American General Secretary Enrique Iglesias, who concluded his visit to Cuba. During conversations, the two officials reviewed the progress of cooperation projects arising from the Ibero-American Summits in which Cuba has participated through high-level representation. Iglesias briefed Lage on several issues in which the General Secretariat of the Ibero-American Conference is actively seeking Cuban cooperation, such as the fight against illiteracy, investing in human capital, biotechnology and tourism. During his visit to the island, Iglesias also held talks with Fidel Castro. (EFE, Granma, 25/11/05)

November 25: The Iranian president, Mahmud Ahmadineyad, believes that the common positions of his country and Cuba "can change international parameters in favor of the oppressed states." These declarations took place at a ceremony for the delivery of the Letter of Credentials of new Cuban ambassador to Iran, Fernando García. (IRNA, 25/11/05)

November 28: Czech charge d'affaires in Cuba Petr Stiegler is to be replaced by Vit Korselt, ambassador to Uruguay to date, according to unofficial information CTK has acquired. Stiegler is to end this week and Korselt is to be redirected to Cuba. According to available data Stiegler has been in Cuba since 2002. The Czech Republic and Cuba have diplomatic representation at the level of charge d'affaires, not on the level of ambassadors, since their relations have been tense for years. (CTK, 28/11/05)

November 27: The Cuban eye care team referred 95 persons for surgery in Cuba during a three-day outreach to Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni), Guyana. The team arrived at the Bartica Regional Hospital and screened 130 persons, and 42 of them were referred for surgery in Cuba after being diagnosed with cataract and pterigium, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported. A day after, the team screened 189 persons and 53 were required to undergo surgery in Cuba. The following day the team also attended to 130 persons, GINA stated. The team has already completed a series of screening exercises around the country, including Fort Wellington, Blairmont, Mahaicony, Leguan, Suddie and Wales. (Staebroek News, 27/11/05)

November 28: The Cuban Minister of Culture, Abel Prieto, has stressed the need for Nigeria and Cuba to strengthen the existing cultural ties between them. Briefing newsmen on his meeting with the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ambassador Frank Ogbuewu, Prieto said there were many similarities in the culture of the two countries. “After witnessing the opening of the Abuja Cultural Carnival, I am convinced that we share many things in common”, he said. He also visited the National Institute for Cultural Orientation, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments and the National Council for Arts and Culture. Prieto said strengthening the existing cultural relations would further enhance the existing cordial and friendly relations between them. (Tide Online, 28/11/05)

November 28: Cuba has printed more than 100,000 copies of a book that denounces US involvement in a 2002 coup against Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. "The Chavez Code, Deciphering the Intervention of the United States in Venezuela," by Eva Golinger, has also been printed by various Venezuelan publishers, while many copies are given away at events sponsored by the Venezuelan government. (The Knight Ridder Company, 29/11/05)

November 29: Cuba and Uruguay signed their first cooperation agreement following the reestablishment of diplomatic relations on March 1. Uruguayan Deputy Foreign Minister Belela Herrera and her Cuban counterpart Rafael Dausa headed the signing ceremony in Montevideo. The officials emphasized the political importance of the renewed contacts between Uruguay and Cuba and informed that the next bilateral meeting will be held in Havana in 2006. (AIN, 29/11/05)

November 30: Former Chinese ambassador to Cuba Li Lianfu was decorated in Havana with the "National Culture Decoration," bestowed by the Cuban government for his extraordinary merits in this sphere on the island. The former diplomat was awarded by Alberto Blanco, Cuba's chargé d'affaires to China, in a ceremony at the Caribbean nation's embassy in Beijing. (Prensa Latina, 30/11/05)

November 30: President Martin Torrijos of Panama arrived in Cuba ahead of dozens of eye patients traveling for free operations through "Operation Miracle," a program Fidel Castro's government designed to help disadvantaged people throughout the region. The visit was the latest sign of warming relations between the two countries after a restoration of diplomatic ties following a rupture last year when the previous Panamanian president pardoned four Cuban exiles accused of trying to assassinate Castro. "I think it is my obligation [to visit] as a sign of my thanks for the opportunity being given to many humble Panamanians to recover their sight," Torrijos told reporters upon his arrival. Traveling with a delegation that included the Panamanian ministers of health and labor, Torrijos was greeted at the airport by Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Vice President Carlos Lage. He was expected to meet with Castro at the Palace of the Revolution. (CNN, 30/11/05)

November 30: The Spanish Department of Foreign Affairs had no comments on the decision of the Cuban authorities to summon the Spanish ambassador in Havana, Carlos Alonso Zaldívar, following declarations of Spanish Defense Minister José Bono in Caracas. The Cuban Foreign Minister, Felipe Pérez Roque, had sent Zaldívar an urgent summons to demand that the Spanish government retract Bono's words. "People may like him more or less, or not at all(...) but (the Venezuelan president) did not come to power as Fidel Castro or Pinochet did. He came to power through the ballot box...,” had said the Spanish Minister of Defense. (Europa Press, 30/11/05)

November 30: Blanca Reyes, one of the founders of the Ladies in White (Damas de Blanco), thanked the Fundación Hispano Cubana for the award granted to this group of Cuban women who are requesting the liberation of their relatives from Cuban prisons. The Fundación granted the International Award on Human Rights to the Ladies in White, a non-partisan group of wives, mothers, and relatives of dissidents who were sent to jail by Cuban authorities in March 2003 during a crackdown on dissidents. Reyes is the wife of Cuban journalist and writer Raúl Rivero, who was liberated by Cuban authorities due to his health condition after receiving a 20-year sentence during the crackdown of 2003. In a ceremony held in Madrid, Reyes said that the members of the Ladies in White will keep on demonstrating in Cuba in a peaceful way until their relatives are released. (AFP, 30/11/05)

November 30: Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto began an official visit to South Africa, heading a delegation that includes Marcos Rodriguez, vice minister of Foreign Affairs. South African Art and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan welcomed the Cuban mission at the Johannesburg International Airport, where both ministers exchanged viewpoints on topics of bilateral interest, as well as the program Prieto will fulfill in the African nation, a Cuban diplomatic note revealed. (Prensa Latina, 30/11/05)