Chronicle on Cuba - February 2006

Domestic Affairs: Several dissident organizations make calls to put an end to repression against their members and to violence. Cuba’s 15th International Book Fair takes place throughout the island. The Conference of Cuban Bishops reorganizes its structures.

Economy: Cuba and Venezuela seal agreements on cement and agriculture. Trade between Cuba and China grows. The number of crimes in Cuba’s state economy increased in 2005.

Foreign Affairs: Several Latin American and Caribbean countries benefit from Operation Miracle. Cuba offers support to Iran on its atomic program for peaceful purposes. The European Parliament urges EU member states to increase their pressure on Cuba to release all political prisoners. Some 200,000 Cubans crowd Revolution Plaza for a ceremony granting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez UNESCO's 2005 Jose Marti International Prize.

US-Cuba Relations: US oil executives and government representatives meet with Cuban officials in Cancun. Under pressure from the US government, the Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City expels a group of Cubans who were meeting with US oil executives.