Chronicle on Cuba - May 2006

Domestic Affairs: The Cuban Communist Party makes changes among its top-level officials. Dissident Oswaldo Payá releases a blueprint for a new Cuban constitution. The president of the National Assembly of the People’s Power, Ricardo Alarcón, speaks about the succession to Fidel Castro. Cuba’s Council of State appoints new ministers. Torrential rains cause flash floods and kill some eleven people in Havana. Dissident journalist Guillermo Farinas reaches four months on hunger strike in demand of access to Internet.

Economy:  Fidel Castro says that the current rate of growth is higher than 12.5 percent. The Canadian company Sherrit Oil and Gas International and the Cuban-owned oil company Cuba Oil conclude the joint venture’s largest project to date. Fidel Castro announces that the 2006 sugar harvest is 10 percent below a plan of around 1.3 million tonnes. A fair promoting exchange and integration among Bolivia, Cuba and Venezuela takes place in La Paz.

Foreign Affairs: Cuba secures a seat on the new UN Human Rights Council. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque welcomes the Vienna declaration issued by the EU-Latin America Caribbean summit. During a telephone conversation with Fidel Castro, Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad expresses gratitude for the stances adopted by Cuba to support the Iranian nation's rights. Amnesty International issues its 2006 annual report on Cuba.

Security: Russia and Cuba sign a number of agreements concerning military technological cooperation.

US-Cuba Relations: The Florida House passes a bill aimed at banning public and private universities and community colleges from sponsoring trips to Cuba. Fidel Castro furiously reacts when Forbes magazine estimates his fortune at $900 million. An update from the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba is not delivered to the White House, as scheduled for May 20th.