Chronicle on Cuba - September 2006

Foreign Affairs

September 1: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that he visited his "comrade and brother" Fidel Castro before returning to Caracas as he wound up his international tour, and gave assurances that the Cuban leader "has recovered considerably." "We ended the tour right there in Cuba, where we got up early this morning to visit comrade Fidel Castro," Chavez told thousands of his followers in the Venezuelan capital a few hours after his return. The leftist Venezuelan president said that he talked with Castro for "more than two hours," with both analyzing "the world situation together with Raul Castro and other Cuban and Venezuelan comrades." (EFE, 1/9/06)

September 2: Despite the numerous challenges faced by Cuba over that last four decades, the continuing contribution which that country makes is staggering. This acknowledgement was made by the Barbadian Ambassador to CARICOM, His Excellency John Williams, during his featured address at a ceremony celebration the return of participants of the Cuba Scholarship Programme. Among the Cuban assistant initiatives mentioned by the ambassador were the scholarship programme, the free eye care surgery programme and disaster management in the aftermath of a hurricane. Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM remarked that the establishment of the Cuban Scholarship Programme has allowed the youth of this region, and Barbados in particular, to develop their intellectual skills. The ambassador acknowledged that a number of students returned from Cuba prematurely at the programmes inception due to an inability to adapt to the societal, lingual and cultural differences. (The Barbados Advocate, 2/9/06)

September 2: Venezuela named former Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez as Ambassador to Cuba. In a news conference, Rodriguez said the appointment by Hugo Chavez was a great honor. Rodriguez substitutes Adan Chavez, president Chavez’ brother, in this diplomatic post. (Prensa Latina, 2/9/06)

September 2: The Cuban Foreign Ministry termed auspicious the debates of the Final Declaration of the 14th Non Aligned Movement Summit to be held on September 11-16. The draft document, submitted to Coordination Bureau in New York, contains basic concern over the complex international situation that particularly distresses developing countries. This Political Declaration regulates south-south cooperation like the Action Plan for Cuba's 2006-2009 leadership, aimed at revitalizing the NAM and helping preserve its ideals and principles. (Prensa Latina, 2/9/06)

September 4: Botswana and Cuba signed a two-year agreement to cooperate on health matters. At the signing ceremony, the Botswana Minister of Health Sheila Tlou said that under the agreement Cuba will provide 166 professionals as volunteers to Botswana. She said that Botswana appreciates the technical assistance that it had from Cuba over the years. (Mmegi Online, 5/9/06)

September 4: A Cuban medical brigade working in Indonesia has successfully concluded its humanitarian mission and will shortly return to Cuba. According to reports by Cuban ambassador Jorge Leon Cruz, some 135 health professionals, among them hospital staff and specialists, has so far assisted more than 103,000 patients in tent hospitals, donated by the island's government. (Prensa Latina, 4/9/06)

September 4: Most of the 116 members of the Non-Aligned Movement will be represented at the group's summit in Cuba on September 11-16, organizers said. The Communist Party daily Granma said many of those countries' heads of state or government will attend the event, but provided no specifics. Leaders who have officially confirmed attendance thus far include: Presidents Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, Bashar Assad of Syria, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of the Philippines, Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Alfredo Palacio of Ecuador and Fradique de Menezes of the west African island of Sao Tome. Others who have confirmed they will attend include Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh of India, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia and Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand. From the Caribbean, Prime Ministers Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent, Keith Mitchell of Grenada and Baldwin Spencer of Antigua have said they are coming.  President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, among Cuba's closest allies, is also expected to attend the gathering, though he has not yet officially confirmed. (AP, 4/9/06)

September 5: Spain will open twelve new consulates around the world, including one in the city of Santiago de Cuba, said Foreign Minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos. The new Spanish consulate in Cuba will be a “career” consulate— the highest rank. The opening is part of a reform aimed at “enhancing the foreign functions of the [Spanish] state”. (EER, 5/9/06)

September 5: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan will join more than 50 heads of state at the summit of the Non Aligned Movement in Havana, a foreign ministry official said. The United Nations was invited "as a courtesy" and Annan will participate as an observer, as in previous summits, Abelardo Moreno, Cuba's vice foreign minister, told journalists at a news conference. Moreno said the United States was also invited, but declined to say who would head that delegation. (AP, 5/9/06)

September 6: Canadian organizations of solidarity with Cuba ratified their support for the island’s defense of its sovereignty against US threats. For almost 50 years, Washington has promoted "innumerable incidents terrorist, military and economic aggression, among them the immoral blockade," highlights a communiqué issued by representatives of 24 organizations of that North American country. Those groups constitute the Canadian Network of Solidarity with Cuba, which recently celebrated its third convention in which aspects related with the work of solidarity developed in Canada and abroad were discussed. (Prensa Latina, 6/9/06)

September 6: Bolivian President Evo Morales met with Cuba's ailing Fidel Castro during a day trip to the island, state television reported. Morales told Castro that Bolivians sent their affection for the 80-year-old leader recovering from intestinal surgery though they don't think he is really sick, just "undergoing repairs," according to a report on the Cuban daily public affairs program Mesa Redonda. "Fidel thinks that Evo is an exceptional leader," the program's moderator Randy Alonso said, reading from a statement. In the two-hour meeting the leaders discussed Bolivia's assembly to rewrite the nation's constitution as well as Cuban literacy and medical programs in the South American country. There are currently more than 1,600 Cuban doctors in Bolivia who have treated 1.4 million patients, according to the report. The Bolivian leader, who arrived early in the day and left for home in the evening, was greeted at the airport by Raul Castro, acting president while his older brother recovers. Vice President Carlos Lage and Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque also were there. The three had lunch with Morales, the report said. (DPA, AP, 6/9/06)

September 6: Two important parallel meetings are to take place in Havana in the framework of the upcoming 14th Non-Aligned Movement Summit (NAM). A Foreign Ministry source has confirmed that, in the morning of September 14, the representatives of the Landlocked Developing Countries, a forum of 31 nations, are to meet for the first time at the highest level. This session has been convened at the request of Laos and participants include the missions of Afghanistan, Mauritania, Bolivia, Botswana, Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The effective participation of those states in multilateral trade and cooperation in relation to transportation, vital issues for territories without a sea exit, will be the central themes for discussion among delegates. On the other hand, in the afternoon of the same day, a meeting has been organized for the Group of 15 which, in fact, is constituted of 19 countries. They are: Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Egypt, Jamaica, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. The battle for a more just and equitable system of world trade and the reduction of subsidies applied by the developed nations to protect their producers to the detriment of the poor nations, should feature on the agenda. (Granma International, 6/9/06)

September 7: A group of 12 Cuban rafters, including four women, was intercepted near Mexico’s Isla Mujeres, to the east of the country, reported the naval authority. “The twelve Cubans said to have come from Pinar del Río, and were handed over to the National Institute of Migration. (AFP, 8/9/06)

September 7: Bolivian President Evo Morales said that Fidel Castro looked much improved during his recent visit to Cuba and that the iconic leader expressed his usual concern for the health and education of Latin Americans. "For me it's very satisfying and a great joy to see and have any kind of contact with comrade Fidel; he is always uplifting and encouraging. That how he has seemed to me," Morales said upon returning to Bolivia in comments that were broadcast by Cuban state television. Morales said that Castro expressed "concern for the education and health of Bolivians and Latin Americans." "During our chat, we talked about the ophthalmic centers, the full-service hospitals, results, about the literacy issue, concerned about how we can make faster progress," Morales said. Morales, a Socialist and Aymara Indian, also said that during his meeting with Castro the two talked about the revolutionary processes in Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela, which is governed by leftist-populist President Hugo Chavez. But Morales said that Castro's "permanent concern" was "for education, health, always thinking about life, about humanity." (EFE, 7/9/06)

September 7: Mexico’s president-elect, conservative Felipe Calderón, said that during his administration he would attempt to improve relations with Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela. Calderón affirmed that the intention of his future government is “to strengthen collaboration” (...) “despite our differences”. “We will have respectful relations with all heads of state, without exception and without prejudice ”. (AFP, 8/9/06)

September 7: From Costa Rica, the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba (ICDC) called on the need for continued pressure on Cuban authorities to bring about democratic changes. In the group’s opinion, the temporary transfer of power from Fidel Castro to his brother does not represent a significant political transformation. The group includes former presidents Luis Alberto Monge (Costa Rica), Armando Calderón Sol (El Salvador), Violeta Chamorro (Nicaragua) and Luis Alberto Lacalle (Uruguay). The ICDC urged the United Nations, the Organization of American States and the European Union “to maintain pressure on the island’s authorities in order to ensure democratic transition takes place”. (Notimex, 7/9/06)

September 10: Cuba's foreign minister said it was not certain that Fidel Castro will host a dinner for visiting leaders as noted in a schedule, raising doubts over whether the ailing leader would make his first public appearance since undergoing surgery. A dinner hosted by Castro for dignitaries attending the 14th Non Aligned Movement summit was mentioned in a schedule sent by the government to international media. But Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque said he could not confirm the leader's participation in the September 15 event. ''I cannot yet confirm his presence at the dinner,'' Pérez Roque said. ``I can confirm that the head of the Cuban delegation at that moment will be offering those dignitaries that dinner.'' ''If Fidel is not there, then Raúl will act as host at the dinner,'' Pérez Roque said. [Síntesis de la Conferencia de Prensa] (AP, 11/9/06)

September 10: Developing nations will back Iran's disputed nuclear program during the  summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Havana, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said. The 116-nation NAM, which groups almost two-thirds of the member states of the United Nations, will endorse Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful ends, including the right to enrich uranium to produce electricity, he said. The Cuban minister criticized the "hypocritical double standard" of the United States and other Western nations who have tried to stop Iran's nuclear program. "The United States and its allies are against Iran developing the ability to produce nuclear energy, while many of these countries that are nuclear powers are perfecting their arsenals," Perez Roque said at a news conference. Perez Roque said the NAM supports total disarmament and the destruction of nuclear weapons. "We are opposed to nuclear weapons. But we are also opposed to the hypocrisy" of the nuclear powers, he said. (Reuters, 10/9/06)

September 11: Cuba's foreign minister opened a summit of more than 100 of the world's developing nations, saying the Non Aligned Movement is more needed than ever in such an "unjust world." Felipe Perez Roque said current global and political problems highlight the need for unity in the movement, originally developed during the Cold War and fighting for relevance in the 21st century. "Today we can affirm (...) that the movement is more necessary than ever," Perez Roque said in Havana. Senior officials started sessions at the Convention Palace, center inaugurated in 1979 on occasion of the sixth NAM summit conference. Discussions will deal on four basic documents: a Final Declaration, another of Principles and Purposes, one on cooperation inside the movement and a text addressing the working methods of the grouping. The first document will contain the stand of NAM in the face of the main current problems like Iraq, Israeli aggressions on Palestine and Lebanon, democratization of the United Nations, the rescue of multilateralism and the US blockade against Cuba. On this occasion, the Cuban delegation will present several cooperation programs in the fields of health, education and the rational use of electric power. The debating process will continue September 13-14 at foreign minister level, who will give the final touches to the documents to be approved on September 15-16 by the heads of state and government. [Discurso del Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba]  (AP, Prensa Latina, 11/9/06)

September 11: The Ladies in White requested a meeting with United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, who will attend the XIV Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement of countries (NAM) taking place in Havana. Laura Pollán, spokeswoman for the group, said that they have requested to meet with Annan and other leaders present at the Summit. Pollán, wife of Héctor Maseda, serving 20 years in prison, recalled that they sent some 90 letters to the embassies of NAM member countries so that they would be passed to their respective governments. (EER, 12/9/06)

September 11: Ailing Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is a "predator" of press freedom, said the Paris-based global press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders. In a statement, Reporters Without Borders added that the Cuban regime is showing "bad faith" regarding a draft of a final document that will follow a summit meeting of the world's non aligned nations, being held in Cuba's capital of Havana. The protection and promotion of human rights are among the objectives to be outlined in the document, the Paris group said.  But the Cuban regime is disregarding human rights principles by doing "its utmost to limit coverage" of the Havana meeting by expelling foreign journalists from the country. [Cuba reminded of goals of Non Aligned Movement] (Washington File, 11/9/06)

September 12: A leading Cuban dissident slammed the Non-Aligned Movement, in the second day of a summit in Havana, for not making human rights a real priority, and failing to defend personal and political freedoms. "It is regrettable that the human rights issue is not a real and genuine priority in the Non-Aligned Movement," Elizardo Sanchez, who leads the Cuban Committee for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, said in a statement. In a draft of the summit's final document, NAM members call for promoting "all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all."  Members do not, however, define their concept of human rights. Their political systems run the gamut from one party-communist rule as in Cuba, to royal rule, to theocracy, to western-style democracies. The NAM draft document calls democracy a "universal value," but stresses that for NAM members "there is no single model of democracy, that it does not belong to any country or region" and demands respect for sovereignty and self-determination.  Sanchez regretted that "most of the member governments of the NAM and especially its most active and 'historic' leaders persist in juxtaposing rights of the human person, and try to justify for example grave violations of civil and political rights with the supposed or real 'achievements' in the area of social rights."  "It is worth mentioning the cases ... of Cuba and North Korea, where there are schools for all children, and no one is excluded from basic health care, but any moderately informed person knows the governments violate all civil, political and economic rights of their citizens," he added. (AFP, 12/9/06)

September 12: Negotiations among experts at the 14th Non Aligned Countries Movement Summit made significant agreements on most of the thematic positions, official sources confirmed. The conference spokesperson, Cuban Assistant Foreign Minister Abelardo Moreno, told the press that the program was proceeding fluidly and successfully among the 114 delegations. The Political Committee concluded its examination of texts pertaining to global and regional problems Moreno said, adding that all the paragraphs condemning actions against NAM states were approved; including those relative to Venezuela, Cuba and other nations submitted to aggression. He noted that similarly, the Economic Committee finished its review of economic and development matters, and is now analyzing all questions linked to human rights. On the theme of human rights in the Summit documents, Moreno stressed that the movement demands “the observance of all [rights] by all [countries].” He explained they are examining individual and collective rights, as well as the “third generation” of solidarity, food, development, and such rights. (Prensa Latina, 12/9/06)

September 12: Raul Castro, who is temporarily replacing his convalescing brother Fidel as Cuba's president, made his first appearance at the summit in Havana. Raul Castro was shown on Cuban television meeting with Laotian President Choummaly Sayasone. Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Felipe Perez Roque was together with Castro. (AFP, 13/9/06)

September 12: Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez invited his Bolivian counterpart to join him for breakfast with Fidel Castro, and suggested the ailing Cuban leader may serve up a health concoction he calls "tsunami."  "I invite you Evo for a breakfast with Fidel, who is recovering," Chavez said in a message to Bolivia's Evo Morales, who was also to attend the ongoing Non Aligned Movement summit in Havana. "Fidel cooks well, he prepares something he calls 'tsunami', which is a combination of oatmeal, barley and wheat, and which he says saved his life," said Chavez. (AFP, 12/9/06)

September 12: Cuba backed down from its intention to present a plan of cooperation on health, education and energy, which it had announced as one of its contributions to the XIV Summit of the Non-Aligned countries. “The plan has not been presented”, said to the media Cuban deputy foreign minister, Abelardo Moreno. “Cuba has no interest yet to present it”. Sources at the meeting said that Cuba announced to the delegations the withdrawal of its proposal for cooperation, which had been expected two days earlier. (La Jornada, 13/9/06)

September 13: Raul Castro, defence minister since Cuba's 1959 revolution, has swapped his military uniform for a business suit to stand in as official host at Havana's airport to receive the 50-odd heads of state and government expected for the Non Aligned summit.   Raul met with Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and held separate meetings with presidents Nguyen Minh Triet of Vietnam and Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria. (Reuters, Granma, AP, 14/9/06)

September 13: Costa Rican President Oscar Arias launched The Miami Herald Americas Conference with an impassioned plea to Latin American nations to spurn populism and urge Cuba to take a democratic path. ''Latin America has reached a crossroads,'' the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winner told a dinner gathering at the Biltmore Hotel. ''It can consolidate the gains that it has made through economic integration with the world, or it can slide backwards,'' he said, ``falling captive to populist rhetoric and to the shrill voices of those who see globalization as the root of all evil.''  Latin America, he said, can strengthen its democratic institutions and ``join together with one voice of hope so that the Cuban people can enjoy the liberty that has been denied to them.''  His remarks came after Arias wrote an opinion piece in the La Nación newspaper of San José, Costa Rica, on August 29, urging Cuba to embrace democracy. No other Latin American nation has so far joined Arias in calling for democratic reforms in Havana. He said Cuba was, ''plain and simple, a dictatorship'' that had ''robbed the Cuban people of their liberty'' and ``condemned to poverty a nation that could very well have been the first developed nation in Latin America.'' (The Miami Herald, 14/9/06)

September 13: Cuba sought consensus on the use of nuclear energy and the conflict in the Middle East as diplomats work to hammer out the declaration that will emerge from Havana’s Non-Aligned summit. The foreign ministers of the 116 NAM members were supposed to have finalized the text a day ago. During a press conference, Cuba's deputy foreign minister, Abelardo Moreno, said that along with the release of the final document the leaders will sign another statement in which they will defend Iran's right to develop nuclear technology for energy production. While that stance has the general support of the NAM, several representatives gathered in Havana told reporters that some countries want the final document to demand that a clear legal framework be established for nuclear energy. Besides the delicate matter of the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program, consensus is still lacking on the definition of terrorism and on a statement about the conflict in the Middle East, Moreno acknowledged. (EFE, 13/9/06)

September 13: The spokesman for the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party at the Congressional Commission for International Cooperation, Eduardo Madina, emphasized that Bernardino León’s trip to Cuba during the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement has a “multidimensional” character, given the latest developments on the island that signal there might be changes “in the future”. “Without a doubt, Spain will do everything possible so that the new leadership in Cuba follows the Cuban people’s will, without interferences that might prevent the internal democratic process of Cuban society ”, he added. (Europa Press, 13/9/06)

September 13: In an interview with a leftist Argentine newspaper, Fidel Castro said that Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, who has followed in the Cuban leader's footsteps to become Washington's fiercest critic in the region, had stopped the plunder of Venezuela's oil wealth and was putting it to good use in social programs. "Chavez has been building an indestructible model. He doesn't represent an extreme form of socialism, but a realistic one," Castro added. (Reuters, 14/9/06)

September 14: Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived in Havana to take part in the 14th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) until September 16. State television showed him being met at the airport by Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage.  The distinguished visitor will also attend the first summit of the Land-Locked Developing Countries scheduled for this afternoon at this capital s Conventions Center. (Prensa Latina, AP, 14/9/06)

September 14: In his pajamas, Castro met separately with friend and political ally Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Castro and Annan "exchanged opinions about the relevance of the 14th Non Aligned summit," according to Cuba's communist youth newspaper. But there was no sign he would be well enough to participate in the two days of sessions with more than 50 heads of state and government. After the visit, Chavez said the Cuban leader was walking and singing and "almost well enough to play baseball." Still, even Chavez didn't say whether he thought Castro would make a formal appearance. (AP, 14/9/06)

September 14: Raul Castro presided over the Group of 15 developing nations on the sidelines of the summit, representing his nation at an international gathering for the first time as acting president. Raul Castro briefly praised Iran and other developing nations for trying to create "a better, more just world." But Chavez stole the show, saying Fidel Castro had given him permission to speak longer because Raul wouldn't talk much. Raul Castro seemed to take the jab in good spirits, giving Chavez a bear hug after the meeting. Trading the green fatigues he's long worn as Cuba's defence minister for a dark suit, Raul Castro briefly praised Iran and other developing nations for trying to create ''a better, more just world.'' Chavez then pledged Venezuela's support for Iran if it is invaded because of its nuclear dispute with the UN Security Council. (AP, 15/9/06)

September 14: At a meeting of over the Group of 15 developing nations on the sidelines of the summit, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave a relatively mild speech, urging his fellow leaders to work together to achieve their full potential. Then Chavez took over, saying he didn't want to leave Havana without a statement reflecting resounding support for the Iranian, Cuban and Palestinian people. ''Under any scenario, we are with you just like we are with Cuba,'' Chavez added. ''If the United States invades Cuba, blood will run (…) We will not have our arms crossed while bombs are falling in Havana or they carry Raul off in a plane,'' Chavez said. (AP, 15/9/06)

September 14: The Spanish secretary of state for foreign affairs, Bernardino León, met Cuban dissidents in Havana, where he is attending the XIV Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement of countries (NAM) as a guest. At the Spanish embassy León met separately with Oswaldo Payá, of the Christian Liberation Movement; Miriam Leyva, member of the Ladies in White; Manuel Cuesta Morúa, of the social-democratic Progressive Arch; Marta Beatriz Roque, of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society; and Eloy Gutiérrez Menoyo, of Cambio Cubano. According to the dissidents, the talks focused on the situation of political prisoners and human rights in Cuba. (EFE, 15/9/06)

September 15: Renovation work on the building in Havana to house the Embassy of Antigua & Barbuda is moving at a fast pace to facilitate its opening by November this year. Prime Minister Spencer who was in Cuba attending the 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement,(NAM) toured the facilities. Prime Minister Spencer said that he was very pleased with the renovation work being carried out by Cuban contractors and is looking forward to its completion very shortly. “The Embassy will be a significant addition to our relations with the Republic of Cuba. Over the years we have developed a strong bond with cooperation increasing yearly with more students being offered scholarships to study in Cuba. The embassy will serve as a significant link between our students in Cuba and Antigua and Barbuda.” (Antigua Sun, 18/9/06)

September 15: Cuba took over the leadership of the Non Aligned Movement from Malaysia, with Defence Minister Raul Castro standing in for his ailing brother, Fidel.  "We all wanted these inaugural words to be pronounced by Fidel Castro, but for reasons we all know he could not accompany us," Raul Castro said after accepting Cuba's new position with a round of applause from leaders and diplomats representing two-thirds of the world's nations. "Comrade Fidel has asked that I transmit to you his most cordial greetings," he said.  He later urged the assembly to put up a strong, united front to challenge the dominance of more powerful countries. "The Nonaligned Movement now has to wage courageous battles against unilateralism, double standards, and the impunity granted to those in power, for a fairer and more equal international order in the face of neoliberalism," he said. [Discurso de Raul Castro] (AP, 15/9/06)

September 15: Having survived economic crisis sparked by the Soviet Union's collapse, Cuba is taking over leadership of the "non-aligned" nations hoping to capitalize on anti-US sentiment around the world. In recent years, Fidel Castro's government has developed strong alliances with oil-rich countries like Venezuela and Iran. Now, it aims to transform the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), founded in the 1960s as a counterweight to the Cold War superpowers, into an avowedly anti-US organization. Experts said the divided NAM has little clout. It includes US allies like India and Pakistan alongside Iran, branded by Washington as a member of the "axis of evil." "The NAM presidency is more important to Cuba than to other countries because of Cuba's constant effort to demonstrate that is it not isolated diplomatically in spite of US efforts," said Phil Peters, a Cuba expert with the Lexington Institute, a think-tank near Washington D.C. Julia Sweig, Latin America director at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, said the NAM could be the "perfect golden parachute" if Castro recovers. (Reuters, 15/9/06)

September 15: Fidel Castro met with his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is in Havana representing his country at the 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. During their one hour meeting the two leaders discussed the Havana summit and pressing world political and economic issues. They also reviewed cooperation projects underway between the Cuba and North African nation. It was in Algeria that the Cuban medical cooperation program abroad began more than 40 years ago and today the island is still assisting in an important ongoing Algerian health projects. Fidel Castro thanked President Bouteflika for the enduring solidarity of the Algerian government and people with the Cuban Revolution. (Granma, 16/9/06)

September 15: For the second time in less than a week, Fidel Castro met with Bolivian president Evo Morales. The two leaders talked about relations between their two countries, and the need to revitalize the Non Aligned Movement. (Granma, 16/9/06)

September 15: First Vice President Raul Castro met with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, in Havana for the 14th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The two leaders discussed the development of the NAM Summit, key events in international relations and United Nations reform. Accompanying Kofi Annan at the meeting were Ibrahim Gambari, deputy UN secretary general for Political Affairs; Vijay Nanbiar, under-secretary-general; Susan McDade, resident-coordinator of the UN Development Program in Cuba, and Alicia Barcena, who heads Annan’s cabinet. Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage Davila, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Cuban ambassador to the UN Rodrigo Malmierca were present with Raul Castro at the talks. (Granma, 16/9/06)

September 16: An ailing Fidel Castro met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana, Cuban state media and diplomatic sources said. Castro and Ahmadinejad discussed "Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy" and the "positive results" of the summit, according to the daily Juventud Rebelde. At a separate "fraternal encounter", Castro and India's Singh discussed the summit results, important global events, and the "excellent relations" between Cuba and India, according to Juventud Rebelde. Castro and Badawi talked about the works of the summit. Castro also remembered his trips to Malaysia, and talked with Badawi about its beautiful cities, according to Cuban daily Granma. (AFP, 17/9/06)

September 16: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that enhanced cooperation between Iran and Cuba will increasingly strengthen the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The President made the aforesaid remarks in a meeting with Cuba's First Vice President of the Council of State Raul Castro Ruz on the sidelines of the 14th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in the capital city of Havana. During the meeting at the end of which the two sides inked several cooperation agreements, Ahmadinejad noted the two countries' close and shared stances in the face of global and international issues and said that enhanced cooperation between Iran and Cuba, as two independent and important member states of the Non-Aligned Movement with special strategic positions in the Middle-East and Central America and Caribbean, would cause further strengthening of NAM. (FARS News Agency, 16/9/06)

September 16: Representatives of 118 Nonaligned Movement nations condemned Israel's attacks on Lebanon and supported a peaceful resolution to the US-Iran nuclear dispute in the final declaration of a summit that brought together some of the United States' staunchest foes. The final statements, many of which contain veiled criticisms of the US, were approved by unanimous consent after another round of speeches by leaders of the movement. ''No one in the Nonaligned Movement thinks that the United States is responsible for all the problems, but many think that it is for some,'' Cuba's Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said. (AP, 17/9/06)

September 16: The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) demanded from its summit in Havana that the world give developing nations a greater voice, criticized "unilateralism" and the dependency of the poorest on the richest, and stated their decision to get stronger through modernization. Representing the host country, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque announced at a press conference the approval of five concrete projects and said that there will be "a before and after of the Havana summit." The most important is the renewal of NAM principles and the goals it is fighting for. The summit document "reaffirms the principles of the 1955 Bandung Conference while incorporating others which have become a guide in recent years, the result of changes in the world scenario and the modernization of the movement," Perez Roque said. He added that these principles include opposition to methods of coercion by any country; the rejection of terrorism, aggression and war; and the ratification of the movement's role as a forum of coordination for promoting common interests and developing solidarity and cooperation. (EFE, 16/9/06)

September 16: Cuba’s First Vice President Raul Castro affirmed the 14th Non-aligned Countries Movement Summit corroborated the group has decided to give priority to what binds its members together. When closing the presidential summit, the Cuban official highlighted the revitalization of the NAM principles and stances in the current international order as one of the main results of the conference. Raul Castro rated the meeting as excellent, and said the ratification of the NAM goals and standards provide the movement a solid ground to act in the world arena. [Closing speech by Raul Castro] (Prensa Latina, 17/9/06)

September 16: Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer and four other Caribbean leaders arrived in Cuba for the 14th Conference of the Non- Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit. Prime Minister Spencer along with Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerritt of Dominica, Prime Minister Owen Arthur of Barbados, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Prime Minister Kenny Anthony of St. Lucia were greeted at the José Marti International Airport by Cuban government ministers and accorded a military salute. (Granma, 16/9/06)

September 17: Fidel Castro met with Ecuador's president Alfredo Palacio and two cabinet officials for nearly an hour, Palacio's spokesman told the press. The two leaders coincided on the success of the NAM Summit and discussed other important international and regional issues. Castro dedicated a considerable portion of the meeting with Palacios, a well known cardiologist in his country, to talk about the Operation Miracle eye-surgery program. Under the program 6,440 Ecuadorians have received eye operations, the majority at two ophthalmologic centers opened with Cuban support in the Ecuadorian states of Guayaquil and Cotopaxi. The presidents also talked about the progress of the Ecuadorian literacy program that uses the Cuban Yo Si Puedo (Yes I Can) teaching method, underway in different regions of the South American nation. (AFP, Granma, 17,19/9/06)

September 17: Raul Castro and Kim Young, President of the Presidium of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, analyzed in Havana the role of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the current international situation. Other topics of discussion included bilateral ties of friendship, cooperation and solidarity, which have historically existed between both peoples and governments, Granma newspaper reported on September 19. Kim Yong passed on a personal message by Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Workers Party, Supreme Commander of Korea Peoples’ Army and President of the Korean National Defense Committee, who wished Fidel Castro a prompt recovery. Fidel Castro offered a gift to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, North Korean official news agency reported. The gift was handed over to Kim Yong Nam, as he was in Havana for the NAM summit, North Korean news agency said. (Prensa Latina, AP, 18,19/9/06)

September 17: This year 167 Cuban doctors will be sent to Mozambique under the cooperation agreements between the two countries, according to Mozambican Health Minister Ivo Garrido, who is in Havana as part of the Mozambican delegation to the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. The group will join other Cuban doctors already in the country. How much longer those already in Mozambique will stay is one of the matters to be discussed at the next meeting of the Mozambique-Cuba Joint Commission, in 2007. Garrido added that by the end of 2008 Mozambique should have enough doctors of its own to send one to each of the 128 districts in the country. Currently only about half of the districts have a doctor. (All Africa.Com, 17/9/06)

September 18: Reporters Without Borders condemned the detention of Ahmed Rodríguez Albacia, 21, a member of the independent news agency Jóvenes sin Censura, who was arrested by state security agents without any grounds in Havana on September 15. “Rodríguez’s detention raises the possibility of new arrests without trial like those of Oscar Mario González Pérez and Roberto de Jesús Guerra Pérez in July 2005 and Armando Betancourt in May 2006,” the press freedom organisation said. “Rodríguez and his family have been the target of constant harassment in recent weeks and we call for his immediate release.” Rodríguez was arrested when he went of his own volition to the police station on Dragones street in central Havana, where he lives. On the morning before his arrest, Rodríguez had reported to the Cuban Human Rights Federation (FCDH) that members of the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution and the state security’s Rapid Response Brigades had surrounded his house and had threatened to “smash the heads” of him and his mother. (RWB Press Release, 18/9/06)

September 19: Esteban Lazo, vice president of the Cuban Council of State, led the Cuban delegation to the 61st session of the UN General Assembly where he met with presidents and delegation leaders. Lazo attended a lunch given by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for leaders at the event. In other activities, Lazo met with the Reverend Lucius Walker, to whom he provided detailed information regarding the different tasks and priorities undertaken by the Cuban people at this juncture. For his part, the US reverend remarked on the work and actions of the Cuban solidarity movement, including an event at Church of the Intercession in Harlem, New York. (Granma International, 20/9/06)

September 20: Esteban Lazo, Vice President of Cuba’s Council of State underscored the relevance of the14th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement held in Havana, at the 61st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Lazo, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of Cuba’s Communist Party, told the UN General Assembly that during the Non-Aligned Summit “profound and fruitful debates were held, in an atmosphere of true understanding, unity and cohesion, which allowed for the adoption of documents of crucial importance to the future of the Non-Aligned Movement" [Remarks by Esteban Lazo at the UNGA] (ACN, 20/9/06).

September 20: A cargo ship in the Gulf of Mexico rescued nine Cubans in poor health who were heading to the United States and took them to Puerto Cortez on the North Coast of Honduras. A woman identified as Marisela Vázquez, died of starvation and will be buried in Puerto Cortez, 180 kilometres north of Tegucigalpa. “We were adrift 13 days in open seas. During that time, we drank our urine and ate whatever little raw fish we managed to catch”, said José Félix Avelar at a press conference. (AP, 20/9/06)

September 20: The Organization of American States will not take up the Cuban leadership issue until an official proposal is presented by the United States or another member state, OAS chief José Miguel Insulza said. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez had proposed that Cuba hold an OAS-sanctioned referendum on its future leadership. ''There is no proposal that we can officially evaluate,'' Insulza told The Miami Herald.  The OAS, he noted, can only monitor elections when member states ask for the service. Cuba was suspended from the organization in 1962. (The Miami Herald, 21/9/06)

September 21: A record number of Jamaican students received scholarships to Cuba this school year. Beginning in 1979 when three students, including current junior government ministers Donald Rhodd and Wykeham McNeill went to study in Cuba, this year's all-expenses paid scholarships include 70 medical students, expanded from five last year; 40 in nursing; 11 in sports and physical education; nine in engineering; and seven in other areas. Speaking at the farewell ceremony for the students at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Anthony Hylton, thanked the Cuban government, favorably contrasting the scholarships to the 'brain drain' of qualified Jamaicans absorbed by developed countries. Cuban Ambassador Gisela Garcia Rivera told her audience that the scholarships offered to students from developing countries - with 26,000 currently studying - were an important part of Cuban foreign policy. (Jamaican Gleaner, 21/9/06)

September 21: The Cuban media echoed Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez’s speech at the United Nations. Both the state television and the written press covered extensive portions of the speech. The official daily “Granma” reported that the Venezuelan leader repeated his country’s proposals to reform the UN, as well as the fragment of his speech in which Chávez said, “the devil is in the house”, in reference to US president George W. Bush. (EFE, 21/9/06)

September 23: Fidel Castro issued his first statement on international affairs since he ceded power eight weeks ago on Venezuela. The statement said the Cuban leader reacted ''with indignation'' upon hearing that Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro was briefly detained at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on his way back from the United Nations General Assembly. Castro ''extends his most vigorous protest of this vulgar provocation, which could take place again against any member of the Movement'' of Non Aligned Nations, that Cuba heads, the statement said. This is the first time Castro has referred to non-Cuban affairs since he ceded power for health reasons to his younger brother Raul. (The Miami Herald, 25/9/06)

September 23: Referring to some difficulties with visa proceedings of the Venezuelan delegation to the UN General Assembly, the US State Department admitted that six visas could not be processed on time for Chavez' visit, but noted that the Venezuelans had swamped them with 229 visa requests, a large number for a Latin American delegation.
''There were some citizens of Cuba as part of the retinue,'' one State Department official said. He agreed to be quoted only if his name was not revealed and he declined to disclose how many Cubans had applied for visas. Officials say the Cubans are not barred from entering the United States but require extra background checks. (The Miami Herald, 25/9/06)

September 25: A meeting between a top Spanish official and a group of Cuban dissidents has sparked a crisis in relations between Havana and Madrid, which threatens to undo any positive effects brought about by Spain's Socialist government's policy of dialogue with the Fidel Castro regime. Within a week, Cuba has cancelled two separate meetings with Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos and his number two, Bernadino León, after the latter had met Cuban opposition figures in Havana while the city was playing host to the international summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. The meeting with dissidents of various political tendencies took place in the Spanish embassy, but it seems to have been the timing which has most upset the government of Fidel Castro. On September 14, just hours after the meeting of León and opposition figures, the government temporarily headed by Raúl Castro suspended a meeting between the Foreign Ministry's number two and Cuba's European affairs spokesman, Eumelio Caballero. Less than a week later, a scheduled meeting between Moratinos and his Cuban counterpart, Felipe Pérez Roque was also canceled. The two foreign ministers were due to meet during the inauguration of the current session of sittings of the UN's General Assembly in New York.  (El País, 25/9/06)

September 26: The International Committee for Democracy in Cuba (ICDC), founded in 2003 by former Czech president Vaclav Havel, urged Raúl Castro to carry out a transition towards democracy on the Caribbean island. In a letter titled “Transition, not Succession”, the ICDC insisted on the right of the Cuban people to exercise their self-determination through genuinely free elections. (EFE, 26/9/06)

September 26: Namibia's Foreign Minister Marco Hausiku started his third visit to Cuba, fulfilling an invitation from his Cuban counterpart Felipe Perez Roque, Granma newspaper reported. Cuba and Namibia established diplomatic relations on March 21, 1990. Nearly 1,300 students from that African nation have been graduated in the island. (Prensa Latina, 26/9/06)

September 26: Cuba has failed to improve its human rights record, a UN expert said, citing censorship, the imprisonment of political activists, and restrictions on rights campaigners as particular concerns. "The situation doesn't seem today to be anything that could be described as improved, and I'm putting it mildly," Christine Chanet told the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council. Cuba immediately slammed the report as libelous, and accused Chanet of double standards, selectivity, and political manipulation. Chanet said that by working with other experts, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, her mission had been able to gather enough information to be able to make recommendations. These include stopping prosecution of opponents of the communist regime, lifting laws on freedom of expression and movement, and allowing rights organizations to enter and work in Cuba. Cuba's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Juan Fernandez Palacios, responded to the report by saying that the greatest contribution Chanet could make to human rights in the future would be to quit her post.  Chanet's report prompted strong criticism from the envoys of China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Belarus, Algeria, and Zimbabwe, all of whom accused the rights mission of double standards and called for the practice country-specific reports to be scrapped. 
Only the European Union, the United States and Vietnam thanked Chanet for her report. [Intervención de Juan Antonio Fernandez ] (AP, 27/9/06) 

September 27: Czech Foreign Minister Alexandr Vondra criticised Belarus, Cuba and Myanmar over violation of human rights in his address at the United Nations General Assembly. "It is one of the sad ironies of our time that Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest in Myanmar 15 years after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize," Vondra pointed out. He criticised Cuban regime of Fidel Castro for "jailing and harassing members of peaceful democratic opposition in Cuba." (CTK, 27/9/06)

September 28: Azerbaidzhan s Foreign Minister Elmar Maguerramm Mamediarov and his Cuban counterpart Felipe Perez Roque are due to sign in Havana an inter-ministerial accord for the exemption of visas. Mamediarov said they will also sign on the creation of a joint commission for bilateral cooperation. (Prensa Latina, 29/9/06)

September 30: The president of Azerbaijan sent a message to the ailing Fidel Castro wishing for his steady recovery and calling for stronger ties between the two countries, state-run media reported. Elmar Mamedyarov, Azerbaijan's foreign minister, delivered the message in a meeting with Juan Almeida Bosque, a vice president in Castro's Cabinet and a retired military officer who fought in the early years of the Cuban revolution, a front-page article in the Communist Party daily Granma said. Almeida has played a more visible role in diplomatic affairs as part of a collective leadership taking hold since the 80-year-old Castro ceded power to his younger brother, Defense Minister Raul Castro, on July 31. (AP, 30/9/06)