Chronicle on Cuba - May 2007

Foreign Affairs

May 3: Guatemalan Foreign Minister Gert Rosenthal Koenigsberger arrived in Havana on an official visit to the island at the invitation of his Cuban counterpart Felipe Perez Roque. Besides a meeting between the two foreign ministries, Rosenthal will attend the Third Bilateral Cuba-Guatemala Meeting, official daily Granma reported. The Guatemalan delegation includes Minister of Education Maria del Carmen Acena Villacorta, and the vice ministers of the Office of Planning and Programming of the Presidency, and of the Ministry of Interior. Also traveling with the foreign minister are the president of the Permanent Human Rights Commission, and executives of other ministries and institutions. (ACN, 3/5/07)

May 3: Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Midori Matsushima was received in Havana by Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Felipe Perez Roque. The Cuban minister described the ties between Cuba and Japan as respectful and cordial. Perez Roque also noted that this is the first time a high-level Japanese official has held bilateral talks with Cuba, but noted that on two other occasions Japanese deputy foreign ministers have come to Cuba -during the prolonged hostage crisis at the Japanese embassy in Lima (1996-1997) and heading the Japanese delegation to the Non-Aligned Nations Summit, last September. The Cuban Foreign Minister also pointed out that that Cuba-Japan economic ties have strengthened during the past several years, Granma newspaper reported. "Bilateral trade is on the order of $300 million US a year, and will be growing as the Cuban economy recovers," said Perez Roque. He added that Japan is an important supplier of high technology equipment, mainly for the Cuban public healthcare sector, but also used in the solidarity aid provided by Cuba to other nations, like Pakistan and Indonesia after earthquakes, and following flooding in Bolivia. "There is an area of wide reaching possibilities, in particular in biotechnology, where the first joint ventures are starting to take shape," said Perez Roque. Matsushima announced that she will be discussing topics including the reform of the United Nations Security Council and Tokyo's candidacy for the 2016 Olympic Games. (ACN, 3/5/07)

May 3: Malawian Foreign Minister Joyce Hilda Banda, concluded her visit to Havana for the Cuba-Malawi Third Joint intergovernmental Commission. She highlighted the importance of boosting South-South Cooperation and voiced her support for unity among the Third World to face development challenges. Banda stressed the importance of relations within the Non-Aligned Movement --currently chaired by Cuba-- and indicated that ties with developed countries are necessary, but said they should always be developed within the framework of equity and cooperation, Granma newspaper reported. (ACN, 3/5/07)

May 3: Reaffirming a critical position already adopted in 2006, OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza said the United States should extradite Luis Posada Carriles to Venezuela. Insulza insisted on his stance that Posada Carriles should be extradited. “He committed a very serious terrorist act”, Insulza said. “We are fighting against terrorism  in the Americas and there shouldn’t be any excuse not to take any terrorist to justice”, he added. (AFP, 3/5/07)

May 4: The Sixth Hemispheric Conference to Fight Free Trade Agreements and for the integration of the peoples is taking place in Havana, on May 3-5, with the participation of 733 delegates from 33 countries and more than 400 guests. The opening day of the Conference focused on the current situation of "free" trade and the battle against it undertaken by different forces in the Western Hemisphere. Vice President Carlos Lage Davila and other Cuban leaders attended the opening session, reports Granma newspaper. Conference participants hope to reach consensus on ways to face problems such as energy, infrastructure, militarization, access to drinking water and respect for the rights of indigenous peoples. Likewise, one panel will discuss integration and another agro-energy. (ACN, 4/5/07)

May 4: Cuba proposed regional campaigns and actions for the recovery of lands and against the use of food to produce fuel, in a countermove to the new US fuel production policy. Maria del Carmen Barroso, of ANAP’s International Relations Department (National Association of Small Farmers), stressed joining forces to stage that battle. The Cuban representative made her remarks to a panel on agriculture, food sovereignty and indigenous people at the Sixth Hemispheric Meeting of the fight against FTAs (free trade agreements) and for the integration of the peoples. Barroso said that while Cuban farmers are not victimized by eviction or manipulation of transnationals, they declare their solidarity with the current situation of the rural Latin American population. (Prensa Latina, 4/5/07)

May 4: Cuban border patrol forces intercepted a vessel in the country's eastern zone during a drug trafficking operation, Granma newspaper reported. The event occurred on April 30 in the eastern Guantanamo locality of Boca de Jauco, when a Bahamas speed boat was detected from which 590.33 kg of marijuana were confiscated. The allegedly Bahamas crew of the vessel shot and crashed into the border patrol forces unit 45, whose occupants replied to the aggression, the daily states. About 30 pieces of baggage and 13 plastic tanks with marijuana were confiscated on board, noted the report, highlighting the exceptional use of force for self-defense by border patrols. Cuba informed the Bahamas government of the action through diplomatic channels and expressed its willingness to provide all collected information as well as hold exchanges to continue fighting drug trafficking. The two drug traffickers involved in these actions will be put at the service of Cuban courts, noted the article. (Prensa Latina, EFE, 4/5/07)

May 4: The deputy director of the UN’s World Food Program, Jean Jacques Graisse, noted his satisfaction with the will, seriousness and competence of the island’s authorities during a working visit to Havana. The UN official made his remarks at a commemorative postal stamp cancellation ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of a WFP-sponsored youth art competition that deals with themes related to food and nutrition. “Our agency,” he said, “in concert with the government of Cuba, is undertaking a group of collaboration projects principally in five eastern provinces so as to contribute to the food security of the most vulnerable groups in that region. Basically, we will attempt to shore up school snack programs and other assistance efforts offered through health centers.” “I am very happy with the results so far and with others that link the work of the WFP and Cuban government authorities and institutions,” said Graisse. (Juventud Rebelde 4/5/07)

May 5: The foreign ministers of Guatemala and Cuba, Gert Rosenthal Koenigsberger and Felipe Perez Roque, respectively, broadened the relations between both countries by signing an agreement, at the end of the 3rd Binational Meeting in Havana. At the end of the official discussions, both ministers signed an agreement for the creation of three eye centers, two of which are already in operation. Rosenthal noted that they could work together in many fields. Greeting the visiting delegation, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque described it as one of the most representative that he had received, which he said explained the success of the recently concluded 3rd Binational Meeting. (Granma, 5/5/07)

May 7: The Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN and Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Cuba, Agshin Mehtiyev, said that his recent visit to Cuba “was a success”. “I held numerous meetings and talks in different ministries, offices and agencies of the Republic of Cuba, where we discussed firm proposals on further development and the improvement of bilateral relations between our countries in political, economic, cultural and other fields”, Mehtiyev said. “We had warm friendly relations, which we must fully restore”, he added. “Cuba is the country which has an authoritarian influence in its region. Cuba is the country, which will lead the World’s Non-Alignment Movement in the next three years. That means that we are seriously interested in restoring and developing bilateral political talks between our countries. Azerbaijan is also of a great interest to Cuba due to our country’s location in the region, Azerbaijan’s increasing role at the international arena and in the Muslim World, in particular.” (Trend News Agency, 7/5/07) 

May 7: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sent his warmest regards to his Cuban counterpart Fidel Castro, at the end of the ALBA Games' baseball finals played in Caracas between Cuba and Venezuela. Chavez threw the first ball and watched the whole game, which ended up with a 3-1 victory for the island. He also met the Cuban sports commentators and talked with them and over the microphone about the second ALBA Games. "Cuba has won today, but ALBA and its member countries have also won," said the Venezuelan President who acknowledged Fidel Castro's leadership of this regional integration project. During his talk with the press, Chavez also recalled the famous baseball match he took part in against a Cuban team led by Fidel. (ACN, 7/5/07)

May 8: Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque received the North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Jyong Jun in Havana. The Korean official brought with him a message of greetings from President Kim Jong II to Commander in Chief Fidel Castro in which he expressed his joy over the Cuban leader’s recovery. During the talks, the existing solidarity between the two countries was evident as they shared efforts to build socialism under threats from the United States. In that context, Cuba rejected the aggressive attitude of the US against North Korea and recognized the Asian countries right to their defense, while supporting the just cause of Korean reunification. Perez Roque also supported the efforts to find a peaceful solution to the situation on the Korean peninsula and expressed satisfaction over the agreements reached on February 13 in Beijing, in the framework of the six-party negotiations (North Korea, United States, South Korea, Japan, Russia and China), and with the fact that a commitment acceptable to all parties was agreed upon aimed at reaching nuclear disarmament in Korea. (Granma, 9/5/07)

May 9: Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik received praise from an unexpected quarter, the Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma. It said her position had been "honourable" in opposing a ban by the Austrian  BAWAG bank on business relations with Cubans. Plassnik made it clear at the time that she opposed the ban, and commented sharply that "Austria is not the 51st state of the United States". She stressed that in Austria, Austria law was in force, and not that of the US. Granma commented that Austria had "ignored" the "illegal and humiliating" US economic embargo against Cuba. "The government stood up, and defended its sovereignty against the threat of measures by President George W. Bush." (APA, 9/5/07)

May 9: The “Ladies in White," a group of women relatives of 75 Cuban dissidents imprisoned in 2003, asked that the European Union (EU) continue to push for the release of all "political prisoners" in the island. "The demands from the international community (...) must not wane, because the Government of Cuba has not taken any steps to curb the repression against the people," indicates the organization in a communiqué released in Havana. (EFE, 9/5/07)

May 9: Gambian President Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh arrived in Cuba on an official visit. President Jammeh’s delegation includes Bala Garba Jahumpa, Secretary of State for Foreign Relations; Tamir Demba Mbowe, Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare, and Ousman Jammeh, General Secretary of the Office of the President and Chief of Civil Service. The visit is expected to strengthen the friendship and collaboration that has characterized relations between Cuba and Gambia, both members of the Non-Aligned Movement, currently chaired by Cuba. The Gambian leader and his delegation will remain in Cuba until May 11. President Jammeh will hold official talks with First Vice President Raul Castro as well as with other Cuban leaders. (Granma, 9/5/07)

May 10: Bolivia and Cuba are due to foster bilateral relations during the two-day visit of the island’s Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque to the Andean nation. Perez Roque’s agenda includes meetings with his Bolivian counterpart David Choquehuanca and other State officials, the opening of one of the 23 hospitals the island donated to this country in 2007, and the attendance to a solidarity act with Cuba. A source from the Cuban embassy told the press that both nations will evaluate the real scope of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas and the Peoples Trade Agreement, the results of the island’s Free Eye Surgery Program, and the literacy campaign. On the international level, the two nations will analyze issues related to the UNESCO joint labor and other integration projects in blocks like the Southern Common Market and the South American Community of Nations. UN documents like the Resolution against the blockade on Cuba, the status of Puerto Rico, NAM cooperation and relations with United States will be also analyzed by both delegations, the sources said. (Prensa Latina, 10/5/07)

May 10: In a meeting in Havana between Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage and Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Shunmugan Jayakumar, the two officials expressed their interest in broadening relations between these countries. Jayakumar thanked his hosts for the welcoming and program prepared for his delegation, which includes officials from the Singaporean Foreign Ministry, the National Health Science Authority and the National Environmental Agency. The Singapore deputy prime minister noted that he was the foreign minister when in 1997 diplomatic relations were established with Cuba. He also recalled the visit of Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque to Singapore and the recent visit of a group of biotechnology experts from his country to Havana. (ACN, 11/5/07)

May 11: Bolivian President Evo Morales expressed his respect and admiration for the Cuban doctors working at a new hospital officially inaugurated in the Patankamaya municipality of La Paz. "I admire you, because our people were never properly attended to," said Morales in his speech that opened the ceremony. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque was also present. The health center is the 22nd facility built in Bolivia with equipment and medical personnel from Cuba. (Granma, 12/5/07)

May 11: The President of Gambia, Doctor Yahya A. J. J. Jammed concluded an official visit to Cuba, after having been officially received at the Palace of the Revolution by Cuba's First Vice President Raul Castro. During the welcoming ceremony, Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) paid homage to the Gambian President, who is accompanied by Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Bala Garba Jahumpa, Secretary of State for Information and Communications Nemeh McDool-Gayet, Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare Tamir Demba Mbowe, and Secretary General of the Office of the Presidency Ousman Jammeh. During official talks held after the ceremony, Raul Castro and Yahya A. J. J.Jammed addressed the development of bilateral links between both countries, which, established diplomatic relations on May 19, 1979. The Gambian President paid homage to Cuban soldiers who were killed in action while fighting for the freedom of African peoples, at a pantheon in Havana's Colon Cemetery. (ACN, 11/5/07)

May 13: Pope Benedict XVI lamented the deep divide between rich and poor in Latin America but told priests to steer clear of politics as they work to reverse Roman Catholism's waning influence in the region. Wrapping up five-day visit to Brazil, the 80-year-old pontiff denounced Marxism in an hour-long speech opening a 19-day conference of Latin American bishops in the shrine city of Aparecida. According a previous statement by Claudio Hummes, one of the Pope’s closest advisors, Ratzinger said he is worried about “the alliance between Chávez and Fidel Castro”. (El País, 14/5/07)

May 14: Dissident Cuban lawyer René Gómez Manzano expressed his gratitude for the human rights award "Ludovic-Trarieux," bestowed upon him in France, and called it "an incentive" to keep on fighting "for the establishment of the rule of law" on the island. Gómez Manzano, 63, is a member of the leadership of the illegal Assembly to Promote Civil Society in Cuba. (El Nuevo Herald, 14/5/07)  

May 14: The Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza favored the opening of dialogue with Cuba. Interviewed in Rome, Italy, Insulza said “what I’m sponsoring is dialogue between Cuba and OAS, which is currently non existent, but is a bit absurd since 33 countries of the organization but one, have normal relations with Havana”. Insulza said he expected “things to improve in coming years”, and recalled that Cuba was suspended from OAS in 1962, but to return must subscribe and abide by the Inter-American Democratic Charter, “since the OAS works on the basis of a consensus system”. The Inter-American Democratic Charter “subscribed by a strange coincidence on September 11 2001 in Peru, is a document which defines democracy in a very ample sense and among other things means “free elections, honoring commitments, separation of government branches and respect for human rights”. “Transition in Cuba will necessarily happen at some time”, insisted Insulza who added that the Cuban regime has lasted “almost half a century” and has thrived on a very important factor: “the charismatic figure of Fidel Castro”. (OAS News, 14/5/07)

May 15: Cuba's ambassador to the United Nations, Rodrigo Malmierca, reaffirmed the country's position against the use of food crops as biofuels when more than two billion people across the world are starving. The diplomat told high-level officials at a meeting of the UN Sustainable Development Commission that Cuba is committed to achieving the world goal to guarantee environmental sustainability, while explaining that the new energy  strategy would create a devastating crisis in countries where more than 50 percent of the population depends on agriculture. He mentioned variations in market supply and prices as well as a negative environmental impact, as some of the consequences that could result from turning food into biofuels, Granma newspaper reported. (ACN, 15/5/07)

May 15: Fidel Castro wrote that he supports Brazil's move to break the patent on a key AIDS drug in an article attributed to him published in official daily Granma. Brazil had announced it would ignore US pharmaceutical giant Merck's patent on the drug Efavirenz, after failing to reach an agreement with the company after three years of talks.   "We fully support the decree of nationalization of the patent of a pharmaceutical transnational for the manufacturing and marketing in Brazil of medicine against AIDS," Castro wrote. [Lessons We Learned] (AFP, 15/5/07)

May 15: Cuba has offered to assist Fiji in the fields of medicine and sport. The offer was made by Cuba’s ambassador to the United Nations to Fiji’s minister for public enterprise, Poseci Bune, during a meeting in New York. Mr Bune said Cuba has also offered assistance and partnerships to Fiji in the areas of agriculture and sugar. Mr Bune said he will put Cuba’s offer to assist before the interim cabinet and hopefully there will be a follow-up mission to discuss these issues with Cuba before the end of the year. He says this could coincide with a special trade and development mission to Venezuela which has offered to do a feasibility study to build an oil refinery in Fiji. Currently Cuba provides doctors and other professionals to countries in Africa and the Caribbean, as well as to the  Solomon Islands and Nauru in the Pacific. (The Voice of New Zealand, 15/5/07)

May 15: Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Marcos Rodriguez said in Tehran that peaceful use of nuclear energy is Iran's inalienable right. Rodriguez, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), was speaking to the Iranian press after a two-hour meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Jalili. Rodriguez stressed the importance of implementing agreements already signed between Iran and Cuba. The Cuban official pointed to economic, trade and medical cooperation between the two countries and said that Havana has recently established a center at Karaj, Tehran Province, to produce advanced medicines. He said that the Iran-Cuba Joint Economic Commission would hold a session in Havana in June. (IRNA, 16/5/07)

May 17: In an extensive document, the second in less than a week published in the official daily Granma, Fidel Castro harshly criticized negotiations between United States and Latin American countries for the establishment of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Castro recalled that those attending the 6th Havana’s Hemispheric Meeting condemned not only bilateral but also multilateral FTA deals with Washington. The revolutionary leader termed statements by three participants of that forum "solid points of view of a bitter reality which has enriched my ideas." [La opinion unánime] (Prensa Latina, 17/5/07)

May 17: The Cuban ambassador to Bolivia, Rafael Daussá, urged metal workers to put an end to their hunger strike in demand of their reinstatement by the government to another plant after the Executive closed the company where they worked. “Progress must be made within a dialogue framework, through serious negotiation, and not (by maintaining) this coercive measure. And the only one laughing at all this, the only one enjoying all of this, is the opposition," Daussá told the workers in video footage broadcast by the media outlet “Cadena A”. Daussá frequently attends public meetings together with Bolivian president Evo Morales and recently was filmed while attending a meeting of the Bolivian Cabinet of Ministers with Morales. (AP, EER, 17/5/07)

May 17: Costa Rica accused Cuba of meddling in its internal affairs after Cuban leader Fidel Castro criticized free trade agreements between Latin American nations and the United States. The Central American nation charged that Cuba was attempting to "mar" a referendum on its free trade deal with the United States scheduled for September 23. “The government of the Republic of Costa Rica expresses its concern and unease over a foreign government's interference in the internal affairs of Costa Rica ," President Oscar Arias' office said in a statement. "The declarations of the president of Cuba (…) fomenting an external interventionism and insinuating the possibility of 'fraud' in the referendum (…) represent a serious affront on the residents of a sovereign, democratic, free and independent Costa Rica," the statement said. The statement was issued a day after the convalescing Castro denounced in Granma, the Cuban official newspaper, the "bitter reality" left by free trade agreements between Latin American nations and Washington. (AFP, 18/5/07) 

May 18: The secretary-general of the organization of Ibero-American nations said in Madrid that he is in favor of beginning talks with Cuba and added that a good way to start would be removing the economic embargo Washington imposed on the island in 1962.   "I believe it really is time to begin talks and find the way to do so, beginning with something very important, the end of the embargo," Enrique Iglesias told the press in Madrid. The veteran Uruguayan diplomat, who served for nearly two decades as president of the Inter-American Development Bank, agreed to head the permanent secretariat established to promote implementation of initiatives agreed on at the annual Ibero-American Summits involving Spain, Portugal and the nations of Latin America.    Iglesias said he was in favor of closer relations with Havana when questioned about statements made by Organization of American States chief Jose Miguel Insulza, who also defended talks with Cuba , a nation that is a member of the regional forum but has been suspended from it since 1962. "What Insulza said makes a lot of sense," he added. (EFE, 18/5/07) 

May 19: Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro stressed the need for enhancing trade ties and cooperation in the fields of education, health and agriculture between Pakistan and Cuba . He was talking to Cuban deputy foreign minister Bruno Rodrigues Parilla, who was visiting Pakistan. The chairman said the two countries were playing positive and significant role as members of the NAM and UN. These ties should be extended to other sectors such as science and technology, commerce and trade in which the two countries could work together for mutual benefit. The Cuban deputy foreign minister said that his country wanted to further strengthen bilateral ties with Pakistan. He also called for stepping up co-operation between the two parliaments to share technical expertise. (Business Recorder, 20/5/07)

May 20: Arguing that it's the right time to step up their engagement with Cuba, rather than try to pressure or isolate it, most nations have either been quiet on Havana or increased contacts with Cuba 's emerging new leadership, observers say.  A handful of countries, including Costa Rica and the Czech Republic, publicly declared that it was time for Cuba to change. Most ignored US requests for condemnation of Havana as Cuba stepped up its international diplomacy. Companies from China, India, Spain and Norway have lined up to explore Cuba 's oil deposits off its northwestern shores. Recently, even close US allies seem eager to court Cuba in what has become a parade of dignitaries heading out to Havana. Canada is sending Len Edwards, its deputy minister of foreign affairs, to Cuba, and Japan and Singapore dispatched senior officials to Havana earlier this month. Mexico's new conservative President Felipe Calderón has made friendly overtures to Cuba and reportedly plans to send a senior political ally, Gabriel Jiménez Remus, as ambassador to Havana. (The Miami Herald, 20/5/07)
  
May 21: Despite public disagreements over relations with Cuba and the shape of a new EU treaty, the Czech and Spanish foreign ministers papered over their differences at a meeting in Prague. "Our views are a lot closer than might appear at first view," Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said during a joint news conference with his Spanish counterpart, Miguel Angel Moratinos. "We have sometimes different approaches, but we have the same end goals. We are going to continue our good coordination so that we can succeed in our common objectives," said Moratinos. Moratinos said he briefed Schwarzenberg on his April visit to Cuba, when Madrid and Havana signed an agreement creating a mechanism for political consultation, including on the sensitive issue of human rights. (AFP, 21/5/07) 

May 21: Fidel Castro slammed Britain for building the Astute class of nuclear-powered attack submarines he said is destined to sink whatever is left of Britain's international prestige. (Britain's World War II Prime Minister Winston) "Churchill said, 'Sink the Bismark.' Today (British Prime Minister Tony) Blair says: 'Sink whatever's left of Britain's prestige,'" the ailing 80-year old leader said in an editorial published on May 22 by Cuba's official daily Granma. Furthering his criticism of Britain's staunch support of the US occupation of Iraq and Washington's "imperialistic system," Castro said the "marvelous submarine would bring about either (the end of Britain) or the holocaust of the human race." "What a wonderful feat," Castro said, adding that Britons, however, "surely cannot feel any pride" in the new weapon. Britain announced a 295-million-euro (395-million-dollar) contract to build the 7,800-tonne HMS Audacious, fourth in the Astute class of nuclear-powered attack submarines, the largest and most powerful ever built in Britain for the Royal Navy. [The English Submarine] (AFP, AP, 22/5/07)

May 21: Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa Cantellano assured that Mexico is working hard behind the scenes to establish closer ties with Cuba and Venezuela. Espinosa Cantellano said that it is in Mexico’s best interest to establish respectful and constructive relations in the region. (Notimex, 21/5/07)

May 22: President Evo Morales called capitalism the ''worst enemy of humanity'' at a conference of Latin American leftist intellectuals. ''The transnational corporations always provoke conflicts to accumulate capital, and the accumulation of capital in a few hands is no solution for humanity,'' Morales said at forum in Cochabamba. The president spoke at a two-day conference on the role of media in political efforts to create a new Latin American socialism, sponsored by Bolivia, Venezuela, Cuba, and Ecuador. Cuba’s Minister of Culture Abel Prieto and Ambassador to La Paz, Rafael Daussa attended the event. (AP, Prensa Latina, 23/5/07)

May 22: Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Eumelio Caballero Rodriguez said that Cuba supported Croatia's efforts to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, adding that it would be in his country's interests. Caballero Rodriguez made the statement at a press conference in Zagreb on his first visit to Croatia, during which he had had a series of meetings in the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. He met the President of the Republic, the Minister of Culture and the Mayor of Zagreb. "Cuba supports Croatia's aspirations to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, because that is also in our interest," the Cuban deputy foreign minister said, adding that during his talks in Zagreb he thanked Croatia for its support in countering attempts by the United States to block Cuba's candidacy in international forums. "The peoples of the former Yugoslavia had strong and varied relations with Cuba, and now it is necessary to adjust them to the new reality and develop bilateral relations with each country individually," Caballero Rodriguez said. After Croatia, the Cuban official travels to Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bulgaria. (HINA, 22/5/07) 

May 23: Reporters Without Borders reiterated its call for the release of Armando Betancourt, 45, as he completed a year in detention without trial. A contributor to the Nueva Prensa Cubana website and founder of the underground magazine “El Camagüeyano”, Betancourt was arrested by Cuba’s National Revolutionary Police (PNR) on 23 May 2006 in the central city of Camagüey. “Betancourt’s only offense was to work as a journalist,” the press freedom organisation said. “There are no serious grounds for holding him and even the judges have acknowledged inconsistencies in the testimony about the circumstances of his arrest. Given the element of doubt and absence of any charge, Betancourt should be freed.” (RWB Press Release, 23/5/07)

May 23: Amnesty International denounced that freedom of expression, association and movement continue to be “severely restricted” in Cuba. In the section dedicated to Cuba, AI’s 2007 Annual Report on human rights says that, “at the end of the year, 69 prisoners of conscience continued to be held for their non-violent political views or activities”. “Scores of people continued to be held without charge on suspicion of counter-revolutionary activities or on unclear charges. Their legal status remained unclear at the end of the year”, the Report said. [2007 Cuba] (EER, 23/5/07)

May 23: Venezuela is pushing the Organization of American States to condemn the United States for Washington's alleged reluctance to punish or extradite anti-Castro militant Luis Posada Carriles. The Venezuelan draft resolution drew a strong rebuke from the United States, which argued the 34-member OAS had no business getting involved in a bilateral problem with Caracas. "It is worrisome that US authorities pretend to protect this well-known terrorist Posada Carriles," said Venezuela's envoy before the OAS, Jorge Valero. Countries were divided over the Venezuelan proposal. Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ecuador backed the Venezuelan draft proposal, which said the US delay in jailing or extraditing Posada could "debilitate" international efforts against terrorism. Canada and Panama supported the US stance. Robert Manzanares, the acting US ambassador to the OAS, said "a show of hands" could help settle the issue, but diplomats instead decided to set up an informal group to try and reach an agreement on an issue that threatens to spill over into the upcoming General Assembly of the OAS, where foreign ministers are to discuss renewable energy issues. (McClatchy Newspapers, 24/5/07)

May 23: According to the Costa Rican government, there seems to be a "clear" Cuban interest in interfering with the referendum scheduled for September that will decide whether Costa Rica will enter into a Free Trade Agreement with the United States, and asked Havana and Caracas to refrain from meddling. The government of Costa Rica does not want this type of interference because "it is an issue for the Costa Ricans to decide," declared Presidency Minister Rodrigo Arias.  (AFP, 23/5/07)

May 23: The Uruguayan navy training vessel Capitan Miranda arrived in Havana's harbor, becoming the first naval ship from the South American nation to make a port call in the Cuban capital since the triumph of Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959. Captain Julio Ambrosoni told reporters that one of his ship's missions, as "Uruguay's floating ambassador," is to "make a small contribution to the excellent relations" between his country and Cuba. The vessel, which arrived at the island after stops in Brazil and Venezuela, will remain in Cuba until setting sail for the Bahamas on May 28, part of a seven-month voyage that will also take it to the United States, Portugal, Spain and Italy. (EFE, 23/5/07)

May 24: Cuba presented the case of Luis Posada Carriles at the 11th High Level Meeting of the Mechanism for Cooperation on Drugs between the European Union and Latin American and the Caribbean, for its linkage to organized crime in this part of the world and its countless terrorist crimes. Julio Alfonso Fonseca, member of the Cuban delegation to the meeting, held May 22-23 in Port Spain, Trinidad Tobago, presented the case of Posada and denounced the impunity under which he has carried out his crimes. Fonseca Alfonso stressed the need for the international community to know that Posada's release is a blow to the struggle against terrorism and organized crime. (ACN, 24/5/07)

May 24: Two volleyball players, Raidel Poey and Yasser Portuondo, defected from the Cuban team while in Bulgaria. "They stayed there, we do not know their whereabouts, (...) we have not had any communication with them," said the technical director of the Cuban team, Orlando Samuels. (EFE, 24/5/07)

May 24: Journalists, business people and diplomats attended a reopening ceremony of a Prensa Latina office in France, 15 years after its closure. During the gathering, Cuba's Ambassador to France, Rogelio Sanchez Levis, said that with this return of the agency to Paris "our countries from the South have the opportunity to develop an efficient, fruitful information effort." (Prensa Latina, 24/5/07)

May 24: Lenin Moreno Garces, Vice President of Ecuador, arrived in Havana for an official visit. Moreno will meet with top-level Cuban government leaders and carry out visits to places of historic, social and cultural interest. Moreno took office as Ecuador’s vice president on January 15, 2007, accompanying the newly elected president, Rafael Correa. (Granma, 25/5/07)

May 24: Cuban Vice President Esteban Lazo Hernandez met Nong Duc Manh, General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, at Havana’s international airport, where the Vietnamese leader made a stopover en route to Chile. Manh heads a delegation that includes government and Communist Party leaders as well as business executives beginning a four-nation trip that will take them to Chile, Brazil, Venezuela and end in Cuba. Fernando Remirez de Estenoz, who heads the International Relations Department of the Communist Party, and Ricardo Cabrisas, minister of Government, also welcomed the Vietnamese delegation at the airport. (Granma, 25/5/07)

May 25: Around 60 physicians from Cuba specialised in public health are to arrive in Angola in July this year. According to a source from the Cuban embassy in Luanda, a total of 20 doctors will work in the Programme of Community Health and the rest in health centres and hospitals of Luanda city, especially in the districts of Kilamba Kiaxi, Sambizanga and Cazenga. The Cuban technicians come to Angola in the ambit of the cooperation accord signed this year between the ministries of health of Angola and Cuba. (Angop, 25/5/07)

May 25: Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque headed the Cuban delegation to the 45th Summit of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), which began meeting on the island of Grenada. Cuba, a special guest to the Summit, is located in the western Caribbean but has widespread diplomatic and cooperation relations throughout the region. Perez Roque addressed the prime ministers and referred to the historic ties of collaboration existing between Cuba and the OECS countries. Cuban assistance in the region extends to the areas of health, education; energy savings; the construction of housing, roads and airports; agriculture; fishing; and sports. Cuba’s Yo Si Puedo (Yes I Can) literacy program is being widely used as well. The Operation Miracle (Vision Now) eye surgery program has also benefited more than 10,000 patients from the Eastern Caribbean nations. (Granma, 25/5/07)

May 25: Canadian First Deputy Foreign Minister Leonard J. Edwards and his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez agreed that for many decades, their countries have maintained good and broad relations in several fields. During a meeting at the Foreign Ministry headquarters, the Cuban diplomat noted that Cuban-Canadian ties are an example of exchange between two countries with different systems but similar interests. Rodriguez described bilateral relations as respectful and constructive ties between the two peoples. He expressed gratitude for Canada's support at the UN General Assembly for the resolution condemning Washington's economic blockade of Cuba. For his part, the Canadian diplomat noted the permanence of bilateral relations despite some differences, and the two countries' capacity to talk sincerely in all spheres. Edwards said this visit was a great opportunity to exchange opinions with Cuban leaders and review the state of bilateral trade relations. (Prensa Latina, 25/5/07)

May 25: Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage said that Cuba and Ecuador will strengthen their friendship. In brief statements to reporters during a meeting at the Council of State with his Ecuadorian counterpart, Lenin Moreno, Lage expressed satisfaction with his visit to Cuba and noted that in the short period since the incumbent Ecuadorian government took power, it has gained Cuba’s admiration and respect. For his part, Moreno conveyed warm salutations to the Cuban people and lauded what he called Latin American brotherhood. (Prensa Latina, 25/5/07)

May 25: Chinese Minister of Civil Affairs Li Xueju met in Havana with Cuban Vice President of the Council of State Carlos Lage to discuss strategies for caring for senior citizens. Li Xueju learned about Cuba’s social programs for that sector of the population and about government initiatives to deal with the aging of Cuban society, and pointed out the similarity of Chinese programs for the elderly. Speaking about labor issues, the minister praised the low rate of unemployment in Cuba —below two percent— and advocated increasing cooperation between the two countries in the labor sector. (Periódico 26, Granma, 26/5/07)

May 26: The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) could decide on May 28 if Luis Posada Carriles should be extradited to Venezuela, sources of that entity indicated. The panel created by the OAS’ Permanent Council, after the division that sparked among member states around the Posada case, worked all week analyzing the demand presented by the Venezuelan authorities for the extradition of the terrorist. Venezuelan ambassador to the OAS, Jorge Valero, asked the Council for support to the petition made by his country to the US judicial authorities in order that Posada Carriles be extradited to Venezuela. (Prensa Latina, 26/5/07)

May 26: Cuban First Vice President Raul Castro received the vice president of the Republic of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno Garces, who began an official visit to Cuba on May 24, local media reported. During the meeting, held in the cordial and friendly atmosphere that characterizes Cuban-Ecuadorian relations, the two top officials reviewed the state of bilateral ties. Raul Castro and Moreno also analyzed other issues of interest, including the current situation in Latin America and the rest of the world. Also present at the meeting were Carlos Lage, secretary of the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers, and Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque. The Ecuadorian delegation also included Presidential Advisor Eduardo Calderon and Ambassador to Cuba Universi Zambrano. (Prensa Latina, 26/5/07)

May 28: Ambassadors and diplomats from 17 African nations accredited in Cuba visited the Slave's Route Museum, as part of celebrations for the Day of Africa. Led by Pascal Oguemby, senior African ambassador in Cuba, the diplomats toured the facility at colonial Fort San Severino, in Matanzas, 62 miles east of Havana. This year the Day of Africa was dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the independence of Ghana. Ghanaian Ambassador to Havana Cecilia Gyan Amoah highlighted to the press the friendship that the Cuban government shows to Africa. (Prensa Latina, 28/5/07)

May 28: Ecuadorian Vice President Lenin Moreno Garces concluded his five-day visit to Cuba, which strengthened official relations and cooperation between the two countries. Diplomatic relations between Cuba and Ecuador were established on April 24, 1903. They were interrupted in April 1962 and reestablished in August 1979. (CAN, 28/5/07)

 May 28: During a special meeting, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) adopted a Declaration on “Strengthening Cooperation in the Fight against Terrorism and the Impunity of its Perpetrators”, in response to a proposal initially presented by the government of Venezuela. Venezuelan Ambassador Jorge Valero had presented a resolution demanding the extradition of Luis Posada Carriles from the US to the South American nation. Valero, who is also the President of the Permanent Council, expressed appreciation for the good offices of OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza and the Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Alvarez, for bringing about a complete consensus in the formulation and approval of the Declaration. In the resolution the name of Posada Carriles is not mentioned and there is no reference to Posada’s extradition to Venezuela. (OAS News, AFP, 29/5/07)

May 29: The governments of Cuba and Spain began in Havana their first round of talks on human rights with an agenda from which "no issue is excluded," according to officials close to the closed-door meeting. Leading the respective delegations are the director-general of the Spanish foreign ministry, Rafael Dezcallar, and Cuba's deputy foreign minister for multilateral issues, Abelardo Moreno. Neither the Cuban government nor the island's state-run media have reported so far on the encounter. Neither has the Spanish delegation made any comments to reporters about the start of the talks, which will wrap up on May 30. This round of talks, the first between Havana and a member nation of the European Union, are taking place within the framework of the formal dialogue mechanism agreed to during last month's visit to Cuba by Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. (EFE, 29/5/07)

May 29: Members of the internal dissident movement expressed skepticism about the results of the meeting between representatives of the Spanish and Cuban government on issues concerning human rights. The Cuban government calls the country's dissidents "mercenaries" financed by the United States and does not recognize the existence of "political prisoners" on the island. "I hope it is successful, above all so that the prisoners of conscience are freed, but I'm very cautious because I don't see any willingness on the part of the Cuban government to take steps in favor of respecting human rights," said Oscar Espinosa, an independent economist sentenced in the spring of 2003 in the trials of 75 dissidents and since released from prison for health reasons. Elizardo Sanchez, who heads the outlawed Commission for Human Rights, voiced his "total skepticism" about the results of the meeting. "I have no doubt of the good faith with which the Spanish government is acting in this initiative, but I am absolutely certain of the bad faith with which the Cuban government always responds to initiatives of this kind," he said.    Sanchez's commission says Cuba's communist government is holding more than 280 political prisoners. (EFE, 29/5/07)

May 30: Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said that he will discuss differences with Washington over Cuba when he meets with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "Nations and governments do not have to have similar positions on all foreign policy issues," Zapatero told reporters following talks in Madrid with his Dutch counterpart Jan Peter Balkenende. "It is understandable and reasonable because there are different historical ties, because there are very different approaches over what can and should be the future," he added. "What is positive is that we are going to talk and when we do the positions are going to be much more understandable and much closer," Zapatero said. (AFP, 31/5/07)

May 30: Spain said it held "frank and cordial" discussions about human rights, the death penalty and treatment of prisoners in Cuba, despite US complaints it has been too friendly with the communist island. In a joint statement, Spanish and Cuban authorities did not report any major agreements in the two days of closed-door meetings, and leading Cuban government critics were barred from attending. Both sides said the meetings remained friendly, despite delving into human rights topics that usually make Cuban officials bristle. The Spanish delegation was allowed to visit three prisons close to Havana. The Cuban-Spanish statement said the talks touched on "individual and collective rights for everyone," the death penalty, prison systems and "respect for human rights in the fight against international terrorism." It described the meeting as "cordial, frank and constructive" and said the two sides agreed to continue talks later this year at a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York. [Official communique] (AP, EFE,31,1/5,6/07)

May 30: The World Committee of Poets in Defence of Humanity met in Havana as part of the 12th International Poetry Festival. The group advocates for "revitalizing the basic essence of poetry, a breathing apparatus for imagination without which humans are not valid beings," said Committee President Juan Banuelos. The Mexican poet also spoke about poetry in Africa and the Caribbean, the two regions to which this year’s festival is dedicated. Present at the meeting were poet and Proyecto Sur Coordinator Alex Pausides, Jose Marti Studies Institute Director Armando Hart and Mozambique poet Marcelino dos Santos. (Granma, 31/5/07)

May 30: In June, Cuba will host a meeting of experts from 39 countries on how to best promote cultural diversity over cultural globalization, Cuba's Deputy Minister of Culture Rafael Bernal said. "We'll discuss the best way of putting into action the (2005) Convention" for the protection and promotion of cultural diversity of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that 60 countries have ratified, he said.  For Cuba, among the first to sign the UNESCO convention, cultural diversity "is extremely important in the world we're now living in, where national cultures are under an increasingly vicious attack." The Fifth International Congress on Culture and Development will gather some 600 academics, researchers and cultural promoters in Havana on June 11-14. (AFP, 31/5/07)

May 31: Cuba has reaffirmed its strong commitment to building economic, social and cultural ties with the nations of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).  This affirmation has come from Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Felipe Perez and his delegation during the OECS Heads of Government Meeting in Grenada. “The Minister reaffirmed Cuba’s strong commitment to building economic, social and cultural ties with the OECS and pledged his country’s continued support for the region through the maintenance and expansion of a number of cooperation projects,” the communique issued at the end of the meeting stated. The Cuban Minister announced that his Caribbean nation will continue the Miracle Eye project, which allows Cuban doctors to perform eye surgeries, but patients will now have the operations conducted in their home island, reducing the need to travel to Havana. “One in every 58 OECS nationals were tested during the first phase of the project, and 9,799 received operations,” said the communique. Cuba also announced support for the fight against HIV/AIDS with the award of 25 post graduate scholarships to OECS nationals involved in work related to the fight against HIV/AIDS. (Caribbean Net News, 31/5/07)

May 30: The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) condemned all forms, manifestations, methods and practices of terrorism, wherever they are committed and whosoever perpetrates them. In a statement released at the end of the 2nd Cuba-CARICOM Ministerial Meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, foreign ministers from the region recalled the terrorist attack on a Cubana de Aviación aircraft in 1976, which led to the death of 73 civilians from various nations. One of the masterminds of the sabotage, Luis Posada Carriles, was freed a few weeks ago in the United States. The ministers reiterated their call on the US government to consider Venezuela’s application for Posada Carriles’ extradition and to ensure, in line with its international obligations, that he is tried for the crimes with which he has been charged. Representatives of Cuba, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Christopher and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, St. Lucia and Surinam endorsed the document. (Granma International, 31/5/07)

May 30: The Intergovernmental Cuba-Sudan Commission on Economic and Scientific collaboration began sessions for the third time on May 30-June 1, in Havana. Sudanese Foreign Collaboration Minister Al-Tigani Salih Fedail, who leads the delegation attending the meeting, said exchanges on areas such as sports, education, agriculture, and biotechnology may be increased. Cuba’s Minister for Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration, Martha Lomas, stressed that the exchange accord —in force since March 23, 2002— has allowed solid and smooth cooperation between the two nations. The first Intergovernmental Cuba-Sudan Commission was held in Havana on November 2004, while the second meeting occurred in Khartoum. (ACN, 31/5/07)

May 30: Cuba and Sri Lanka signed a cooperation agreement in Havana to expand cultural relations between the two nations. The accord, which was penned by Cuba's Culture Minister Abel Prieto and his counterpart from Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, stipulates the expansion of artistic exchange to the fields of music, theatre, dance and other cultural manifestations, as well as the teaching of arts. The document also includes the implementation of movie festivals between the two countries, cooperation in the field of conservation, and restoration of pieces of cultural value, and the exchange of experts and documents between both countries' national libraries. During the signing ceremony, Abel Prieto expressed his satisfaction for the agreement, which will be a useful working tool to expand cultural relations between Cuba and Sri Lanka, he stressed. (ACN, 31/5/07)

May 30: Angola's minister of Culture, Boaventura Cardoso, considered as solid the cultural relations between Angola and Cuba. During an interview with the Angolan press, the minister made these comments prior to Angola's participation at the 5th International Congress on Culture and Development, taking place in Havana. The official also said that he will seize the occasion to reiterate the invitation made in 2005 to his Cuban counterpart, to visit Angola in 2008. (Angop, 31/07)

May 31: The OAS Secretary General, Jose Miguel Insulza, said that sooner or later Cuba would return to the fold, joining the democratic governments of the Americas, but without pressing for that process. On the eve of the OAS General Assembly in Panama, Insulza said that Cuba’s legitimate return to the hemispheric organization will be via consultation with the Cuban population and its voters. The former Chilean minister said that Cuba is not a topic in the GA agenda. (MartíNoticias, 31/5/07)