Chronicle on Cuba - September 2007

Highlights

Domestic Affairs: Candidates for delegates to municipal governments are nominated   throughout the island. An essay by Fidel Castro is perceived as a sign of contradiction within the elite. The soldiers who attempted to hijack an airliner in May are spared from death sentence by a military tribunal. A national debate on economic reform takes place at workplaces and neighbourhoods. A group of Cuban dissidents stage an unusual sit-in in front of the Justice Ministry in Havana and denounce the arrests of more than a dozen who were intending to participate.

Economy: Cuba's housing construction program experiences serious delays. China delivers 200 buses for public transportation to Cuba. Venezuela gives Cuba a $100 million loan to upgrade the island nation's railroad system. First deputy Economy and Planning Minister says that Cuba's 2007 Gross Domestic Product will grow by ten percent if compared to previous years. Cuba and Spain sign a broad agreement that re-establishes cooperation.

Foreign Affairs: Two Angolan delegations, one headed by President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, visit Cuba. Delegations from Myanmar, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Mali, Guinea Bissau, and the President of the African Union visit the island. Mexican President Felipe Calderón receives the new Cuban ambassador. The Second Ministerial Meeting of the Council of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) takes place in Havana. The Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs develops a busy agenda on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.