Chronicle on Cuba - October 2007

Foreign Affairs

October 1: Cuba’s First Vice President Raul Castro met in Havana with the President of Guinea Bissau Joao Bernardo Vieira who is on an official visit to the island. After the official welcoming ceremony held at the Revolution Palace, both leaders discussed bilateral ties and cooperation, as well as regional and international issues. Among the Cuban officials present in the ceremony were Vice President Esteban Lazo, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, Deputy Foreign Minister Marcos Rodriguez and Cuba´s ambassador in Guinea Bissau Pedro Doña Santana. For Guinea Bissau: Foreign Trade Minister Maria da Conceicao Nobre Cabral, Director of the Presidency Joao Gomes Cardoso and Guinea Bissau´s ambassador in Havana Abel C. Mendonca. (ACN, 1/10/07)

October 1: The Foreign Ministers of Cuba and Nauru, Felipe Perez Roque and David Adeang , expressed their satisfaction with the state of bilateral relations and urged strengthened links. We are certain that your stay here will give a boost to our ties, Perez Roque said during talks with his visiting peer, and added that in line with previous agreements, youngsters from Nauru will study at the Medical School for the Pacific Islands. The visiting official is scheduled to lead his delegation to the opening of the first Session of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation. (Prensa Latina, 1/10/07)

October 1: A new batch of would-be doctors from the Eastern Cape are packing their bags for Cuba. Provincial health department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said the 25 students, selected from disadvantaged communities across the province, would be given an official farewell. He said the provincial government had sent more than 80 young people to study medicine in Cuba since 1998. About half a dozen had qualified and were now working in the province. The new batch would spend five years studying in Cuba, with a special emphasis on primary health care, then do a sixth year at a South African university before undertaking their two-year internship and one-year community service. (News24.Com, 1/10/07)

October 2: Fidel Castro revealed that just before the start of NATO's "unjustified attack" on Yugoslavia in 1999, he suggested to late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic that he should resist the onslaught. In a new reflection entitled "The Empire’s Illegal Wars," Castro explains that he sent the message to Milosevic through diplomatic channels in March 1999. In that dispatch, the Cuban leader described the impending air campaign by the North Atlantic alliance as "a great crime against the Serbian people and, at the same time, an enormous mistake by the attackers." "If such brutal and unjustified attacks in the heart of Europe are not halted, the world reaction will be even greater and much more rapid than that unleashed by the war in Vietnam," continued the message published on the front page of Granma, the official organ of the Cuban Communist Party. [The Empire’s Illegal Wars] (EFE, 2/9/07)  

October 2: The Bolivian soldier who executed Che Guevara 40 years ago has had his sight restored by Cuban doctors. "Four decades after Mario Teran attempted to destroy a dream and an idea, Che returns to win yet another battle," said Granma, the Communist party's official newspaper. "Mr Teran was treated under Operation Miracle. Funded by Venezuelan petro-dollars and staffed by Cuban doctors, it offers free eye treatment to poor people across Latin America”. (The Guardian, 2/10/07)

October 2: A meeting on literature and art with a group of Cuban and Venezuelan writers took place at the Hotel Kafka School of Creative Writing, in Madrid on the occasion of Barcelona Book Fair. Cubans Marilyn Bobes, Jorge Fornet, Jorge Angel Hernandez, Francisco Lopez Sacha and Rogelio Riveron participated with their Venezuelan colleagues Edmundo Aray and Iris Tocuyo. The group is invited to the Liber 2007 International Book Fair. (Prensa Latina, 2/10/07)

October 2: Dr. Miguel Perez Cruz, Cuban Ambassador in Ghana called on UN Member States to support Cuba's move to end the embargo imposed on his country by the United States. At a press conference in Accra, Mr Cruz said Cuba would submit to the consideration of the United Nations General (UN) Assembly a draft resolution entitled "necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba" on October 30, and asked for support from members by voting in favour of the resolution. According to him, 183 member states voted in favour of the resolution last year, which constituted an almost unanimous proof of the International Community's rejection of the "genocidal policy of the US government against Cuba". (Ghana News Agency, 2/10/07)

October 2: A sharp increase in the number of Cubans migrating to the US through Mexico requires a new immigration accord between Mexico and the communist-run island, Cuba's ambassador to Mexico said. Manuel Aguilera de la Paz told reporters that such an agreement is one of the few remaining issues that needs to be resolved before the two countries can fully normalize relations. Aguilera de la Paz said both countries want migration to be "legal, orderly and not dangerous for immigrants." (AP, 2/10/07)

October 2: Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage Davila met recently with a delegation of Mexico's Labor Party led by Senator Alberto Anaya Gutierrez, the national coordinator of the political party. The Mexican delegation visited Cuba from September 23 to 29, invited by the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. During their stay the group held talks with Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada, president of the Cuban parliament; Fernando Remirez de Estenoz, member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party Central Committee; and other Communist Party, Foreign Ministry and Havana provincial legislature officials. (Radio Habana Cuba, 2/10/07)

October 2: China and Russia were among the 47 members of the United Nations Human Rights Council to unanimously adopt a resolution that ``strongly deplores'' the Myanmar government's crackdown on the country's biggest pro- democracy protests in almost 20 years. Other nations on the Human Rights Council supporting the resolution were Britain, Cuba, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. (Bloomberg, 2/10/07)

October 3: Fidel Castro said that former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar made himself "military coordinator" for US President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush by encouraging Washington's interventions in the Balkans and Iraq. Castro again denounced Aznar in an article published in the Cuban Communist Party daily, Granma. The Cuban leader, who previously said that Aznar urged Clinton to order the aerial bombing of Serbian state media during NATO's 1999 war with Belgrade, accused the Spaniard of being "void of ethical principles" and of "assigning himself" the role of "military coordinator for the changeable presidents of the United States." Castro’s article in Granma reproduces the response by late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic to the message of solidarity sent by Castro on the eve of the North Atlantic alliance's campaign against the Yugoslav government in March 1999. [Milosevic’s Response] (EFE, AFP, 3/10/07)

October 3: The International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), with headquarters in Germany, stated that while the Military junta was suppressing peaceful demonstrations led by Buddhist monks in Myanmar, more than 20 people asking that political prisoners be treated with respect were arrested in Cuba on September 28. According to Martin Lessenthin, spokesman for that organization, in April 2003, “when the world focused its attention on the events in Iraq, the Cuban regime detained 75 persons, including journalists, dissidents and writers, and sent them to prison after swift summary trials and denying the aid of a defence lawyer.” (EER, 4/10/07)

October 4: Spain will not invite Cuban dissidents to its national day festivities in Havana in order to prevent any possible damage to its ongoing dialogue with the Cuban regime, officials said. Madrid has entered into a new phase of dialogue with Cuba and the practice of inviting the dissidents has been dropped, Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratino said. "We have had success with the dialogue over human rights and concrete results. Political prisoners are free to walk the streets, we have the capacity to intervene and we are promoting the interests of our country," he told parliament. Moratinos visited Havana in April to sign an agreement to renew cooperation without conditions. Spain is Cuba's third-biggest trading partner and is a major investor in the island nation, especially in its tourism sector. (AFP, 4/10/07)

October 4: Bolivian singer songwriters Mario Ramirez and Cristhian Benitez, members of the duet "Negro y Blanco", confirmed their participation in the concert "Hombre y Amigo" (Man and Friend), to be held in Cuba to honor Ernesto Che Guevara. According to Ramirez, they were invited to the concert, scheduled from October 7-12 in the central Cuban province of Villa Clara, by Caribbean singer songwriter Vicente Feliú. They added that it would be a meeting with history, friends and the example of Cuba, which has resisted US attacks for more than 46 years. (Prensa Latina, 4/10/07)

October 4: Honduran President Manuel Zelaya announced that a large delegation will accompany him during his visit to Cuba on October 9-10. "I think this is the biggest Honduran delegation that has ever visited any country because it is a historic date and moment," the dignitary emphasized. It is the first time a Honduran president has officially visited the island. The main activity of the president will be the signing of the Maritime Demarcation Treaty between the two nations. Businessmen, officials, and journalists wil be accompanying Zelaya, while Education Minister Marlon Breve will be accessing the Cuban literacy method, which has been successfully implemented in several nations to reduce illiteracy. (Prensa Latina, 5/10/07)

October 5: Fidel Castro revealed the content of two messages he sent in April 1999 to the then Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic when forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization attacked that country. In an article entitled "Second and Third Messages to Milosevic and his Reply," Castro also discloses Milosevic's reply to both messages. [Second and Third Messages to Milosevic and his Reply] (Prensa Latina, 5/10/07)

October 5: Guinea Bissau's President, Joao Bernardo Vieira said any country seeking development may count on Cuban cooperation. Upon returning to his country, Vieira said he was very satisfied with his most recent visit to Cuba. In an interview with Granma newspaper, Vieira said coming to Cuba filled him with pride and pleasure. "We talked a lot about past battles and sacrifices," said Vieira, who is known as “Commander Nino” of the Guinean guerrilla, after meeting with a group of Cubans who fought for the independence of the western African nation. Guinea Bissau's president said Cuba's international support is unforgettable, while he thanked Fidel Castro for sending Cubans to fight for the liberation of Africa. (Radio Habana Cuba, 5/10/07)

October 5: The Holy See's No. 2 official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, will go to Cuba, the highest level visit by a Vatican official to the Communist-run state during Pope Benedict XVI's tenure. Vatican officials, confirming Italian news reports about the visit, indicated that dates and other details for the trip by Bertone, an Italian prelate who is Holy See secretary of state, would be announced soon. It was not immediately known if Bertone would aim to pay a call on ailing Fidel Castro, who welcomed Pope John Paul II to Havana. The Caribbean island is approaching the 10th anniversary of his historic pilgrimage there in January 1998. (AP, 5/10/07)

October 8: Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, decorated with Honor to the Merit to the Bolivian Doctor Dr. Gilberto Rodríguez Ochoa, to two Cuban doctors and a Venezuelan one. Chávez awarded such merit in tribute to Ernesto Guevara, to commemorate 40 years of his death, an act that took place at the Teresa Carreño Theater in Caracas. At this opportunity, the decorated doctors were the doctor Nerys Navas, Chief of the Ophthalmology Service of the Antonio María Pineda Central Hospital, located in Barquisimeto, Lara State; a Doctor from Miracle Mission, Miguel Angel Lima Quiroz; and the Vice-minister for Health of Cuba, Aldo de Jesus Muñoz. Before awarding the decorations, Chávez said “that awarding this decoration to the doctors that are today getting it, we are achieving what our father Fidel said: Let’s be like the Ché”. The Venezuelan president said he will broadcast his next Sunday television program, called "Alo Presidente,'' from Santa Clara, Cuba, the site of a monument honoring Guevara. (ABN, Bloomberg, 9/10/07)

October 9: The Cuban ambassador to the United Nations, Rodrigo Malmierca, denounced the difficult social and economic situation of the world. Speaking to the plenary of the UN General Assembly, Malmierca noted that today, more than ever, the world needs the United Nations and a deep reform and democratization of this organization. The Cuban representative said that the current world crisis is characterized by an increase of poverty and hunger, arm conflicts, the spreading of diseases and the deterioration of the environment. After saying that development should have a predominant spot in the UN agenda, Malmierca said that Cuba applauds the determination of the UN Secretary General to turn the Millennium Goals into top and immediate priorities of his mandate. (ACN, 9/10/07)

October 9: The exhibition "Bolivar and Marti: Spirit and Independence of Latin America" was inaugurated at the Soka Gakkai Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The exhibition includes photos, posters and videos that will allow the Malaysian people to learn more about Cuban National Hero Jose Marti and Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar and also about the history and culture of these two nations and Latin America, in general. "This is the first step for the creation of the Bolivar/Marti cultural center and to show the Malaysian people more about the lives of these two heroes of Latin American independence," said Manuel Guzman, the Venezuelan ambassador to the Asian nation. For his part, the Cuban ambassador to Malaysia, Carlos Amores, praised thee example of Che Guevara and also that of the five Cubans imprisoned in the US. (EFE, Radio Habana Cuba, 9,10/10/07)

October 9: UNICEF Director General for Latin America and the Caribbean Nils Kastberg extolled the progress of cooperation programs with Cuba and showed interest in extending some of the island's experiences through the area. During a press conference in Havana, Kastberg wondered if there is any other country in the world with a lower rate than that achieved by this Cuban region. He also considered the work by island authorities to raise awareness about the protection against HIV AIDS and the low infestation level in the country as "laudable." Kastberg said he spoke with Cuban leaders about the possibility to broaden and extend cooperation programs to other countries in the area to fight chronic malnutrition and exchange health care and technical cooperation. (Cuba Headlines, 9/10/07)

October 9: The President of the Republic of Honduras, Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales, arrived in Havana for an official visit at the invitation of the Cuban government. This is Zelaya's fist visit to the island. Cuba and Honduras reestablished diplomatic relations in January 2002. Since 1998, after hurricane Mitch devastated part of Honduran territory, nearly 1500 Cuban doctors and nurses have made their contribution in the Central American nation. During his stay in Cuba, the Honduran leader will hold official talks with Cuban First Vice President Raul Castro. He will also participate in the signing of a Treaty of Maritime Delimitation between Cuba and Honduras. (ACN, 9/10/07)

October 9: Cuba's First Vice-president Raul Castro welcomed Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya Rosales in an official ceremony in the Cuban capital. Zelaya's trip marks the first time that a Honduran president visits Cuba. The two countries re-established diplomatic relations in January 2002. The formal reception of the head of state took place in the Palace of the Revolution. Following the reception, Raul Castro and Manuel Zelaya held official talks. The large Honduran delegation accompanying President Zelaya includes Foreign Minister Milton Jimenez, other cabinet members, representatives of different political parties, executives of the chambers of commerce and the tourism industry, and community, business and labor leaders. Carlos Lage, executive secretary of the Council of Ministers; Felipe Perez Roque, foreign minister; Marta Lomas, minister of foreign investment and economic collaboration; Fernando Remirez de Estenoz, head of the international relations department of the Communist Party Central Committee, and other Cuban government and political leaders were on hand to receive the Honduran president. (ACN, 9/10/07)

October 9: The signing of a Treaty of Maritime Delimitation between Cuba and Honduras had to be postponed, Honduran Foreign Affairs Minister told the press. “We have to wait for the final maps according to a sentence by the International Court of Justice in Le Hague on the dispute with Nicaragua”, minister Milton Jimenez said. On October 8, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the UN's highest court, granted Honduras sovereignty over four Caribbean islands, ending that nation's dispute with its neighbour. The court also redrew the maritime border between the two Caribbean nations.  It awarded each party roughly half of the disputed territory, which offers rich fishing grounds and potential oil and gas reserves. (El Nuevo Herald, VOA, 9,10/10/07)

October 10: Honduran President Manuel Zelaya finished an official visit to Cuba, which he characterized as historic. During his stay the Honduran Head of State met with First Vice President Raul Castro at Havana's Revolution Palace. Both leaders held official talks related to Cuba's cooperation in the field of health as well as international and regional issues. The distinguished visitor carried out a tight program which included a visit to the Latin American School of Medicine where there are currently 500 Honduran students studying medicine. Zelaya got a first hand explanation on the island's literacy program called "Yo Si Puedo" or "Yes I Can" where hundreds of million people from Latin America and the Caribbean have learned to read and write. The Honduran delegation also visited the Biotechnology Center and the Minstry of Basic Industry. (Radio Habana Cuba, 10/10/07)

October 10: Yamilé Llánes, the wife of political prisoner Dr. José Luis Garcia Paneque, is campaigning for her husband and other jailed dissidents, visiting Washington to tell her story to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, a part of the Organization of American States (OAS) that for the first time held a hearing on the 2003 crackdown. ''Don't forget the Cuban people and their suffering,'' she told the IACHR commissioners. Human rights groups like the Miami-based Directorio Democrático Cubano and the Washington-based Center for a Free Cuba organized her visit to put a human face on the suffering of the dissidents and their relatives. Llánes told the IACHR that she lost her job after her husband was imprisoned and that her son required psychiatric treatment. Cuban pro-government organizations like the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution organized campaigns to portray the couple as ``terrorists.'' ''It is difficult to summarize in this testimony all that we went through,'' she told the IACHR. Of the 75 dissidents arrested in 2003, 59 are still in jail, according to Laida A. Carro, a Coral Gables activist who accompanied Llánes. Several were released for health reasons, four left Cuba, and one died because of what Carro said was the poor healthcare he received in prison. The IACHR was also analyzing testimony by members of the Directorio Democrático and the Cuban American Bar Association on behalf of Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet, another medical doctor imprisoned for political reasons. (The Miami Herald, Radio Martí, 9,10/10/07)

October 10: Cuba and Venezuela face the main troubles in terms of freedom of expression, according to Rafael Molina Morillo, the chairman of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA). However, the official acknowledged that such freedom "is hard to be found absolutely." On the occasion of the IAPA 63rd General Assembly to be held on October 12-16 in Miami, the Dominican journalist reviewed during an interview with the press the top items in the meeting agenda. In his opinion, the reports on Cuba and Venezuela will be the most controversial ones. (El Universal, 10/10/07)

October 10: Italy deems it is time to lift sanctions against Cuba and its position to be “consistent” with that of the European Union (EU) with regards to “restoring a constructive dialogue” with the island. The undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Donato Di Santo, said that “considering the events taking place in Cuba,” the Italian government believes “that it would be wise to eliminate the sanctions, which also happen to be inactive.” (Notimex, 10/10/07)

October 10: Hungarian officials confirmed that 28 Cuban refugees, mostly men with a few women and children, landed in Budapest and will receive political asylum. They are part of a group of 44 Cubans captured at sea by the United States Coast Guard in recent years while trying to reach the United States. Of the refugees, 17 are reported to have held a three-week hunger strike in August to protest alleged poor conditions at Guantanamo and the unwillingness of US authorities to grant them asylum. The spokesman of Hungary's ministry of foreign affairs, Lajos Szelestey, told the press that "all in all, 28 people arrived in Hungary because the Hungarian government accepted the request of the US administration." "And the decision was approved by all five parliamentary parties," he said. Cuba has condemned that decision, calling Hungary a "lackey" of the US. Hungarian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Szelestey however said only humanitarian considerations were behind Hungary's decision to accept the refugees. One aid worker believes it will take time for the Cubans to adjust to Hungarian society.  The office manager of the Christian organization Hungarian Baptist Aid, David Gal, explained to the press that his group will help the refugees find housing and jobs and adapt to Hungarian culture. (VOA, 10/10/07)

October 11: Fidel Castro is recovering well, and despite remaining in the ward, lives among the Cuban people by writing - including the introduction to a Chinese translation of his biography and a note of congratulations to the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China- the Cuban ambassador said. In the letter, the Cuban leader wrote: “Eighty-six years have passed since the establishment of the CPC. Now China has become an example and beacon of hope for other countries.” "Castro has been getting better because he is a patient who follows his doctors' advice" and has strong beliefs, Carlos Hernandez told China Daily. "Despite falling ill, Castro has not stopped working and writes articles on topics ranging from social development, economy and the struggle against hegemony," Hernandez said. The ambassador also disclosed that the Chinese version of a biography about Castro is due for release soon. The book, “100 Hours With Fidel”, is based on conversations between Castro and Ignacio Ramonet, a French journalist. What makes this book more readable is its preface, which was penned by Castro himself, the ambassador said, adding that it is also the only preface Castro has written for the book, despite dozens of other translations. (China Daily, 11/10/07)

October 11: Fidel Castro is "lucid" and mentally is "at full capacity," Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said following a two-day visit to Havana. Zelaya did not meet with Castro during his visit, but said he spoke with the Cuban leader by telephone for about half an hour the day before. "He has a very firm voice (…) and he is lucid, extremely lucid," Zelaya told reporters in Honduras. "Definitely, he is a person who is at full capacity, and I can testify to that." Castro called Zelaya at the hotel where he was staying in Havana, and "we talked about Honduras, Cuba, the various issues in Honduras which he is familiar with (…) coffee, corn and soy production, and the development of our economies," Zelaya said. (AP, 11/10/07)

October 11: Fidel Castro said that the world cannot afford to let the tragedy of NATO’s war against Yugoslavia be forgotten due to the silence of those who were actors and accomplices of that brutal genocide. In his article entitled "A Silent Complicity," the Cuban leader reveals new details of that conflict, including an assessment of those happenings. In his essay, Castro considers that the attack by Western forces against Serbia, in 1999, was a severe humiliation for Russia. “Beyond Kosovo, a much more serious problem is emerging, to the detriment of Europe’s and the world’s interests. Russia has been humiliated terribly. NATO has already advanced to the borders of what was once the Soviet Union and it is promising to include other states of the former socialist block, and even Baltic countries that were part of the Soviet Union. Russians have every reason to think they will not stop until they reach the walls of the Kremlin”, Castro wrote.  [A Silent Complicity] (Prensa Latina, La Jornada, 11/10/07)

October 12: Chinese Olympic volunteers will travel to Cuba to upgrade their Spanish, according to the organizing committee of the Beijing Olympics. The group who are made up of Spanish Language graduates will spend four months on the island improving their interpretation techniques in order to offer their services to athletes and officials of countries whose official language is Spanish. The organizing committee reported that these volunteers are part of the 100, 000 that will be in charge of aiding the foreign participants during the Beijing Olympics. (Radio Habana Cuba, 12/10/07)

October 12: The reception hosted by the Spanish Embassy in Havana for its National Holiday, where Cuban foreign minister, Felipe Pérez Roque, and numerous other high ranking officials from the Cuban government were in attendance, confirmed the normalization of relations between the two countries. “Relations are at their best since 1996,” said Ambassador Carlos Alonso Zaldívar. Some thousand people attended the event. Cuban dissidents were not invited. (El País, 14/10/07)

October 12: Several Cuban dissidents criticized the Spanish government for not inviting them, for the third consecutive year, to the celebrations in Havana of Spain’s National Day. “Spain has adopted a policy of absolute priority to its economic interests in Cuba and of absolute disregard for the Cuban people. The position of the Spanish government is dismal,” said Oscar Espinosa Chepe, one of 75 dissidents sent to jail during the crackdown of 2003 and released from prison for medical reasons. Dissident Vladimiro Roca, president of the Social Democratic Party of Cuba, said to be feeling “much better” for not having been invited. “This way I do not have to see the face of an ambassador who has treated the Cuban people so badly,” he added. However, Elizardo Sánchez, president of the illegal Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation (CCDHRN), said that, “Spain and the Spanish organizations recognize us in other ways.” “We need to understand that Spain is trying to sustain a difficult dialogue with Cuba.” (AFP, 15/10/07)

October 12: Asked about a meeting with the troika of the European Union (Germany, Portugal and Slovenia) in New York last month, the Cuban foreign minister said it was “positive,” “respectful,” in an atmosphere “of common search, of a space for a formal and structured dialogue.” “It was nothing else but an exploratory meeting that the EU requested,” said Felipe Pérez Roque. (AFP, 12/10/07)

October 12: Felipe Pérez Roque, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, dismissed the possibility of a visit by Mexican president Felipe Calderón to Cuba “for the moment.” “We do not anticipate Calderón to visit Cuba immediately, but do not rule it out in the future, when relations between the two countries are fully normalized,” said the minister. (AFP, 12/10/07)

October 12: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced plans to travel to Cuba to meet with his close friend and ally Fidel Castro. During a speech to an indigenous group in western Venezuela, Chavez said his time there was limited, because he had to leave soon for Havana. "The one I have to see tonight is Fidel, but he'll wait for me," Chavez said. "From here I'm leaving for Cuba." Chavez said he planned to discuss efforts to advance a regional integration initiative known as the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, and would meet with Castro's brother Raul "and the entire high government of Cuba." (AP, 12/10/07)

October 13: The president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, arrived in Havana late on October 12 for a working visit, accompanied by several ministers and notables, Granma daily reported. The objective of his trip is to examine progress of bilateral agreements and projects in the framework of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), the source added. As part of his visit, Chavez will transmit his Sunday program "Alo Presidente" from the central province of Villa Clara, which he plans to dedicate to heroic guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara, the note concluded. (Prensa Latina, 13/10/07)

October 13: Fidel Castro, long absent from public appearances, met with his ally Hugo Chavez ahead of a broadcast by the Venezuelan president from Cuban soil. The two leaders in their talks focused "on the history of our two peoples, the solid and growing relations between Cuba and Venezuela, the situation in Latin America and the serious problems faced by humanity," the television report said. It said Castro shared with the Venezuelan president his recollections of the Argentine-born revolutionary Guevara, who was killed in Bolivia. The Venezuelan president also plans to meet with Fidel Castro's brother Raul, who officially took over the reins of power in Cuba on July 31, 2006, following the leader's operation. Accompanied on the trip by his ministers of foreign affairs, energy, agriculture, communication and tourism, Chavez was also due to review bilateral agreements with Cuba on health, education, sport and trade." "He will have a dialogue with the Cuban authorities and does not rule out signing some of the agreements that we have been working on," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Roque told reporters. (AFP, 13/10/07)

October 14: Visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez aired a new videotape of his meeting with Fidel Castro in which he sang revolutionary hymns to Castro and called him "father of all revolutionaries." On the videotape, reportedly made during a meeting of more than four hours, Chavez also gave Castro a painting he said he made while imprisoned in the early 1990s after leading a failed coup. The dark-colored painting showed the bars of his cell and a night scene beyond, with a full red moon and a guard tower in the distance. Castro told him he needed to sign his work. "No one knows the merit that this has, that you did this!" [Video] (AP, 14/10/07)

October 14: Fidel Castro held a telephone conversation, lasting more than an hour, with his friend and ally Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela. To mark the 40th anniversary of the death of Che Guevara, Chávez broadcast his regular Sunday radio and television show Hello President from the Che memorial complex in Santa Clara, Cuba. Cuban radio and television also transmitted the program. Castro agreed with Chávez that Guevara's call for the creation of "two, three, many Vietnams " in Latin America had been answered, even though the tactics were now different. "The world is full of Vietnams," Castro said, ``in the face of a tyrannical power that is exercised over the planet." And he warned that the world was, "very close -- very, very, very close" to a nuclear war. Chávez suggested that, for instance, " Bolivia today is a Vietnam. Chávez warned Morales' opponents that Venezuelans "will not stand by with our arms crossed" if someone tries to assassinate him. "They had better be careful," Chávez added. The Venezuelan president also said Venezuela and Cuba share "just one government" and that ``we joined ourselves together so that we will never be separated again." "Lage (Carlos) once said that Cuba has two presidents, and then I also said that Venezuela has two presidents”, Chavez said. “But we are just one government”, he added. "We are heading for a confederation of the Bolivarian, Marti and Caribbean republics," asserted the Head of State. "We will make this aggregate of countries from the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) and beyond into a power region of the world. Not one powerful country, rather a powerful region," stressed the South American president. (The Miami Herald, Prensa Latina, EFE, 14/10/07)

October 14: Reports presented to the Inter American Press Association denounced the governments of Cuba and Venezuela, accusing them of hampering independent news gathering through harassment and arrests of journalists. Reports on Cuba and Venezuela -- based on information from IAPA members -- indicated that independent journalists are facing more curbs in Cuba while freedom of the press, long a valued tradition in Venezuela, is facing a grave threat. The state of the media in Cuba and Venezuela drew close scrutiny by participants at the Inter American Press Association's convention in Miami. A report on Cuba deplored harsh conditions in the detention of at least 27 journalists and outlined restrictions for working journalists. ''Cuban authorities insist in their arbitrary behavior by reducing to one hour a day per journalist the access to the Internet from newspapers, magazines and other official media,'' according to the report read by Humberto Castelló, executive editor of El Nuevo Herald. At the meeting were Blanca González, mother of Normando Hernández, a Cuban journalist sentenced to 25 years in prison, and Olga Alonso, sister of journalist Ricardo González Alfonso, sentenced to 20 years. (The Miami Herald, 15/10/07)

October 15: Patrick Georges Pillay, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Seychelles, started an official visit to Cuba, invited by his Cuban counterpart Felipe Perez Roque. The aim of his visit is to broaden links of friendship and cooperation existing between the two countries, Granma newspaper reported. His agenda includes holding official talks with Perez Roque, presiding over the 11th Session of Cuba-Seychelles Inter-Governmental Commission and visiting sites of scientific, economic and social interest. (ACN, 15/10/07)

October 15: Venezuela's Hugo Chavez met with low-profile acting President Raul Castro and signed a string of economic deals, ranging from oil production, refining and petrochemicals to tourism and the laying of a 1,000-mile underwater fiber optic cable from Venezuela to Cuba. Cuba's ruling Communist Party newspaper Granma highlighted the economic integration between the two allies, not the political fusion that Chavez touted during his visit. At the ceremony, "the parties analyzed the progress of unity between the two countries,” a report on Cuban state television said. "I reaffirm to you, dear brother, a feeling that we know perfectly well: Fidel's affection, respect and admiration for you, for Venezuelan and for our peoples of the Americas. It is my feeling as well and that of 11 million Cubans," Raul Castro told Chavez. "The fraternal public conversation with Fidel is deeply felt by our people, who appreciate patriotism and the internationalist convictions of a true revolutionary," Raul added, referring to the Venezuelan's on-air phone chat with Fidel Castro. "Cuba and Venezuela could easily form a confederation of states (…) This is no delirium," Chavez said at the signing of the accords. [Raul Castro’s speech] [Hugo Chavez’ speech] (EFE, Reuters, Canadian Press, 16,17/10/07)
  
October 16: Cuba's First Vice President Raul Castro Ruz saw off Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias at Havana's International Airport, after a fruitful working visit which started on October 13. (ACN, 16/10/07)

October 16: A new cooperation accord in the field of education was signed by Cuba and China in Havana. China's Deputy Education Minister Zhao Qinping, who is currently visiting the island, said he is satisfied with the terms of the accord, which is an extension of a 2004 protocol for the period 2008-2011. The cooperation action includes the setting up of a center to teach Chinese language in Cuba. "The Confucio Institute, as it will be called, will allow others to learn our language and it will also encourage the exchange between our two peoples", said Zhao Qinping on conversations with the Cuban Education Minister, Luis Ignacio Gomez. Qinping praised the idea conceived by Fidel Castro of having Chinese people learn Spanish in Cuba. (ACN, 16/10/07)

October 16: Cuba continues to be the world’s second largest prison for the press, with 24 journalists detained and subjected to very harsh prison conditions. Reporters Without Borders’ 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index said. A year and a half after Raúl Castro took over as acting president in Cuba (165th), the predicted transition has in no way changed the human rights situation on the island. Of the 20 countries at the bottom of the index, seven are Asian (Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Laos, Vietnam, China, Burma, and North Korea), five are African (Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Somalia and Eritrea), four are in the Middle East (Syria, Iraq, Palestinian Territories and Iran), three are former Soviet republics (Belarus, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) and one is in the Americas (Cuba). [Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007] (AFP, 16/10/07)

October 17: A Miami gathering of American news media leaders demanded the release of jailed journalists in Cuba and criticized the Venezuelan government for assaults and ''acts of intimidation'' against journalists there. The complaints were part of more than 20 resolutions issued by the Inter American Press Association at the end of its annual General Assembly. The group's members are news media owners and journalists from the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada. In the case of Cuba, the IAPA called the situation ''alarming'' and demanded the unconditional release of 27 jailed journalists, free access to the Internet and an end to the government's control over the media. It also noted that in the past six months there's been a crackdown on illegal satellite TV dishes. The resolution urged IAPA member media outlets and others ''to publish or air content to express solidarity with independent journalists who are behind bars or who suffer persecution or censorship as a result of their work as journalists'' in Cuba. (The Miami Herald, 17/10/07)

October 17: The Kingston chapter of the Canada Cuba Friendship Association will soon be heading south for an eight-day whirlwind trip to the Cuban city of Cienfuegos, Kingston’s sister city. Trip organizers have sent ahead three rowing shells and various rowing gear that had been donated by rowing clubs in Kingston and Toronto. John Johnson, who chairs the Kingston-Cienfuegos twinning committee, is also looking for used sporting equipment that trip participants can take with them when they depart in three and a half weeks. (The Whig-Standard, 17/10/07)

October 18: Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Secretariat, Enrique Iglesias, said in Madrid that King Juan Carlos could assist Cuba “in its transition project, provided the Cubans would ask him to.” Iglesias emphasized the role of “facilitator of dialogue” Juan Carlos has played in other cases and said that “if at some point the Cubans requested the King’s intervention,” the King could “play a mediating role.” (Europa Press, 18/10/07)

October 18: An Edmontonian held in a Cuban prison for the last five years has asked Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day to reconsider the rejection of his transfer to a Canadian institution. Perry King, 44, has been behind bars in Cuba for the last five years. He was convicted of corrupting the morals of a minor after a Cuban woman complained he'd had sex with her teenage daughter. King has always maintained his innocence. This summer, Day turned down King's request to be transferred to a Canadian prison. (Edmonton Journal, 18/10/07)

October 19: The Tenth Session of Cuba-Belize Joint Commission for Economic and Scientific Cooperation wrapped up in Havana after two days of work aimed at expanding bilateral cooperation in various spheres. The Belizean delegation at the forum was presided over by Foreign Minister Lisa Shoman who has been in Havana meeting a tight working agenda that included several meetings with local authorities. The Final Act of the Joint Commission took in the conclusions of this meeting that will contribute to the strengthening of friendship and solidarity bonds existing between Cuba and Belize. Cuba and Belize established official relations on July 14, 1995 with the signing of several cooperation and migratory agreements. Both countries have also agreed to fight drug trafficking, and to reciprocally promote and protect their investments. (ACN, 19/10/07)

October 20: The Cuban government refused to allow Brazilian lawmakers to meet with two boxers who apparently tried to defect during this summer's Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro but were detained and sent back to the island, a newspaper in Sao Paulo reported. The Web edition of the “Folha de Sao Paulo” newspaper said the head of the lower house of Congress' foreign relation's committee, Vieira da Cunha, told a columnist for the daily that Cuban authorities had denied the legislators permission to travel to the island. Cuba's ambassador to Brasilia, Pedro Nuñez Mosquera, "told me that if we formalize the petition, he is going to deny the visas for the lawmakers. He transmitted a decision of the Cuban government," Da Cunha said. The Brazilian lawmaker added that, "according to the ambassador, Cuba considers this issue to be not only closed but an internal matter for the country. He clarified that Cuba will be pleased to receive the lawmakers for another purpose. But he made clear that, for this objective (to meet with the boxers) the visas would be denied." (EFE, 21/10/07)

October 21: Two representatives of the Iranian House of Latin America (HOLA), Amir Tafreshi and Salim Ghafouri, visited Cuba and later travelled to Nicaragua and Venezuela. One of HOLA’s objectives is the promotion of cultural ties between Iran and the peoples of Latin-America. (Juventud Rebelde, 21/10/07)

October 22: Colombian foreign minister, Fernando Araujo, said relations with Cuba are developing in a climate of respect, fraternity and cooperation. During a ceremony in honor of Cuban National Hero Jose Marti at the Revolution Square Memorial, Araujo said this visit to Cuba is aimed at strengthening the bonds between the two nations. He emphasized that even though the two countries have different social models, both governments are engaged in joint projects for mutual cooperation. Araújo thanked Cuban Government "collaboration" and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's "arrangements" regarding peace negotiations between Colombian authorities and rebel forces in that country. Araújo, who arrived the day before in Cuba, said that his government “has always found in the Cuban government great understanding of Colombian affairs and strong desire of collaborating in the solution of problems in which we have requested Cuba's collaboration." (ACN, El Universal, 23/10/07)

October 22: Colombian Foreign Minister Fernando Araujo Perdomo met with Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage and with the president of the Cuban parliament Ricardo Alarcon to discuss matters of the bilateral agenda. Lage and Araujo, who is on his first visit to Cuba, talked about the international situation and topics related to the upcoming Ibero-American Summit to take place in Chile in November, reported Granma newspaper. In his talks with Ricardo Alarcon, Araujo highlighted the increase of trade deals between the two countries over the last few years. Alarcon updated the visitor on Cuba's municipal elections held Sunday, October 21. (ACN, 23/10/07)

October 22: Cuban authorities deported two European visitors who took part in an activity organized by opponents of the island's communist government, sources at the Havana embasssies of Slovakia and the Czech Republic told the press. They said that Slovak pro-democracy activist Petr Novotny and his translator, Czech citizen Pavel Res, were detained on October 21 and put aboard an Air France flight for Paris. The Slovak diplomatic, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said immigration authorities confirmed that the two men were deported but offered no explanation of the move. Neither embassy has received any formal notification of the deportations from the Cuban government. Cuban dissident Guillermo Fariñas told the press that Novotny, a member of the European Network of Election-Monitoring Organizations, and Res were arrested in the central city of Santa Clara after taking part in an opposition event. The detentions came after Novotny gave a lecture on the conditions necessary for clean, transparent elections, Fariñas said. (EFE, 22/10/07)

October 22: Cuban dissident Pedro Fuentes Cid praised the Czech Republic's long-term support for the Cuban opposition for being one of the loudest critics of Fidel Castro's regime, in his meeting with Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek. He told journalists that Cuba may be freer earlier "than all of us may believe." Topolanek said states like France, Italy and Spain have been trying within the EU to apply a more moderate attitude to Castro's Cuba. The Czech Republic, however, belongs to the opposite camp. "We are trying to press on Cuba to release political prisoners," Topolanek said. Cid arrived in Prague within his European tour. In Brussels two days ago he took over the Ludovic Trarieux Human Rights Prize destined for Cuban lawyer and dissident Rene Gomez Manzano whom the Cuban regime did not allow to leave "the island of freedom." (CTK, 22/10/07)

October 22: The King of Lesotho, His Excellency Letsie III, started his first official visit to Cuba. The Head of State is accompanied by a delegation of ministers and other government officials. King Letsie III will hold talks with Cuba's First Vice President Raul Castro Ruz. Meeting other high ranking officials and touring sites of interest are also part of his agenda closing on October 26. To date, 70 students from Lesotho have graduated in Cuban universities and a group of 23 currently attend courses. Likewise, a group of nineteen Cubans provide services in the African nation. (ACN, 22/10/07)

October 22: Cuban education is passing through its deepest crisis, and the reforms proposed by Fidel Castro in recent years have only worsened the situation, according to a study by a group of Cuban and Slovak specialists unveiled in Miami. The study, “What is the future of education in Cuba?”, gathers criticism, suggestions and proposals for a future educational reform and was carried out by the Slovak-based People in Peril, which since 2005 has been working with teachers and parents on the island. “Cuban education is destroyed, with grave problems like the deterioration of the schools, the predominance of ideology over teaching and the bad preparation of teachers,'' Eliska Slavikova said. She coordinated the study with Suzana Humajova, who visited the island in 2006 and met with teachers, Christian groups and others. The two women recognized the difficulties of analyzing the Cuban system in depth, because the statistics offered by the Education Ministry ``do not come from reality, but from the formations in a [government] plan.'' (The Miami Herald, 23/10/07)

October 23: The sixth session of the Joint commission Cuba- Saint Vincent and The Grenadines opened at Havana's Ministry for Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration (MINVEC). Louis Straker, Foreign Minister and First Vice President of that sister nation presides over the meeting together with Marta Lomas, Minister of MINVEC. The 2007 meeting should outline the final steps for the construction and operation of a Medical Diagnosis Center and an airport in Saint Vincent and The Grenadines. (ACN, 23/10/07)

October 23: President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua harshly criticized US President George W. Bush’s plans to announce new anti-Cuba measures today to the accredited diplomatic corps in Washington. “Imagine that: here we are, summoning the diplomatic corps because of the tragedy we have here, and in Washington, the US president is summoning the diplomatic corps to deliver bad news to the Cuban people,” Ortega commented. The Nicaraguan leader met with ambassadors to ask for international solidarity to help deal with the devastation caused by the storms that have affected the country in the last 52 days. “I thought that the US president would be calling on the diplomatic corps to talk about the fires in Los Angeles, (but) no, he’s going to talk about keeping up his fire against our Cuban brothers and sisters,” Ortega stated. (ACN, 23/10/07)

October 25: The President of Cuban People's Power National Assembly (Parliament) Ricardo Alarcon arrived in Quito to attend the Fifth Continental Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba. Cuban ambassador Benigno Perez and hundreds of Ecuadorians welcomed Alarcon and his delegation that joined delegations from 30 countries already in Quito to attend the event. The aim of the meeting is to foster actions against the US blockade of Cuba and to demand the release of five Cubans imprisoned in US jails. The Latin American integration and solidarity movements, misinformation on Cuba and the work of youth movements of solidarity with the island will also be analyzed in the two-day forum. Organized by the Ecuadorian Coordination of Solidarity with Cuba and supported by the Quito municipality and the government from the Pichincha province, the event will also have the presence of important figures of Latin American culture and politics. (Prensa Latina, 25/10/07)

October 24: Following a government session, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Ján Kubiš said that his ministry would ask Cuba to explain why it didn’t allow Peter Novotný, a Slovak citizen who was deported from Cuba, to contact his diplomatic mission. According to the minister, it's unnecessary to turn to the International Court of Justice in Hague yet. Novotný was in Cuba as an observer of local elections along with his Czech interpreter. They had been sent to Cuba by Slovak organisation Člověk v tísni (People in Peril). Novotný says they had been in Cuba since October 18, and on October 20 in the town of Santa Clara, where they met Cuban dissident and independent journalist Guillermo Farinas, with whom they discussed the principles of free and fair elections. On October 21, they were awoken by police and deported to Havana, where they were detained for the whole day before being deported to Europe. (The Slovak Spectator, 25/10/07)

October 24: Cuba was elected member of UNESCO´s Executive Council during its 34th General Conference underway in Paris until November 3rd. Cuba got 157 votes in favour of a possible 165. The Cuban ambassador before UNESCO, Hector Hernandez told the press that this election is due to the Cuban government's efforts in the development of education, science and culture. (ACN, 25/10/07)

October 24: Cuban First Vice President Raul Castro met with the King of Lesotho, Letsie III, at the Palace of the Revolution. At the conclusion of the welcoming ceremony, the two leaders held official talks in which they discussed the development of bilateral relations and cooperation, as well as exchanged their views on regional and international issues. Raul Castro was accompanied by Esteban Lazo Hernandez, vice president of the Council of State; Jose R. Balaguer Cabrera, minister of Public Health; Felipe Perez Roque, Foreign minister; Julio Christian Jimenez, president of INDER; Marcos Rodriguez Costa, deputy Foreign minister and Esther Armenteros Cardenas, Cuba’s ambassador to the Kingdom of Lesotho. The Lesotho delegation included: Sephiri Enoch Motanyane, vice president of the National Assembly; Mohlabi Kenneth Tsekoa, Foreign minister; Mathabiso Angelina Lepono, minister of Gender, Youth, Sports and Recreation; Mphu Keneiloe Ramatlapeng, minister of Health and Social Welfare; and Motseoa Senyane, Lesotho’s ambassador to Cuba. (Granma, 25/10/07)

October 25: Bala Garba Jahumpa, newly appointed Gambia's Ambassador to the Republic of Venezuela, left Banjul for Cuba as a special envoy of President Yahya Jammeh. Speaking to the press soon before his departure, Bala Garba Jahumpa confirmed that he is leaving for Cuba as a special envoy of the Gambian leader, to take yet another 10 more medical students that President Jammeh has sponsored to study in Cuba. According to him, this batch of 10 medical students, will join students, who are already studying in Cuba in various academic fields. (The Daily Observer, 25/10/07)

October 25: Responding to US President George W. Bush's threats towards Cuba, Venezuelan authorities warned that "Cuba is not alone." The US president called on the international community to prepare for a "transition" in Cuba and vowed to maintain the embargo of the island. "He spoke like an imperialist and a colonialist," said Venezuelan parliamentarian Saul Ortega about Bush's statements. "In response we have to close ranks in defense of the principles of sovereignty and self-determination," he said. Vice-foreign minister Rodolfo Sanz assured that the United States was making a mistake with their statements towards Cuba and maintained that the "times have changed." "We aren't going to sit here with our arms crossed before some diabolic adventure," he said. Sanz assured that the Cuban people can count on support from nations like Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua, among others, stating that "Cuba is not alone." (Venezuelanalysis.com, 26/10/07)

October 26: Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa sent fraternal greetings to the Cuban people and a message of solidarity that was read during the opening of the Fifth Encounter of Continental Friendship with Cuba. Ecuadorian government advisor Galo Moro spoke in the name of President Correa during the unity gathering and thanked Cubans for their courage and resistance. He noted that Correa could not make the meeting as he is participating in an itinerant cabinet meeting in the southeast Ecuadorian province of Zamora Chinchipe. Cuban National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon heads the Cuban delegation at this event that has gathered some 800 participants and is being held for the first time outside of Havana. (Granma, 27/10/07)

October 28: The 5th Continental Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba concluded in Quito with the approval of the Declaration of Quito, which will include actions to strengthen and support the Caribbean island. After two days of deliberations, representatives of Latin American groups of friendship with Cuba will define the working objectives of the continent for the forthcoming years. The creation of a network of solidarity movements and the need of breaking the silence of the US media about five Cuban prisoners in the United States, known as the Cuban Five, were proposals presented by the delegates. Brazilian, Ecuadorian, Argentinean, Cuban, and Bolivian activists supported to build a newtwork of groups of friendship with an eye towards using alternative means and new technology to put an end to misinformation about Cuba. (Prensa Latina, 28/10/07)

October 28: UN Special Secretary for the Right to Food Swiss citizen Jean Ziegler arrived in Cuba in an official visit until November 6. Cuban Foreign Vice minister Abelardo Moreno welcomed him at the Jose Marti airport, in the outskirts of Havana. Ziegler’s visit is the result of Cuba’s willingness to restart this cooperation method with the UN universal and non discriminatory mechanisms in the human rights sphere, according to government sources. The secretary has planned an extensive program, including meetings with local leaders, and visits to several provinces, in which programs devoted to assure food for more than 11.3 million Cuban people. (Prensa Latina, 28/10/07)

October 28: Haunted by their exiled parents' harrowing experience in the 1950s revolutionary Cuba, thousands of Venezuelans of Cuban descent are fleeing the country as President Hugo Chávez intensifies his drive to transform Venezuela into a socialist state. The two Cuban consulates in Venezuela -- in Caracas and Valencia -- have seen a sharp rise in recent months in the number of petitions from young applicants looking for ways to prove their Cuban origin. The sons and daughters of Cuban nationals have a unique advantage over the rest of Venezuelans: A direct shot at becoming US residents if they can prove their parents were born on the island. ''We are witnessing in Venezuela the same situation that our parents experienced [in Cuba,] and that is why we are looking for new horizons,'' said Víctor López, a 35-year-old son of Cubans who went to the Cuban embassy in Caracas to request a birth certificate. (The Miami Herald, 28/10/07)

October 29: Cuban doctor Roberto Quiñones sent a letter to Chilean president, Michelle Bachelet, requesting that she intercede so that his mother, Hila Molina, and his grandmother, Hilda Morejón, could leave Cuba. The doctor requested the Chilean leader to mediate with Havana in favour of his 66-year-old mother, first neurologist to perform a brain tissue transplant successfully, and his 88-year-old grandmother, so that they can come and live with him in Argentina. Molina has been requesting this for 12 years without success. (Encuentro en la Red, 29/10/07)

October 29: Four Cuban sailors who jumped ship in New Brunswick plan to seek refugee status in Canada, says the man who plans to help them with their claims. The sailors left the Greek-owned cargo ship Dimitra G in Saint John, on October 23, and now are awaiting a decision by Immigration Canada, expected by November 6. The four men, who have still not spoken to their families in Cuba because they can't afford the telephone call, are staying with a local Spanish-speaking family. "They're doing fine right now," said Angel Negreira, who has helped some 20 Spanish-speaking sailors who have jumped ship in Saint John over the past 12 years. According to Mr. Negreira, the men said they faced poor working conditions on the ship. "The conditions are beyond any Canadian way of thinking," he said, adding that the pay is $2.50 to $3 a hour. "These people work a minimum of 84 hours a week. They have to work continuously." Gerard Bradbury, an inspector with the International Transport Workers' Federation, has been aboard the ship once since the sailors defected. "My job is to go aboard and make sure these incidents don't happen [because of poor conditions]," Bradbury said. The four Cubans, escorted by Mr. Bradbury and Mr. Negreira, boarded the ship in search of their back pay - approximately $12,000. After 20 minutes, they came back empty-handed. "They're confiscating their pay to give it back to their families in Cuba," Mr. Bradbury said after meeting with the vessel's captain. (Canadian Press, 29/10/07)

October 29: The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expressed its concern regarding persistent violence against members of the media in an attempt to silence them. In the case of Cuba, the Report by the Special Rapporteur said that “one journalist was arrested and sentenced on the same day” to four years in prison for “pre-criminal social danger,” a provision in the country’s Criminal Code under which a citizen can go to prison for the supposed threat that person represents to society, even if he or she has not committed a crime. The Office of the Special Rapporteur reiterated its concern over the systematic, ongoing lack of respect for freedom of thought and expression in Cuba. (OAS Press Release, 29/10/07)

October 29: The 2nd Business Forum of the Non-Aligned Countries Movement (NAM) will start in Havana. About 200 businesspeople, officials and figures from 40 countries are expected to attend the event, to seek feasible alternatives for the development of the bloc's nation members, sources from Cuba's Chamber of Commerce (CCC) confirmed. CCC president Raul Becerra told the press of the entity's preparation for the meeting, scheduled for November 2-3 in Havana's Conference Center. (Prensa Latina, 29/10/07)

October 29: Members of Grenada's diplomatic mission to Cuba paid homage to the Cubans who lost their lives during the American invasion of Grenada. The ceremony took place at Havana’s Parque Central, where a floral wreath was placed by the Jose Marti monument in the park, in the presence of the diplomats and Cubans who survived the US attack on Grenada in 1983. Vyra Magdalena Moqueen, Grenada's ambassador in Havana, mentioned the importance of the Cuban collaboration to her country in the sectors of public health, agriculture and education. The ambassador thanked Cuban construction workers who helped in the building of the Point Saline International Airport. On October 25, 1983, seven thousand American soldiers invaded Grenada, More than 20 Cubans who were working on Grenada's airport were killed during the attack. (ACN, 30/10/07)

October 30: Australia has won itself a rebuke from Cuba, despite having supported a United Nations motion calling for the lifting of the US economic blockade of the island nation. Australia's ambassador to the UN, Robert Hill, said that the country's support for the move should not be seen as endorsing Cuba's internal policies. "Holding political prisoners and failing to comply with international human rights standards is not an internal matter - it should be of concern to all of us," Mr Hill said. In reply, a spokeswoman for Cuba said that "accomplices" of the anti-Cuban policies of the US President, George Bush, deserved little credit. "A government like Australia has no moral authority to criticise Cuba," the spokeswoman said. "Anyone can understand the level of socio-economic development that Cuba would have attained had it not been subjected to this unrelenting and obsessive economic war," Cuba’s Foreign Affairs Minister Felipe  Perez Roque said. Mr Hill called on the Cuban Government to respect the rights of all its people and queried the claim that the blockade was the main obstacle confronting Cubans. "[Mr Perez Roque] will, with respect, have greater credibility in pursuing this argument when he can show that the rights of all Cuban people are properly respected and protected by his own government," Mr Hill said. (The Sydney Morning Herald, 1/11/07)

October 30: The Archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, announced that Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, will visit Cuba in January of 2008. Cardinal Ortega said the visit would “revive the spirit of the presence of John Paul II in Cuba in 1998.” It will also be recognition of all that the Pope’s visit meant and a chance to live that moment again in order to continue in that same spirit that must continue to grow.” He recalled that Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba helped “open new possibilities” for the Church’s mission in that country, and at the same time “contributed to improving Cuba’s image in the world.” Cardinal Ortega said relations between the Church and the State in Cuba “are good, but they could be better.” (CNA, 30/10/07)

October 30: Cuban foreign minister, Felipe Pérez Roque, said that Cuba would be willing to “renounce its sovereignty” to integrate “into a larger Latin-American and Caribbean bloc of nations.” “We have said that one day when Latin-America is united, and we are able to appear before the world as a united and integrated group of nations, Cuba would even be ready to resign its sovereignty and the flag for which it has fought so much to integrate into a large bloc of Latin-American and Caribbean nations,” said the official. Asked on the Venezuelan proposal to move towards a confederation with Cuba, Pérez Roque answered “President (Hugo) Chávez has outlined an idea; it is not a concrete plan to decide on.” (EER, 31/10/07)

October 31: Turkey's Prime Minister and President of the ruling party for Justice and Development (AKP) Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Fernando Remirez de Estenoz, member of the Secretariat of Cuba's Communist Party Central Committee. The Turkish Prime Minister held talks with Remirez de Estenoz and the Cuban delegation he is heading at Ankara´s parliament building, where they addressed issues relevant to bilateral relations between Turkey and Cuba. During his stay in Turkey, Remirez de Estenoz, who is also the head of the Cuban Communist Party International Relations Department, met with the president of the Turkish parliament and with other Turkish high-ranking officials. (ACN, 31/10/07)

October 31: Iran Trade Minister Masood Mir-Kazemi arrived in Cuba to take part in the Second Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial Meeting on business and commercial cooperation. Mir-Kazemi will attend the meeting in line with the objective to promote scientific and technical as well as economic and commercial cooperation between Iran and other NAM members. The three-day meeting, to start on November 1, will focus on research on the global economy. Besides Mir-Kazemi, foreign trade ministers of Cuba, India and South Africa as well as representatives from Belarus and Latin American sates will take part in the meeting. (IRNA, 31/10/07)