Chronicle on Cuba - January 2008

Foreign Affairs

January 1: On the occasion of the anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, State President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung extended their congratulations to Fidel Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC) Central Committee and President of the State Council and the Council of Ministers of Cuba. Raul Castro Ruz, Second Secretary of the CPC and First Vice President of the State Council and the Council of Ministers of Cuba also received congratulatory messages from the Vietnamese leaders. (VietNamNet Bridge, 1/1/08)

January 1: IranPresident Mahmud Ahmadinejad expressed felicitations to Raul Castro, first vice president of Cuba’s Council of State, on the country’s national day. In his message, Ahmadinejad expressed hope that Tehran-Havana relations would develop in the future through strengthened bilateral cooperation. (IRNA, 8/1/08)

January 2: Former Argentine President Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007) is considering a trip to Cuba in March to mediate in the case of Cuban doctor Hilda Molina, who has unsuccessfully tried for years to visit her family in Buenos Aires. Cuban authorities haven’t allowed Molina to leave the country. The trip falls within the framework of ongoing talks between Kirchner and the Cuban government. (El Nuevo Herald, 2/1/08)

January 3: The most senior official in the Vatican after the Pope said he hopes to meet Cuba's acting president Raul Castro during a February visit to the communist-run island. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, said his trip was at least partly related to commemorations of the 10th anniversary of late Pope John Paul II's landmark trip to Cuba in 1998. "I am preparing a trip to Cuba in the month of February. I hope to meet the brother of Fidel Castro, who now leads the country," Bertone told the prominent Italian Catholic magazine, “Famiglia Cristiana”. His interview was released to media before publication in the January 6 edition. (Reuters, 3/1/08)

January 3: A visit to Cuba by Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte, originally scheduled for January 7, was postponed for the second half of January. According to official sources, the leader decided to delay his trip “until the outcome of the Partido Colorado internal elections is known.” (EFE, 3/1/08)

January 3: A clash between Cuban and Central American immigrants at the Tapachula Migratory Station, Chiapas, forced the deployment of dozens of police to contain the protests. The Cubans complain about ill treatment, bad living conditions and police corruption in the migratory centres where they are taken after being picked up off the Mexican shores. (El Nuevo Herald, 4/1/08)

January 4: A Slovak human rights activist said that she was barred from entering Cuba by immigration officials despite being given a visa earlier. "They told me I have to leave Cuba immediately, that I am on a list of unwanted persons," Ivana Kullova, of the human rights organisation People in Peril, told the press. She was forced to leave on the first plane after arriving in Cuba on January 2, she added. Kullova had been due to talk to intellectuals and teachers and provide them with literature and information about a pluralistic education system. Two months ago, another Slovak activist Peter Novotny was thrown out of Cuba after meeting with Cuban dissidents. (AFP, 5/1/08)

January 4: At least 20 health facilities, including hospitals, education centers and polyclinic-faculties are in operation in Jaguey Grande, Matanzas province, as part of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA). A report from the health department in Matanzas, 55 miles east of Havana, says that about 5,000 students from 14 countries benefit from these programs, designed to train physicians and nursing staff free of charge. This large mass of students, the text adds, come from Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Pakistan, Timor Leste and Peru. (Prensa Latina, 4/1/08)

January 7: During his address to the diplomatic corps for the traditional exchange of New Year’s Greetings, Pope Benedicto XVI expressed his hope for a better future for Cuba. “Pope John Paul II was received with affection by the authorities and by the people, and he encouraged all Cubans to work together for a better future. I should like to reiterate this message of hope, which has lost none of its relevance," he added. (AP, 7/1/08)

January 7: The president of India's Lower House, Somnath Chatterjee, arrived in Havana accompanied by several parliamentarians on an official visit until January 10. Chatterjee affirmed their visit repays the excellent one made by a delegation of the Cuban People's Power National Assembly to India last year, headed by its Vice President Jaime Crombet. (Prensa Latina, 7/1/08)

January 7: Sixteen Cubans arrived in two groups at two locations of the Honduran Atlantic coast. The Cubans had set out from Manzanillo on December 20, with a stopover in Grand Cayman Island, where they stocked up on water and food. (AP, 7/1/08)

January 7: An Orthodox Cathedral is under construction in central Havana. Cuban architect Sanchez believes it’s all done with the hope of re-pointing the cement in the Cuban-Russian relationship. “For so many years Cuba and the Soviet Union were together, of course now the relationship has changed, but who says that old friends can’t become new friends again?” he asks. The whole project has the support of Fidel Castro. Recently a Greek Orthodox Church was built, and Castro’s improved relationship with religious leaders was immortalized in mosaic. So with the Greek Church built and the Russian one coming along, who will be the congregation? There are an estimated 8,000 Orthodox Christians living in Havana and after years of religious drought, enthusiasm for the old faith is growing. The Cubans are expecting a delivery of onion-shaped domes and Russian bells by the end of the month. (Russia Today, 7/1/08)

January 7: Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage received the President of India’s Lower House Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, during the official visit of the parliamentary delegation to the island. Chatterjee explained that India, with about 1.2 billion inhabitants, has a 545-member Lok Sabha, or Lower House, and a 250-member Upper House or State Council. Also the Indian leader met with Cuban National Assembly of the People's Power President Ricardo Alarcon, to whom he expressed his interest in learning and exchanging on Cuban experiences. (Prensa Latina, 7/1/08)

January 8: The recuperating Fidel Castro praised the benefits of rehabilitation through physical therapy and the work in that field of Chilean specialist Elena Pedraza, whom he hailed as "an example of communist conduct." In the latest of his "reflections" published in the official press, Castro said that "rehabilitation takes on a special and novel significance related to life" because it makes human beings "happy to look after themselves until the end." The 81-year-old Castro emphasized that in Cuba the service of rehabilitation through physical therapy "benefits all the inhabitants of the country, where today (...) there is a life expectancy of 77 years, which continues to increase." The Cuban leader praised Chilean specialist Pedraza, 97, who after the South American country's 1973 military coup moved to Cuba, where she conducted research and developed a training program for physical therapists. [An Example of Good Communist Behaviour] (EFE, Prensa Latina, 8/1/08)

January 8: Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque met with a delegation from the Lower Chamber of India's parliament headed by Somnath Chatterjee, president of this legislative body. Chatterjee praised the island's achievements in terms of healthcare, an area he said is an essential aspect in a developing country. The Indian leader also made reference to the achievements in terms of sports and said he looks forward to visiting the Cerro Pelado school for the training of high performance athletes in Havana. The visiting delegation was received on Monday by the President of the Cuban Parliament Ricardo Alarcon and by Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage Davila. (ACN, 8/1/08)

January 8: The Cuban Ambassador to Angola, Pedro Ross Leal, considered January 8 as a special day for Angola and Cuba, because it marks Angola’s National Culture and the triumphant entrance of Fidel Castro in Havana in 1959. The diplomat made a speech at a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. Ross Leal highlighted Cuba’s contribution to the Angolan liberation struggle, and made references to the Cubans who died in the battles of Ebo, Kifangondo and in the mountains of Quibala. (ANGOP, 9/1/08)

January 8: Three collaborators of former Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso will be brought to trial for the illegal release from prison of Luis Posada Carriles, mastermind of the mid-air bombing of a Cubana airliner that killed 73 people in 1976. Those who will be standing trial as of next Monday are the former Panamanian Minister of Government and Justice, Arnulfo Escalona; the former Director of the National Police, Carlos Bares; and Javier Tapia, former Deputy Director of Migration. Attorney Javier Viques explained that these former officials of the Moscoso Administration will be tried on a charge of abuse of authority and that they will probably receive minimum sentences. However, he said, this will prevent them from holding public office. (ACN, 8/1/08)

January 9: A group of 13 Cubans who arrived on Honduras’ coast after spending 17 days at sea said they hoped to continue on to the US. "We hope to continue our trip to Miami," said Pablo Manuel Leiva, the group's 49-year-old leader. At a news conference, Leiva said he had traveled with seven men and five women, ranging in age from 20 to 39. "We sailed without problems for about six days, but then we met with strong winds and huge waves," Leiva said. "We were left without water and fuel and had to row with our arms and hands. In the past two years, more than 600 Cubans have arrived in Honduras, and most are granted temporary 15- or 30-day visas. The majority of Cuban immigrants immediately leave for the US. A boat with five Cuban immigrants arrived on January 5 at a small island off the mainland, and 11 others followed the next day. (AP, 10/1/08)

January 10: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will visit Cuba, but Fidel Castro's health makes a meeting between the two uncertain, Lula's spokesman said. Both leaders intend to meet, but because of Castro's health the encounter could not be confirmed, Marcelo Baumbach, presidential spokesman, told a news conference. "It is very likely that the meeting will happen, everybody wants it to happen (…) but at this moment it's necessary to hear the opinion of the physicians," Baumbach said. He described Lula is a close friend of Castro. Some of Lula's closest allies were exiled in Cuba during Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorships. Last November, Lula postponed the visit he was going to make to Cuba, alleging that he needed more time to analyse a series of requests submitted by the Cuban government during the Ibero-American Summit, held in Chile the same month. (Reuters, Agencia Brasil, 10/1/08)  

January 10: Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega told legislators the country would be ``among the most democratic in the world'' if they adopt a parliamentary-style system and fund citizen groups modeled after those in Cuba. Ortega said his proposals for the legislative system and increasing funds for Cuban-inspired groups known as Councils of Citizens' Power would return power to the people. (Bloomberg, 10/1/08)

January 11: German human rights advocates warned about the deteriorating health of Cuban political prisoner José Luis García Paneque and passed along his family’s request that the international community demand his immediate release. As the German NGO International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) indicated, the Cuban doctor and political prisoner’s condition “is most alarming” and his life is in danger. (EFE, 11/1/08)

January 11: More than a million people have been operated on 31 countries up to the end of 2007 as part of the Operation Miracle program sponsored since 2004 by Cuba and Venezuela with the goal of restoring the eyesight of 6 million patients by the year 2016, the local media reported. A total of 1,003,238 patients have already been operated on three continents, according to information disseminated at National Scientific Ophthalmology Day held at the mariscal Antonio Jose de Sucre Hospital in the Cuban town of Jagüey Grande in the western province of Matanzas. Attending the conference were some 500 ophthalmology specialists and directors of centers in countries participating in Operation Milagro, including coordinators of the program in Ecuador and Argentina, the daily Granma reported. (EFE, 12/1/08) 

January 12: A Canadian Senate committee has found it necessary to conduct an eight-day fact-finding trip in sunny Cuba. The trip is touted as a fact-finding trip on Cuba's maternal health and early childhood development programs. It is part of the committee's study of the Canadian health-care system. The committee, the Senate subcommittee on population health, is in Cuba at the invitation of the Cuban ambassador to Canada, Ernesto Antonio Senti. On the trip are Ottawa Senator Wilbert Keon, former Prince Edward Island Liberal premier Catherine Callbeck, Quebec's Lucie Pepin, Newfoundland and Labrador's Joan Cook and Ottawa's Jim Munson, a former director of ommunications for Jean Chretien. Three or four Senate researchers are accompanying the team. (Montreal Gazette, 12/1/08)

January 12: In a bid to further strengthen relations between both Caribbean territories, particularly in the areas of health and education, Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica Gisela Garcia Rivera said her embassy is hoping to send more Jamaican students to Cuba to pursue studies in medicine and other areas of scholarship. Speaking with the press at the Cuban embassy in Kingston, Ambassador Garcia pointed out that presently there are approximately 27,500 students from 120 countries studying in Cuba. Of that number, more than 400 are from Jamaica. "Last year, we received 290 applications for scholarships to study medicine, but we could only offer 17 scholarships for medicine and nine for other specialties. So this year, if it's possible, we are hoping to send more students to Cuba and also send some of that 290 that were not successful last year," Garcia told the press. "This month, we will start receiving applications for next year." (Jamaica Observer, 14/1/08)

January 13: Cuba's Minister of Health Jose Ramon Balaguer extolled the work of the Cuban doctors in Guatemala, for which they were awarded the Human Rights National Prize in Ciudad Guatemala. "This distinction shows that you have fulfilled with the mission entrusted by President Fidel Castro," said Balaguer at the closing ceremony of the sixth scientific conference of the Cuban Medical Brigade. The Health minister is leading his country’s delegation to the inauguration of President Alvaro Colom. (Prensa Latina, 13/1/08)

January 14: A Canadian professor from the University of Manitoba was granted the category of Guest Professor at the Higher Institute of Medicine of Havana (ISCMH). Annette Gupton, a doctorate in Science, works in the development of a joint project between the University of Manitoba and ISCMH that began in 2003. The project seeks to strengthen the nursing profession in Cuba through training and research and offers courses within a postgraduate program leading to a doctorate degree in the field. With a 44-year career, Dr. Gupton has passed on her knowledge to Cuban professors and has contributed with papers on nursing to the school. (ACN, 14/1/08)

January 14: Uruguayan writer Mario Benedetti and Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer were granted the Literature and Arts awards of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) in their first edition. Thus, the ALBA Cultural Fund, created by Cuba and Venezuela in 2006, recognizes the lifetime work of these two artists and their legacy to the literary and artistic heritage of Latin America and the Caribbean. Cultural organizations, entities and universities from the region had nominated 31 candidates for the award that was finally granted to Benedetti and Niemeyer by a jury comprised of Venezuelans Carmen Bohorquez, Vivian Rivas and Miguel Marquez as well as Cubans Jorge Fornet and Graziella Pagolotti. The award, which consists of a statuette and $75,000, contributes to recognize the work of creators from the South who are often ignored by the big mercantilist and discriminatory machinery of the rich North. (ACN, 15/1/08)

January 14: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with acting Cuban President Raul Castro during a one-day visit to offer communist-run Cuba credit and technology. Lula dined with Raul Castro after arriving in Havana at Havana’s José Martí International Airport, where he was welcomed by Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister, Felipe Pérez Roque. Da Silva was accompanied by a broad delegation, made up of Celso Amorin, minister of foreign affairs; Miguel Jorge, minister of development, trade and industry; Fernando Haddad, minister of education; José Gómez Temorao, minister of health; and José Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo, president of Petrobras, which is considering off-shore exploration in Cuba's Gulf of Mexico. Brazilian diplomats said Brazil is interested in engaging Cuba at a critical moment of its history and offering financial and technological support for the island nation to modernize. (Reuters, Granma International, 14/1/08)

January 15: Official talks between Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Cuban first Vice President Raul Castro took place at Havana’s Palace of the Revolution. The official welcome ceremony was also attended by Vice President Carlos Lage, Basic Industry Minister Yadira Garcia, and Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque. The Brazilian side was represented by the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Celso Amorim, Development, Trade, and Industries, Miguel Jorge, Education, Fernando Haddad, and Health, Jose Gomes Temporal, as well as Petrobras president Jose Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo.
Lula da Silva had previously placed a wreath at the monument of Cuban National Hero Jose Marti, accompanied by Perez Roque. Lula's agenda includes a tour of the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center on the outskirts of Havana and a meeting with the nearly 500 Brazilian students studying at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM). This is Lula's second official Cuba visit as president since September 2003. Brazil is Cuba's second commercial partner in the region, and eighth in total exchange, local diplomatic sources revealed. (Prensa Latina, 15/1/08)

January 15: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with ailing Fidel Castro and said he was "incredibly lucid" and healthy enough to resume his political role in Cuba. "I think Fidel is ready to assume his political role in Cuba and the role he has in history," Lula said at the end of a one-day visit. Lula met for two and a half hours with the 81-year-old revolutionary, who has not appeared in public since undergoing stomach surgery that forced him to hand over power temporarily to his brother Raul in July 2006. "He has incredible lucidity and impeccable health (…) He's as lucid as in his best moments." "Fidel spoke for two hours and I for half an hour," Lula joked in remarks to reporters before heading home to Brasilia. Lula invited Fidel Castro's brother, acting President Raul Castro, to visit Brazil. [Statements to the press by the Brazilian President, video in Portuguese] (Reuters, BBC, 16/1/08)

January 15: Brazilian officials cast the Brazilian President’s trip to Cuba as an opportunity to engage communist-run Cuba with increased trade and investment. Brasilia has the economic resources, technology and diplomatic clout to help Cuba as it approaches a crucial moment of its history without Fidel Castro at the helm and under pressure from the United States to open up to multiparty democracy, a Brazilian foreign ministry official said. "We want to see Cuba back in the fold and can provide the Cubans with a level of comfort in the transition ahead by not being confrontational like the United States," he said. The influential Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper praised the credit splurge for Cuba in an editorial, saying it would clear the way for Brazilian companies to take part in Cuba's necessary modernization and reform process. (Reuters, 16/1/08)

January 15: The World Trade Union Federation and African workers' leaders thanked Cuba for its support and solidarity with the peoples of Africa in the areas of health, education and training of professionals during the Second Presidential Council of this international organization that concluded in Khartoum, Sudan. Participating in the event were the vice presidents of this world trade union body as well as the top representatives of its secretariats in all continents. During his speech, Salvador Valdes Mesa, General Secretary of the Cuban Workers' Confederation (CTC), said that CTC members as well as the Cuban people and Revolution have many reasons to continue supporting the African people. (ACN, 15/1/08)

January 15: The president of the Cuban National Assembly (Parliament), Ricardo Alarcon, met in Havana with a visiting delegation of the Uruguayan ruling coalition, Frente Amplio. According to Granma, the official news daily, the representatives of the Frente Amplio reiterated their gratitude to the Cuban people and government for the donation of the equipment for a modern ophthalmic hospital recently inaugurated in Uruguay, and for the contribution made by Cuban doctors, which has allowed thousands of Uruguayans to recover their sight thanks to the Operation Miracle free eye-surgery program, promoted by Cuba and Venezuela. Invited by the Central Committee of Cuba's Communist Party, this is the largest delegation of the Frente Amplio that visits the island. (ACN, 16/1/08)

January 16: Cuban Ambassador to Slovakia David Paulovich justified the expulsion of Slovak civic activist Peter Novotny from Cuba in October last year, and a rejection to grant the permission to enter the country to Slovak Ivana Kulova in early January. Cuban authorities accused Kulova of carrying out anti-Cuban activities, in favour of US interests. At the same time, Paulovich rejected the protests of Slovak diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Kubis. "We will deport everybody who come to Cuba to push for American interests regardless of whether Mr. Kubis likes it or not," said the diplomat to the press. Novotny from the organization Civic Eye was in Cuba as an observer of municipal elections. Cuba rejected to grant the permission of entry to Kulova, activist of civic association Clovek v Ohrozeni (People in Peril). (Sktoday.com, 16/1/08)

January 16: Representatives of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) and the Party for Democracy (PPC) of Chile met in Havana to exchange ideas about the reality of both countries and to discuss ways to increase bilateral ties. Fernando Remirez de Estenoz, head of the Foreign Relations Department at the PCC's Central Committee, said that the PPD, of the Chilean ruling alliance, has made history in the fight against the former dictatorship of Pinochet and in favor of democracy. For his part, Guido Girardi, the PPD President, said they hope that these bilateral relations will increase. He is also the President of the Health Commission of the Chilean Senate. (ACN, 16/1/08)

January 17: The Quebec Human Rights Commission will reveal that Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Ltd. reached an out-of-court settlement with a dual Haitian-Canadian citizen who was denied an internship with the defence company because of tough US security regulations. The commission will also appeal to other dual nationals or foreign-born Canadians to come forward if they feel they have been impacted by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). "This will send incredible shock waves throughout the [military] industry," an industry source said. Under ITAR, employees from about two dozen countries, including China, Vietnam, Cuba and Haiti, cannot work U.S. defence contracts in Canadian facilities. (Globe & Mail, 17/1/08)

January 18: The more than 200 political prisoners being held in Cuba received the support of the Spanish association Cuba in Transition, which together with Reporters Without Borders analyzed the state of human rights on the island at a recent conference.
During the event, Hector Palacios, one of the main dissident leaders released in 2006 after three years in prison, said the situation facing political prisoners and prisoners of conscience remains “dramatic.”  He warned that 34 of the 234 political prisoners will die in prison if they are not released. “If there were a minimum of justice, there would be no political prisoners in Cuba and most of the others would be freed,” Palacios said, stressing that, political prisoners in Cuba or anywhere else “should be granted freedom.” He called on Spain to collaborate because “to speak about Cuba and Spain is to speak about distinct lands that share the same blood.” Regarding the changes that need to happen in Cuba, Palacios said they are essential and that “the policy that has been imposed at gunpoint upon such a kind and hardworking nation should be radically changed.” (Catholic News Agency, 18/1/08)

January 18: Cuba will continue to support Zimbabwe in its fight against illegal sanctions imposed by Western governments led by Britain and the United States. Addressing journalists at the belated 49th Anniversary of the Triumph of the Cuban Revolution commemorations, Cuban Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Cosme Torres Espinoza said the Zimbabwean situation resembled that of Cuba, since the US always imposes sanctions on whoever does not toe its line of thinking. "I can see similar trends in the way America deals with Cuba and Zimbabwe. The economic blockade has resulted in Cuba being prejudiced of over US$86 billion through loss of trade and exports, but in spite of these sanctions the revolution has progressed. "We are therefore prepared to work with Zimbabwe in its quest for economic, social and political freedom”. "Cuba enjoys cordial relations with Zimbabwe that has seen it set up a joint commission to look at ways of co-operation. This co-operation has also seen exchange programmes like the Bindura University of Science Education and the Bio Lavicidin Malaria Control Programme launched recently," he said. (The Herald, 19/1/08)

January 19: Bundestag President Norbert Lammert criticized the upcoming elections in Cuba as a farce, noting the lack of any opposition candidates on the election slate. "With only 614 candidates for the 614 slots in the National Assembly, the point is driven home," Lammert said in an interview with the press. The German parliamentarian said it was the height of cynicism that the Cuban government defends the system as one that spares voters the need to decide between candidates whom they don't know. Lammert also criticized Cuba's refusal to allow international election observers. (DPA, 19/1/08)

January 21: The Moroccan Sahara Association (ASM) denounced the abuse of Saharan children in Cuba. According to Reda Taoujni, president of the pro-government ASM, the POLISARIO Front (PF) must stop sending minors to Cuba. Taoujni accused the pro-independence PF of using that form of  “deportation” as a way of “ensuring” the children’s parents stay in the refugee camps. He also claimed that it constitutes a “method of indoctrination” whereby, during the 8-10 years that these children remain on the island, “they lose all Moslem values” and are subject to labor and sexual exploitation. The president of the Sahrawi Association of Victims of Grave Human Rights Violations Committed by the Moroccan State, Ibrahim Dahane, rejected the accusations. (EFE, 22/1/08)

January 21: Dissidents Héctor Palacios and his wife, Gisela Delgado, received in Warsaw the support of former Polish President Lech Walesa and gave assurance that the end of the Castro regime is very near. “Castro and the Revolution are on their final days, and changes in the mentality of the Cuban population are taking place with ever-increasing momentum,” declared Palacios, who was invited to deliver a lecture by the Lech Walesa foundation and FOR (Forum Obywatelskiego Rozwoju). (EFE, 22/1/08)

January 22: The Mexican Foreign Secretary’s Office officially announced that Felipe Pérez Roque and Patricia Espinosa, foreign ministers of Cuba and Mexico respectively, will hold an official bilateral meeting in March, when they preside in Havana over the sessions of the 3rd Meeting of the Political Consultation and Information-sharing Mechanism between both countries. (EFE, 22/1/08)

January 22: A group of Cuban doctors working in Guinea Bissau were acknowledged for their efforts by government authorities after concluding their mission in the African country. The ceremony was held at the Malaika Hotel, in the Guinean capital, with the presence of the country's Health Minister Eugenia Saldaña, Cuban Ambassador to Guinea Bissau Pedro Dona Santana, and Daniel Kertesz, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO). Also present were Camilo Simoes, director of the National School of Medicine, and regional health officials. (ACN, 23/1/08)

January 22: Susan McDade, resident representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), praised the actions taken by Cuba towards sustainable development and thanked the Cuban government for the support in the second stage of the Sabana Camaguey Project. The UN resident coordinator attended the premiere of the book "Ecosistema Sabana Camaguey, Estado actual (Sabana Camaguey Ecosystem, the current situation) at the National Aquarium in Havana. The book addresses the achievements and challenges involved in the preservation and sustainability of biodiversity. (ACN, 23/1/08)

January 22: The General Secretary of the London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO), Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, arrived in Cuba for a visit at the invitation of the island’s Transportation Minister, Jorge Luis Sierra Cruz. According to Granma news daily, the visit of the IMO leader will run until January 24th. Cuba is a member state of the IMO since 1966. Since then, the island has been elected twice as a member of its Council. (ACN, 23/1/08)

January 23: Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Elio Savon, has called for urgent restructuring of the United Nations so as to have a more fair representation that could also guarantee an equal voice for the world community. The ambassador, who spoke exclusively to “Leadership” insisted that the UN, particularly, its powerful organ, such as the Security Council, must be urgently reformed. He said this would be in line with the current reality of a world that strongly believes in democracy as the only and best system of governance, as anything to the contrary would defeat the essence of the body. Mr. Savon further noted that democracy must be brought into the UN system, especially now that the West is at the forefront of promoting democracy across the world. "The principles of democracy must be allowed to apply at the UN, especially at the Security Council" he noted. (AllAfrica, 23/1/08)

January 23: Canada has withdrawn its support for a UN anti-racism conference slated to take place in South Africa next year, the federal government announced. The so-called Durban II conference “has gone completely off the rails” and Canada wants no part of it, said Jason Kenney, secretary of state for multiculturalism and Canadian identity. “Canada is interested in combatting racism, not promoting it,” Mr. Kenney told the press. “We'll attend any conference that is opposed to racism and intolerance, not those that actually promote racism and intolerance. With Libya elected to chair the next gathering, Cuba appointed vice-chair and rapporteur, and anti-Israel rhetoric and actions building, Mr. Kenney said his government was left with no choice but to abandon the preparatory process for the follow up meeting. (Canadian Press, 23/1/08)

January 24: The Cuban government called on Israel to "immediately stop the inhuman blockade against the Gaza Strip" and respect the "inalienable rights" of the Palestinians.
In a statement, the Cuban Foreign Ministry described the blockade as an "inadmissible and criminal" campaign which is "aimed at wiping out the Palestinian people, or bringing them to surrender through suffering, hunger and thirst." The ministry urged Israel to immediately end the siege while pointing out that the intensification of aggressive action against the Gaza Strip has killed and injured many people. [Cuban Foreign Ministry Statement] (Xinhua, 24/1/08)

January 24: Representatives of the Christian Democrat parties of Latin America met in Miami to put together a contingency plan to deal with a possible regime change in Cuba, said the president of the Organization of Christian Democrats of America (OCDA), Manuel Espino. The participants issued a call to all parties and governments of Latin America to join in solidarity with the Cuban people and develop a common agenda to democratize and emancipate the Cuban nation, without engaging the current government in confrontation. He clarified that the organization, which includes emblematic Cuban exile figures like Marcelino Miyares, would not endorse a US-backed Cuban regime either. Espino added that the “alternative, democratizing” project for Cuba will be carried out in coordination with the Mexican government. (AFP, 24/1/08)

January 24: Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque will attend the 13th Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) that will take place in Panama. According to Granma news daily, participants in the meeting will analyze topics of regional interest such as tourism, prevention measures in case of natural disasters, trade and transportation, among others. (ACN, 24/1/08)

January 25: An educational delegation led by Yemen’s deputy Education Minister Abdul-Aziz Bin Habtoor left for Cuba on an official visit. In a statement to the press, Habtoor said that the delegation would hold talks with Cuban officials on bilateral relations in education, illiteracy eradication, adult education and school health areas. (Saba, 25/1/08)

January 25: Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage heads the Cuban delegation to the 6th Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) that takes place in Caracas. According to Granma news daily, the sessions at the highest level of this Summit of the Peoples’ Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP) will take place on January 26 at the ALBA Caracas hotel in the Venezuelan capital. During this summit, representatives from the four members of the organization - Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Bolivia - will analyze several cooperation projects and the creation of the Bank of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas. They will also discuss the ALBA Cultural Strategic Plan. The permanent venue of this multilateral mechanism will be officially inaugurated in Caracas. (ACN, 25/1/08)

January 25: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez welcomed the Cuban delegation to the Sixth Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) that is taking place in Caracas. The dignitary received Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage at the Miraflores Presidential Palace, where both leaders talked about issues of common interest for the two nations, particularly Cuba-Venezuela relations. Members of the island's delegation to the ALBA Summit also include Ministers Yadira Garcia (Basic Industry), Abel Prieto (Culture), Martha Lomas (Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration), Ramiro Valdes (Informatics and Communication), the President of Cuba's Central Bank Francisco Soberon, Deputy Foreign Minister Alejandro Gonzalez and the Cuban Ambassador to Venezuela German Sanchez. (RHC, 26/1/08)

January 25: Hilda Morejón Serantes, mother of Cuban neuro-surgeon Hilda Molina, asked the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, to intercede before the Cuban government so that her daughter can travel to Argentina. The neuro-surgeon has been asking for over a decade, without success, that Havana allow her to visit her son, Roberto Quiñones, and her grandchildren, who reside in Buenos Aires. (EER, 25/1/08)

January 25: Fidel Castro said that during the brief meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in his recent visit to Cuba, he had wanted to summarize in some minutes almost 28 years since he knew him in Nicaragua. In his article entitled "Lula" (Part Two), the Cuban Revolution leader stresses, "Now he is the leader of a huge country, whose luck, however, depends on several aspects common for all peoples living in this planet." Lula warmly reminded me of the first time he visited our country in 1985 to take part in a meeting organized by Cuba to analyze the overwhelming problem of the foreign debt; participants representing a wide spectrum of political, religious, cultural and social tendencies presented and discussed their opinions, concerned about the asphyxiating drama, Castro wrote. [Lula, second part] (Prensa Latina, 26/1/08)

January 27: Without mentioning their debate on ethanol production, Fidel Castro wrote a lengthy article about details of his conversation with Brazilian president Luis Inacio Lula da Silva in his recent visit to Cuba. Castro reviewed his conversation with Lula and criticized the United States for presenting obstacles to Brazil’s exports of ethanol. The Cuban leader said that he spoke at his meeting with the Brazilian President about his nostalgia for the Soviet Union, whose disappearance was - for him - "as if the sun had stopped shining." It was "a devastating blow," Castro added. [Lula, third part] (La Jornada, EFE, 28/1/08)

January 27: Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage termed the recently concluded Sixth Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for Our America (ALBA) positive. "The meeting has been positive due to results, analysis, and discussions, like that of the Bank of the ALBA," Lage told the Cuban reporters shortly before returning Havana. A part of those integration mechanisms are also bilateral accords, stated the Cuban official, who stressed such mechanisms are based on solidarity and not in the competition of market rules. Its something for the future, and we have to work hard on that, he added. (Prensa Latina, 27/1/08)

January 29: Senators, parliamentarians and leaders of the Mexican Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) met with Fernando Remirez de Estenoz, head of the Foreign Relations Department at the Central Committee of Cuba’s Communist Party (CCPCC). During the meeting, the visitors reaffirmed their solidarity with the island, and praised Cuba’s achievements in sectors such as education, health and sports. They also lauded the island’s efforts towards regional integration. Yeidckol Polevnsky, vice president of the Directive Board of the Mexican Senate, thanked De Estenoz for the warm welcome and said that their visit expresses their love for and solidarity with the Cuban people. Meanwhile, Rodolfo Solis Vargas, Mexican federal deputy and secretary of the Foreign Relations Commission and of the Cuba-Mexico Solidarity Group, noted that their visit shows the willingness of the Mexican Congress to normalize relations between the two peoples. The Mexican delegation is taking part in the international conference “For World Equilibrium” that is underway in Havana. (ACN, 30/1/08)

January 29: A major exhibition of Cuban art opens at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on January 31. ¡Cuba! Art and History from 1868 to Today, is an ambitious, multidisciplinary project that gathers together approximately 100 paintings, 200 photographs and documents, 100 pre- and post-1959 revolution posters, sculptures, installations, videos, film excerpts and music. The exhibition was organized over three years by the MMFA and the Havana-based Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (MNBA) and the Fototeca de Cuba. The exhibition also includes works selected from different collectors and museums in the United States, including New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and Europe. MMFA director Nathalie Bondil said that although many Canadians might be familiar with the sun, beaches and music of Cuba, its art history is more obscure. "Art is not decoration," Bondil said. "This is an exhibition that has touched me profoundly. It is multi-layered and complex. Take time to reflect on it." The exhibition includes the Collective Mural of the Salon de Mai 1967, created in Havana, the night of July 17, during an important international visual arts event. It is the first time it has been exhibited outside Cuba, since 1968. "It was a dream of mine to have an exhibit like this in the Americas," Cuban MNBA associate director Luz Merino Acosta said. (The Gazette, 30/1/08)

January 30: Mexican migration authorities are able to deport only 30 percent of all undocumented Cuban immigrants arriving in Mexico, an official from the National Institute for Migration (INM) said. “We would deport them if they were accepted, but Cuba doesn’t receive them”, the coordinator for delegations at the INM, Antonio Diaz Lara said in Cancun to the press. Cancun is the spot where most frequently Cubans arrive, in their way to cross the Mexican border to the United States. (AFP, 30/1/08)

January 30: The Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) country members Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Dominica have outlined a strategic cultural plan involving 65 projects. “This is the first time that several countries join together to promote a cultural strategy. It’s unprecedented in the history of our continent,” said Venezuelan Minister of Culture Francisco Sesto in Caracas, as reported by the Bolivarian News Agency (ABN). Among the projects are a Latin American and Caribbean Festival of Culture, a traveling ALBA Theater brigade, the Latin American and Caribbean Book Workshop, ALBA courses, a Latin American and Caribbean Literature Encyclopedia, an Alternative Publisher’s Network, a Network of Alternative Production Companies, ALBA publishing houses and print shops, a recording label, and the expansion of the Librerias del Sur (Bookstores of the South) throughout Latin America. (ACN, 30/1/08)

January 31: Guinea Bissau Minister of Education and Higher Education Alfredo Gomes praised the Cuban literacy method "Yo si puedo," which led to generalized good results in his country last year. The minister met with Cuban ambassador to that African nation Pedro Dona Santana, and they spoke about the excellent bilateral relations, especially in the area of basic and higher education. (Prensa Latina, 31/1/08)