Chronicle on Cuba - February 2008
Foreign Affairs
February 1: Fidel Castro enumerated several factors that complicate the planet's situation and alerted the need of learning about them to avert those dangers. In his fourth and last article entitled "Lula," Castro writes about the conversation he had with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, during the Brazilian President’s visit to Havana. Castro refers to Lula’s invitation to visit Brazil. “‘You are invited to go to Brazil this year’. Thanks, I answered, at least in my thoughts I will be there”, Castro wrote. [Lula, part four and last] (Prensa Latina, EFE, 1/2/08)
February 1: Julien Francis, general secretary of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Unity Labor Party, leads a delegation from his country visiting Cuba, Granma newspaper reported. The group is composed of Hans King, press secretary of Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves’ office, Nichole Evans, executive secretary of the party’s female branch, and youth leader Saboto Caesar. Their stay in Havana responds to an invitation by the Central Committee of Cuba’s Communist Party. (ACN, 1/2/08)
February 1: Students from the Alba Academy of Plastic Arts in the eastern Cuban city of Holguin are currently exhibiting their work at the National Fine Arts Museum of Montreal, Canada, as part of the largest Cuban collection exhibited in that center. The exhibition, called ‘Cuba: Art and History from 1868 Until Today’, is part of a project of artistic cooperation born in 2005 between this Cuban academy and the College de Bois of Boulogne. This program, that emerged from the cooperation and exchange between Canadian professor Marie Luise Pepin and Cuban Ernesto Blanco, also benefits the promotion of both cultures through the study of the work of two great poets: Jose Marti and Arthur Rimbaud. (ACN, 1/2/08)
February 1: Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expressed their condolences for the death of writer and Chilean communist leader Volodia Teitelboim. In their respective messages, Castro and Chavez expressed their condolences to the Teitelboim family, a spokesman for the Chilean Communist Party said. Teitelboim, 91, died due to respiratory and kidney complications. Castro and Chavez highlighted Teitelboim's achievements as a writer and former general secretary of the Chilean Communist Party. (Xinhua, 1/2/08)
February 1: The Czech Republic will continue supporting the Cuban opposition and the observance of human rights across the world, Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg told representatives of Cuban opposition Hector Palacios and Gisela Delgado. "The Czech Republic will insist in the future on its support to human rights in the whole world and in Cuba in particular. I hope that freedom and democracy will appear in Cuba through a concerted effort," Schwarzenberg told journalists after meeting the Cuban dissidents. Palacios, who had been imprisoned for his views, said the European Union was understanding the situation in Cuba better, though it had been "confused" in this respect. "Fidel Castro was a sort of icon. It is vital for the public to understand the real situation. We hope Cuba will become a free country with the help of the EU," Palacios said. (CTK, 1/2/08)
February 1: Cuban dissidents sent to Spain's King Juan Carlos a letter asking for copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with an eye toward distributing them on the communist-ruled island. The letter was delivered at the Spanish Embassy in Havana by Felix Bonne, Idania Yanes Contreras, Marta Beatriz Roque, Jorge Luis "Antunez" Garcia Perez and Iris Perez Aguilera. According to Roque, the leader of the banned Assembly to Promote Civil Society, some of those present "could have shown the marks of the beatings" State Security agents gave them in recent incidents. The dissidents said in the letter sent to the king that they were making the request because they know their "democratic calling" and because Spain's 1978 constitution "draws upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." (EFE, AFP, 4/2/08)
February 1: Cuba and Ecuador signed a cultural collaboration agreement that will enhance the exchange among teachers and students of arts from both countries and will encourage the training of cultural promoters. The document was penned by the president of the Metropolitan District of Quito’s Parish Association, Juan Hinojosa Larcos and by the head of the international department at Cuba’s Culture Ministry, Ana Maria Pellon Saez. (Invasor, 4/2/08)
February 1: The historic changes taking place in Guatemala today with a new government guided by a broad vision of social responsibility and determined to struggle against poverty, bode well for the strengthening of relations between this Central American country and Cuba. This was the view expressed by Guatemalan Vice President Dr. Rafael Espada, during a discussion held with Carlos Lage, vice president of the Cuban Council of State and secretary of the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers. “We are celebrating the tenth anniversary of Guatemala and Cuba’s reunion,” said Espada, referring to the 1998 reestablishment of bilateral relations, and he emphasized that it was a great honor to represent the Guatemalan people and the Alvaro Colon administration on the new government’s first international visit which, he said, is taking place “from the heart, not as a political measure.” Lage thanked the vice president for representing Guatemala in Cuba and emphasized the importance of increasing the exchange between the two countries. (Granma International, 1/2/08)
Fenruary 3: The Yemen Deputy of Parliament Speaker, Yahia al-Raei, held a meeting with the Cuban Ambassador to Sanaa, Bienvenido Garcia Negrin, to discuss the means for enhancing parliamentary relations between Yemen and Cuba. (Saba, 3/2/08)
February 3: Fidel Castro paid tribute to the recently deceased intellectual and revolutionary Chilean Volodia Teitelboim, whom he described as an example of a communist militant, whose struggle gave his life some meaning. "I will not say he has died; he has left to live in ideas. He joined the ranks of those who struggle and will continue to struggle for those dreams", Castro wrote in an article entitled "Volodia’s Journey ". [Volodia’s Journey] Prensa Latina, 3/2/08)
February 3: A US journalist will soon publish a book in which he reveals that several former Mexican presidents supported the CIA in its clandestine campaign against Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the 1960s and 1970s, Mexican media reported. Former Washington Post reporter Jefferson Morley will publish his investigation based on declassified US documents that show that Mexico provided assistance for the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961 aimed at toppling Castro's government, the El Universal newspaper said. Morley, the author of "Our man in Mexico: Winston Scott and the hidden history of the CIA," said that Adolfo Lopez Mateos, who was Mexico's president from 1958-1964, authorized "under the table" help for the CIA by handling the delivery of 50,000 gallons of fuel for the boats that were used in the foiled invasion. (EFE, 3/2/08)
February 4: Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage welcomed a delegation of a European Socialist parliamentary group visiting the island. The parliamentary group was invited by the National Assembly of People's Power. In the meeting, party president Martin Schulz explained the current main tasks of the group that includes Socialist Vice Presidents Pasqualina Napolitano and Ralf Beste. The European Parliament members, who arrived in Havana on January 31, also met with Government Minister Ricardo Cabrisas. (Prensa Latina, 4/2/08)
February 5: Former Mexican Foreign Secretary Jorge Castaneda denied a newspaper's allegations that he had served as a Cuban spy for at least three years beginning in the late 1970s. The allegations appeared in a front-page story in the Mexico City daily El Universal headlined "From Traitor of the Fatherland to Chancellor." "Obviously, the story is categorically false," Castaneda said in a telephone interview. "It's entirely made up." The story cited documents that the newspaper said were obtained from a file belonging to Mexico's now-defunct Federal Security Directorate (known by its Spanish-language initials, DFS) in Mexico's national archive. Those documents indicate that Castaneda, a former communist, was recruited by Cuban intelligence in 1979, the paper reported. For the next several years, according to El Universal, Castaneda pressured his father, Jorge Castaneda y Alvarez de la Rosa, then Mexico's foreign secretary, to enact policies favorable to Cuba. He also relayed information to Cuban officials about "activities, meetings, events, decisions" and conversations that his father had with other ministers, the story said. Castaneda's father served under Jose Lopez Portillo, Mexico's president from 1976 to 1982. (Los Angeles Times, 4/2/08)
February 5: Cuba’s Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque termed as excellent the bilateral relations with Cape Verde, in a meeting with Victor Manuel Barbosa Borges, minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities from that African nation. Perez Roque recalled that this friendship goes back in time to the struggle for the independence of Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau where many Cubans fought. A new chapter in bilateral links, he said, is the graduation of nearly 900 students from the African country in Cuban educational centers including universities. The Cuban minister congratulated Cape Verde for being removed from the United Nations' List of Least Developed Countries. For that respect, Barbosa Borges said it is a great victory for his country and Cuba has a great part in it, for its support in the fields of education, healthcare, human resources development, among others. Barbosa Borges, first Foreign Minister of Cape Verde to visit Cuba, is heading his country’s delegation to the 15th meeting of the Cuba-Cape Verde inter-governmental Commission. (ACN, 5/2/08)
February 5: Cuba's UN Ambassador, Rodrigo Malmierca made a speech at the United Nations Security Council in which he claimed to represent the non-aligned movement and attacked Israel for its ongoing blockade on the Gaza Strip saying it was responsible for the hardships being faced by Palestinians in the enclave. Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman was unpleased with Malmierca's remarks and asked for permission to respond. Gillerman cynically asked the Cuban: "Who is this group representing since the Cold War has already ended?" Many countries that are members of the non-aligned nations, such as Vietnam and Panama, have condemned Palestinian terrorism and support Israel's right to respond to terrorist attacks and were not party to the formulation that the Cuban ambassador decided to present. (YnetNews, 5/2/08)
February 6: The President of the Cuban National Assembly (Parliament), Ricardo Alarcon, met with a delegation of the Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic that arrived in Havana for an official visit. Alarcon and Julio Cesar Valentin, head of the Dominican legislative body, analyzed ways to strengthen bilateral ties between the two entities and also exchanged opinions about several aspects of the reality in both countries. (ACN, 6/2/08)
February 6: The First Secretary of the Cuban Young Communist League (UJC), Julio Martinez, congratulated Belarus for hosting the 15th World Festival of Youth and Students that will take place there next year. According to Juventud Rebelde news daily, in a meeting with Leonid Kovalev, General Secretary of the Belorussian Republican Youth, Martinez said he was confident of the success of the event that will take place in the summer of 2009. (ACN, 6/2/08)
February 5: Fernando Remirez de Estenoz, member of the Cuban Communist Party Central Committee Secretariat, met with a delegation headed by United Left Group President Francis Wurtz of France. The delegation includes Gabriela Zimmier (Germany), Georgios Toussas (Greece), Giusto Catania (Italy), Kyriacos Triantaphyllides (Cypress), Pedro Guerreiro (Portugal), Vera Flasrova (Czech Republic), Willy Meyer Pleite (Spain), Soren Sondergaard (Denmark) and Maria D’Alimonte, the general secretary of the parliamentary group. (Granma, 6/2/08)
February 7: The second Traveling Exhibition of Caribbean Cinema will arrive in Cuba later this year and it will be dedicated to infancy and adolescence. Jose Juan Ortiz, UNICEF representative in Cuba, told reporters that, as media outlets have a great influence on the cultural formation of children and adolescents, it is very legitimate to show through this initiative the things that are autochthonous to each country of the region. For his part, Rigoberto Lopez, a Cuban filmmaker who co-founded this project, insisted on the importance of the Traveling Exhibition of Caribbean Cinema. He noted that it helps the Caribbean people reaffirm their identity, as these works are authentic cultural products. (Prensa Latina, 7/2/08)
February 7: Cuba and Cape Verde signed several cooperation agreements in the fields of education, public health, agriculture, fishing and tourism. The protocols were penned by Cuba’s Minister for Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration Marta Lomas and Cape Verde´s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities, Victor Manuel Barbosa. The signing ceremony rounded off the 15th Session of Cuba-Cape Verde. (ACN, 7/2/08)
February 7: In Syria’s history, the assistance received from Cuba is held high. For that reason and many others, our people and leaders greatly admire the Cuban revolution and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro," said Elias Mourad, managing director of the Al-Bass newspaper in conversations with Granma. Mourad is on his second trip to Cuba, the first occurring in 1995. He said that Cuba and Syria are confronting the same enemy and totally coincide in condemning the aggressive actions of the Israeli government against the Palestinian population. (Granma, 7/2/08)
February 7: Spain and Cuba will hold their second session on human rights in Madrid with a “comprehensive” agenda where “no point is left out,” said the Spanish minister of foreign affairs, Miguel Angel Moratinos. Moratinos and his Brazilian counterpart Celso Amorim agreed during a press conference that dialogue “is the best way of moving forward on an issue as important as human rights.” “We have been able to see that both Brazil and Spain are very well placed to work with Cuban authorities on this topic,” said the Spanish minister. (AFP, 8/2/08)
February 7: Parliamentarians from six Swedish parties nominated dissident leader Oswaldo Payá for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize, considering that he is “one of the better known Cuban defenders of democracy.” Payá, winner of 2002 Sakharov Award granted by the European Parliament, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on other occasions since 2003. (EER, 7/2/08)
February 7: Czech tourists travelling to Cuba should bring with them newspapers, magazines, books and audiovisual recordings in Spanish, the People in Need organisation said within its campaign called Hotel Cuba that started in Prague. While for ordinary Cubans such items are not available, tourists can bring them with impunity, the organisers said. The aim of the campaign is to present Cuba as a world of two faces, one being the Caribbean paradise and the other a desperate place of lack of freedom, the organisers said. The organisation is also going to launch a website that will provide advice to tourists travelling to Cuba on how to help local residents. (CTK, 7/2/08)
February 7: In an effort to help India raise its sports quality, a group of Cuban experts evaluated athletic training plans and sport programs of the Asian country. "We hope to raise the quality of Indian sports and teams at an international level with that Cuban cooperation," S. Harmilapi, director of India’s Sports Department, told the press. The Indian official recalled that in a recent visit to the island, the Indian Minister of Youth and Sports signed a memorandum with a Cuba on sports cooperation. The Cubans met with Indian sports officials and visited sports centers and complexes in New Dehli. On Thursday, they began a tour of several cities including Patiala, Pune, Bangalore and Gwalior. (ACN, 8/2/08)
February 7: Vice President of the Cuban Council of State Juan Almeida Bosque, received new ambassadors from Zambia, Liberia and Mauritania, who presented their credentials at the venue of the Council of State in Havana. According to Granma news daily, during the ceremonies, Almeida was accompanied by First Deputy Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and by Angel Reigosa de la Cruz, head of the Protocol Office. The new ambassadors are David Clifford Saviye, of the Republic of Zambia; Nathaniel Barnes, of the Republic of Liberia; and Abderrahim Ould Hadrami, of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. (Prensa Latina, 8/2/08)
February 11: The ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Cuba, Mostafa Alaei, called political ties excellent, and highlighted both countries' coincidence in identification of international issues. In an interview published by Granma daily on the occasion of Iran's 29th anniversary of the revolutionary triumph, the diplomat predicted higher economic exchange with the island, which currently surpasses 200 million euros. Trade in the industrial and agricultural fields grows, and Iranian productions in railroads, irrigation, among others, will contribute to the increase of the Cuban economy, Alaei pointed out. As part of the increasing bilateral relations, he mentioned the construction in Teheran of a plant to produce vaccines against hepatitis B with Cuban technology. Asked about US current pressures to condemn Iran for its nuclear development, Alaei affirmed Washington is waging a disinformation campaign and making new political demands his nation will not accept. (Prensa Latina, 11/2/08)
February 11: Spain said it sees improvements in Cuba's attitude to human rights, following a second round of talks between the two countries on the issue. "We appreciate the new more constructive attitude of Cuba," in particular towards the UN Human Rights Council, a foreign ministry source said. Several political prisoners have been freed on the island in recent months, and there is a "possibility we can have a political dialogue with the European Union in which human rights would be included," the source said. It was the second round of talks between Spain and Cuba on human rights following meetings in Havana in May 2007. The two countries agreed to hold political consultations, including on the issue of human rights, during a visit to Cuba in April 2007 by Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. This round of talks took place "at a technical level" between Cuban deputy foreign minister Abelardo Moreno and a senior Spanish foreign ministry official, Rafael Dezcallar. (AFP, 11/2/08)
February 11: Canadian workers strengthened their friendship with Cuban counterparts during a visit to workplaces and places of social interest in the province of Holguín, the weekly official newspaper “Trabajadores” reported. “Our work is aimed at uniting workers from both countries,” said Heide Trampus, member of the Worker to Worker Association of Canada. Ailleen Runstedler, member of the Communications Union, pointed out that Canadian workers put pressure on their government to improve relations with Cuba. (Prensa Latina, 11/2/08)
February 11: Six Cuban technical advisors will provide expertise on construction projects in South African North West, the provincial public works department said. Department spokesperson Matshube Mfoloe said the six advisors would be hosted by Public Works for the next three years to bolster its capacity and provide mentoring and skills transfer. The team will also help fast-track building projects to help increase service delivery. Team Leader Jose Alfredo Ibanez Mestre said the Cuban experts were looking forward to a productive stay in the South African province. "High on our expectation list is to learn, share our experiences and contribute to the development of this country," he said. (IOL.Com, 11/2/08)
February 12: An undocumented Cuban couple died of asphyxiation in a van travelling through Nicaragua en route to the United States, said police sources. Maikel García Enamorado, 28, and his fiancée, Yureimi García Julia, 25, died while being transported by traffickers, according to investigations of the Nicaraguan Police. (AFP, 12/2/08)
February 12: Cuba has agreed to sign two UN covenants on human rights by the end of March, the Spanish government said following talks between the two countries. "The Cuban delegation confirmed that its government would sign the agreements on civil and political rights and on economic, social and cultural rights in the first quarter of 2008," the foreign ministry said in a statement. Signatory nations to the two international covenants agree to guarantee a certain number of civic rights for their citizens. The communist regime in Havana announced in December that it would sign both of them, but had given no date. The foreign ministry said Spain "would continue to work to normalise and develop relations between Cuba and the European Union". The announcement came after talks between senior officials of the two sides -- the second round of meetings between Spain and Cuba on human rights following discussions in Havana in May 2007. (AFP, 13/2/08)
February 13: Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque affirmed that Cuba will extend hospitality and welcome to Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone, a token of the excellent relations existing between both states. In his news conference, Perez Roque also confirmed the coming visit to the island of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, at the invitation of national authorities and the Catholic Bishops of Cuba. The visit of Bertone, February 20-26, has both an official and pastoral character, and takes place on the tenth anniversary of the historic visit of Pope John Paul II. During his stay Bertone will meet with Cuban authorities and will celebrate masses in the city of Havana, Guantanamo and Villa Clara where he will also bless a monument in honor of John Paul II. Perez Roque indicated that Havana will have talks of mutual respect with the Vatican, regardless of sharing agreements on several issues of the visitor’s agenda. [Conferencia de prensa] (Prensa Latina, La Jornada, 13/2/08)
February 13: During a press conference, Cuban foreign minister, Felipe Pérez Roque, thanked the Spanish Government for its “efforts” in helping normalize the island’s relations with the European Union (EU) and for trying to bring about the end of the sanctions imposed by the 27-member bloc. The dialogue with Spain, according to Perez Roque, helps toward the “final lifting of the absurd sanctions that, even though suspended, still have not been eliminated completely.” [Conferencia de prensa] (EFE, 13/2/08)
February 14: Venezuela’s Culture Minister Francisco Sesto arrived in Havana to take part in the International Book Fair Cuba 2008 underway in the Cuban capital. Sesto was welcomed by his Cuban counterpart Abel Prieto at Havana’s international airport. Both high ranking officials confirmed they would attend the presentation of the book “Vuelta de Siglo”, by Ecuadorian-born Mexican philosopher Bolivar Echeverria, who was the winner of the second edition of the Libertador Prize, a contest organized by the Venezuelan Ministry of Culture to stimulate reflection on fundamental issues. (CAN, 14/2/08)
February 14: European commissioner Louis Michel will visit Cuba on March 6th and 7th to promote political dialogue with the government of Havana. “The objective of the visit is to advance in the process of dialogue with the Cuban government,” said spokesman for Michel, John Clancy. (EFE, 15/2/08)
February 14: Cuba asserted that the struggle for Latin American unity and against US hostility is among the priorities of the island's foreign policy. Head of the International Relations Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Fernando Remirez, said that campaigning for the release of the five anti-terrorist Cuban fighters held in US prisons will also be among top priorities. Speaking at the plenary of the 6th Congress University 2008, Remirez requested international support to get Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labanino, Antonio Guerrero, Rene Gonzalez and Fernando Gonzalez released. He highlighted the interest of the Caribbean nation for strengthening regional pro-integration mechanisms, including the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, which has been joined by Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Nicaragua and Venezuela. (Prensa Latina, 14/2/08)
February 14: The UN's human rights chief should reconsider her praise of Cuba's record and of the recent mission there by a UN official compromised by ties to the Castro regime, said UN Watch. In a letter sent to High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based human rights monitoring group, urged her to recognize Cuba's consistently negative role at the UN Human Rights Council. UN Watch also questioned Arbour's praise of a mission to Cuba by Jean Ziegler, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, whose position at the world body was sponsored by Cuba, and who co-founded the Moammar Qaddafi Human Rights Prize that was given to Fidel Castro in 1998. (UN Watch, 14/2/08)
February 14: Representatives of Cuba and the Islamic Republic of Iran signed their first agreement of scientific cooperation to contribute to their economic and social development. The document was inked by Cuban Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, Fernando Gonzalez Bermudez and Iranian Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Mohammad Medi Zahedi. Also attending the signing ceremony was State Council advisor Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart. The document envisages the exchange of scientists, professors and specialized information, the organization of seminars, courses and design and application of research programs in industry, agriculture and other fields. We are particularly interested in collaborating in the field of biotechnology and the medical/pharmaceutical industry. However, we have no limit at all to broaden it and cover other fields, Medi Zahedi said. (Prensa Latina, 14/2/08)
February 15: Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is expected to arrive in Havana on an official visit to Cuba invited by the island's government. The African statesman's stay in the island will foster ties of friendship and cooperation existing between the two countries, particularly in health and education. About 191 Cuban collaborators are working in Equatorial Guinea and some 96 youth from that nation are studying in the island, 248 of which have graduated. (Prensa Latina, 15/2/08)
February 15: Cuba will free seven of 59 dissidents imprisoned since 2003. The first releases of jailed dissidents since August were negotiated by Spain on health grounds and announced by Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. "The decision was made unilaterally by the Cuban authorities and we are very satisfied," Moratinos told Spanish radio from the city of Cordoba, noting that the move came after dialogue with Cuba. The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on its Web site that four of them will be sent to Spain with their families to receive medical treatment. The four dissidents who will go to Spain have been gathered from different jails around Cuba in the Combinado del Este prison on the outskirts of Havana. They are Omar Pernet, Jose Gabriel Ramon Castillo, Alejandro Gonzalez and Pedro Pablo Alvarez. The dissidents were arrested in a political crackdown ordered by Cuban leader Fidel Castro in March 2003 that put 75 of his opponents in prison with sentences of up to 28 years. (Reuters, 15/2/08)
February 15: A delegation from the Mexican state of Campeche, including the mayors of Campeche and Tenasco Jorge Carlos Hurtado and Enrique Marquez, is visiting Havana to reaffirm more than two decades of friendship ties between their people and Cuba. The journalist and founder of groups of solidarity with the island, Carlos Joaquin Reyes, told the local press that the group is opposed to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the US on this island for almost half a century. We also condemn the imprisonment of the antiterrorist Cuban Five, he declared. (Prensa Latina, 15/2/08)
February 16: Cuba will send doses of yellow fever vaccine to Paraguay following an outbreak that has already killed two persons in the South American country, President Nicanor Duarte announced. "The Cuban friends will arrive with their plane for Operation Miracle and they will also bring the vaccines", Duarte said. Yellow fever had not been registered in that nation for 34 years. (Prensa Latina, 16/2/08)
February 16: Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Saleh Ba-Surrah and his Cuban counterpart Huwan Villa signed a cooperation treaty in the field of higher education and scientific research. According the treaty, Cuba will grant Yemen ten more scholarships annually to start from the next academic year 2008-2009, eight in medical sciences and two in engineering. The treaty also includes organizing joint scientific conferences, exchanging academic experiences and bringing Cuban professors to teach Spanish in Sana'a University as well as teaching Arabic to Cuban students in Yemeni universities. (Saba, 17/2/08)
February 17: Four Cuban political prisoners freed by Havana arrived in Spain. They comprise trade unionist Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos, dissident Omar Pernet Hernandez and independent journalists Jose Gabriel Ramon Castillo and Alejandro Gonzalez Raga. They arrived at a military airport in Torrejon, near Madrid, after flying on board a Spanish air force plane. When contacted by AFP, the Spanish foreign ministry declined to comment. The four Cubans, which were suffering serious health problems, would be given medical examinations and would then address the media. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos had said that seven political prisoners would be freed, with four set to come to Spain to rejoin their families. The three other prisoners are expected to travel to the United States, but their final destination is not yet decided, according to Cuban sources in Spain. They were all arrested as part of a crackdown in 2003, which saw 75 dissidents arrested and condemned to prison terms of up to 26 years. (AFP, 18/2/08)
February 17: The Ladies in White, relatives and wives of political prisoners, thanked the government of Spain for the release from prison of four dissidents, who are already in Madrid, and demanded the regime to release more prisoners “immediately.” The release of four dissidents from prison “gives us great joy” and “we appreciate the Spanish government’s negotiations in achieving this,” they said in a communiqué read by one of the spokeswomen of the group, Miriam Leyva. In the release, the Ladies in White, winners of the 2005 European Parliament Sakharov Award, pointed out that “55 of the group of 75 are still in Cuban jail.” “They must all be freed immediately and unconditionally, as they have committed no crime, but tried to exercise their right to free opinion in a peaceful and constructive way,” they added. (EER, AFP, 18/2/08)
February 17: Ecuatorial Guinea President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo concluded an over 48-hour visit to Cuba, in which he inked two accords and met with First Vice President Raul Castro. "We and our peoples are greater friends, and we help each other," Raul Castro told the press after signing two agreements between both governments. The accords included the reciprocal lifting of visa requirement in diplomatic, official and service passports, and cooperation between the foreign affairs ministries of Cuba and Equatorial Guinea. The Cuban first vice president pointed out that Nguema Mbasogo's recent visit to the island took place in September 2006 to attend the 14th Non-Aligned Countries Movement Summit. (Prensa Latina, 17/2/08)
February 18: Reporters Without Borders welcomed the release of four Cuban dissidents who were arrested during the "Black Spring" crackdown of March 2003. They include independent journalist Alejandro Gonzalez Raga, 48, who was serving a 14-year prison sentence. "The dialogue initiated with the Cuban government by Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos - inevitably a difficult one when it concerns human rights – is beginning to bear fruit," Reporters Without Borders said. "The release of these four could soon be followed by the release of three others, and we welcome this”. The press freedom organisation added: "This gesture by the Cuban government comes just a week before the appointment of a new Council of State, its executive branch, which could confirm Raul Castro as president, a post he has held in an interim capacity since July 2006. But we must not forget that 23 Cuban journalists continue to languish in prison simply for doing their job without permission from a government that does not tolerate any independent press. We also point out that these latest releases condemned their beneficiaries to exile." (RWB Press Release, 18/2/08)
February 18: Amnesty International welcomed the release of four Cuban activists but urged Raul Castro to urgently release the 58 remaining incarcerated prisoners of conscience and to guarantee the right to freedom of expression on the island. “The release of the four Cuban prisoners of conscience is a very positive step but we must not forget about the at least 58 people who remain held in prisons across Cuba for the sole reason of expressing their political views,” said Kerrie Howard, Deputy director at Amnesty International's Americas Programme. “We hope that the recent release is a sign of change in Cuba, a further openness to improving respect for human rights, including the right to freedom of expression and association,” said Kerrie Howard. (AI Press Release, 18/2/08)
February 18: The President of the Russian Federation Communist Party, Guennadi Ziuganov, received the medal of Friendship for his contribution to strengthening relations between his country and Cuba. The recognition awarded by the Cuban Council of State on the petition of the Institute of Friendship with the Peoples was also given to the 2000 Physics Nobel Prize winner Zhores Alfiorov and the director of the daily Sovietskaya Rossia, Valentin Chikin. The Cuban ambassador to Moscow, Jorge Marti, highlighted the meaning of the official distinction for their permanent support to the Cuban revolution and their personal contribution to tightening the friendly links between Russia and Cuba. (Prensa Latina, 18/2/08)
February 19: The European Union Commission stressed its willingness to engage in "a constructive political dialogue" with Cuba to promote a peaceful transition to democracy, following Fidel Castro's decision to step down. John Clancy, spokesman for EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel, told reporters in Brussels the commissioner would go ahead with a scheduled visit to Havana on March 6-7, though it has not been decided whether he will meet Castro. "The objective of the EU in relation with Cuba is to encourage a peaceful process of transition to a pluralistic democracy and to respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms," Clancy said. The EU's common position, which remains unchanged by Castro's announcement, also seeks "a sustainable recovery and improvement in the living standards of the Cuban people," he added. "We reiterate our willingness to engage with Cuba in a constructive political dialogue," he said. This dialogue should be "with all stakeholders, including the authorities and civil society," he stressed. (EUObserver, 19/2/08)
February 19: Canada's foreign affairs minister said he hoped Fidel Castro's decision to step down as Cuba's president leads to "political and economic reform" in the communist island nation. "We are continuing to monitor developments in Cuba," Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier said in a statement. "It is our hope that this decision will open the way for the Cuban people to pursue a process of political and economic reform." (AFP, 19/2/08)
February 19: In response to the announcement made by Fidel Castro that he will not return to the presidency, Special Advisor at Amnesty International, Javier Zuñiga said: “The new Cuban leadership must take advantage of this change to introduce much needed reforms to guarantee the protection of human rights”. “Reform in Cuba must start with the unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience, the judicial review of all sentences passed after unfair trials, the abolition of the death penalty and the introduction of measures to ensure respect of fundamental freedoms and the independence of the judiciary.” Amnesty International called on the new Cuban government to allow UN human rights bodies and independent human rights organisations to visit the country and also for the international community - in particular the US - to abolish policies and practices that impinge on the human rights of Cubans, such as the US economic embargo. [Cuba: Reforms to Human Rights Much Needed] (AI Press Release, 19/2/08)
February 19: Vietnam, a staunch ally of fellow-communist Cuba, praised Fidel Castro after he resigned as president for "building and protecting" his country. "To leaders and the people of Vietnam, President Fidel is forever a great friend, a dear comrade and a brother," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Dung said in a statement. The Vietnam spokesman's statement said Castro made an "extremely great contribution to the cause of building and protecting Cuba over nearly the past five decades". (Reuters, 19/2/08)
February 19: Fidel Castro will continue to lead the revolution despite his decision not to seek another term as the island's president, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has said. "Fidel is not giving up or abandoning anything," Chávez, who has called Castro his "father," was quoted as saying in news reports out of Caracas. "He is occupying the post that he has to fill in the Cuban Revolution and the Latin American revolution." "Fidel always was in the vanguard," Chávez said as he inaugurated a hospital. "Men like Fidel never retire." (The Miami Herald, AFP, El Universal, 19/2/08)
February 19: The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, called Fidel Castro’s resignation “painful.” “For me (it is) painful that the president, commander Fidel asks the National Assembly to leave the Presidency. I’m sad, very sad, I learned much from him, working for unity and solidarity,” said Morales. Castro’s decision “is democratic” because he presented his request in the context of the norms of the Cuban National Assembly of the People’s Power shortly after it was elected, said the leader. (EER, AFP, 20/2/08)
February 19: Any potential change in Cuba after Fidel Castro’s resignation must come as a result of internal decisions, said the secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza. “I believe that many things could happen in Cuba, I only hope that they happen peacefully and as a result of internal decisions by the Cuban people,” Insulza said. He also added “it would be a mistake to try and accelerate changes” on the island and urged all countries to “act with caution.” “Any change that takes place must stem from a democratic and peaceful dialogue among Cubans and by no means should anyone attempt to push it from outside,” said Insulza. “We hope that’s what’ll happen and that Cuba could soon return to the OAS,” he added. (AFP, EFE, 19/2/08)
February 19: Spain, which has a policy of constructive engagement toward Cuba, said it believes Fidel Castro's decision to step down as president would give his brother Raul more power to carry out reforms. "Now Raul Castro will be able to take on his reform project with a greater capacity, toughness and confidence," said Spain's minister responsible for Latin America, Trinidad Jimenez. "He has spoken of it (the project) himself and I think he will be able to start these very important reforms." But she said that although the announcement was of "great importance", it must be viewed "with caution." The head of Spain's conservative opposition, Mariano Rajoy, said he hoped for "the rapid arrival of democracy (in Cuba), because it is absurd at this time, in 2008, that a man is the judge of the people, telling them what to do and what not to do." There was no immediate comment from Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos. (AFP, 19/2/08)
February 19: Britain and the European Union joined in calling for a transfer to democracy within Cuba, the West's old communist foe, after the resignation of Fidel Castro. David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, said: "The Cuban people will now be looking to the future, a future which we hope will offer them political progress founded on democracy and human rights, and continued progress based on social justice and individual need." The European Commission offered to enter into a "political dialogue" with Cuba to encourage a transition to democracy. While, Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Russian Communist Party, said “it’s a brave decision and, in taking it, I’m sure Fidel Castro was guided by the interests of his country and his people." He added that the President was "a fantastic political leader who has hosted high the flag of freedom". (Times Online, 19/2/08)
February 19: Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams paid tribute to Fidel Castro, who is retiring on health grounds after 49 years in power. Mr Adams met Castro during a controversial visit to Cuba in 2001. The West Belfast MP said the announcement of Castro’s resignation marked "the end of an era in Cuban and Latin American politics". "He leaves behind him a country with world class health and education systems and I wish him well in his retirement," he said. Mr Adams' 2001 trip to Cuba was criticized at the time by some US politicians, including Republican Congressman Peter King, a long time supporter of Sinn Fein, who described Fidel Castro as "a human rights violator". While he was in Havana, Mr Adams unveiled a monument in memory of the 10 republican prison hunger-strikers who died in Northern Ireland in 1981. (BBC, 20/2/08)
February 19: The Vatican's No. 2 official, on the eve of a trip to Cuba, held out the possibility of a future visit there by Pope Benedict XVI, according to an interview. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, departs for Havana on February 20 for a weeklong visit to mark the 10th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's historic pilgrimage to the communist nation. Bertone's interview with the Italian Catholic newspaper “Avvenire” appeared on the same day that an ailing Fidel Castro, who welcomed John Paul to Cuba in 1998, resigned as president. "Up until now it hasn't been possible," Bertone said of a possible pilgrimage by Benedict. "In the future we will see," he said without elaborating. Bertone described Vatican-Cuban relations as "relatively good," and said the Roman Catholic Church in Cuba enjoyed "great vitality" despite the "known difficulties." The interviewer noted the church continues to have problems getting its voice heard in the media, bringing in foreign clergy and freedom of religious education. "Progress has been made on some of these issues, on others less so," Bertone said. There has been no official word on whether Bertone would meet with Fidel Castro during his visit. (AP, 19/2/08)
February 19: Ghana's Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama arrived in Havana invited by the Cuban government, to foster bilateral links, especially in health. "This visit will further strengthen relations between Cuba and Ghana," stated the visitor after arriving in the Havana's international airport where he was welcomed by Education Minister Luis Ignacio Gomez and Deputy Foreign Minister Yiliam Jimenez. Aliu expects to analyze with Cuban authorities the possibility of increasing the presence of Ghanaian students on the island and sports collaboration. The African official highlighted his pride for this first visit to Havana and Cuba's support to Ghana and to African countries. (Prensa Latina, 19/2/08)
February 20: Benin´s Foreign Affairs minister Moussa Okanla is to start an official visit to Cuba to expand bilateral links, "Granma" newspaper reported. Okanla´s agenda in Havana includes meeting with his Cuban counterpart Felipe Perez Roque and other Cuban authorities. Okanla's first visit to Cuba will foster ties of friendship and cooperation existing between both countries. Over 360 Beninese students have graduated in Cuba, while another 33 scholarship holders are currently studying in the island. (Prensa Latina, 20/2/08)
February 20: Congolese Foreign Minister Basile Ikouebe began a tight agenda in Cuba, including talks with his Cuban counterpart Felipe Perez Roque. Ikouebe's agenda also includes meeting with other Cuban authorities. Some 2,718 Congolese students have so far graduated in Cuba, and 32 scholarship holders are currently studying here, the daily states. (Prensa Latina, 20/2/08)
February 20: His Eminence, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State of the Vatican, arrived in Cuba on an official and pastoral visit until February 26. Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, the chief of the Religious Affairs Office at Cuba’s Central Committee of the Communist Party, Caridad Diego, Deputy Foreign Minister Eumelio Caballero, the island’s ambassador to the Vatican Raul Roa Kouri, among other leaders, welcomed the illustrious visitor at the Jose Marti International Airport. Also included were Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the Apostolic Nuncio on the island Monsignor Luigi Bonazzi, and several Cuban bishops. Bertone, also Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, is expected to meet with Cuban authorities and attend pastoral activities in Havana City, Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo. Cardenal Bertone’s stay takes place in the context of the 10th anniversary of the historic visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba. (Prensa Latina, 20/2/08)
February 20: Following the resignation of Fidel Castro, Javier Legorreta, an Aid to the Church in Need specialist on Cuba, said that the presence of the Vatican’s Secretary of State during the country’s power transition will help promote peace and a spirit of reconciliation. According to Legorreta, the announcement that Fidel was handing the government over to his brother was “what everybody has been waiting for.” Noting that the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, arrives in Cuba on February 20, the specialist says that while the coinciding of the two events wasn’t planned, it is providential. “After 49 years of rule by Fidel Castro what happens on the 24th of February is very important to Cuba. Cardinal Bertone can help this change of power to take place in peace and in a spirit of reconciliation within the country. This is something the Catholic Church in Cuba has already long seen as her mission, and Cardinal Bertone will endeavor to strengthen her in this,” Javier Legorreta said. The expert on the Church in Cuba also explained that “the mission of the Church is to spread reconciliation and peace. She will therefore endeavor to help the transformation in the country to take place in peace and human justice.” (CNA, 20/2/08)
February 20: Father Joaquín Alliende, the spiritual director of the international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), is calling the resignation of Fidel Castro “a great opportunity for the Church.” He conveyed his belief by pointing out the “wisdom and tenacity” of the Cuban bishops in great times of need and Pope John Paul II’s prayers when he visited the nation. Father Alliende, expressed his confidence that after the difficult years of the past, the Cuban bishops would continue to lead the People of God "with wisdom and tenacity" in the present circumstances. The Church lives through the history of her peoples, he added, and seeks "every possible opportunity" to make her Lord Jesus Christ "newly present in the constantly changing circumstances of every nation." As a final point, Father Joaquín Alliende noted that on February 24, 1998 Pope John Paul II crowned the image of Our Lady of Cobre, the patroness of Cuba and declared her the "Mother of Reconciliation" for Cuba. It was then that he asked her to “unite her people.” He added, “May the events that are now unfolding there permit Cuba to restore her national solidarity, so that she may then set about planning her future." (CNA, 20/2/08)
February 21: The announcement that Fidel Castro is stepping down as Cuba’s leader has raised the question of Cuba’s future. One hint of what Cuba’s successors are thinking comes from Brazil. A major Brazilian newspaper, Folha de Sao Paulo, has been carrying a series of articles by columnist Kennedy Alencar, an international journalist with close contacts in the government of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva. Da Silva visited Cuba on January 15 and met with both Fidel and Raul Castro. According to Alencar, Raul Castro indicated to Da Silva that he wanted Brazil’s help in reorienting the country’s economy and possibly its relationship with the United States. Raul urged Da Silva, a friend of Fidel’s for years, to encourage Brazilian entrepreneurs to invest in Cuba. There were indications that Raul envisions Cuba liberalizing its economy — one of the most communist in the world — and reshaping it along Chinese or Vietnamese lines. Alencar said Raul Castro reached out to da Silva not only because of friendship, but because he feels that only da Silva is in a position to be taken seriously in Havana, Washington and Caracas. (Stratfor, 21/2/08)
February 21: Gerónimo Gutiérrez, undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), said that any process of change in Cuba should come from within the country and highlighted the interest “of the entire hemisphere” in “stability” on the island. On the possibility of Mexico joining a potential Group of Friends that would collaborate in a process of change in Cuba, Gutiérrez said that his country “is totally open to responding, to the best of its ability, to any type of request like that.” “But in my view any such request should come from the Cubans themselves,” he added. (EFE, 21/2/08)
February 21: The chief of Argentina’s Cabinet, Alberto Fernández, said that Castro’s exit from power will not change relations between his country and Cuba and indicated that the Cuban leader’s announcement “clearly has a special historical significance.” (EFE, 21/2/08)
February 21: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone met with the Cuban Conference of Catholic Bishops (COCC) and delivered a message from Pope Benedict to the people of Cuba. Pope Benedict XVI called on Cuba's Catholic Church to work for "reconciliation" in the Caribbean country. "Do good, promote the dignity of the person (and) spread feelings of understanding, mercy and reconciliation," the pope urged in a message published simultaneously in Havana and the Vatican, handed to Cuban bishops by Bertone, the Vatican secretary of State. Benedict's message made no mention of the announcement by ailing Fidel Castro that he was stepping down after 49 years in power on the communist island. Ahead of Bertone's arrival the Cuban opposition asked him to intercede on behalf of some 240 political prisoners on the island and for an "end to repression." The pope spoke of "difficulties" encountered by the Church in Cuba, citing a "lack of resources, indifference and even mistrust." He added: "In such cases, the good disciple will find comfort in the words of the Master (Jesus Christ), 'don't be afraid, little flock. Your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom." [Cardinal Bertone’s address to Cuban Bishops and Papal address to Cuban Bishops] (AFP, CNA, 21/2/08)
February 21: The Vatican's No. 2 official hinted at a papal visit to Cuba, hours after Pope Benedict XVI said Roman Catholics on the communist-run island still face difficulties and distrust. Bertone said he hoped his visit to Cuba would give ''a new push'' to sometimes-strained relations between the communist government and the island's Roman Catholic Church. Later, during an open-air Mass in a cobblestone courtyard outside the National Cathedral, Bertone said that Castro invited Benedict to the island in 2005. When Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega said he hoped Bertone's visit would be a precursor to one by Benedict, a grinning Bertone said: ''The Holy Father heard well with his own ears the invitation of Cuba's cardinal tonight. We hope that in the future the Holy Father can visit.'' Bertone's comment drew a minute of sustained applause and shouts from the hundreds of faithful who filled plastic chairs and spilled out into nearby alleyways in Old Havana. Ricardo Alarcon, Havana's Communist Party First Secretary Pedro Saez, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, and other figures from the government and the Party attended the Mass. Bertone repeated Catholic officials' long-held requests to ease government bans on religious schools and air some religious services and events on Cuban state television. Bertone said the Cuban church ''aspires to be ever more present and active (…) carrying out its wide mission to teach, heal, assist the poor and promote the dignity of all human beings.'' [Homilía del cardenal Bertone en la misa de la Catedral] (The New York Times, Prensa Latina, 22/2/08)
February 21: Congo’s Foreign Affairs Minister Basile Ikoubemet told his Cuban counterpart Felipe Perez Roque that relations between his country and the island are excellent. In a meeting with Perez Roque at the Foreign Ministry Building in Havana, the Congolese minister said Cuba is a friend country and that this first official visit to the island is a symbol of the excellent relations between the two nations. Basile Ikoubemet said that before traveling to Cuba he met with the president of his country Denis Sassou Nguesso who asked him to pass on a message of support to Fidel Castro. (ACN, 21/2/08)
February 21: Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and his counterpart from Benin, Moussa Okanla, signed a cooperation agreement that will promote diplomatic ties and bilateral exchange. During the official talks in the Foreign Ministry Building in Havana, Perez Roque highlighted common interests between the two nations as members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and reiterated the invitation of his government to the Beninese President Boni Yayi to visit Cuba. Okanla expressed his pleasure with being in Cuba and thanked the island for its historic support in helping to win the independence of Africa. “It is our duty now to build Africa and to guarantee peace, security and prosperity for the continent by wisely managing its immense natural resources and potential," said Okanla. (ACN, 21/2/08)
February 21: Cuba’s Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque told the press that Cuba condemns the US political and economic aggression against Venezuela in support of Exxon Mobil Corporation in its legal claim against the Venezuelan oil company PDVSA. Perez Roque said that every government has the right to nationalize natural resources, and that this principle is defended by the international community. The minister officially declared that Cuba strongly supports the Venezuelan people and the government of President Hugo Chavez, and demanded respect for the sovereign decisions made by them. [Declaración del Ministro] (Prensa Latina, 22/2/08)
February 21: East Germany's last premier, who oversaw the communist country's transition to democracy, is in Cuba meeting with Fidel and Raúl Castro, a German professor working in Mexico said. Former East German Premier Hans Modrow headed to the island after receiving an invitation from Cuba's government and will stay there until late April, said Heinz Dieterich, a professor at Mexico City's Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana and a friend of Modrow. In a phone interview, Dieterich said he spoke with Modrow in January about the visit. Modrow, a moderate communist, took office four days after the opening of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and governed until the country's first democratic elections in March 1990. ''The invitation means he'll meet with important Cuban politicians, including Fidel and Raúl obviously,'' said Dieterich, who is widely considered to be a mentor to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. (AP, 22/2/08)
February 22: During a Mass celebrated at the Monastery of St. Teresa of the Discalced Carmelites in Havana, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone called on contemplative nuns to help bring about reconciliation in Cuba through their prayers, because as he said, “Cubans need God.” In his homily, the Vatican Secretary of State said the Church’s hope for contemplative nuns is “a life transfigured by the profession of the evangelical counsels, which create communion both in the community as well as in the Church and in the world.” “In fact, the Church and the world hope for their affectionate companionship, with their incessant prayer, in the big and small events both in the universal Church as well as in the specific society in which they live,” Cardinal Bertone continued. Referring to Cuban political authorities, Cardinal Bertone also called on the nuns to pray “without ceasing that the Lord will enlighten the consciences of those who are responsible for providing a decent life to citizens, restoring peace and justice, promoting solidarity especially with those most in need. Fervently pray for the fostering of human, ethical and religious values, the absence of which particularly affects young people.” (CNA, 22/2/08)
February 23: Fidel Castro termed antediluvian the argument given by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, regarding an alleged immediate re-admission of Cuba into the regional group. His assertion appears in an article released under the title "Who wants to join the garbage dump?" "I learned by chance that the OAS existed while reading an Internet cable about the article written by Georgina Saldierna, published in “La Jornada” under the title “Insulza Rules out Immediate Re-admission of Cuba into OAS”. "Nobody remembers the OAS. One can see the antediluvian nature of the argument, " Fidel Castro wrote. [Who Wants to Be in the Garbage Dump?] (Prensa Latina, 23/2/08)
February 23: North Korea praised Fidel Castro as a close ally who did not allow US sanctions and a blockade to hinder his leadership of Cuba. ''The Korean people have regarded Fidel Castro as the closest comrade-in-arms and comrade, and will make positive efforts to steadily consolidate and develop the relations of friendship with the fraternal Cuban people,'' the North's official Korean Central News Agency cited the Foreign Ministry as saying. The ministry wished Fidel Castro a swift recovery, hoping “everything will go well in Cuba in the future too,'' KCNA said. ''Fidel Castro has wisely led the party, government and people of Cuba to triumphantly advance the socialist cause in Cuba despite the U.S. persistent sanctions and blockade,'' it said. (AP, 23/2/08)
February 23: The Vatican's No. 2 official unveiled a statue commemorating Pope John Paul II's historic trip to Cuba 10 years ago, after hinting that Pope Benedict XVI may make a visit of his own. Thousands attending an open-air Mass applauded as Roman Catholic Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, pulled off a white cloth to reveal the bronze likeness of a smiling John Paul, waving his right hand and holding his papal staff in the other. Three times as tall as an average adult, the statue came from Rome as a gift from the Vatican and was placed in Santa Clara as the site of John Paul's first Mass during his January 1998 visit. It is inscribed: "Open the doors to Christ." A crowd of thousands stretched for 10 blocks down a wide, divided boulevard in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara, which features another famed statue: of guerrilla fighter Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Most worshippers wore white T-shirts reading "Messenger of Truth and Hope" over a picture of John Paul. Others had baseball caps or clutched paper fans with the image of the late pontiff. [Discurso del Cardenal Bertone] (AP, 23/2/08)
February 23: Pray the rosary with confidence and bring the love of Christ to people of Cuba, the Pope's secretary of state urged the youth of Cuba. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said this during the recitation of the rosary with youth gathered at the shrine of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre in Santiago de Cuba. The Vatican representative is in Cuba to mark the 10th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to the island nation in 1988. Speaking with the youth at the Marian shrine, the cardinal said: : "You are the heirs to the memory of the Christian communities who, through trials and difficulties, knew how to hand on their authentic faith in the course of history. Now it is up to you to be the present and the future of the Church of Cuba”. "You are the voice of those who do not have a voice. Today you are faced with new challenges, new and numerous problems, and new hopes too, above all in what regards the dignity and fundamental rights of the person." The Santiago Mass featured vibrant music and dancing by the faithful and top church officials, an outpouring of energy and emotion that residents of eastern Cuba are famous for. "Cuban music fascinated me here and excited me so much," said Bertone who sang a spirited rendition of the song of the Virgin of Charity together with thousands of worshippers. [Rezo del Santo Rosario en el Santuario del Cobre] (Zenit, Reuters, 24/2/08)
February 24: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sent congratulations to Cuba's new president, Raul Castro, and said his brother Fidel Castro remained the country's "commandant". Calling Raul Castro his "friend", Chavez - a staunch ally of Cuba - said Raul was always a quiet force, working for his brother and "loyal to the revolution". "Fidel, comrade, you continue to be el commandant Fidel. Viva Raul, viva Fidel, viva Cuba!" Chavez said on television. (Reuters, 24/2/08)
February 24: Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Le Dung referred to the newly elected leadership in Cuba: "We fully believe that in any position, President Fidel Castro will continue to devote his intellectuality to the Cuban revolutionary cause, and contribute to further strengthening and developing the traditional friendship, brotherly solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cuba." (Reuters, 25/2/08)
February 24: Bolivian President Evo Morales congratulated Raul Castro on his election as president of Cuba and expressed his unconditional support with the new head of state and his revolutionary people. Morales expressed the desire of his government "to continue working together for the revolution and the integration of our peoples, since only through unity can we guarantee the path of liberation," reported Prensa Latina. "I repeat my fervent support and endless solidarity for you and our beloved Cuba," said Morales in the official text. (Granma, 27/2/08)
February 25: The European Commission is willing to engage in a "constructive political dialogue" with Cuba's new President Raul Castro, Louis Michel, the EU's Development and Aid Commissioner said. Michel "takes note" of Castro's nomination to succeed his ailing brother and long-time leader Fidel Castro as new president of Cuba, the EU's executive arm said in a statement. "The European Commission stands ready to continue working with the Cuban government, in coordination with our European Union partners, to improve and deepen cooperation issues of common interest such as the environment and climate change," it said. The change at the head of the Cuban regime comes amid a debate among European nations over whether to normalise relations with Havana. Michel, who will visit Cuba, also "stated his willingness to engage in a constructive political dialogue with Raul Castro." The EU official's trip to Cuba on March 6-7 had been planned before 81-year-old Fidel Castro announced his decision to step down. [Statement by Commissioner Louis Michel] (AFP, 25/2/08)
February 25: Cuba and the Vatican highlighted their common views on key international issues and considered the current level of bilateral relations positive. We have found many coincidences, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said in a press conference after meeting with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who is on a pastoral visit to the island. Perez Roque described the meeting as "friendly, frank and respectful," and stressed they were able to discuss "thoroughly" bilateral relations and international issues, including the need to reform the UN system and to democratize international relations for the benefit of poor countries. The Cuban official confirmed that Bertone will be received by the newly-elected Cuban President Raul Castro. Vatican Secretary of State Tarciscio Bertone said he expected "clarity" and "sincerity" in his talks with the new leader. "I have come here at a special, extraordinary moment," Bertone told the news conference. Bertone hailed as "positive" the recent freeing of certain prisoners, but said he had not called for amnesties. The Vatican Secretary of State called the US embargo against Cuba "unjust" and "ethically unacceptable", and a violation of the Cuban people’s independence. The Vatican Secretary of State asked the US government to end such a hostile policy and allow contact between Cuban families living across the Strait of Florida. [Conferencia de prensa] (Prensa Latina, AFP, 25/2/08)
February 25: The Vatican's secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, favored harmony between culture and ethics to build a world with values that stimulate human and social development. Coexistence without values is like culture without ethics, and that leads to a dehumanized society, said the cardinal in his lecture "Culture and Ethical Foundations of Human Life" at the University of Havana. The envoy of Pope Benedict XVI urged to find concrete ways, at the level of society, for culture and ethics to build a better world based on such values as freedom, solidarity, justice and peace. He highlighted the thought of illustrious Cubans such as National Hero Jose Marti and Father Felix Varela, to whom he paid his respects at the University of Havana where his remains are kept. "If culture is an asset, it then must be at everybody's reach," said Cardinal Bertone during the lecture, also attended by Culture Minister Abel Prieto and intellectuals Armando Hart, Fina Garcia Marruz, Cintio Vitier, Miguel Barnet, Eusebio Leal and Roberto Fernandez Retamar. (Prensa Latina, 25/2/08)
February 25: Raúl Castro's defiant speech and his decision to designate a hard-liner as his No. 2 drew mixed international reaction, with a top European official saying he was disappointed but others sending their congratulations. ''The news could have been more open, better,'' said Javier Solana, the European Union's top foreign affairs representative. "I'm not sure that the transition has begun from the political point of view.'' The French foreign ministry called on Cuba to take a democratic path and free political prisoners. ''More liberations of opposition politicians and journalists, especially those who are in poor health, would be a first sign by the Cuban authorities on their determination to begin implementing reforms,'' said Pascale Andreani, a foreign ministry spokesman. Many countries, however, had different reactions. Meanwhile, South African President Thabo Mbeki sent a congratulatory message to Castro, recalling how Cuba had helped fight colonialism in Africa and promising to help as Cuba begins "the new and difficult task of consolidating the political and economic system in Cuba.'' A Peruvian foreign ministry official said bilateral relations would be unaffected by the events. Peru was the only major Latin American country to openly call on Cuba to enact democratic reforms after Fidel Castro announced last week he would not seek reelection to the presidency. (EFE, 25/2/08)
February 26: During his visit to the island, the Vatican secretary of State, cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, held a meeting with diplomats based in Havana. At the venue of the Cuban Foreign Affairs Ministry, Bertone addressed the role of the Church in Cuba and saluted the new government in place since February 24. [Discurso de Bertone] (Zenit, 26/2/08)
February 26: The Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) "is an eminent symbol of the international vocation of Cuba," said Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, after meeting with a group of students at the institution. The Secretary of State of Pope Benedicto XVI received an explanation on the efforts of ELAM from the administration as well as from Jose M. Miyar, Secretary of the Council of State and Yilliam Jimenez, Vice Minister for International Cooperation at the Foreign Ministry. After learning about the project, Cardinal Bertone said that at ELAM the ideas of cooperation and solidarity become reality; “the solidarity with the poorest and neediest," in a world where the right to health care is not for all, he noted. Later in his tour, the Vatican official praised the role of Cuba in conceiving the highly professional medical school where values of "integral humanism" are promoted, precepts he said coincide with the Catholic Church. (Granma, 27/2/08)
February 26: Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone raised the Catholic Church's concern about prisoners in Cuba in a meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro. "With the greatest respect for the sovereignty of the country and its citizens, I expressed to President Raul Castro the concern of the Church over the prisoners and their families," Bertone said at Havana airport before his departure. The Vatican's No. 2 official did not specify whether he was referring to jailed dissidents or common prisoners. Earlier, the cardinal told the news agency of the Italian Bishops Conference, SIR, that in discussions with Cuban officials he had not asked "directly" for the release of political prisoners. "It would look like interference," he was quoted as saying. "The Church does not impose, but proposes." He also told the agency that the island's leaders had assured him they would allow some Roman Catholic broadcasts on state-controlled media. "Authorities have promised me more openness in the print press and the radio -- and in some exceptional cases, in television as well," he said. "We do hope for some openness, because nothing is impossible." Bertone said he hoped his six-day visit had given a new push to once strained ties between the Cuban state and the Catholic Church 10 years after Pope John Paul's historic trip to the island. But he said the relations would always be "challenging." Bertone's visit brought a welcome boost to the Church in Cuba through greater exposure in the state-controlled media. Cuban television broadcast live a news conference where Bertone, in response to a question, welcomed the recent release of four political prisoners, though he said he had not pressed for an amnesty for other jailed dissidents. (Reuters, AP, 27/2/08)
February 26: China congratulated Cuba's new leader Raul Castro, the younger brother of Fidel Castro, who stepped down last week after 49 years in power. "China and Cuba are friendly nations, and China will continue to work with Cuba to push forward reciprocal and friendly relations," said Liu Jianchao, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman. Liu told a regular press conference that China had advocated respect for the Cuban people's decision. "We believe and wish Cuba would maintain stability and development under the new leadership, and this conforms to the interest of the people and is conducive to regional peace and stability," Liu said. Liu also praised Fidel Castro. "He has long been committed to China-Cuba friendship and made historical contributions to bilateral ties," he said. (Xinhua, 26/2/08)
February 26: Former Czech President Vaclav Havel and former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said Cuba remains subject to “tyranny” after Fidel Castro's resignation and called on the new Cuban president to make democratic changes. “Sadly, Fidel's abdication has not been meant to give way to a pluralistic democracy (...) but to perpetuate tyranny on the island,” Havel and Aznar said in a statement released by the Prague-based International Committee for Democracy in Cuba, and also signed by Carlos Alberto Montaner, head of the Cuban Liberal Party. “This is unacceptable”, the statement affirms. The committee was formed in 2003. Its members also include former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other former politicians from around the globe.[OneStepBack](AP,27/2/08)
February 26: One hundred young students from Nicaragua will be selected to study medicine in Cuba. The selection process has been undertaken by the Youth Institute of the Central American country. Benita Arbizu, deputy director of the Nicaraguan institution, explained that people from communities located far from the capital of the country —such as Rio San Juan, Chinandega and other departments— will have priority in the selection process. Around 2,000 Nicaraguans are currently studying medicine in several facilities of the Latin American Medical School in Cuba, while nearly a hundred have become doctors in Cuba. (Prensa Latina, 28/2/08)
February 26: Brazil, Venezuela and Cuba sent teams to Paraguay to try to help authorities control a yellow fever outbreak that has killed three people and sickened at least 13, including some living near the capital, Asuncion. Medical, laboratory and insect specialists from the three countries joined Paraguay health officials as local authorities used the army, police and schools to promote insect control and vaccination programs, the Pan American Health Organization said in a statement. Seven cases have been found in young people from San Pedro department who visited rural areas where they contracted a jungle variant of the virus spread by mosquitoes among monkeys and humans, the organization said. (Bloomberg, 27/2/08)
February 26: Experts from Venezuela and Cuba are developing research to genetically diagnose people with physical disabilities, in an initiative aimed at determining illness causes and the necessary treatment, official sources reported. Venezuelan Participation and Social Protection Minister Erika Farias said the work started in the state of Miranda in 2007, and has been extended to such other states as Barinas, Zulia, and Delta Amacuro. People that are already located by the Barrio Adentro Mission are genetically assessed within that system, she told Venezolana de Television. The official said the initiative involves house-by-house actions with Cuban medical equipment, social workers and specialized physicians. (Prensa Latina, 26/2/08)
February 27: Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya and former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, who drafted a plan to supervise the independence of Kosovo, are among a near-record 197 nominees for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize. "Of the total, 164 are individuals and 33 are organisations," Geir Lundestad, head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, told the press. "This is the second highest number -- the most was in 2005 with 199." "The field is wide open," said Stein Toennesson, head of the Peace Research Institute, at Oslo. "I cannot see any clear favourites". (Reuters, 28/2/08)
February 27: Guatemala´s President Alvaro Colom met with Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodriguez in a private audience, Guatemalan Presidential spokesman Fernando Barillas informed. "They spoke of the origin of music in Cuba and Guatemala, and their importance for strengthening the identity of the Latin American peoples," Barillas told Prensa Latina. Silvio Rodriguez, who is visiting Guatemala for the first time, invited Colom to attend his performance in Guatemala City. After his presentation in Guatemala, Rodriguez will perform in El Salvador, another country he has never visited, and from there will go to Nicaragua, a nation he visited 23 years ago. (Prensa Latina, 27/2/08)
February 28: Cuba is to sign at the United Nations headquarters in New York the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Pact and the Civil and Political Rights Pact, as announced on December 10, Granma newspaper reported. According to the publication, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque traveled to New York to ink those accords. Perez Roque's agenda also includes meeting with the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Coordination Bureau, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and the president of the UN General Assembly, Srgjan Kerim. The Cuban diplomat will also travel to Geneva to participate in the Top Level Segment of the Seventh Ordinary Session of the Human Rights Council, where Cuba attends as a founding country. (Prensa Latina, 28/2/08)
February 28: The Spanish government advised, through different channels, Cardinal Tarcision Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, regarding the visit he paid to Havana. Spain and the Vatican - albeit possibly with different short-term aims - are conducting very similar policies regarding the situation in Cuba. In an electoral debate with the PP (opposition Popular Party) the spokesman in the Congress, Gustavo de Aristegui - who criticized the rapprochement with the Castro regime by Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Bernardino Leon, said the Spanish government and the Catholic Church are maintaining "the same position". During a stopover by Bertone in Madrid, the subjects of conversation with Spanish government officials included the Vatican secretary of state's visit to Cuba, the contacts he held there with the Cuban authorities and the subjects he asked about, including the situation of the prisoners, a matter that worries the Catholic Church from the viewpoint of human rights and specifically of the humanitarian aspects. (ABC, 28/2/08)
February 28: Cuba signed two UN human rights pacts that long-time president Fidel Castro, replaced by his brother just four days ago, had refused to endorse for more than three decades. But the communist-run island's foreign minister said after signing the documents at UN headquarters in New York that Havana still shared the reservations expressed by Castro about the pacts and would formally record them in the future. Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Perez Roque had announced on December 10 Cuba's intention to adhere to the accords. He also said then that Cuba would open its doors in early 2009 to regular international scrutiny by the recently created UN Human Rights Council. Perez Roque said in a statement on Thursday the decision to sign "has been taken now that the selective and unjust mandate against Cuba imposed by the brutal pressure and blackmail carried out by the United States ... has been clearly defeated." He called this "a historic victory for the Cuban people," adding that “it was the Revolution the one that made possible the enjoyment by its people of the rights protected by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” The signature was "a sovereign decision of the Cuban government," he said. [Statement by Cuba’s Foreign Minister] (Reuters, AP, 28,29/2/08)
February 28: Benedict XVI's secretary of state has brought back a positive report after his six-day pastoral trip to Cuba, saying the Church in Cuba is being reborn, above all in the enthusiasm of the youth. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone affirmed this in an interview with Vatican Radio and L'Osservatore Romano, to be aired and printed on March 1st. Cardinal Bertone spoke of his meeting with Raúl Castro, saying: "I have seen a man who is very realistic, open to discuss everything, and above all, concerned with maintaining values and ideals. "Naturally I have proposed to President Raúl also the problem of prisoners of all types, not just political prisoners, as well as pastoral attention to the prisoners." Asked about his public condemnation of the embargo, “the cardinal said that this judgment could also be applied to "many restrictions that the European Union still maintains." "It seems to me that these attitudes naturally seek to try to make the government of the island evolve toward greater liberty, a greater respect for human rights, but I think that these measures that are so hard, taken unilaterally, do not favor development," the cardinal said. "They make the people suffer, because it is the people, the families, the children, the youth, who are penalized with these measures, and they don't recognize the dignity of the nation in its values, in its independence, in its tradition. Thus, they are unacceptable." He continued: "I have assured that the Holy See will work to try so that at least these sanctions are reduced, or even eliminated. Certainly, this has to come with a development toward greater liberty, toward a greater recognition of personal rights and social rights, as well as political and economic rights. "But there are also promising prospects, because now, Cuba is preparing itself to sign two UN conventions, precisely regarding personal rights, regarding social rights, regarding economic rights, regarding political rights." (Zenit, 28/2/08)
February 28: Cuba supplies aid to a number of countries and one of the biggest aid schemes is in Bolivia. "There is usually a love interest behind it all, if you ask me," says Dr Maria de los Angeles, a sparky woman from Guines, not far from Havana, director of the Cuban-Venezuelan eye hospital at El Alto, 13,000 feet up (3,962m) in the High Andes. Discussing why a very small number of the 2,000 Cuban medical personnel sent to Bolivia from the island over the past two years have jumped ship and gone home, Dr Mabel, an attractive young eye surgeon from Pinar del Rio, the western-most province of Cuba, says that “there's no pack of parties here." In a score of general hospitals built mainly with Venezuelan money over the past two years, 2,000 Cuban medical staff including 1,300 qualified doctors have been at work. They have provided more than nine million consultations. In particular, Maria de los Angeles, Mabel, and her colleagues have carried out 200,000 operations in ophthalmological units up and down Bolivia. So popular are they, that the units built on the frontiers with Peru and Argentina have treated more Peruvians and Argentines than Bolivians. "We treat anyone who walks in, and we do it for nothing," says Maria de los Angeles. In the other Cuban hospitals in Bolivia, services go from preventative medicine - which has pushed down infant mortality and pushed up life expectancy - to general healthcare and emergency operations. (BBC, 28/2/08)
February 29: In an interview with the “L’Osservatore Romano” and “Vatican Radio”, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone reflected on his recent visit to Cuba and said dialogue between the Church and the State is necessary. He also said Raul Castro is willing to “exchange prisoners” with the United States. Recounting his meeting with Cuba’s new president and with other officials, Cardinal Bertone said, “Discussions began initially with the exchange of impressions about Cuba and about the vitality of the Catholic Church. Later I met privately with the President face to face for 55 minutes. I presented him with a specific request and the new President responded positively.” The Vatican Secretary of State said one issue addressed with the Cuban president “refers to the action of the bishops’ conference.” “The recognition of the Catholic Church’s legal status is one concrete problem that exists,” he stated. Cardinal Bertone also revealed that he discussed the issue of political prisoners with the President. “I gave President Raul a list of names of prisoners for consideration [to be released] for humanitarian reasons, respecting always the sovereignty of Cuba,” the cardinal said, adding that he also expressed his concern for the families of those detained. In response, Cardinal Bertone said, “the President emphasized the importance of reciprocity at the international level. He said he was willing to address all the problems with great openness and even to make concrete gestures in an atmosphere of reciprocity”. The Vatican cardinal said President Castro also brought up the issue of five Cuban prisoners in the United States and their humanitarian treatment, “with the eventual possibility of an exchange.” He also stressed that since the embargo directly affects the inhabitants of Cuba, he “gave assurances that the Holy See would work to have these sanctions reduced, if not altogether eliminated.” However, he emphasized that “this would certainly imply movement towards greater freedom, towards the recognition of personal, social, political and economic rights” by the Cuban government. (CNA, 29/2/08)
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