Chronicle on Cuba - February 2010

Foreign Affairs

February 1: Reporters Without Borders said that the Cuban government’s arrest of independent journalist Juan Carlos Reyes Ocaña indicates that there is no positive move toward more press freedom on the communist island. “The regime continues to harass bloggers, deal out unfair detentions and ill-treat prisoners of opinion as it refuses to tolerate any news outside its control,” the group, known by the initials RSF, said in a statement issued from its headquarters in Paris. “Cautious improvements introduced since Raul Castro assumed the presidency in February 2008 stall when it comes to human rights,” RSF said. The press freedom organization noted that Reyes Ocaña – who was arrested on Jan. 29 and accused of insult, disobedience and illegal economic activity – remains on a hunger strike while awaiting a “trial which could mean a prison sentence.” “Havana has never ratified as it promised the U.N. Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, that includes free expression, which was signed at the official handover of power two years ago” from the ailing Fidel Castro to younger brother Raul, RSF said. Independent journalists are well represented among the 201 political prisoners being held by the island’s communist government, dissident organizations say (EFE, 1/2/10).

February 1: The first six Cuban Rehabilitation wards came into operation in Port-au-Prince, devastated on January 12 by an earthquake of great intensity. Doctor Carlos Alberto Garcia, one of the leaders of the Cuban medical brigade now in Haiti to help disaster victims, affirmed that physical therapy is a nonexistent public service in the country, so the number of patients with polytraumas will increase as patients know about the existence of this service, offered free of charge. Another three wards for physical therapy services are expected to be opened. Services for mental health for the population, severely damaged by the earthquake are organized with the arrival from Cuba of psychologists and psychiatrists.  Psycho-cultural and recreational activities for children and young people, to contribute to their mental recovery will be carried out over the following days (ACN, 1/2/10).

February 1: The Non Aligned Movement (NAM) passed a declaration rejecting a group of measures recently implemented by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
that include more rigorous screening for passengers coming from or through 14 countries, including Cuba. The document, published by the official Cuban website, Cubadebate, condemns the decision by the US Government that labels these 14 nations as ‘state sponsors of terrorism and countries of interest’. The text rejects this unilateral list and urges all States to comply with their duties regarding international law and humanitarian international law in the fight against terror (ACN, 1/2/10).

Febrero 1: Las autoridades de salud de Panamá lamentaron la decisión de Cuba de retirar los médicos oftalmólogos que participaban en el programa "Operación Milagro" en este país. En un comunicado, la cartera de Salud dijo que lamenta la medida "unilateral" de la embajada de Cuba, divulgada a través de los medios, de retirar a los galenos, asegurando que ambas naciones habían acordado prorrogar dicho programa hasta abril. La agencia AP buscó una reacción de la sede diplomática cubana la noche del lunes, pero sus funcionarios ya se habían retirado. De acuerdo con un despacho de la agencia cubana Prensa Latina ese mismo día, que cita un comunicado de la embajada, el gobierno de esa nación dispuso la retirada de la brigada médica que laboraba en Panamá. Explicó que la medida se dio luego que el 5 de enero conoció, a través de la prensa panameña, una intervención pública del ministro de Salud donde se informaba del lanzamiento de la iniciativa "Visión 2020" en sustitución de la "Operación Milagro" (AP, 2/2/10).

Febrero 2: Cuba salió hoy en defensa de su programa Operación Milagro en América Latina, de cirugías oftalmológicas gratuitas, tras señalar que fue el nuevo gobierno panameño, del conservador Ricardo Martinelli, el que dio por concluida la iniciativa con la que se devolvió la vista a 50 mil personas en el país canalero. Bajo el título “Los ojos abiertos de América Latina”, el diario oficial Granma informó de la retirada inmediata de los médicos cubanos que cumplen la misión en el país itsmeño, anunciándola como una decisión tomada unilateralmente por el gobierno panameño, que por su parte acusó el lunes de lo mismo a Cuba (La Jornada, 2/2/10).

February 2: South African writer Nadine Gordimer, winner of the 1991 Nobel Literature Prize, is to travel to Havana to participate in the 19th International Book Fair, which opens on February 11 in the Cuban capital. She is to launch a Spanish-language edition of her novel A Sport of Nature published by Cuba’s Editorial Arte y Literatura. Soon to celebrate her 87th birthday, Gordimer is not only considered the most important figure in South African literature, together with J.M. Coetzee, but also stands out as a political and social activist for humanism and justice  (Granma International, 1/2/10).

February 2: Cuban doctors arrived to the figure of 100,000 free eye surgeries in Ecuador, by way of the Operation Miracle project. The first Cuban ophthalmologists arrived in that South American country in October 2005 and for eight months saw over 12,000 patients in the province of Esmeraldas, of which 2,101 were operated on in Cuba, Prensa Latina news agency reported.  The coordinator of the Mission in Ecuador, Milagros Mata, congratulated these doctors and reiterated their commitment to continue contributing their best, offering high quality services for the benefit of the Latin American peoples (ACN, 2/2/10).

February 2: A group of 33 Cuban political prisoners signed a letter to former South African President Nelson Mandela with their warmest regards on the upcoming 20th anniversary of his release from prison and denouncing the status of human rights in Cuba. “Those of us signing this letter are Cuban political prisoners and prisoners of conscience who wish to send you our most sincere congratulations on the 20th year since your deserved and historic release from jail,” the letter, which was delivered to the South African Embassy and to the press in Havana, said. “We celebrate as our own the 20th anniversary of regaining your freedom, and we are certain that you, with your big heart, will celebrate as yours next March 18, which marks the seventh year we have suffered in prison,” it said. The missive was written by Antonio Ramon Diaz, sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2003, one of the promoters of the Varela Project, which sought a referendum favoring an opening to democracy and spaces for social participation in Cuba. “For dissenting peacefully from an unjust state of affairs, just as happened in the South Africa of Apartheid to you and the African National Congress, they constantly accuse us of defending interests and ideologies of foreign powers,” the letter said (LAHT, 2/2/10).

Febrero 2: El presidente venezolano, Hugo Chávez, anunció que el ministro de Tecnología cubano, Ramiro Valdés, se encuentra en Venezuela para dirigir la comisión técnica que hará frente a la grave crisis eléctrica que afecta al país. ``Ellos (los cubanos) lo han tenido (el problema eléctrico) muy grave en otras épocas (...) Está con nosotros al frente de esa comisión uno de los héroes de la revolución cubana, el comandante Ramiro Valdés'', afirmó el mandatario venezolano, quien no dio más precisiones. Las declaraciones las hizo Chávez durante el acto oficial conmemorativo del undécimo aniversario de su llegada al poder, el 2 de febrero de 1999. Según explicó el presidente venezolano, Fidel Castro le ofreció el envío de una comisión técnica encabezada por Valdés para ayudar a solventar el problema eléctrico que amenaza con dejar a oscuras a Venezuela en los próximos meses (EFE, 2/2/10).

Febrero 2: El presidente cubano Raúl Castro afirmó que Cuba estará en Haití el tiempo que sea necesario para ayudarlo a resarcirse del devastador terremoto del pasado 12 de enero. "Hemos estado y continuaremos al lado del pueblo haitiano todo el tiempo que sea necesario, los años que sean necesarios, con nuestra modesta ayuda", dijo el gobernante en la embajada de Haití en La Habana. Castro visitó la sede diplomática para firmar el libro de condolencias y expresar en nombre de su pueblo el profundo pesar y la solidaridad con las víctimas del sismo que, de acuerdo con el más recientes reporte, se cuantifican 200 mil muertos (Notimex, 2/2/10).

February 2: Former Polish President and Nobel Peace Laureate Lech Walesa, a key player in helping bringing down communism in Eastern Europe, said that there will soon be a political change in Cuba. ``It's going to happen,'' Walesa said, speaking through an interpreter. ``But the world must be ready for the changes that will bring about,'' he cautioned. Walesa, the guest speaker at a $100-a-plate luncheon of the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba at the Freedom Tower, said the rest of the world needs to see the real Cuba -- and not the island as ``a tourist attraction” (The Miami Herald, 3/2/10).

Febrero 2: El gobierno cubano despidió al embajador en La Habana del ex presidente hondureño Manuel Zelaya, Juan Ramón Elvir Salgado, con la Medalla de la Amistad del Consejo de Estado, máxima autoridad ejecutiva de la isla, informaron medios oficiales. El ministro cubano de Exteriores, Bruno Rodríguez, entregó el reconocimiento a Elvir en la sede de la cancillería, en un acto al que asistieron otros altos funcionarios del gobernante Partido Comunista de Cuba. La Medalla de la Amistad la otorga el Consejo de Estado a "personalidades sobresalientes por su labor solidaria hacia la isla" (EFE, 2/2/10).

February 3: The Cuban eye experts who were working in Panama as part of the Miracle Operation eye surgery program returned to their home country after the government of the isthmus nation terminated the medical cooperation with the island. Cuban Deputy Public Heath Minister Roberto Gonzalez Martin met the doctors at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana. Upon welcoming them, Gonzales said the Cuban brigade left a mark in nearly 50,000 Panamanians who recovered their sight after being operated free of charge by them. However the minister noted that other 40,000 diagnosed patients who were hoping to recover their sight through Operation Miracle were left untreated. The head of the Cuban medical mission, Retina specialist Odalys Gonzalez Peña, said the brigade is willing to continue their work in Panama and stressed that their return to Cuba responds solely to the unilateral decision made by the Panamanian government (ACN, 3/2/10).

February 3: Cuban Vice President Esteban Lazo presided over a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnamese Communist Party. The ceremony took place at the Main Hall of the University of Havana and it was attended by the Vietnamese ambassador to Cuba, Vu Chi Cong, who highlighted the long-standing bonds of friendship between the Caribbean nation and his country (ACN, 4/2/10).

February 4: Spain’s foreign minister insisted before the European Parliament on the advisability of normalizing the European Union’s relations with Cuba and replacing the current common position of the bloc with a “bilateral accord” with the island’s communist government. “Is it that the common position has achieved the results that the honorable members desired?” asked Miguel Angel Moratinos of the legislators in response to the questions presented to him regarding Cuba. “What Spain wants is to change that common position, which is unilateral, for a bilateral accord where the Cuban authorities commit themselves and put their signature on a series of commitments in the area of human rights,” the minister said. For that to occur, the Spanish government – which now holds the union’s rotating presidency – will have to convince all its European partners, since changing the document requires unanimity among the 27 EU members (EFE, 4/2/10).

February 4: The solidarity work of the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of the Americas (ALBA), a regional integration and cooperation bloc, is facilitating the delivery of aid supplies and resources from other countries to the people of Haiti after the devastating earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince last January 12th. In this respect, the Red Half Moon Company of the Islamic Republic of Iran organized the transportation of health personnel and humanitarian supplies in coordination with the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, the embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Iran and CONVIASA, an airline of the South American nation. An air bridge set up by the ALBA member states was used for the transportation of the personnel and materials, which included 30 tons of relief aid. According to a press release from Tehran’s embassy in Havana, as part of the Iranian assistance to Haiti, first-aiders and health specialists as well as medical and surgical equipment, and a mobile clinic, are already in Port-au-Prince. Currently, the Red Half Moon Company of Iran is preparing the transportation of a second group of doctors and humanitarian supplies (ACN, 4/2/10).

February 4: The fifth Cuban field hospital in Haiti will soon be in operation after its arrival and transfer to Les Cayes, its final destination. Luis Oliveros Serranos, in charge of logistics of the Cuban medical mission in that country, expressed that logic and efficiency are the main standards followed in this cooperation with the Haitian people, since resources are placed where they’re more necessary, in a balanced way. The field hospitals (the previous ones are located in Croix des Buquet, Carrefour, Leogane and Jacmel) are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and more will continue to be opened according to the needs of the population. The purpose of the contribution made by the countries that are members of the Bolivarian Alliance for The Americas (ALBA) is to give their support to the Haitian people in the field of health after the earthquake that devastated the nation's capital and neighboring cities. Also in operation, besides the five field units, are five Centers for Comprehensive Diagnosis and  three medical institutions (La Paz, Renaissance and Ofatma hospitals), all of them in charge of Cuban doctors, nurses and health technicians, with the support of Haitian fifth and sixth year students from Havana’s Latin American School of Medicine, and Haitian physicians graduated from this center (ACN, 4/2/10).

February 4: President Hugo Chavez's naming of a heavyweight Cuban official to help fix Venezuela's electricity crisis has fired up his opponents at a politically volatile time for the South American nation. Power rationing since late 2009 has emerged as a major problem for the OPEC member nation of nearly 29 million people, threatening its ability to pull out of recession and weighing on Chavez's popularity ahead of a September legislative poll. After days of protests last week in which two students died, thousands of government and opposition supporters again rallied, the 18th anniversary of a failed coup by Chavez that launched his political career. "Keep trying to topple our revolutionary government with your white hands," Chavez said in reference to students who paint their hands white in marches against the government. "If you challenge us with arms, we are ready with Bolivar's sword," he said, wearing an army uniform and brandishing South American independence fighter Simon Bolivar's sword at a rally in a military base. Some of his supporters waved a Cuban flag. Chavez say he turned to the Cubans for help because they have a long history of serious electricity problems. Cuba already provides thousands of volunteer medics and is also advising on techniques aimed at artificial rain-making. The appointment of 77-year-old Valdes, who is also Cuba's information and communications minister, to an electricity committee has incensed Chavez foes. They have long decried the "Cubanization" of Venezuela, accusing the president of ruining their country by trying to copy Castro's communism. Opposition leaders complained that Valdes, who was with Fidel Castro when he first took up arms in 1953, had more experience at censoring information than fixing power grids. "Valdes has only governed Cuba with repression and a rifle in his hand, that's all he is good for. He has never managed engineering issues," said Enrique Marquez, a spokesman for opposition party Un Nuevo Tiempo (Reuters, 4/2/10).

Febrero 4: El diario oficial Granma sugirió que el Premio Nobel de la Paz, el polaco Lech Walesa, consume una marca de vodka "que le alegra la vida y al que la bebe le da por hablar boberías". "Vodka rusa Stalichnaya no, tiene que ser polaca y de la marca Sobietski", cuya propaganda dice ser la mejor del mundo", añadió un artículo que firma un simpatizante del castrismo en Miami, con el seudónimo de "El Duende". El diario del gobernante Partido Comunista acusó al ex presidente polaco de cobrar por dar conferencias e insistió en su uso del vodka antes de dirigirse al auditorio (Diario de Cuba, 5/2/10).

February 4: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would visit Cuba from February 11 to 13, in a bid to boost cooperation and cement bilateral ties, a foreign ministry spokesman said. During the visit, Lavrov is expected to hold talks with Cuban leaders, including Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, and attend the 19th Havana International Book Fair, Andrei Nesterenko told a news briefing. Russia regarded Cuba as a key partner in Latin America, the official said, noting that bilateral political dialogue, including at high levels, was regular and trust-based. He reiterated that Russia called for normalization in Cuba and expected the country to reintegrate into the region and the world (People’s Daily, 5/2/10).

February 5: A delegation of internationalist combatants headed by Victor Dreke concluded its 10-day visit to Guinea Bissau. The group was seen off at the airport by Marias Adiato Djalo Nandigna, vice-president of the Guinean government and Cuban ambassador to that nation, Pedro Doña, after fulfilling a wide program of activities that included meetings with top authorities of the African country. The delegation arrived to Guinea Bissau on January 25, following an invitation by Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior, president of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea Bissau and the Cape Verde Islands. During its stay, the delegation held bilateral meetings with several ministers, among them those of Defense, the Interior, Public Health and Education, the Cuban Foreign Ministry’s web site reports. It also met with Cuban voluntary workers in Guinea Bissau and with Medicine students from seven faculties receiving advisory in the archipelago (ACN, 5/2/10).

February 5: Cuba and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic reaffirmed their willingness to strengthen the existing bilateral bonds of friendship during a ceremony to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations. Marcos Rodríguez, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister, referred to the Cuban and Sahrawi historic struggle for emancipation and he pointed out that the fraternal ties between both countries have strengthened during their common fight against imperialism. Rodríguez also ratified Cuba’s solidarity with the Sahrawi people’s cause in defense of their sovereignty, which he described as a duty for Cuban revolutionaries. Melainine Etkana, Ambassador of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in Havana, thanked Cuba for its unconditional support not only in the political field but also in the education and health sectors (ACN, 5/2/10).

February 5: Stars of the famous Russian Bolshoi Ballet will perform in the Karl Marx Theater in Havana, along the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC), in an evening that will take place on February 13th. The gala, organized on the occasion of the XIX International Book Fair of Havana, will include classics such as “Nutcracker”, “Le Corsaire”, “Spartacus” and “Giselle”, sources from the BNC said. Among the visiting dancers are Elena Andrienko, Ruslan Skvorsto, Ana Antonicheva, Dimitri Belogolovstsev, Galina and Vladimir Stepanka Neporozhni (ACN, 5/2/10).

February 5: Cuba helps Venezuela to face difficulties in the electricity sector, a support that was acknowledged by Ali Rodriguez, Ministry of Energy of the Bolivarian nation. During his appearance in the Contragolpe (Counterattack) television program broadcast by Venezolana de Televisión, the top official said that the archipelago has vast experience in terms of electricity saving and energy efficiency, Prensa Latina news agency reported. Rodriguez underlined that the energy revolution allowed Cuba to replace incandescent light bulbs and inefficient electrical appliances for energy saving ones and to establish an electricity generation plan that prevents problems derived from this unnecessary spending (ACN, 5/2/10).

February 5: Cuban and Nicaraguan experts continue a study on disabled people in Nicaragua as part of a program called ‘Todos con voz’ (Everyone with Voice) to provide them with medical assistance and, at the same time, restore their citizen rights. After conducting the study in several localities of this Central American country, the health professionals have begun to work in Managua, the country’s capital. Dr. Miladys Orraca, coordinator of the brigade, said that during previous work carried out in the municipalities of the department of Managua, 9,057 cases were studied. Thus far, the research was concluded in the departments of Chinandega, Masaya and Matagalpa, one of the most complex areas for being situated in a mountain range, and also in the municipalities of San Francisco Libre, Tipitapa, Mateare, Ciudad Sandino, San Rafael del Sur, El Crucero and Ticuantepe. The ‘Todos con Voz’ program emerged as an initiative of Fidel Castro. It has been also implemented in other countries members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of the Americas (ALBA) (ACN, 5/2/10).

Febrero 5: El gobierno de Cuba acusó a la Secretaría Ejecutiva de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre Cambio Climático de tratar de imponer el llamado Acuerdo de Copenhague sin el consenso de todos los países. En un comunicado dado a conocer por la embajada de Cuba en México, el gobierno de la isla criticó al secretario ejecutivo de la Convención, Yvo de Boer, por presuntamente ceder a presiones de un grupo de naciones desarrolladas para imponer el “supuesto acuerdo”. A juicio de las autoridades cubanas, dicho pacto no tiene carácter legal, ni mucho menos vinculante, pues no forma parte de los acuerdos firmados en diciembre en Copenhague y, por el contrario, constituye un intento de “enterrar el Protocolo de Kyoto”. En ese sentido la embajada recordó que el 20 de enero el viceministro de Ciencia y Tecnología de Cuba, Fernando González Bermúdez, envió una carta a De Boer, donde reiteró el “más rotundo rechazo al intento ilegítimo de imponer el acuerdo”. Preocupa a Cuba, señaló el documento, que la Secretaría de la Convención actúe sin prudencia ni neutralidad y “sucumba a los intereses de quienes de manera ilegítima quieren imponer ese acuerdo” (Notimex, 5/2/10).

Febrero 5: Cuba asesorará a El Salvador para diseñar un programa de reducción de riesgos, que tiene como objetivo minimizar o evitar desgracias derivadas de desastres naturales, informaron fuentes oficiales. El ministro de Recursos del Medio Ambiente, Hernán Rosa Chávez, y el embajador cubano en El Salvador, Pedro Prada Quinteros, anunciaron el plan contra la vulnerabilidad del país centroamericano. "Cuba para nosotros es un país que respetamos mucho en este tema, porque por la ubicación que tiene de manera permanente está siendo sometida a estos extremos", dijo Rosa Chávez. Pese a que los fenómenos naturales son frecuentes en la isla caribeña, "realmente no hay víctimas fatales. Entonces podemos aprender muchísimo de la experiencia de Cuba y estamos muy agradecidos porque se está abriendo esa línea de cooperación", agregó (El Financiero, 5/2/10).

February 6: The President of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Mahmoud Abbas, met with Cuban concurrent ambassador Otto Vaillant, who presented his host with his accreditation letter as the island’s representative before the occupied Palestinian territories. Vaillant, who is also the head of the Cuban diplomatic mission in Egypt, presented his documents along with his counterparts from Viet Nam and Mali and later held joint talks with the leader of the PNA. During the meeting, the Caribbean ambassador expressed his satisfaction for speaking on behalf of the Cuban people, Government and Communist Party, and ratified the island’s invariable support of the Palestinian cause (ACN, 6/2/10).

February 6: El presidente Rafael Correa anunció que viajará el 11 de febrero para realizarse en Cuba una segunda cirugía en la rodilla derecha. Según el mandatario, la operación no se puede hacer en Ecuador debido a que requiere "un cultivo un poco complicado". En septiembre de 2009, Correa fue sometido a una primera operación en La Habana, misma que sirvió como diagnóstico para el "implante de cartílago" que planean hacerle, informó en aquella ocasión la secretaría de Comunicación de la presidencia (El Nuevo Herald, 7/2/10).

Febrero 8: Cuba y Rusia fomentarán el intercambio científico en nanotecnología, energía e informática. Asimismo, firmarán un convenio de convalidación de títulos y diplomas, informó el ministro ruso de Ciencia y Educación, Andrei Fúrsenko. "Hemos acordado promover cooperación en nanotecnología con aplicación en la medicina y energía", dijo el funcionario, quien se encuentra en la Habana para asistir al congreso Universidad 2010, que cuenta con la participación de unos 3,000 representantes de ciencia y educación de 60 países. Fúrsenko afirmó que los dos gobiernos están interesados en fomentar contactos bilaterales y realizar intercambio de especialistas, profesores y estudiantes universitarios. "Planeamos firmar un convenio sobre la convalidación recíproca de los títulos universitarios", indicó el ministro y explicó que el convenio prevé que Rusia reconozca los títulos de los cubanos que estudiaron en la Unión Soviética (RIA Novosti, 8/2/10).

February 8: African Nobel literature laureate Nadine Gordimer called on United States President Barack Obama's administration to end the decades-old trade embargo and other sanctions on Cuba. "I have something to condemn: The United States has to lift all types of sanctions and boycotts against Cuba, whether they are economic or of another nature," Gordimer said in comments published in Spanish in the Cuban La Jiribilla online magazine. The South African writer and political activist, who has in the past defended the communist island, is invited to Havana's International Book Fair, which opens on February 11 (The Inquirer, 8/2/10).

February 8: More than 1,000 doctors and medical students trained in Cuba will treat patients at dozens of hospitals and rehabilitation centers for people injured in last month’s earthquake in Haiti, Fidel Castro said in an article. “There will be dozens of mobile hospitals, rehabilitation centers and hospitals, where more than 1,000 doctors and students in the final years of medical school – coming from Haiti, Venezuela, Santo Domingo, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Brazil, Chile and other brother countries – will provide services,” the retired president said. “We have the honor already of having a number of US doctors who also studied at the ELAM,” he said, referring to Cuba’s Latin American Medical School. “We’re ready to cooperate with those countries and institutions that want to participate in these efforts to provide medical services in Haiti,” Castro said. Castro, who stepped down two years ago in favor of younger brother Raul, noted that “Venezuela already contributed field housing, medical equipment, medicines and food” to attend to the needs of the survivors of the quake, which killed more than 200,000 people and is “the greatest tragedy” that has ever occurred in the Americas (The Bolivarian Revolution and the Antilles; LAHT, 8/2/10).

February 8: Fidel Castro sent a message to the members of Cuba’s Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade for emergency situations, and also to the graduates and fifth and sixth year students from the Cuba-based Latin American School of Medicine (LASM), who are currently providing health services in Haiti. “Today, you are writing one of the most beautiful pages in the history of human medicine,” the letter reads. Esteban Lazo, Vice President of Cuba’s Council of State and bearer of the message, read it at a Cuban-run field hospital in Croix des Bounquets, where he arrived accompanied by other Cuban officials. “Helping to save lives, to heal the wounded and to rehabilitate people, and to work for the well-being of human beings, will always be an invaluable honor for any man or woman,” the text stresses (ACN, 8/2/10).

February 8: Cuban Vice President Esteban Lazo met with Haitian President Rene Preval after his arrival in Port-au-Prince, struck by a devastating earthquake last January 12th. The high-ranking official conveyed greetings to Preval and to the Haitian people and government from the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, and from President Raul Castro.   "We come here representing the people and Government of Cuba to reaffirm our solidarity as an expression of the deep historic and brotherly ties that bind us," he said. Lazo also conveyed condolences to the Haitian people for the human losses and material damages suffered as a result of the earthquake. The Cuban VP was briefed about the current situation in Haiti and exchanged ideas about aspects of the future of Cuba’s cooperation with this nation, in particular about a resolution by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of the Americas (ALBA) to concentrate an important part of its assistance in creating an effective public health system in Haiti. He reiterated that, given the enormous tragedy suffered by the Haitian people, their Cuban brothers will continue by their side as long as necessary. “We share the immense pain and suffering, and together we will go forward,” he said. Preval recalled that Cuba has stood by his people for years. “They did not wait for the earthquake to be with us," he said (ACN, 8/2/10).

Febrero 8: Alfredo Muñoz-Unsaín, quien fue director adjunto de la agencia France-Presse (AFP) en La Habana y uno de los periodistas extranjeros que mejor conocía Cuba, murió en la capital cubana a los 78 años de edad. Muñoz nació en la provincia argentina de Santa Fe y era llamado comúnmente Chango, su apodo de juventud. Bien identificado en los círculos oficiales de la vieja guardia cubana, durante décadas fue un interlocutor indispensable para diplomáticos y periodistas extranjeros que querían acercarse a descifrar la isla. A pesar de haber producido miles de despachos sobre temas cubanos, el veterano reportero fue renuente hasta el final a escribir o relatar su experiencia en este país, en total de 47 años. El verdadero libro sobre Cuba es el que se ha escrito aquí, solía decir, señalando la mesa del patio de su casa, en torno a la cual reunió regularmente a personajes de la vida política, cultural, diplomática, académica y religiosa de la isla y de la emigración cubana, con quienes hablaba en extenso, a menudo bajo la condición de no publicar. Era un conversador infatigable, de humor corrosivo y sarcasmo radical. Una ataxia cerebelosa le redujo el movimiento en los últimos años y se sobrepuso a una crisis de origen múltiple hace tres meses, pero mantuvo el entusiasmo por el oficio, que ejercía con pasión por la exactitud (La Jornada, 8/2/10).

Febrero 8: El político y periodista venezolano Teodoro Petkoff preguntó a qué fue el ministro cubano de la Informática y las Comunicaciones, Ramiro Valdés, a Venezuela. "No se mueve a un tipo como Valdés para que venga a explicarnos como racionar la luz. Para eso es suficiente con mandar ingenieros eléctricos cubanos, comunes y corrientes, verdaderos expertos en apagar la luz (…) no es necesaria la presencia del ex ministro del Interior", dijo Petkoff en un editorial del diario Tal Cual Digital, que dirige. La presencia en Venezuela de Valdés —ya de vuelta en La Habana— suscitó protestas del gremio de profesionales de la energía, y de opositores, exiliados y organizaciones civiles que sospechan que el presidente Hugo Chávez podría haber solicitado sus servicios para trazar una estrategia represiva, principalmente contra los estudiantes. "Al margen del currículo del señor, especializado en asuntos represivos de diversa índole, lo cierto es que se trata de una muy prominente figura política del panteón cubano", dijo Petkoff. Sin embargo, consideró que no "resulta creíble" que su presencia en el país sudamericano "tenga que ver con perfeccionar los mecanismos represivos". El director del Tal Cual Digital dijo que Ramiro Valdés ha estado en Venezuela "en otras ocasiones", y "casi clandestino". Estos viajes han estado vinculados con las telecomunicaciones. "Ciertamente, desde hace unos tres años su gente ha estado asesorando al régimen" de Chávez en esta materia, afirmó. Pero la reciente visita de Valdés a Caracas, realizada "a cielo abierto, no puede haber sido técnica", consideró Petkoff. "La única conclusión plausible es que Fidel mandó a la tercera figura del régimen para ver cómo está la vaina y, además, que se supiera que lo hizo", dijo. "¿Para quién era el mensaje?", preguntó. "Así estará de preocupado Fidel Castro con las noticias que le llegan de nuestro país, que movió a uno de los pocos 'históricos' que quedan en Cuba para que se cerciorara in situ si las loqueras de Chacumbele [en alusión a Chávez] no estarán comprometiendo la supervivencia de Cuba", conjeturó. "Para esa exploración, inevitablemente Valdés tenía que medir el alcance de la crisis eléctrica y para ello se reunió con la gente del sector. Él si sabe bien lo que pegan en el ánimo de la población los apagones y lo vidriosa que puede ponerse la situación política", concluyó Petkoff (Diario de Cuba, 9/2/10).

February 9: Cuban Vice President Esteban Lazo concluded a visit to Haiti, after the devastating earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince last January. In little more than one day, Lazo met with Haitian President Rene Preval and with Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, passing on greetings from the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, from President Raul Castro and from the Cuban people to the people and government of Haiti. The VP and also member of the Politburo of Cuba’s Communist Party met with members of the Cuban Medical Brigade working in Haiti and also met with graduates and students from the Cuba-based Latin American School of
Medicine (LASM), including a group of US doctors who graduated in Cuba and who are also providing health services in Port-au-Prince and other neighboring localities. Likewise, Lazo exchanged with Cuban collaborators in Haiti in the fishing and education sectors, among others (ACN, 9/2/10).

Febrero 10: El ministro ruso de Asuntos Exteriores, Serguéi Lavrov, viaja a Cuba, primera etapa de una gira que incluye visitas a Nicaragua, Guatemala y México. Entre los días 11 y 13, Lavrov visitará Cuba, donde mantendrá negociaciones con las autoridades cubanas y asistirá a la XIX Feria Internacional del Libro, declaró el portavoz de la Cancillería rusa, Andréi Nesterenko. "Rusia ve en Cuba un socio clave en la región latinoamericana", dijo Nesterenko, citado por la agencia oficial Itar-Tass. El portavoz diplomático adelantó que las conversaciones ruso-cubanas se centrarán en la profundización y diversificación de los vínculos económico-comerciales, así como en el desarrollo de importantes proyecto conjuntos en el campo de las infraestructuras de transporte, energía, hidrocarburos y biotecnologías (EFE, 10/2/10).

Febrero 10: Panamá solicitó al gobierno de Cuba devolver los casi 45,000 expedientes que el personal médico de ese país se llevó al culminar el programa Operación Milagro, informó el ministro panameño de Salud, Franklin Vergara. "Estamos en negociaciones porque cuando (los médicos) se fueron, se llevaron los expedientes de los pacientes atendidos, los cuales necesitamos para hacerle un audito a este programa y conocer cuánto costó", señaló Vergara. Operación Milagro es un programa que impulsa Cuba para operar de la vista a personas de escasos recursos y que se aplicó en Panamá a unos 44,486 pacientes desde marzo de 2007 hasta diciembre de 2009. Vergara indicó que no se está poniendo término ni presión al gobierno de Cuba, a través de su embajada en La Habana, para la entrega de estos documentos, pero "son necesarios para darles seguimiento a los pacientes que fueron beneficiados con este programa" (EFE, 10/2/10).

February 11: The legendary Che Guevara's 1959 trip to India was recalled at a meeting in New Delhi to mark 50 years of friendship between Cuba and India. Cuban ambassador to India Miguel A. Ramirez referred to the landmark Che visit, just six months after Fidel Castro stormed to power in Cuba. He was speaking at an event organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs. Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur referred to the first contact made in New York between Jawaharlal Nehru and Fidel Castro in 1960. She said that after that meeting, the two nations began cooperating in the fight against colonialism and for a new world order (IANS, 12/2/10).

February 11: The Russian and Cuban foreign minister emphasized the “enormous potential” and the “strategic” nature of relations between their two countries. Sergei Lavrov arrived in Cuba for a three-day visit and presided at a meeting with Bruno Rodriguez, after which they signed three accords. “Our relations continue to develop very well in all areas, including those of the economy and trade,” said the Russian minister. In 2009, bilateral trade between the two nations totaled about $400 million and Moscow granted loans to Cuba for more than $350 million. Lavrov said that the relationship had transformed itself into a “truly strategic association” and confirmed to the Cuban government Moscow’s “unchanging” stance against the economic embargo the United States has maintained against the communist-ruled island since 1962. Meanwhile, Rodriguez emphasized the “enormous potential in relations between a great and powerful country like Russia and a small island.” “We will never forget your generous contribution to our development,” said Rodriguez, adding that Cuba “will always remember its fraternal relationship with the Soviet Union” and said he was gratified that the links with Russia are “excellent.” The foreign ministers signed a Political Consultation Plan for the period 2010-2011 and statements regarding the anniversary in May of 50 years of bilateral diplomatic relations as well as the 65th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II (EFE, 11/2/10).

February 11: More than 10 Russian films will be screened throughout the island as part of activities carried out parallel to the Cuba 2010 International Book Fair, in which Russia participates as Guest Country. According to the bulletin from the Cuban Film Institute, the season will include classic and contemporary cinema by directors like Vera Storozheva and Nikita Mijalkov, which the public will enjoy from February 12 through the 27. The classic cinema festival will be enjoyed by moviegoers in the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Santa Clara, Sancti Spiritus, Camagüey, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo, while contemporary films will be  screened in Matanzas, Cienfuegos, San Jose, Nueva Gerona, Ciego de Avila, Las Tunas and Bayamo. Ilya Reyzis, in charge of the Russian cultural program for the 19th edition of the Fair,
highlighted the presence of different artistic expressions in the literary event, like ballet, music, fine arts and theatre (ACN, 11/2/10).

February 11: Fidel Castro sent greetings to the first contingent of the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade for Emergency Situations, comprised of 200 professionals from 24 countries, that traveled to Haiti. During a ceremony at the Havana-based Latin American School of Medicine (LASM) in which the group of health professionals were presented with the Cuban flag that will accompany them in Haiti, the graduates reiterated their gratitude to Fidel Castro, the main promoter of this initiative and of peoples’ integration. Public Health Minister Jose Ramon Balaguer recalled that the LASM was inaugurated on November 15, 1999, by Fidel Castro and added that over 7,000 doctors from 30 countries have graduated from the education center. He explained that the Henry Reeve brigade, comprised of more than 1,000 sanitary specialists, has the ability to become operational from 24-48 hours and it is ready to assist the needy peoples of the world (ACN, 11/2/10).

February 12: Ricardo Cabrisas, vice president of the Council of Ministers of Cuba, held officials talks with Aristides Raimundo Lima, president of the Parliament of Cape Verde, who is serving an invitation of his counterpart Ricardo Alarcon.  Raimundo Lima also stressed his government's intention to enhance cooperation on the basis of mutual interest and solidarity, especially in the area of health and professional training. For his part, the Cuban Vice President emphasized the peculiarities of the time to forge closer ties, despite the global economic crisis and the need to take advantage of trading opportunities that arise (ACN, 12/2/10).

February 12: Cuban and Cape Verdean authorities signed a parliamentary cooperation protocol in Havana seeking to boost relations between both institutions.  The document was penned by Cuban Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon and his Cape Verdean counterpart Aristides Raimundo Lima. The protocol establishes the commitment to target cooperation programs and projects at all legislative and parliamentarian activities. It also looks to foster understanding among deputies and officials from both countries and the planning of cooperation and exchange actions on technical areas and parliamentary services. The protocol will come into effect 30 days after the signing day, and it will be effective for a period of four years after which it can be further extended. Furthermore, the document lays the foundations to increase exchange between mutual friendship parliamentary groups (ACN, 13/2/10).

Febrero 12: Por primera vez en América Latina, la Fundación Russkiy Mir inaugurará un Centro Cultural de Rusia, y escogió a La Habana como la ciudad con la cual comenzará a extenderse en el continente, pues ya están en otras 46 urbes del mundo. Lo anterior se dio a conocer durante la presentación de dicha Fundación en la sala Fernando Ortiz de La Cabaña, como parte de la 19 Feria Internacional del Libro, dedicada a Rusia. ¿Por qué esta Isla? Pues porque estos Centros se ubican en lugares donde existe un notable interés por el estudio de la cultura y la historia rusas. Y Cuba, donde radican alrededor de 6000 rusos independientemente de la notable cifra de cubanos que estudiaron en la antigua Unión Soviética— es un ejemplo de ello. Inmediatamente después de La Habana, cuyo Centro radicará en la Biblioteca Nacional José Martí, la Fundación Russkiy Mir constituirá, durante los próximos días, otros similares en Nicaragua, Guatemala y México (CubaMinrex; 13/2/10).

February 12: Cuban President Raul Castro met with Serguei V. Lavrov, Foreign Minister from the Russian Federation, who arrived to Havana for an official visit at the invitation of his Cuban counterpart. The Cuban Television newscast showed images of the cordial exchange, which made it possible to establish once more the good state of bilateral relations, which received a significant
boost with the official visits of President Medvedev to Cuba in November, 2008, and of Raul to Russia in January, 2009. Talks also included themes related to the international situation. Raul asked Lavrov to convey his greetings to the Russian president and the Prime Minister, along with the ratification of the willingness to continue strengthening the already strong relations between the two countries in all sectors, particularly in the economic one. Also participating in the meeting were Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, and the ambassador of the Russian Federation in Cuba, Mikhail L. Kamynin (ACN, 13/2/10).

February 12: The Cuban Republic National Archive (ANRC) and Venezuelan General Archive, are preparing specialists for those kinds of institutions of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA). "We are included in the ALBA’s Cultural Project, approved by the 2008 Caracas Summit Meeting, and we are training staff from the countries that make up the integrationist mechanism”, declared Martha Ferriol, general director of ANRC, founded on January 28 ,1840.  She announced a joint commitment to create a digital catalogue about the data of all of the most relevant revolutionary processes and revolutions of the region, which will be released on the occasion of the Bicentenary of the Venezuelan Independence Declaration, this coming April 19, 2010 (ACN, 13/2/10).

February 13: Members of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet danced in Cuba for the first time in 30 years in a joint performance with the Cuban National Ballet at Havana's Karl Marx theatre. The show coincided with a visit to Cuba by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as the two Cold War allies strengthen ties that frayed after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. To the applause of an appreciative audience in dance-crazy Cuba, six Bolshoi dancers performed some of the famous company's classic numbers from ballets such as "Swan Lake" and "Giselle." They alternated dances with member of the Cuban National Ballet, which is directed by ballet legend Alicia Alonso, 89. Alonso said the return of the Bolshoi, which last performed in Cuba in 1980, was an important occasion for the communist-run island (Reuters, 13/2/10).

February 14: The President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Paulino Rivero Baute, arrived in Havana for an official visit at the invitation of the Cuban Government. During his stay in the Caribbean island, the Spanish leader will hold meetings with local authorities from the Cuban State and Government, Granma newspaper reported (ACN, 15/2/10).

February 15: Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos asked the Cuban government for a “commitment” to respect human rights as a stimulus to allow Madrid to be able to convince its European Union partners to soften the bloc’s stance toward the communist-ruled island. Moratinos repeated his wish of revising the bloc’s relationship with the Havana authorities at a press conference in Madrid with the EU’s top foreign policy official, Catherine Ashton, and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim. The Spaniard expressed the need to open the debate on how to re-launch relations with Cuba and to secure the “commitment” of Raul Castro’s government to upholding human rights on the island. Moratinos said the EU’s so-called common position on Cuba, put into effect in 1996 at the insistence of then-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, had furnished “not very satisfactory results” and thus a revision of that policy would be in order. He expressed confidence that Ashton and the European leaders could be convinced to shift gears vis-a-vis Cuba, although the unanimity of the EU’s 27 member-states would be required to change the current policy, which links political dialogue with Cuba to advances in the area of democracy and freedom. (Video; LAHT, 15/2/10).

February 15: The next inter-parliamentary meeting between Cuba and Mexico will have a high-level representation from our side because we intend to further increase the ties between our two countries, it was stated by Federal Deputy Alejandro Encinas. In statements to Prensa Latina, the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) faction leader at the Chamber of Deputies said that this is not only his group's wish but also all the Mexican political groups that will comprise the delegation. The former chief of the Federal District Government added that the plan is for the Mexican parliamentary representation attending that meeting to comprise all the political groups' coordinators from the two chambers at the Congress of the Union, including the Senate of the Republic. He emphasized that parliamentary groups are not pleased with the current status of bilateral ties at an official level, which he considered are poor but which must grow even further.  Encinas stated that, as far as the PRD is concerned, emphasis will be made at the meeting with Cuban deputies to increase mutual ties in the economic and trade sectors. The Cuba-Mexico annual inter-parliamentary meeting will be held in Havana this time, from 18 to 21 February (Prensa Latina16/2/10).

February 15: The First Vice-president of the Cuban councils of State and Ministers, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura, met with Don Paulino Rivero Baute, President of the Government of the Canary Islands, who is on an official visit to Cuba. Accompanying the President of the Government of the Canary Islands were Spain’s ambassador in Havana, Manuel Cacho, and other officials from the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands. Representing Cuba were Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and other officials from the Foreign Ministry (ACN, 15/2/10).

Febrero 15: El secretario general del Partido Popular Europeo (PPE), Antonio López-Istúriz, afirmó en Miami que la Posición Común de la Unión Europea no se eliminará hasta que no se produzcan "cambios de relevancia" en el régimen, con el objetivo final de una verdadera "amnistía" que ponga fin al presidio político en la isla. López-Istúriz se reunió en Miami con más de una treintena de líderes de Consenso Cubano (CC), informó el Partido Demócrata Cristiano en un comunicado. Según la nota, el también secretario de la Internacional Demócrata de Centro dijo que los conservadores trabajan con su mayoría en el Parlamento Europeo para "ayudar al mejoramiento de los presos políticos". Señalo además que, desde el punto de vista europeo, el verdadero reto de los cubanos es que la población de la isla "vea al exilio como su verdadero y quizás único aliado". La reunión estuvo moderada por Marcelino Miyares, portavoz de Consenso Cubano y líder de la democracia cristiana cubana. Oscar Visiedo, del Instituto de Estudios Cubanos, presentó el trabajo hecho por CC en la "promoción de una agenda humanitaria" dirigida al pueblo cubano, "más allá del inmovilismo del proceso político". Carlos Saladrigas, copresidente del Cuba Study Group, ofreció una "lectura" de la realidad cubana, dentro y fuera de la isla, y dijo que frente al inmovilismo, "la oposición tiene/debe de reinventarse y convertirse en verdadero agente de cambio". Por su parte, Omar López-Montenegro, de la Fundación Nacional Cubano Americana, valoró la situación de los derechos humanos en la isla y apuntó que, a pesar de la represión, ha habido un gran incremento en la blogosfera, y que es a través de ésta que se debe denunciar y promover los derechos humanos en Cuba. El pleno de Consenso Cubano comunicó a Antonio López-Istúriz "la necesidad de que la Unión Europea y América coordinen sus políticas". "De ahí que Consenso continuará tocando a las puertas, tanto de Washington como de la Unión Europea, para presentar, como cubanos de todas las tendencias y colores, nuestra visión del presente y futuro del proceso", dijo el comunicado (Diario de Cuba, 16/2/10).

February 16: The Guantanamo-Baracoa Theatre Crusade, the winner of the 1999 Community Culture Prize, incorporated the performances of the Colombian group Nuestra Gente to its tour of the mountains of eastern Cuba. The South American troupe, founded more than two decades ago and specialized in Community Theatre, is directed by playwright Jorge Ivan Blandon, who was acknowledged in 2007 as one of the 10 most outstanding personalities of his country’s culture. Prior to its incorporation to the tour, Nuestra Gente performed at Havana’s Teatro Guiñol
(Puppet Theatre), a presentation that was warmly welcomed, especially by children (ACN, 16/2/10).

Febrero 16: El presidente electo de Chile, Sebastián Piñera, expuso las características de la política exterior que tendrá su gobierno. En ese sentido, dijo que su administración pondrá mayor énfasis en la defensa de las libertades individuales en la región, específicamente en países como Cuba y Venezuela, de acuerdo con el diario chileno El Mercurio. "Pienso que Cuba no es una democracia , y también pienso que en Cuba no se respetan los derechos humanos . En consecuencia, aspiro como Presidente a hacer todo lo mejor para que la Carta y el mandato de la OEA, de defender la democracia y defender los derechos humanos, sea más eficaz", señaló Piñera durante una entrevista televisiva, que publica El Mercurio. Si bien, el futuro mandatario no descartó visitar Cuba en un viaje oficial, expuso que no sólo se reuniría con las autoridades de la isla sino que lo hará también con la disidencia (Infobae, 16/2/10).

February 16: The Vice-President of the Council of State, Esteban Lazo, who is also a Politburo member, received Cape Verde Parliament President Aristides Raimundo Lima at the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. Lima, who is heading a large delegation from his country, is on an official visit to the island at the invitation of his Cuban counterpart. The historical bonds existing between the two peoples, forged during the struggle for the independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde, were highlighted during the fraternal meeting.  The two leaders reviewed the economic, political, and social situation of their respective
countries, as well as the negative effects the current world economic crisis has had on their economies, and championed the need of strengthening unity, integration and solidarity between
the peoples of the South. Representing Cuba were Rodolfo Puente Ferro, from the Department of International Relations of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Part, and parliamentarian Yenielys Regueiferos (ACN, 16/2/10).

Febrero 16: El presidente del gobierno canario, Paulino Rivero, calificó de "muy positiva" su visita de trabajo de dos días a Cuba, durante la cual concretó acciones de cooperación en materia de justicia, turismo y comercio con las autoridades de la isla. "Comprobamos que el convenio que tenemos en materia de justicia con el Tribunal Supremo de Cuba está funcionando bien y concretamos acciones que pueden ser de interés para Cuba en materia de inversiones derivadas del turismo", declaró Rivero poco antes de salir de La Habana hacia Costa Rica. Rivero se reunió con el ministro cubano de Turismo, Manuel Marrero, con quien pactó el viaje de una misión de Cuba al archipiélago español en junio próximo para conocer la "experiencia turística" de Canarias.
En su opinión, uno de los aspectos más importantes de esa visita será que las autoridades cubanas harán llegar directamente al empresariado canario su "invitación" para invertir en el desarrollo turístico de la mayor isla de las Antillas. Las conversaciones también abordaron el interés de impulsar una conexión aérea directa entre Canarias y La Habana. Rivero resaltó asimismo que deja Cuba con una invitación oficial para participar en la Feria Comercial de La Habana, que se celebrará en noviembre próximo (EFE, 16/2/10).

Febrero 16: El presidente ecuatoriano, Rafael Correa, regresó a Quito tras operarse "satisfactoriamente" en la rodilla derecha en el Complejo Científico Ortopédico Internacional Frank País en Cuba. Correa viajó a La Habana para someterse a una una mosaicoplastia técnica, debido a la fibrosis y sinovitis que le diagnosticaron en la rodilla, precisó el médico que le operó, Rodrigo Álvarez Cambras. El médico aseguró que la operación se realizó "satisfactiroriamente" si bien el mandatario parecía bajar con dificultad del avión que lo trajo de regreso a Quito, ayudándose de unas muletas. Correa no quiso hacer declaraciones a su llegada (Europa Press, 16/2/10).

Febrero 17: Representantes de la sociedad civil de España y Cuba celebrarán un seminario de expertos legales en materia de Derechos Humanos, confirmaron un portavoz del Ministerio español de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperación. A este encuentro, que se celebrará a puerta cerrada, asistirán "tres ONG cubanas" y representantes de Amnistía Internacional, la Asociación de amistad hispano cubana Bartolomé de las Casas, la Asociación Española de Defensa de los DDHH, la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid y la Universidad de Alcalá. Aunque el departamento que dirige Miguel Ángel Moratinos no ha dado más detalles sobre las organizaciones cubanas que asistirán al seminario, es previsible que no se trate de organizaciones verdaderamente independientes, sino adscritas al régimen, según fuentes de la disidencia cubana. Según las fuentes del Ministerio, en este encuentro se abordarán cuestiones como el sistema penitenciario cubano, la ratificación por parte de Cuba de dos pactos internacionales sobre Derechos Humanos que firmó hace dos años o la igualdad de género. Un día después del seminario, los gobiernos de España y Cuba celebrarán la cuarta reunión del mecanismo de diálogo bilateral sobre Derechos Humanos que crearon en abril de 2007, con motivo de la primera visita del jefe de la diplomacia española, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, a La Habana. La delegación española en este encuentro la encabezará el director general de Política Exterior, Alfonso Lucini, y participarán también en ella los directores generales para Iberoamérica, Juan Carlos Sánchez, y Naciones Unidas, Asuntos Globales y Derechos Humanos, Jorge Domecq. Por la parte cubana, asistirá la directora general de Asuntos Multilaterales del Ministerio cubano de Exteriores, Anayansi Rodríguez; el presidente de la Comisión de Asuntos Constitucionales de la Asamblea Nacional y decano de la Facultad de Derecho de La Habana, José Luis Toledo; el vicefiscal general de la República de Cuba, Rafael Pino Bécker y el embajador cubano en España, Alejandro González, según las fuentes (Europa Press, 17/2/10).

February 17: South African writer  Nadine Gordimer demanded US President Barack Obama the immediate release from prison of the five Cubans incarcerated in US jails. During a meeting with the national and foreign press, the 1991 Nobel Literature Prize winner said that upon her return to her country she will collect signatures from South African personalities and from personalities from around the world and people interested in protecting human rights, and will send the letter to Obama (ACN, 18/2/10).

Febrero 17: Un grupo de 30 Damas de Blanco —madres, esposas y familiares de disidentes encarcelados en la primavera de 2003— hizo pública una carta dirigida a la Premio Nobel de Literatura sudafricana Nadine Gordimer, en la que le piden que interceda ante el régimen por los presos políticos. "Usted es un ejemplo para todos aquellos que luchan por la justicia, el entendimiento, la reconciliación, la libertad y la democracia, especialmente nosotras, las mujeres, al estar profundamente comprometida con los derechos del pueblo de Sudáfrica durante toda su vida", dicen las mujeres en la carta, entregada en la embajada sudafricana en La Habana. "Apreciaríamos su preocupación por nuestros familiares, los 53 prisioneros de conciencia que aún permanecen en durísimas condiciones carcelarias", y son parte del grupo de 75 disidentes condenados a penas de hasta 28 años en la primavera de 2003. Los otros 22 han sido excarcelados con licencias extrapenales por motivos de salud. Muchos de ellos han partido al exilio. Las Damas de Blanco dicen en su carta a Gordimer que sus familiares fueron condenados "sólo por tratar de expresar sus opiniones y contribuir pacíficamente al progreso (…) y el bienestar de todos los cubanos." Gordimer, de 86 años, visita Cuba como invitada a la Feria Internacional del Libro de La Habana. Durante su estancia ha criticado el embargo de Washington contra la isla y ha pedido la liberación de los cinco agentes del régimen que cumplen condena en Estados Unidos por espionaje (Diario de Cuba, 17/2/10).

Febrero 17: La organización no gubernamental, Amnistía Internacional, señaló que la falta de acceso a la isla le impide corroborar el estado de salud del prisionero Orlando Zapata Tamayo. Amnistía Internacional reitera además la necesidad de la inmediata liberación de todos los presos políticos y de conciencia en Cuba. El reo de conciencia cubano Orlando Zapata Tamayo se encuentra en una prolongada huelga de hambre e internado en un hospital en La Habana. Familiares de Zapata Tamayo han denunciado que el prisionero político se encuentra en grave estado de salud y temen por su vida (Marti Noticias, 17/2/10).

February 18: The General Secretary of the Cuban Workers’ Federation (CTC), Salvador Valdes Mesa, will represent the Caribbean nation in a meeting of the Presidential Council of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) that will take place in Viet Nam on February 23-24. “We will analyze a series of important topics such as the impact of the current world crisis on workers and the WFTU’s strategy to face these effects. We will also work on preparations for the 16th WFTU Congress in 2011,” Valdes Mesa told Prensa Latina during a flight stop in Moscow on his way to Viet Nam (ACN, 18/2/10).

February 18: Cuban and Mexican parliamentarians will discuss in Havana, on February 19, the state of bilateral relations on different fields and between their respective legislative bodies, as well as the situation in Haiti among other issues. Discussions will be held in the framework of the 11th Cuba-Mexico Inter-parliamentary Meeting to conclude next day. Parliamentarians will evaluate Cuba-Mexico relations in health, education, migration, trade, culture, science and technology, environment, tourism, among others. The situation in Haiti, nation devastated by an earthquake in January, and the necessary aid for rebuilding that country are also part of the inter-parliamentary event full agenda. The conference delegates will also assess the state of the Economic Complementation Agreement, mutual trade and business promotion, and the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime in Latin America. The impact of hurricanes and other natural disasters in the society and the economy, as well as preventive measures to adopt, will be another topic for the discussion at the conference. The military bases in Latin America and the coup d’etat in Honduras that took the constitutional government out of power are also included in the meeting agenda (Escambray, 18/2/10).

February 18: Spain asked the Cuban government to provide better humanitarian treatment for ailing dissidents during a meeting in Madrid to discuss the state of human rights on the communist-ruled island. As in the three previous meetings to discuss human rights, the Spanish government expressed its humanitarian interest in several “specific cases” of opposition figures, officials within Spain’s foreign ministry told the press. One of the dissidents whose life is deemed to be in danger is Orlando Zapata, who, after 75 days on hunger strike, was transferred to a prison hospital in Havana due to his “grave condition.” Also belonging to the group of dissidents sent to jail in 2003 is Ariel Sigler, who is in a wheelchair because of the deterioration of his health during his prison stay. The Cuban delegation was headed by senior foreign ministry official Anayansi Rodriguez Camejo, along with Cuba’s ambassador to Spain, Alejandro Gonzalez Galiano. On the Spanish side at the meeting were the directors-general of Foreign Policy, Alfonso Lucini; Ibero-America, Juan Carlos Sanchez, and of the United Nations, Global Affairs and Human Rights, Jorge Domecq. At the meeting, which lasted for several hours, the participants “spoke of all matters, without restrictions,” Spanish officials said. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said in Madrid that these types of meetings allow the parties “to advance, build trust, the promotion and respect for human rights and (achieve) a better level of understanding and cooperation in this area” (LAHT, 18/2/10).

February 19: Cuba and Spain concluded in Madrid the fourth round of discussions on human rights, the Cuban Foreign Ministry reported on its official web site. The discussions were held in line with a political agreement reached between the two countries in 2007 and were chaired by Director of Multilateral Affairs of the Cuban Foreign Ministry Anayansi Rodriguez and Director general of Foreign Policy Department of the Spanish Foreign Ministry Alfonso Lucini. The dialogue was conducted in "an atmosphere of mutual respect", and all topics related to the promotion and protection of human rights were discussed in an "open and constructive" manner, according to the Cuban Foreign Ministry. Both sides reviewed the compliance with legal international treaties, to which both countries are member states, such as the conventions against torture, racial and gender discrimination. Both sides agreed to hold their fifth meeting in Havana next year (People’s Daily, 20/2/10).

February 19: Cuba and India celebrated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations with the cancellation of a commemorative stamp during a ceremony that took place at Havana’s House of Friendship. Members of the Asian diplomat corps in the Cuban capital and local leaders attended the celebration convened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cuban Friendship Institute (ICAP) and the Cuban Ministry of Computing and Communications. The stamp reproduces a photograph of a meeting between the leader of the Cuban Revolution Commander in Chief Fidel Castro and India’s Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, in the United Nations General Assembly in 1960. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Marco Rodriguez said that for five decades bilateral relations between the two countries have been characterized by mutual respect and strong commitment to the principles of International Law as stated in the UN Charter. The diplomat highlighted the excellent levels of cooperation and exchange achieved, particularly on topics of international interest due to the two countries’ similar condition as developing nations and members of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) (ACN, 19/2/10).

February 19: Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva will meet with Cuban leader Fidel Castro on February 24 for a meeting of "friends" during which they will discuss aspects of international politics, Lula's spokesman Marcelo Baumbach said.  Da Silva will arrive in Havana on the evening of February 19, coming from Cancun, Mexico, where he will attend the Rio Group Summit. Castro and Lula da Silva are friends since the early 1980s, when the Brazilian former union leader founded the Workers' Party (PT), through which he became Brazil's president since 2003. "The meeting that President Lula will have with President Fidel Castro is a visit of a friend to another, during which they will discuss current issues concerning international politics," the spokesman said. After this meeting, Lula will be present at the closure of the Working Group Brazil-Cuba on Trade and Economic Affairs, and in the evening he will have dinner with Cuban President Raul Castro (People’s Daily, 20/2/10).

Febrero 19: El cardenal polaco Stanislaw Dziwisz, arzobispo de Cracovia, comenzará el 22 de febrero una visita a Cuba para presentar el documental “Testimonio", basado en un libro suyo sobre el desaparecido papa Juan Pablo II, informó la Conferencia de Obispos Católicos de la isla. Dziwisz fue invitado por el cardenal cubano Jaime Ortega, arzobispo de La Habana, y el embajador de la Orden de Malta en la isla, el polaco Przemyslaw Jan Häuser, declaró el secretario adjunto de la Conferencia, José Félix Pérez. El arzobispo de Cracovia oficiará una misa para jóvenes y presentará "Testimonio" en la catedral de La Habana. Dziwisz fue secretario personal de Karol Wojtyla (Juan Pablo II) durante 30 años, hasta su muerte en 2005, y lo acompañó en su visita a Cuba de 1998 (EFE, 19/2/10).

Febrero 19: Legisladores de Cuba y México abogaron por el "restablecimiento pleno" de las relaciones bilaterales al comenzar en La Habana una Reunión Interparlamentaria, en la que se confirmaron gestiones para que el presidente Felipe Calderón realice pronto la visita a la isla que pospuso en 2009. El presidente del Senado mexicano, Carlos Navarrete, dijo que la cancillería de su país "prepara una visita próxima" de Calderón y espera que se pueda "pulir" una fecha posible durante la cumbre del Grupo de Río que comenzará en Cancún. Según Navarrete, están "mejorando sustancialmente las condiciones para" que el encuentro de Calderón con el presidente cubano, general Raúl Castro, "sea muy exitoso". La actual reunión "pretende pavimentar el camino de esa visita", añadió, y dijo que también espera que "sirva de preámbulo del total y pronto restablecimiento integral de las relaciones" (EFE, 19/2/10).

February 19: Residents in Holguin and visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Russian architecture during the photographic exhibition “El norte ruso” (The Northern Part of Russia) from February 20 through March 2. Some 50 images captured by the lens of artist Guennadiy Smirnov show constructions in old cities like Vologda, Dmitrov and Kirilov, among others. Irina Samsonova, coordinator of the Russian community in Holguin, said that the exhibition represents a cultural bridge between the two nations and an opportunity for Cubans to
appreciate, from art, the history and geography of the most extensive territory in the world (ACN, 19/2/10).

February 19: An extensive accord for cultural exchanges between the republics of Cuba and the Russian Federation was signed within the framework of the ongoing Havana’s 2010 International Book Fair. The document was signed at the Fair by First Deputy Culture Minister Rafael Bernal and his Russian counterpart, Pavel Vladevich Joroshilov. Attending the ceremony were Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto; the President of the Cuban Book Institute, Suleica Romay; and Russian Federation ambassador to Havana, Mijail Kamyni, among other personalities. Bernal praised Russia’s literature and film making, as well as its music, dance and other artistic expressions. For his part, Joroshilov pointed out that the signing of the new accord is an example of good will of the two parties and expressed his joy for the consolidation of cultural exchanges (ACN, 19/2/10).

February 19: The 12th International Meeting of Economists on Globalization and Development Problems will be held from March 1st through the 5th in Havana, with the participation of some 1,500 delegates and guests from 40 countries, among them 1999 Nobel Economy Prize winner Robert Mundell, from Canada. During a press conference, Esther Aguilera, member of the event’s organizing committee, said that the world economic crisis, examined in its structural causes, expressions, interrelations and possible solutions is back on the agenda shortly after its emergence in 2007 (ACN, 19/2/10).

February 20: An amateur historian writing a book on a key battle of the Angola war has obtained a list of the names of all 2,106 Cuban soldiers that the Castro government admits were killed in that conflict. Cuba's provincial newspapers published the names of each province's dead around December 7 1989, when all the soldiers' remains were buried in simultaneous ceremonies throughout the island. But the full list was not available until Peter Polack, a criminal lawyer in the Cayman Islands, obtained it last month from a memorial in South Africa to the struggle against Apartheid and colonial rule. The Freedom Park memorial received the list in 2006 from Cuba's ambassador to Pretoria, Esther Armenteros, so that the names could be added to the Sikhumbuto Wall, designed to display the names of all those killed fighting for "liberation in South Africa.'' While the Cuban government put its Angola casualties at 2,106 soldiers, others believe the real figure is higher. A total of 2,289 Cubans, including 204 civilians and 2,085 soldiers, died while serving in Angola, Ethiopia and other countries over 30 years, according to Cuban officials. Polack said he became interested in Cuban issues in 1992, when he met two Cuban refugees in Jamaica who had fought in Angola. "Their stories were completely fascinating,'' he said (The Miami Herald, 20/2/10).

Febrero 20: Una reportera española radicada en Cuba por cinco años escribió que "es raro el periodista que no suaviza sus reportajes para evitar ser expulsado del país''. Otro corresponsal radicado allí durante cuatro años escribió: "La autocensura es una práctica muy común''. Y también: "Nadie en la isla puede escribir la verdad de lo que pasa allí. Los corresponsales sólo pueden aproximarse a la realidad''. Juntos, los libros recientes de Isabel García-Zarza y Vicente Botín han sacado a la luz pública una dura realidad que los corresponsales extranjeros en Cuba sólo han admitido previamente en privado: que las fuertes presiones del gobierno los obligan regularmente a andarse con cuidado en cuanto a las historias delicadas. "El público extranjero está recibiendo una imagen de Cuba que está, por lo menos, minimizada'', afirmó García-Zarza desde España en una entrevista telefónica. "Pero siempre es mejor un 80 o 90 por ciento de la realidad que nada''. "Por supuesto que mis editores en España estaban perfectamente conscientes de lo que pasaba, pero para ellos era importante mantener un corresponsal en Cuba'', explicó Botín a El Nuevo Herald en otra llamada telefónica desde España. Sus libros --el de ella, La Casa de Cristal, y el de él Los Funerales de Castro, ambos publicados en España a fines del año pasado-- brindan ejemplos de cómo escribieron historias delicadas a pesar de los esfuerzos del gobierno cubano por controlar su trabajo (El Nuevo Herald, 20/2/10).

Febrero 20: Los gobiernos de Cuba y México negocian la repatriación de un grupo de casi 20 presos mexicanos condenados en la isla por delitos de narcotráfico y tráfico de personas, según informaron fuentes diplomáticas mexicanas. El embajador de México en La Habana, Gabriel Jiménez Remus, dijo a periodistas que la negociación está "prácticamente terminada'' y solo falta la resolución final de las autoridades cubanas. Según indicó, en este momento hay poco más de una veintena de mexicanos detenidos en la isla, pero solo unos 18 de ellos han solicitado la repatriación. Los sentenciados llevan entre seis y ocho años en Cuba con penas que van de 14 a 16 años por tráfico de personas y de narcóticos (El Nuevo Herald, 20/2/10).

February 21: Fifty Cuban dissidents, most of them in prison, asked Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to intercede for their release with Cuban President Raul Castro when the two leaders meet, a meeting at which Castro's older brother and predecessor Fidel is scheduled to be present. The 50 men made the request of Lula in a letter released in Havana and among those requesting the Brazilian's help are 42 who are currently behind bars and eight who have been released for health reasons, all of them from the group of 75 sentenced in 2003 to prison terms of up to 28 years and accused by the Havana regime of being US "mercenaries." "We direct ourselves to you to request that in the conversations you will have with the top representatives of the Cuban government you examine our situation and that of the other peaceful Cuban political prisoners and lobby for our release," the letter said. "We hope that you will take an interest in prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who since December has been on a hunger strike to demand his rights and today is in a health situation that endangers his life," the letter added. According to the dissidents, Lula can be "a magnificent interlocutor for getting the Cuban government to decide to commit itself to urgently needed economic, political and social reforms, to move forward on respect for human rights, to achieve the desired (Cuban) national reconciliation and to bring the nation out of the deep crisis in which it finds itself" (LAHT, 22/2/10).

Febrero 22: El presidente brasileño, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, dijo que pretende aprovechar la gira que inició el 21 de febrero para anunciar inversiones en petroquímica en México, en carreteras y hoteles en Cuba, y en una hidroeléctrica en Haití, así como para estudiar posibles negocios con El Salvador. Lula afirmó en su programa semanal de radio que, además de las discusiones que tendrá en la Cumbre del Grupo de Río, en México, pretende aprovechar su gira para conversar sobre inversiones de empresas brasileñas en los cuatro países que visitará hasta el 27 de febrero.
En Cuba "tenemos un acuerdo importante de inversión para recuperar el puerto de Mariel. Es una inversión prioritaria", dijo Lula. Además, "tenemos interés en hacer nuevas inversiones" en la isla y de "contribuir para recuperar la red hotelera y las carreteras de Cuba". El presidente brasileño dijo que la petrolera estatal Petrobras pretende hacer inversiones para construir una fábrica de aceite combustible en La Habana y en estudios de prospección para buscar petróleo en Cuba, y que espera que todo pueda ser acordado este año. Lula adelantó que su ministro de Industria y Comercio, Miguel Jorge, está en La Habana conversando sobre estos proyectos. Fuentes oficiales brasileñas dijeron que durante su estancia en la isla, la cuarta desde que está en el gobierno, Lula tiene previstos encuentros con Fidel y Raúl Castro (Diario de Cuba, 22/2/10).

February 22: Leaders of more than 30 Latin American and Caribbean nations are meeting in Mexico to launch a group that will serve as an alternative to the Organization of American States. The main difference between the OAS and the yet-to-be-named organization will be that the United States and Canada will not be members. Leaders of Latin American countries have been meeting almost every year since 1986 when the Rio Group was created by countries including Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. This year's summit is intended to take the Rio Group to a new level by creating the organization. Among the main topics to be discussed at the summit is whether to recognize Porfirio Lobo as the legitimate president of Honduras. Other topics on the agenda include the creation of a long-term plan to help Haiti recover from the devastating effects of the earthquake and Argentina's conflict with Great Britain over oil drilling offshore from the Falkland Islands. The Unity Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean will be held in Cancun. President Raul Castro leads Cuba’s delegation to Summit. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and other officials from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs are also accompanying Raul Castro, Granma newspaper reported (CNN, Prensa Latina, 22/2/10).

February 22: “The International Book Fair allows for exchanges between creators and the public, and for me that is the most important aspect of the event," said renowned Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, who was invited to this year’s book fiesta. Atwood praised the organization of this type of event, where readers can buy books at affordable prices and which facilitates meetings between personalities in this field to talk about their work and experiences. The Canadian writer praised the modernization of printing techniques, by way of which it is possible to publish many more texts in a shorter period time and with higher quality. In related news, Juan Jose Sanchez, president of the Miguel Hernandez Cultural Foundation from Orihuela, Spain, said he was impressed by the possibility of establishing bonds with publishing houses and organizations from different countries during the Fair (ACN, 22/2/10).

Febrero 22: El presidente de México, Felipe Calderón, anunció que hay consenso para fortalecer la unidad hemisférica con la creación de un nuevo organismo sin Estados Unidos y Canadá. La noticia se dio a conocer durante la Cumbre de la Unidad de América Latina y el Caribe, y la reunión del Grupo de Río, que se celebran de forma simultánea en Cancún, y donde participan 25 jefes de estado y de gobierno. Las declaraciones de Calderón se vieron empañadas por un nuevo cruce de palabras entre los presidentes de Venezuela y Colombia en el marco de unas muy deterioradas relaciones bilaterales. El intercambio verbal que protagonizaron los presidentes de Colombia, Álvaro Uribe, y de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, se produjo durante el almuerzo ofrecido por el gobierno anfitrión, donde no hubo presencia de los medios de comunicación. Algunas agencias señalaron que el presidente de Cuba, Raúl Castro, intervino para zanjar la discusión que había subido de tono (BBC Mundo, 22/2/10).

Febrero 22: El cardenal polaco Stanislaw Dziwisz, arzobispo de Cracovia, llegó a La Habana para presentar el documental Testimonio, basado en su libro sobre el fallecido papa Juan Pablo II y reunirse con comunidades religiosas. Dziwisz, que fue invitado por el cardenal cubano Jaime Ortega y el embajador de la Orden de Malta en la Isla, el polaco Przemyslaw Jan Häuser, tiene previsto visitar las obras del nuevo seminario católico que se construye en las afueras de La Habana, informó una fuente de la embajada de la Santa Sede. El arzobispo de Cracovia se reunirá con seminaristas y miembros de comunidades religiosas, oficiará una misa para jóvenes y presentará Testimonio en la Catedral de La Habana. También tiene prevista una reunión con autoridades del gobierno cubano, antes de concluir su visita (Diario de Cuba, 23/2/10).

Febrero 22: El director de la revista digital venezolana Tal Cual, Teodoro Petkoff, señaló en un editorial que lo peor de la presencia invasiva de personal cubano en Venezuela, es que la propicia el presidente Hugo Chávez. Añade Petkoff que una de las consecuencias de esa intromisión es que los venezolanos han comenzado a detestar no sólo a los funcionarios cubano-fidelistas sino a los propios cubanos con quienes antes había gran identificación. Explica el editorialista que los funcionarios cubanos en Venezuela son arrogantes, aunque son representantes de un modelo en bancarrota. Indica Petkoff que la visita del ministro cubano Ramiro Valdés fue recibida como una bofetada, como una vergüenza indescriptible y que muchos oficiales leales a Chávez utilizaron expresiones de muy subido tono para criticarla. Y finaliza el editorial de Tal Cual afirmando que Hugo Chávez entregó la dirección de Puertos y Aeropuertos a los militares cubanos y que con ello ha cambiado la Misión Militar estadounidense por la Misión Cubana, la cual es más injerencista que la norteamericana (Marti Noticias, 22/2/10).

Febrero 23: Las constantes negativas que ha recibido la bloguera Yoani Sánchez para abandonar su país la han llevado a pedir la ayuda de Michelle Bachelet y del rey Juan Carlos I de España para poder asistir al V Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española, informó el diario chileno El Mercurio. "Confío en que la señora Bachelet, que es una persona que ha vivido situaciones muy complicadas (...) pueda interceder por mí de mujer a mujer, de latinoamericana a latinoamericana, y de persona inteligente y conocedora del campo de las letras que es, para que a esta humilde bloguera la dejen abordar un avión", expresó Sánchez. La autora del blog Generación Y es una de las invitadas al V Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española que se realizará en Valparaíso (Chile), entre el 2 y el 5 de marzo, donde debería exponer sobre el uso del español y las nuevas tecnologías, específicamente los microblogs. Aunque continúa con los trámites necesarios para volar a Chile, como la obtención de la visa de visita, Yoani Sánchez tiene pocas esperanzas de salir de la isla. "Para viajar, los cubanos necesitamos una autorización que se conoce como el permiso de salida o la tarjeta blanca. En mi caso, todas las veces que lo he solicitado me han dicho que no puedo viajar por el momento", explicó (Diario de Cuba, 23/2/10).

February 23: Cuba sees growing ties with Malaysia in future as it celebrates its 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations with this country. "I am very sure that our relations will remain strong and grow more and more in the coming years," said its ambassador to Malaysia, Carlos A. Amores. The third resident ambassador to this country was met by reporters after paying a visit to the Tanjung Kupang Memorial in Jalan Kebun The. Havana and Kuala Lumpur sealed ties in 1975, at the time of the Cold War ideological divide, and have moved forward to enjoy increasingly fruitful and meaningful relations in many areas -- politics, economics, trade, medical, education, sports and people-to-people relations. Amores, 43, said that bilateral relations picked up, especially at the political level, in the 90s which saw Cuba open its embassy in Kuala Lumpur in 1997, and Malaysia followed by setting up an embassy in Havana in February 2001. He was optimistic that economic ties would pick up as well, and expected trade ties to be strengthened (Bernama, 23/2/10).

February 23: Cuban President Raul Castro called for Latin American solidarity at a summit in Mexico to create a new organization that could weaken US influence in the region. He backed Latin American complaints against the United States and Britain at a meeting of the "Rio Group" of regional leaders near the Caribbean resort town of Playa del Carmen. The Rio Group, which welcomed Communist Cuba as a member in 2008, condemned the decades-long US embargo on Cuba and Castro blasted British oil exploration in the Falkland islands, known as the Islas Malvinas in Spanish. Argentina objects to private companies searching for oil in the territory, which it claims even though the South Atlantic islands have been British-controlled since the 19th century. "Cuba has always backed Argentina's justified claims to the Islas Malvinas. Today we firmly support the legitimate rights of our sister nation over her natural resources," Castro said. Cuba also criticized the inclusion of Ecuador on a list of nations accused by an international watchdog of failing to comply with standards against money laundering and terrorist financing.
The Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, comprised of governments and regional organizations, named Ecuador alongside Iran, Angola, North Korea and Ethiopia as nations posing risks to the international financial system. "We also support the Ecuadorean government in its just complaints," Castro said. "Which reminds us of the spurious US State Department lists of countries that supposedly sponsor terrorism," he said. Latin American and Caribbean nations e agreed to set up a new regional body without the US and Canada, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has said. The new bloc would be an alternative to the Organisation of American States (OAS), the main forum for regional affairs in the past 50 years (Discurso de Raúl Castro; Reuters, BBC, 23/2/10).

Febrero 23: El presidente brasileño, Lula da Silva, se encuentra en Cuba para visitar a Fidel y a Raúl Castro, y para negociar inversiones millonarias en el puerto de Mariel. El mandatario llegó a La Habana a las 20h45 locales y al pie de la escalerilla del avión fue recibido por el ministro de Exteriores cubano, Bruno Rodríguez. Lula venía de México, donde, al igual que su homólogo cubano, Raúl Castro, participó en la cumbre del Grupo de Río. En su cuarto viaje a Cuba desde que llegó al poder, en enero de 2003, el mandatario brasileño realizará un recorrido por el puerto de Mariel, donde Brasil tiene inversiones. Luego, se reunirá con Fidel Castro, presidirá la sesión de grupos negociadores de ambos países y se reunirá con el presidente Raúl Castro. Poco antes de la llegada de Lula, se produjo la del mandatario venezolano, Hugo Chávez, según informaron fuentes diplomáticas (AFP, 24/2/10).

February 23: Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, arrived in Havana from Mexico, where he participated in the Rio Group Summit, according to diplomatic sources at the airport in Cuba's capital city. Chavez arrived before President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who was also scheduled to arrive in Havana during the course of the day (AFP, 24/2/10).

February 24: Spain's prime minister urged Cuba to release its political prisoners, exerting unusual pressure on Havana as he joined a chorus of criticism over a jailed dissident's death. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero spoke in Spain's Parliament a day after he gave a speech at a UN human rights forum in Geneva during which he avoided any mention of Cuba or the dissident, even as other European countries and the United States condemned Orlando Zapata Tamayo's death after a long hunger strike. Spanish conservatives criticized Zapatero's silence. Zapatero said "we can imagine the suffering of Cuban political prisoners. And we must demand that the Cuban regime restore the freedom of prisoners of conscience and respect human rights"  (AP, 24/2/10).

Febrero 24: La Unión Europea (UE) "lamenta profundamente" la muerte del disidente cubano Orlando Zapata y recuerda que el bloque ha pedido reiteradamente a La Habana la "liberación incondicional de todos los prisioneros políticos", indicó un portavoz comunitario. "Lamentamos profundamente la muerte del prisionero político Orlando Zapata y expresamos nuestro pésame a su familia", explicó el portavoz John Clancy. Zapata, de 42 años, falleció en La Habana como consecuencia de una huelga de hambre de 85 días, un hecho que suscitó la "indignación" en la disidencia local, que culpa al gobierno. "La UE ha pedido en muchas ocasiones al gobierno cubano que mejore de forma efectiva la situación de los derechos humanos en el país mediante la liberación incondicional de todos los presos políticos, incluidos los detenidos en 2003", afirmó Clancy. El portavoz recordó que está cuestión sigue siendo "una prioridad para la Unión Europea", discutida al "máximo nivel en el marco del diálogo político entre la UE y Cuba" (AFP, 24/2/10).

Febrero 24: La organización pro derechos humanos Amnistía Internacional (AI) afirmó que la muerte del disidente cubano Orlando Zapata Tamayo, tras 85 días en huelga de hambre, demuestra la "crueldad" del gobierno cubano. El régimen cubano estuvo "empeñado en mantener preso a Zapata por motivos de conciencia", afirmó AI. En declaraciones a Efe, el experto de AI sobre Latinoamérica, Gerardo Ducós, manifestó que Zapata fue encarcelado por "ejercer pacíficamente su legítimo derecho a la libertad de expresión". Además, Ducós exigió al gobierno cubano la liberación de las 54 personas prisioneras actualmente en las cárceles de la isla por motivos de conciencia (Death of Prisoner of Conscience Must Herald Change; EFE, 24/2/10).

Febrero 24: El ex presidente polaco y Premio Nobel del la Paz Lech Walesa expresó "gran tristeza" por el fallecimiento del preso político cubano Orlando Zapata Tamayo tras 86 días de huelga de hambre. En una carta enviada a la Asociación Damas de Blanco, con sede en Madrid, Walesa dijo que la muerte de Zapata Tamayo "es otra prueba de que el régimen de los hermanos Castro no le hace ningún caso a los llamados de la comunidad internacional al cese de la violación de los derechos humanos" y está "silenciosamente deshaciéndose de los que reclaman la libertad y la democracia". "Hoy la trágica muerte de Orlando cobra una importancia simbólica, es un desesperado clamor por la ayuda y una actuación eficaz, fundamentalmente de parte de los políticos y los que toman decisiones pero pasan en silencio sobre la voz de los representantes de la sociedad cívica en Cuba", añadió el fundador del legendario sindicato Solidaridad (Diario de Cuba, 24/2/10).

February 24: Fidel Castro met with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of the Federal Republic of Brazil, who is conducting a work visit to Cuba. Army General Raul Castro, president of the Councils of State and Ministers, and Brazilian Social Communications Minister Franklin Martins, were also in attendance. Fidel and Lula spoke at length about diverse and important topics, particularly the 15th International Conference on Global Warming held in December in Copenhagen and the positive results in the recently concluded Latin America and Caribbean Unity Summit. During the broad exchange, the commander in chief congratulated the Brazilian president on his performance at the helm of the Federal Republic of Brazil, which has attained unprecedented approval rates by a Brazilian leader. Lula's term, which concludes toward the end of 2010, enjoys the recognition of the international community. During the friendly chat, Fidel thanked the Brazilian people and president for their gestures of solidarity and cooperation with Cuba (Granma International, 24/2/10).

February 24: The presidents from Brazil and Cuba, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Raul Castro, held fruitful talks at Havana’s Revolution Palace, as part of the ongoing working visit of the top leader of the South American nation. The national television newscast reported that the meeting took place in accordance with the excellent state of bilateral relations and the solid friendship uniting the Cuban and Brazilian peoples. The two heads of state spoke about the challenges faced by their respective countries; they expressed their satisfaction for the continuous development of cooperation between Brazil and Cuba in numerous fields, especially the economic one; and the willingness to keep on expanding it (ACN, 25/2/10).

Febrero 24: El presidente de Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, dijo desde La Habana, donde se encontraba de visita oficial, que "lamenta profundamente" la muerte disidente y preso político cubano Orlando Zapata. Lula realizo estas declaraciones a los medios antes de reunirse en el Palacio de la Revolución con su homólogo cubano, Raúl Castro. En relación a las críticas vertidas hacia él desde la disidencia cubana, el presidente brasileño negó haber recibido ninguna carta de los presos políticos en la que se le pidiese su intervención ante los hermanos Castro. La oposición interna cubana había acusado a Lula de ser "cómplice" de las violaciones de los derechos humanos en la isla por su negativa a recibirles en sus últimas visitas a Cuba (El País, 25/2/10).

February 25: The Christian Labour Association of Canada is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining political prisoners in Cuba, including 10 independent trade unionists. CLAC, which was responsible for bringing a Cuban dissident Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos to Canada to speak with Minister Peter Kent last spring, is saddened, but not surprised by the recent death of Orlando Zapata, a political prisoner since 2003. "When our trade union colleague spoke with Minister Kent last year, he made clear that prison conditions were horrendous" says Brian Dijkema, chair of CLAC International. "He spoke of abuse by guards and fellow prisoners, severe lack of nutrition, and a complete absence of sanitation." "Such conditions leave the prisoners -- who are there for no reason other than wanting to exercise basic rights and freedoms -- desperate and without hope. The Cuban government should make the courageous move of releasing them immediately and without condition." CLAC also calls for the Prime Minister of Canada to personally take a role in seeking the prisoners' release (CLAC Press Release, 25/2/10).

February 25: The Czech parliament observed a minute's silence in honour of Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata who died in a Havana jail after a two-month hunger strike protesting prison conditions. "I am convinced that the overwhelming majority (of deputies) are not indifferent at a time when a human rights defender is made a martyr by a totalitarian regime," said Miroslav Kalousek, a deputy and former Czech finance minister, who launched the initiative. The parliament of the ex-communist Czech Republic also "condemned the assassins" of Zapata, Kalousek said (AFP, 25/2/10).

Febrero 25: La organización Human Rights Watch (HRW) calificó de "tragedia'' la muerte del prisionero político Orlando Zapata Tamayo, y pidió a EEUU y a la Unión Europea que cambien su política hacia la isla porque se ha demostrado que "no funciona''. El subdirector de HRW, Daniel Wilkinson, pidió en declaraciones a Efe la liberación de todos los presos políticos en Cuba, que, dijo, viven en condiciones "horribles'' y no tienen "ningún derecho'' ni "ningún mecanismo para protegerse de los abusos'' del régimen. "Es una tragedia'', dijo al referirse a la muerte de Zapata Tamayo. "Zapata Tamayo recurrió a una forma extrema para llamar la atención de los problemas en Cuba y lo pagó con su vida'', agregó. Para Wilkinson, la muerte del preso político cubano sirve, no obstante, para llamar la atención a EEUU y a la Unión Europea (UE) de que con el embargo a la isla por parte de Washington, que data de 1962, y la posición común de Bruselas "no han logrado nada'' (Cubaencuentro, 26/2/10).

Febrero 25: El presidente electo de Chile, Sebastián Piñera, condenó la muerte del disidente Orlando Zapata Tamayo, quien falleció tras 86 días de huelga de hambre, al tiempo que indicó que su gobierno impulsará la defensa de los derechos humanos en Cuba, informó el diario semi-oficial La Nación. Junto con expresar sus "más sinceras condolencias a la familia" de Zapata Tamayo, a quien calificó como un "defensor de los derechos humanos", Piñera manifestó su "enérgica condena" a las circunstancias bajo las cuales ocurrió su fallecimiento. "Zapata Tamayo entregó su vida en defensa de la democracia y la libertad en Cuba, dejando un testimonio que no puede sino recibir la solidaridad y reconocimiento de la comunidad internacional", indicó el mandatario electo, al tiempo que solicitó la inmediata liberación de los más de 200 presos políticos existentes en la isla. A través de una declaración oficial, Piñera recalcó que durante su administración defenderá las libertades personales de los ciudadanos de la isla e indicó que la defensa de los derechos humanos de los cubanos "será un aspecto prioritario de la política exterior" que implementará a partir del 11 de marzo (Diario de Cuba, 25/2/10).

February 25: Canada’s Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon has called on Cuba to release all political prisoners after the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, who died after a hunger strike while protesting his jail conditions. “Canada regrets this tragedy and calls on the Cuban government to release all political prisoners and to show greater tolerance for Cubans who express opposing views,” Cannon said in a statement. Zapata was a 42-year-old plumber imprisoned in 2003. He was serving a 36-year sentence for disobedience of the government. His death has drawn condemnation from Amnesty International and several countries, including Canada, US, Spain and France (Toronto Star, 25/2/10).

Febrero 25: El gobierno canadiense llamará a la embajadora cubana en Ottawa, Teresita de Jesús Vicente Sotolongo, para que explique las circunstancias de la muerte del disidente cubano Orlando Zapata Tamayo, quien falleció en prisión durante una huelga de hambre. Según señalaron fuentes diplomáticas, las autoridades canadienses "tienen planeado convocar a la embajadora cubana en Ottawa" y pedir explicaciones sobre la muerte de Zapata. La decisión se produce en el mismo día que el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores canadiense, Lawrence Cannon, dijo que " Canadá lamenta esta tragedia y solicita al gobierno cubano que libere a todos los prisioneros políticos y muestre una mayor tolerancia hacia aquellos que expresan puntos de vista opuestos" (EFE, 25/2/10).

February 25: Cuban President Raul Castro saw off his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, at the Jose Marti International airport, who said was satisfied with the results of his working visit to Cuba. Lula expressed his pleasure with his meeting with the leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, whom he said he found in very good health, "thinking about the future of Cuba, Latin America and the Caribbean, and as might be expected, thinking about the world." Lula expressed satisfaction with the exchanges held with the Cuban President Raul Castro, and the agreements signed between his country and the Caribbean nation. After describing Cubans as "solidarity specialists" The Brazilian president stressed the readiness of his Government to be erected as the first ally of Cuba in terms of investments for development, and expressed his confidence in the potential Cuba has to develop. We will not miss the time when discussing the most important projects for Cuba, in order to prepare it for the future, he said (ACN, 25/2/10).

Febrero 26: Los presidentes de las Comisiones de Asuntos Exteriores de países de la Unión Europea concluyeron su foro de dos días en Madrid suscribiendo una declaración en la que se "condena" la muerte del disidente cubano Orlando Zapata después de 85 días en huelga de hambre. El preso político, un albañil de 37 años que había sido detenido en 2003, falleció este martes en La Habana al cabo de la huelga de hambre con la que quiso exigir un trato digno de "prisionero de conciencia", estatus que le reconocía la organización Amnistía Internacional. El texto de los parlamentarios europeos fue firmado por una veintena de ellos a título individual, como el presidente de la Comisión de Asuntos Exteriores del Congreso de los Diputados de España, Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida. La declaración expresa la condena por los hechos ocurridos y el "profundo pesar" por la muerte de Zapata, y "celebra" las palabras que el jefe del gobierno español, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, pronunció la víspera en la apertura del foro (EFE, 26/2/10).

Febrero 26: Amnistía Internacional (AI) nombró a Darsi Ferrer, director del Centro de Salud y Derechos Humanos "Juan Bruno Zayas" de La Habana, su 55 prisionero de conciencia en Cuba y pidió al gobierno de Cuba su inmediata e incondicional liberación. En un comunicado, la organización denunció que Ferrer está detenido desde julio de 2009 acusado de obtención ilegal de bienes, un delito que habitualmente no comporta cárcel, que está en una cárcel de máxima seguridad en La Habana, donde la mayoría de los presos han cometido actos violentos, y que no ha sido juzgado. "La acusación contra Darsi Ferrer es claramente un pretexto. Pensamos que ha sido detenido como castigo por su trabajo para promover la libertad de expresión en Cuba", manifestó en la nota Gerardo Ducos, investigador de AI sobre Cuba. Amnistía explicó que el delito que se le imputa suele ser competencia de un juzgado local, pero que en este caso está siendo tramitado por la Fiscalía General, lo que "añade argumentos a la opinión de que este caso tiene una motivación política". "Cualquier persona acusada de este delito estaría normalmente en libertad bajo fianza a la espera de juicio, no preso en una cárcel de máxima seguridad. Este es otro intento por parte de las autoridades cubanas de obstaculizar el trabajo de un activista de los derechos humanos en Cuba", declaró Ducos (EFE, 26/2/10).

Febrero 26: La Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) condenó la muerte del preso político Orlando Zapata Tamayo, y exigió a La Habana que libere inmediatamente a los 75 disidentes detenidos en la "primavera negra" y cumpla sus obligaciones en materia de derechos humanos. En un comunicado, la CIDH condenó y lamentó "profundamente" la muerte del disidente cubano tras 85 días en huelga de hambre, y expresó su pésame y solidaridad a sus familiares. La CIDH recomendó al Estado de Cuba liberar inmediatamente e incondicionalmente a todos los presos, y que declare nulas las condenas en su contra por haberse basado en leyes que imponen restricciones ilegítimas a sus derechos humanos (CIDH Condena Muerte de Zapata Tamayo; Diario de Cuba, 27/2/10).

February 26: Cuba was elected, unanimously, to hold a vice presidency of the Special Committee on the United Nations Organization Pedro Nunez Mosquera, Permanent Representative of Cuba to the UN, thanked the appointment and reaffirmed the commitment of his country with the works of that body of the international organization. The diplomat expressed that this is a recognition to the permanent position of the Cuban government and people against colonialism and in favor of independence and defense of the sovereignty of nations (ACN, 26/2/10).