Chronicle on Cuba - July 2009

Foreign Affairs

Julio 1: El canciller de El Salvador, Hugo Martínez, anunció el nombramiento de un grupo de embajadores, entre ellos el ex miembro del Partido Comunista, Domingo Santa Cruz, para la nueva sede diplomática en Cuba. El nuevo embajador ante Cuba fue anunciado justo un mes después que Martínez firmó un acuerdo con el vicecanciller cubano Alejandro González para restablecer las relaciones diplomáticas entre ambos países, poniendo fin a medio siglo de distanciamiento. El acuerdo fue alcanzado luego que el presidente de izquierda Mauricio Funes asumió el cargo de cinco años el pasado 1 de junio, terminando así con dos décadas de gobiernos de la derechista Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (Arena). Santa Cruz, de 75 años, formó parte del Partido Comunista local y de la comisión política del ex guerrillero Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN), al que pertenece el presidente Funes (AP, 1/7/09).

July 2: The Cuban journalist and poet Normando Hernandez has been awarded the annual Freedom of Expression award by the Norwegian Writers’ Union. A delegation traveled from Oslo to the island nation to present the award, which included a prize of 100,000 kroner (about $15,775). In this case, there were no hugs, no toast. Gonzalez, 39 and seriously ill, has been in prison for six years, except for a few stays in a Havana military hospital. Much of his incarceration has been spent at the notorious Kilo 7 in Camaguey. Gonzalez is one of 29 journalists arrested in the “Black Spring” of March 2003, when 75 dissidents were convicted of “endangering the state’s independence or territorial integrity,” according to the Cuban government. Gonzalez published stories critical of the health, education and judicial agencies. His reward was a 25-year sentence (Bloomberg, 2/7/09).

July 2: Cyril Svoboda, head of the Czech Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and former foreign minister, criticised the EU's pragmatic approach to Havana on arrival from a private visit to Cuba. Svoboda set out for the trip in cooperation with the People in Need foundation on June 27, without any publicity. He told journalists that only the Czech, Dutch and Polish embassies distribute medicines to the Cuban people who need them. The other EU countries unfortunately have preferred pragmatic policy to a free approach and a dialogue, Svoboda said. He added that only few of them meet dissidents. On the contrary, they show cordial relations with the official representatives of Cuba, an undemocratic state, Svoboda said (CTK, 2/7/09).

July 2: The 19th Cuba-Yemen Joint Intergovernmental Session wrapped up in Havana with the signing of a cooperation protocol in the fields of agriculture, health and education. The document was signed by Cuban Minister for Foreign Trade and
Investment Rodrigo Malmierca, and Yemeni Agriculture and Irrigation Minister Mansur Ahmed Mohamed Al Howshabi (ACN, 2/7/09).

July 2: Cuban Vice President Esteban Lazo concluded a working visit to Panama which he described as very positive. Lazo, who headed the Cuban delegation to the swearing-in ceremony of President Ricardo Martinelli, told Prensa Latina news agency that during his short visit he fulfilled a tight working agenda that included a meeting with the newly inaugurated authorities of Panama. Strengthening mutual cooperation bonds, particularly in the health, trade and sports sectors, was one of the main topics discussed in the meetings, said the Cuban Vice President. Lazo said the Cuban delegation participated in the farewell ceremony of outgoing president Martín Torrijos, to whom he communicated the Cuban authorities’ decision to approve a partial-reaching commercial deal between the two nations (ACN, 2/7/09).

July 3: Cuban national baseball youth team will play friendly matches with its Canadian counterpart at the Nelson Fernandez Stadium in Havana province. The Cuban squad is taking these matches as part of its training before its participation in the Pan American World Qualifier in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, to run from September 24 till October 4. The Canadian team, with a good offensive and pitching, arrived in Havana after concluding a 5-game series against a US college team, with players of 21-22 years of age (ACN, 3/7/09).

July 5: Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic President Mohamed Abdelaziz met with Cuban President Raul Castro to discuss bilateral and global issues, state media reported. "The leaders expressed their satisfaction at the excellent state of bilateral links and exchanged experiences about the many challenges confronting both peoples, both internally as well as on the international level, at a time when the world is suffering a profound economic crisis and dangerous conflicts persist," a government communique said. "Abdelaziz reiterated that his people will always stand with Cuba in its just struggle against the (US) blockade and for the release of the Five Heroes (Cuban agents convicted and imprisoned in the United States for espionage), as well as thanking (Cuba) for the ongoing solidarity of the island," the government communique said. Castro called the people of the Western Sahara a "heroic people who are fighting in very difficult conditions for their right to self-determination" and he expressed the Cuban willingness to continue providing support for their cause. Accompanying Castro in the meeting were Cuban First Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, and Abdelaziz had his foreign minister, Salem Ould Salek, with him (EFE, 5/7/09).

Julio 7: El ayuntamiento de Barcelona ha rehabilitado 57 apartamentos de 11 fincas de la calle de La Habana que lleva su nombre, en colaboración con la Oficina del Historiador de la capital cubana. El comisionado de Cooperación, Solidaridad y Paz de Barcelona, Manel Vila, explicó a corresponsales que la rehabilitación se hizo durante cuatro años, "con la gente dentro". Las obras costaron 554,000 euros, de los cuales 370,000 los aportó esa ciudad catalana y el resto la Oficina del Historiador de La Habana, Eusebio Leal, especie de alcalde autónomo del casco antiguo de la capital. La calle Barcelona está situada en el Barrio Chino del deteriorado centro histórico, detrás del Capitolio erigido a imagen y semejanza del de Washington, que fue sede del parlamento cubano y ahora alberga un museo (EFE, 7/7/09).

July 7: The International Press Institute called for the "immediate release" of the 22 journalists jailed in Cuba and warned of the risk of downplaying the importance of the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and the press. The Vienna-based IPI noted in a statement that the UN Human Rights Council recently praised Cuba for making progress in promoting rights related to nutrition, education and health, but not freedom of expression. "Various national delegations, including those of Canada, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Chile, Italy and Slovakia, expressed concern about Cuba's violation of the right to freedom of expression and the continued imprisonment of journalists and human rights defenders," the IPI said. The UN panel, however, noted that 79 people were arrested in 2003 in an "arbitrary" manner. Among those detained in that government crackdown were 29 journalists, of whom 21 remain imprisoned, the IPI said. Dissident organizations on the communist-ruled island estimate the total number of political prisoners in Cuba at around 207."I am indeed glad to see that the report includes concerns about the lack of freedom of expression in Cuba, as well as recommendations to lift restrictions on this fundamental right," IPI Director David Dadge said (EFE, 7/7/09).

Julio 8: El gobierno cubano anunció que retira de Honduras a 143 cubanos que cumplían tareas de apoyo al deporte y alfabetización y denunció que el nuevo gobierno "alienta acciones hostiles" contra los cubanos residentes en el país, según un comunicado de su embajada. En el texto, la embajada responsabiliza de esa decisión a los pronunciamientos de funcionarios del gobierno de Roberto Micheletti, que tomó el poder después que el 28 de junio el Ejército expulsó al presidente Manuel Zelaya y que afirmaron que algunos de esos cubanos participaban en tareas de adoctrinamiento. En uno de sus primeros pronunciamientos tras tomar el poder, Micheletti aseguró que se brindaría toda la seguridad a los cubanos que permanecieran en el país (AFP, 9/7/09).

Julio 9: El 29 Festival del Caribe llenó de colorido a la ciudad de Santiago de Cuba, al oriente de la isla, con sus bailes y canciones, desafiando las altas temperaturas veraniegas y las adversidades que suelen amenazar su celebración. Cuentan organizadores de la también llamada "Fiesta del fuego" que el fallecido intelectual santiaguero Joel James, fundador de estos encuentros, advertía a menudo que por estas fechas siempre asechaba alguna contingencia que conspiraba contra la participación de artistas de otros países. Pero ya fueran huracanes, siempre presentes en toda el área caribeña entre junio y noviembre, crisis económica o conflictos políticos, estas citas culturales organizadas por la Casa del Caribe nunca han dejado de realizarse. Su 29 edición, que transcurrió entre el 3 y el 9 de julio, no fue la excepción. Dedicada a Honduras y la cultura garífuna, ni el presidente constitucional Manuel Zelaya, ni la numerosa delegación invitada al festival pudieron acudir a la cita, por la severa crisis política que sacude a ese país centroamericano desde el 28 de junio, cuando un golpe de Estado desplazó al mandatario. Sin embargo, Honduras estuvo presente de principio a fin en discursos, talleres teóricos y entre exponentes y portadores de la cultura popular de distintas zonas de Cuba y de la región circundante, así como en participantes de coloridos desfiles de inauguración y clausura del encuentro (IPS, 17/7/09).

Julio 10: El presidente cubano, Raúl Castro, se reunió con el ministro brasileño de Desarrollo, Industria y Comercio Exterior, Miguel Jorge, que visitó dos días la isla con empresarios de su país para adelantar negociaciones sobre petróleo, puertos y empresas mixtas. Un escueto comunicado divulgado por medios oficiales dice que también asistieron a la reunión -no anunciada previamente- dos vicepresidentes cubanos, Ricardo Cabrisas y Jorge Luis Sierra, y por Brasil el presidente de la Agencia de Desarrollo Industrial, Reginaldo Arcuri, y el embajador en La Habana, Bernardo Pericás. Jorge dijo en rueda de prensa que "lo más importante" de su visita fue concretar operaciones conjuntas para construir un puerto en Mariel, al oeste de La Habana, y anunció que la estatal Petrobrás abrirá una oficina en la capital cubana (EFE, 11/7/09).

Julio 10: Unos 80 cooperantes cubanos que trabajaban en Honduras, en su mayoría maestros, regresaron a Cuba tras ser retirados por el gobierno de la isla debido a "obstáculos" para realizar su labor en medio de la crisis política que vive ese país, informaron medios oficiales. Los cooperantes fueron recibidos por la ministra cubana de Educación, Ena Elsa Velázquez, quien explicó que su misión en Honduras finalizó "a causa de obstáculos impuestos por el Gobierno de facto de ese país para el desempeño de sus funciones", desde que fue depuesto el presidente Manuel Zelaya. La mayoría de los que regresaron participaban en el Programa Nacional de Alfabetización para jóvenes y adultos con el método cubano "Yo, sí puedo", pero también hay tres especialistas del Instituto Nacional de Deportes y dos del Ministerio del Azúcar. Su regreso se produjo horas después de que la embajada de Cuba en Honduras anunciara en un comunicado que retiraría a los 143 docentes cubanos que trabajan allí, porque el gobierno que preside Roberto Micheletti no completó el trámite de pasaportes de 83 asesores. Sin embargo, según el comunicado, Cuba mantendrá en ese país centroamericano al personal médico y paramédico que comenzó a brindar ayuda a fines de 1998, luego del paso del huracán "Mitch", "a menos que exista una solicitud expresa de que sea retirado" (EFE, 10/7/09).

July 11: Britain's Royal Ballet has arrived in Havana for five days' of sold-out performances in the company's first visit to Cuba. The performances, which begin on July 14, will include a tribute to Cuban ballet legend Alicia Alonso and feature the return of Carlos Acosta, a Cuban who is the ballet's principal guest dancer. Administrative director Kevin O'Hare said at a press conference that 150 people, including 96 dancers, made the trip with the London-based company. Julian Gonzalez, president of Cuba's National Council for Visual Arts, said tickets to the performances had sold out "in a matter of hours" as Cubans looked forward to seeing the prestigious company and watching Acosta perform. The company will perform at the Gran Teatro in central Havana the first three days, then move to Karl Marx Teatro for two more. Four of the performances will be shown live on big-screen televisions placed outside near the Gran Teatro (Reuters, 13/7/09).

July 11: Honduras today "is a country occupied not only by the coup-plotters but also by the armed forces of the United States," writes Fidel Castro in his latest article, published in the Cuban media. Castro reminds his readers that "the military base at Soto Cano [...] was used by Col. Oliver North when he directed the dirty war against Nicaragua." From there, the United States directed "attacks against the Salvadoran and Guatemalan revolutionaries. [...] It is home to the United States' Joint Task Force Bravo [...] which occupies 85 percent of the area of the base." "If President Manuel Zelaya is not returned to his post, a wave of coups d'état threatens to wipe out many Latin American governments or place them at the mercy of extreme-right military officers" trained by the Pentagon, Castro warns. "Those dark days are not very distant," he writes. Castro then gives Zelaya some advice. He should "not now admit any dilatory maneuvers that might wear out the considerable social forces that support him and only lead to an irreparable erosion" (The Coup Dies or Constitutions Die; The Miami Herald, 11/7/09).

July 12: President Raul Castro met Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as he began a three-day visit to Cuba's north African ally ahead of a key summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. Castro, 78, was welcomed by Bouteflika at the airport before they held talks at a presidential residence west of the capital Algiers. The programme of Castro's visit was not made public, but Algerian government newspaper El Moudjahid said meetings would focus on "a major event, the 15th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement" in Egypt. This is the second trip this year to Algeria by Castro, who was handed the reins of power by his brother Fidel after the Cuban revolutionary leader underwent major surgery in July 2006. Raul officially became president in February 2008 (AFP, 13/7/09).

Julio 13: El escritor y periodista José María Penabad López, actual cónsul en Cuba, será el embajador ante el Gobierno de Raúl Castro, decidió el presidente Óscar Arias. El mandatario costarricense optó por ascender a Penabad después de que el académico Fernando Durán Ayanegui rechazó el ofrecimiento para ser el primer embajador en Cuba en casi 50 años, tras el restablecimiento de lazos diplomáticos en marzo último. El presidente Arias confirmó que “desde hace mucho tiempo” pidió al Gobierno cubano el beneplácito para Penabad, trámite diplomático obligatorio y que aún está pendiente de resolverse. Penabad, de 80 años y origen español, funge como jefe de la sede diplomática tica en Cuba desde el año 2003, nombrado por el entonces mandatario Abel Pacheco (La Nación, 13/7/09).

Julio 13: El ministro de Exteriores cubano, Bruno Eduardo Parrilla, inauguró en Egipto la reunión ministerial preparatoria de la cumbre del Movimiento de Países No Alineados (NOAL) con una llamada a potenciar el multilateralismo. Parrilla, que calificó a la NOAL como "el baluarte de los intereses comunes del pueblo del sur", denunció las políticas de los "países del norte" y dijo que su objetivo es expoliar a los pueblos menos desarrollados. El canciller cubano criticó también "la existencia de un injusto y expoliador sistema internacional que ahora transfiere a los países del sur el mayor impacto de la crisis global". Asimismo, recordó las injerencias de las grandes potencias, así como las guerras que estas lanzan, según él, con el objetivo de "imponer modelos políticos y arrebatar los recursos naturales a nuestro pueblos" (EFE, 13/7/09).

July 13: A total of 425,000 Bolivians have been operated on by Cuban specialists as part of Operation Miracle, said in La Paz Cuba’s ambassador to Bolivia, Rafael Daussá. The Cuban diplomat said that the program, aimed at helping people of scant resources recuperate their sight, is working very well, with 243 Cuban experts distributed in 18 eye centers throughout the Bolivian territory, Daussá told Patria Nueva radio station (ACN, 13/7/09).

July 14: Spain asked Cuban authorities for information about the death of Spanish priest Mariano Arroyo, who was found stabbed and partially burned in his parish apartment on the outskirts of Havana, diplomatic sources told the press. The Spanish Foreign Ministry asked, through Madrid's Embassy in Havana, for the "maximum clarification" about the deed, which came five months after the murder of another Spanish priest, Eduardo de la Fuente Serranno, in Cuba under strange circumstances, according to the sources. The ministry is in contact with Arroyo's family and with ecclesiastical authorities to help them with the procedures for transporting the body to Spain once an autopsy has been performed. Arroyo, who was born in 1935 and came to Cuba to carry out pastoral work in 1998, was found stabbed and burned in his room at the parish house at the Church of Our Lady of Regla, on the outskirts of Havana (EFE, 14/7/09).

July 14: Britain's Royal Ballet, making its first appearance in Cuba, was set to begin five days of performances that star dancer Carlos Acosta, described as the "event of a lifetime" for his native Cuba. Acosta was to dance in three of the performances, including an appearance in a tribute to Cuban ballet legend Alicia Alonso. Tickets, priced at 20 Cuban pesos, the equivalent of 91 US cents, sold out quickly and have become one of Havana's most sought-after items. Some of the performances will be shown on giant television screens outside for free viewing by the public. Acosta, in an interview before a rehearsal at Havana's Gran Teatro, said the Royal Ballet's visit was as much an act of diplomacy as it was art. "The other thing is for the Cuban audiences to free the mind a little bit," he said. The company will pay tribute to Cuban prima ballerina Alicia Alonso with an excerpt of "Giselle," the dance for which she is best known (Reuters, 14/7/09).

Julio 14: El presidente cubano, Raúl Castro, concluyó su visita oficial de tres días a Argel, la segunda este año, y viajó a la ciudad egipcia de Sharm el Sheij para participar en la XV cumbre del Movimiento de Países No Alineados (NOAL). Castro fue despedido en el aeropuerto internacional de Argel por el jefe de Estado argelino, Abdelaziz Buteflika, con quien volvió a reunirse en la última jornada de su visita al país magrebí. Ambos mandatarios mantuvieron varios encuentros, en los que abordaron la preparación de la cumbre de Sharm el Sheij y la extensión a otros sectores de la estrecha cooperación bilateral en materia sanitaria. Desde hace años los dos países desarrollan una intensa colaboración en el sector de la sanidad, en el que se han creado sociedades mixtas para la producción y comercialización de medicamentos genéricos. Cuba facilita a Argelia tecnología sanitaria y equipos médicos y, en contrapartida, el país magrebí suministra petróleo y sus derivados al latinoamericano, con el que también mantiene otros proyectos de cooperación. Más de 120 médicos cubanos trabajan actualmente en once provincias argelinas, principalmente pediatras, ginecólogos, reumatólogos y oftalmólogos (EFE, 14/7/09).

July 14: Cuban President Raul Castro held bilateral talks with high-ranking officials from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and from Palestine, who are attending the 15th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Shortly after his arrival at the Egyptian beach resort of Sharm El- Sheikh, where he was welcomed by Egypt´s International Cooperation Minister Faiza Aboul Naga, Raul Castro exchanged views with Kim Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the Korean Supreme Assembly. During the evening, the Cuban head of state met with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority (ACN, 14/7/09).

July 15: Cuba's president called for an international financial system that better takes into account developing countries' interests, as the global recession captured the spotlight at a summit of non-aligned nations. Raul Castro's remarks at the opening session of the two-day Non-Aligned Movement's meeting in this Red Sea resort were echoed by other leaders and build on earlier discussions among officials from the 118-nation grouping of mostly of African, Asian and Latin American nations. “We demand the establishment of a new international financial and economic structure that relies on the participation of all countries," Castro said, ahead of handing over the movement's presidency to Egypt. "There must be a new framework that doesn't depend solely on the economic stability and the political decision of only one country," the Cuban leader said, apparently referring to the United States. The new system must give developing countries "preferential treatment," he said without elaborating (Discurso de Raúl Castro en la Cumbre NOAL; AP, 15/7/09).

July 15: Cuban President Raul Castro met with Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, as part of his working agenda at the 15th Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit, underway in Sham El-Sheik, Egypt. The Cuban President and the UN General Secretary exchanged on several topics regarding the world situation. In an address during the opening session of the NAM Summit, Ban Ki-Moon highlighted Cuba’s role in the revitalization of the organization, which currently gathers 118 developing countries (ACN, 15/7/09).
 
July 15: Jorge Luis Sierra Cruz, vice president of the Cuban Council of Ministers, heads the official delegation of the Caribbean archipelago to the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of Bolivia’s independence. According to Granma newspaper, the Cuban delegation will also hold talks with Bolivian authorities and will meet with Cuban education and health collaborators in the Andean nation (ACN, 15/7/09).

July 15: The 15th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) concluded in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, with the adoption of the Final Declaration of the meeting that brought together heads of state and government or representatives of NAM’s 118 member nations.   The Summit also passed special pronouncements of solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the International Day of Nelson Mandela.  Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak delivered the closing speech of the Summit before more than 50 Heads of State and Government. Mubarak spoke out in favor of the need to create a new economic and financial international order as stated in the Final Declaration of Sharm El-Sheikh, which calls for the democratization of the United Nations. The Islamic Republic of Iran will be the venue of the 16th NAM Summit slated for 2012 in Teheran, as agreed by participants in the Sharm El-Sheikh meeting. After thanking the election of his country to host the next Summit of the Movement, Iranian's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said it is a privilege for his country to work along with Cuba and Egypt in NAM’s Troika during the next three years (ACN, 15/7/09).

July 16: Cuban President Raul Castro arrived in Cairo, Egypt, from the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, where he participated in the 15th Summit of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM). During the meeting, Cuba handed the pro-tempore chairmanship of the organization over to Egypt (ACN, 16/7/09).

July 17: The government of Cuba will grant 205 scholarships per year for a period of five years, in the fields of medicine, pedagogy and other technical areas, informed in Luanda, Cuba’s ambassador to Angola, Pedro Ross Leal. Speaking during a press conference after a ceremony commemorating the 56th anniversary of the attack to the Moncada Barracks in 1953, the diplomat explained that the first group of 100 students have already benefited from the five-year scholarships. He announced that the other 105 students will leave next September and will remain in that country until they finish their courses (Angop, 20/7/09).

July 17: Cuban President Raul Castro met in Egypt with his counterparts of Viet Nam, Nguyen Minh Triet, and Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa. According to Granma newspaper, the meetings took place in a cordial and respectful environment (ACN, 17/7/09).

July 17: Cuban President Raul Castro paid homage to Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970), in the mausoleum where his remains are kept in Cairo. Nasser was a promoter and founder of the Non-Aligned Countries Movement (NAM), the most important Arab political leader of his time, and President of Egypt from 1956 to 1970. During the homage ceremony, the Cuban president extolled the life work of the outstanding military and Egyptian leader who was also his friend, as reported by the Cuban National News TV broadcast. During the day, the Cuban president also visited the Museum of Coptic Art which treasures a valuable collection of Coptic art from the Christian period, from the year 300 to 1000 CE. Raul also visited the Museum of Egyptian Antiques, one of the most famous in the world, which houses nearly a quarter of million archaeological pieces from the Pharaoh age, including mummies and sarcophaguses (ACN, 17/7/09).
 
Julio 18: La comisaria europea de Relaciones Exteriores, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, viajará a La Habana para discutir proyectos de cooperación en áreas de interés común, para los que la Comisión Europea (CE) propondrá una partida de 37 millones de euros. Ferrero-Waldner llegará a Cuba el jueves 23, después de visitar Argentina y México, según indicaron fuentes comunitarias. Tras la reanudación de la cooperación entre la Unión Europea (UE) y el gobierno cubano el pasado otoño, ambas partes deben decidir ahora cómo llevar a cabo esa ayuda, así como la financiación que le otorgarán, añadieron. En esta ocasión, la comisaria austriaca estudiará las posibles áreas de cooperación con la Isla, en especial las referentes a rehabilitación y reconstrucción tras el paso de huracanes, agricultura y seguridad alimentaria y medio ambiente. Para los proyectos que se generen en esos ámbitos la Comisión propondrá un presupuesto de 37 millones de euros como punto de partida (EFE, 18/7/09).

Julio 18: El Royal Ballet de Londres finalizó su primera visita a Cuba tras cinco presentaciones en La Habana con teatros abarrotados, largas ovaciones y elogios de los medios de comunicación de la isla, que califican su presencia de "histórica" y "memorable". El Royal Ballet ha bailado en muchos países del mundo, pero nunca nos hemos sentido con tanto calor como con el pueblo de Cuba", dijo la directora de la compañía inglesa, Mónica Mason, en un diálogo con el público habanero trasmitido por la televisión estatal. Mason elogió que en Cuba haya una compañía como el Ballet Nacional, dirigido desde hace 60 años por Alicia Alonso, y agradeció que de esa tradición haya salido el cubano Carlos Acosta, primer bailarín del Royal desde 2003. Acosta pidió a sus compatriotas agradecimiento a la compañía inglesa y dijo que los cubanos son "deudores" de esta visita, pues "es algo que no se puede soñar". El ministro cubano de Cultura, Abel Prieto, agradeció el "esfuerzo enorme" del Royal para lograr estas funciones, cuyas entradas se vendieron a 20 pesos nacionales (menos de un dólar al cambio oficial), un costo muy alejado del habitual precio internacional. "Esto no le ha costado un centavo al pueblo de Cuba. Ellos han venido gratuitamente a actuar acá", explicó Prieto (EFE, 18/7/09).

July 19: Cuban leader Raul Castro arrived in Namibia on a state visit to strengthen ties with the southern African country, the government said. "Your visit provides a valuable opportunity to further consolidate the excellent bilateral relations and the longstanding bonds of friendship and solidarity that exists between our two countries," Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba told Castro. According to Pohamba, Namibia wants to increase co-operation with Cuba in infrastructure development, agriculture, fishing and the health sector. Castro will meet former president Sam Nujoma, before flying to Angola for a two-day visit. Ties between Namibia and Cuba started during pre-independence days, when Cuban troops stationed in neighbouring Angola helped Namibia's liberation army to fight against apartheid South Africa's troops in southern Angola, in the battle of Cuito Cuanavale in 1988. "We will never forget the proud years in the trenches in Angolan soil and the sacrifices Namibians, Cubans and Angolans made to liberate southern Africa from apartheid South African rule," said Castro (AFP, 20/7/09).

July 19: Cuban Vice President Esteban Lazo is heading the Cuban official delegation that is attending commemorations in Nicaragua for the 30th Anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution. Vice President Lazo and his delegation will take part in activities marking the historic event and will also meet with Nicaraguan authorities and leaders from other countries attending celebrations. The Cuban delegation includes members of te Central Committee of Cuba´s Communist Party and the Foreign Affairs Ministry (ACN, 19/7/09).

Julio 20: Los epidemiólogos Aramis Martínez, y su asistente, S. Yalina, que fueron invitados a Sri Lanka para ayudar a controlar la rápida expansión de la epidemia de dengue en ese país, no llegaron a su destino en la ciudad de Colombo. Según informó el diario Daily Mirror, se esperaba que los especialistas llegaran a esa ciudad el 18 de julio. "Fui al aeropuerto con el vicedirector general de servicios de Salud, Palitha Mahipala, para recibir a los dos epidemiólogos cubanos que debían llegar en un vuelo de la aerolínea Emirates, vía Dubai. No se encontraban entre los pasajeros que se registraron en el mostrador de migración", informó el periódico, que citó al portavoz del Ministerio de Salud cingalés, W.M.D. Wanninayake (Xinhua, 20/7/09).

July 20: The President of Cuba, Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz, arrived in the Angolan capital (Luanda) starting an official 48-hour visit to the country at the invitation of his local counterpart, José Eduardo dos Santos. On his arrival at "4 de Fevereiro" International Airport, Raúl Castro received welcoming greetings from the Angolan prime minister, António Paulo Kassoma, deputy Foreign Affairs minister, Exalgina Gamboa, and from other government officials, as well as military honours. According to the visit agenda, the Cuban statesman will travel to the Presidential Palace, where he will receive welcoming greeting from the Angolan Head of State, José Eduardo dos Santos. The official conversations between the delegations of the two countries will be held simultaneously with a private meeting between the two Presidents (Angop, 21/7/09).

Julio 20: La comisaria europea de Relaciones Exteriores, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, abogó en Buenos Aires por "profundizar el diálogo" político con Cuba. "El camino para reforzar los vínculos con Cuba es profundizar el diálogo político", consideró la comisaria austríaca en rueda de prensa, horas antes de ser recibida en la sede del gobierno argentino por la presidenta de este país, Cristina Fernández. Ferrero-Waldner dijo que Cuba está dando "pasos positivos" en ese sentido y sostuvo que en ese "diálogo franco" se podrían abordar "temas de interés común, entre ellos el de los derechos humanos". Entre las áreas posibles de cooperación con Cuba, la comisaria identificó la seguridad alimentaria, el comercio, el medioambiente, la investigación tecnológica y la reconstrucción de daños por huracanes y demás desastres naturales (EFE, 20/7/09).

Julio 21: La reincorporación de Cuba a la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA) llevaría "pocas semanas" si la isla asumiera las mismas obligaciones que el resto de los países, aseguró el titular de esa entidad, el chileno José Miguel Insulza. Para Insulza, "todo el mundo sabe que el retorno de Cuba llevaría unas pocas semanas si estuvieran dispuestos a decir claramente que quieren guiarse por las mismas obligaciones y las mismas responsabilidades". El diplomático chileno señaló que cuando se derogó la exclusión, los jefes de delegación decidieron que "la participación de Cuba en la OEA será el resultado de un proceso de diálogo iniciado a solicitud del gobierno de Cuba y de conformidad con las prácticas, los propósitos y principios de la OEA". Finalmente, Insulza juzgó que "lo histórico de la resolución dependerá de lo que Cuba esté dispuesta a hacer y de lo que los otros países estén dispuestos a aceptar" (Télam, 21/7/09).

July 21: Cuban President Raul Castro held official talks in Luanda with his Angolan counterpart Jose Eduardo Dos Santos shortly after the Cuban delegation was officially welcomed in that African nation. Raul and Dos Santos addressed the implementation of current bilateral agreements, according to a report by Cuban TV. In a statement to the press, Angola´s Health Minister Jose Viera Van Dunen said Cuba´s cooperation is crucial for his country to reach its objectives in the field of health. Since 2006, the number of Cuban collaborators in Angola has increased to over 2, 000. More than 1,000 of them work in the health sector, another 500 are professors. Angola kicked off a national literacy campaign this year with Cuban assistance, while over 200 Angolan youths are studying in Cuban education centers; 140 of those youths are taking medical courses (ACN, 22/7/09).

July 22: The 37th Contingent of the “Jose Marti” European Solidarity-with-Cuba Brigade left the island after fulfilling a program of voluntary work and visits to historical and social sites in central and western Cuba. The farewell ceremony was held at the Julio Antonio Mella International Camp in the municipality of Caimito, Habana province.  Belgian Edwin Carpentier, with the Brigade’s Coordinating Committee, said the opportunity to share with Cubans by doing voluntary work was an honor and an important element in the consolidation of a communist conscience of brigade members (ACN, 22/7/09).

July 23: Cuban President Raul Castro wound up his working visit to Angola. Before his departure, the Cuban head of state exchanged with representatives of over 2, 000 Cuban workers currently offering their services in that African nation. Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos gave a farewell ceremony to the visiting Cuban head of state in front of the Presidential Palace in the capital Luada, in which both presidents greeted delegations of both countries, Granma newspaper reported. During his stay in Luanda, Raul Castro held official talks with his Angolan counterpart Jose Eduardo Dos Santos. The two heads of state addressed the implementation of current bilateral agreements. In recent statement to the press, Angola´s Health Minister Jose Viera Van Dunen said Cuba´s cooperation is crucial for his country to reach its objectives in the field of health. Since 2006, the number of Cuban collaborators in Angola has increased to over 2, 000 (ACN, 23/7/09).

Julio 23: La situación de los defensores de los derechos humanos en América Latina es "muy preocupante", especialmente en Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Perú y Venezuela, según un informe elaborado en 2008 por dos organizaciones no gubernamentales, divulgado en Bogotá. El secretario general de la Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT), el suizo Eric Sottas, dijo en conferencia de prensa que las "ejecuciones sumarias y las desapariciones" son las principales formas como en varios países de la región se ataca a los defensores de las garantías fundamentales. Sottas señaló que, en general, los ataques contra esos activistas en América Latina se incrementaron en 2008, pero señaló a Colombia, Cuba y Venezuela como los países que "más nos preocupan" (AFP, 23/7709).

Julio 23: Benedict XVI named Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu as apostolic nuncio to Cuba. A Vatican communiqué announced the appointment of the 61-year-old prelate, formerly the nuncio to Angola and São Tomé and Principe since 2001. In this position, Archbishop Becciu was one of the Church authorities who welcomed the Pope in the Luanda airport last March, during the Pontiff's visit to Africa. Born in the Italian region of Pattada, Giovanni Angelo Becciu was ordained a priest in 1972. He succeeds Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi, who in March was appointed as nuncio to Lithuania and Estonia (Zenit, 23/7/09).

Julio 23: El Parlamento de Trinidad y Tobago aprobó una ley que permitirá conceder licencias a los médicos cubanos para que cubran las carencias de profesionales de la salud en los centros médicos estatales, informó una fuente oficial. La nueva legislación, aprobada anoche, implica la creación de una junta médica paralela que tendrá como función la concesión de dichas licencias a médicos procedentes de Cuba y otros países. El ministro de Salud de Trinidad y Tobago, Jerry Narace, señaló que el gobierno se ha visto obligado a crear esta junta paralela debido a que el actual consejo médico insistió en que los médicos cubanos pasaran una serie previa de exámenes de conocimiento médico y del idioma (EFE, 24/7/09).

July 24: The European Union's commissioner of external relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, made a surprise visit to Cuba for talks on improving bilateral relations with the communist government there. The top EU diplomat was to meet for talks with Cuban President Raul Castro, as well as with the Cuban foreign, trade and culture ministers, as part of a review of relations between the EU and Havana, according to EU sources.  According to Granma newspaper, the representative of the European Commission met with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla; the Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca; and Culture Deputy Minister Rafael Bernal. During her meeting with Rodriguez Parrilla, Ferrero Waldner expressed the Commission’s interest in further strengthening the existing political dialogue between this European institution and Cuba and also in creating a contractual framework that contributes to the future development of bilateral relations. For his part, the Cuban diplomat reiterated that Havana is open to dialogue based on the principles of respect, equality and non-
interference in domestic affairs. He added that Cuba is willing to negotiate a bilateral framework for relations with the European Union that includes political relations, trade and cooperation in order to replace the obsolete, unilateral and interfering European Union Common Position on Cuba imposed in 1996 by former Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar, at the request of the US Government (DPA, 23/7/09; ACN, 24/7/09).

Julio 28: El viceprimer ministro ruso, Igor Sechin, se entrevistó con el general Raúl Castro, al final de una breve visita a la isla durante la que se firmaron nuevos convenios bilaterales en el sector económico, informaron fuentes rusas en La Habana. Esta es la quinta visita que realiza a Cuba en el último año Sechin, quien llegó a la isla procedente de Venezuela y Nicaragua, acompañado de una delegación de ministros y empresarios (EFE, 29/7/09).

July 29: The first eye clinic opened in the Caribbean with Cuban medical assistance was recently inaugurated by Guyana’s president Bharrat Jagdeo. The eye clinic was opened in Port Mourant, in the region of Berbice, with modern equipment donated by Cuba. Once surgery services become stable, the centre is expected to perform some 10,000 eye operations per year that will benefit Guyanese people and patients from neighbour countries (ACN, 29/7/09).

Julio 29: El ministro de Defensa de Bolivia, Wálker San Miguel, distinguió al embajador de Cuba, Rafael Dausá, con la medalla del "Mariscal Andrés de Santa Cruz" en el máximo grado por el apoyo del país caribeño en los desastres naturales que varias regiones bolivianas padecieron entre 2006 y 2008. El homenaje se desarrolló en un acto en la residencia del embajador cubano en recuerdo al 56 aniversario del asalto del cuartel Moncada del 26 de julio. A la distinción asistieron una decena de ministros del gabinete de Evo Morales (EFE, 29/7/09).

July 29: An agreement to create a regional Eye Center for Jamaica and the member nations of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was signed in Kingston by representatives from that country and Cuba. Health Minister Rudyard Spencer and Cuba’s ambassador to Jamaica, Gisela García, signed the document at the offices of the Jamaican Prime Minister, the seat of that nation’s government (ACN, 29/7/09).

Julio 30: Los negativos originales del Noticiero ICAIC Latinoamericano (Cuba) fueron incorporados en el registro "Memoria del Mundo'' de la UNESCO, organización que anunció la incorporación a esta lista de treinta y tres nuevos fondos de archivos y documentos de valor excepcional. Los noticieros cinematográficos latinoamericanos del Instituto Cubano de Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC) se produjeron cada semana durante treinta años (1960-1990), recordó la UNESCO. Se trata de "documentos históricos únicos en su género porque muestran las guerras de independencia de muchas colonias africanas y otros eventos internacionales de ese periodo, ilustrativos de la creciente bipolarización del mundo'', explicó la organización. "Estos noticieros constituyen el archivo cinematográfico más exhaustivo de la historia de la revolución cubana, pero su alcance internacional les hace cobrar también una importancia mundial'', según estima la UNESCO (EFE, 31/7/09).