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Caribbean-Latin America

Cuba announces dismissal of 2 revolution-era leaders

2009-03-26

(RIA Novosti) - Two Cuban leaders who took part in the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power were dismissed earlier this month in a government reshuffle, an official publication said. The Official Gazette gave no reasons on Tuesday for the dismissal of Osmany Cienfuegos and Pedro Cimet, who were both removed from their positions as vice presidents in the Cabinet of Ministers. Osmany Cienfuegos, 78, is the older brother of Camilo Cienfuegos, who was one of the leaders of the 1959 revolution. An iconic figure in Cuba, he died in a plane crash the same year as the uprising that overthrew General Fulgencio Batista and transformed the Latin American island into a communist state. Miret, 82, took part in the 1953 attack on the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba. He was also on board the Granma yacht which brought Castro's tiny army to Cuba from Mexico in 1956. The news of the two men's dismissal was not made public when President Raul Castro announced the government reshuffle at the beginning of March. The two most notable figures to lose their positions in the March 2 shake-up were Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Cabinet chief Carlos Lage. Both men said later in official press publications that they had "made mistakes" and were stepping down. Castro and the ruling State Council said the reshuffle, which saw a total of eight ministers replaced, was designed to improve the efficiency of the Cuban government.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Raul Castro ousts top Cubans loyal to Fidel Castro

2009-03-03

HAVANA -- President Raul Castro abruptly removed some of Cuba's most powerful officials Monday, putting a personal stamp on the government in the biggest shakeup since he took over from his ailing brother Fidel Castro a year ago. The changes replaced some key Fidel loyalists, including the longtime foreign minister and the secretary of the Council of State, with men closer to Raul. They also reduced the enormous powers of a vice president credited with saving Cuba's economy after the fall of the Soviet Union. But analysts saw no immediate indication that the changes are related to hopes for closer U.S.-Cuban ties now that both countries have new presidents. The abrupt shakeup, which also consolidated some of Cuba's many ministries to create a "more compact and functional structure," was the first major reorganization under Raul Castro. It was announced at the end of the midday news, after the weather and sports. The most prominent of those ousted, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, was the youngest of Cuba's top leaders and had been widely mentioned as a possible future president. Perez Roque, 43, had been Fidel Castro's personal secretary before becoming foreign minister almost a decade ago.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Cuba considering more flexible migration rules

2008-03-20

HAVANA - The Cuban government is considering reforms to make migration regulations more flexible, which may include the possibility of longer stays abroad and even the elimination of exit visas, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said on Wednesday. “We are firm in our commitment to make ever more fluid the relationship between Cubans living abroad and Cuba, and making the procedure and the regulations on that issue faster,” Perez Roque said during a meeting in Havana with Cubans living abroad. When asked whether relaxing laws on exit permits and the extension of stays abroad - now with an 11-month limit - are among reforms to be mentioned by Raul Castro when he formally becomes the country’s president in February, Perez Roque admitted that such issues “are being considered.” Several delegates at the meeting of Cubans Living Abroad Against the Blockade and Terrorism told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that there is even discussion about the possible elimination of the “carta blanca,” the exit visa that Cubans need to leave the country. Cuba is one of a few countries whose residents require exit visas to go abroad. The process, which sometimes includes the need for an invitation letter, costs Cubans some 400 dollars, a very high figure for a country where the average monthly wage is 15-20 dollars.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Cuba signs human rights pledges

2008-02-29

Voilà! Problem solved! Cuba has signed two legally binding human rights agreements at the UN in New York, just days after Raul Castro was sworn in as the new president. The covenants - part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - commit Cuba to freedom of expression and association, and the right to travel. Silly me, I thought the Cuban Constitution guaranteed all this and puppies. Correspondents detect a possible signal of a shift in human rights policy. Critics of the Castro government have called on it to make good on the agreements by freeing dissidents. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, who signed the agreements, rejected suggestions of any link to the recent change in power, insisting they merely "formalised" rights enjoyed by Cuban citizens since the 1959 revolution. Last December, Mr Roque announced his country's intention to sign up to the two agreements, saying Cuba would allow scrutiny by the recently established UN Human Rights Council in 2009. One is a covenant on civil and political rights, and the other concerns social, economic and cultural rights. Previously, Cuba had resisted scrutiny by the UN Human Rights Commission - the predecessor of the Human Rights Council - accusing it of pro-US bias. It is believed that at least 200 political prisoners are currently being held in Cuba. Carlos Lauria of the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York called on Cuba to follow up its signing of the covenants and "immediately and unconditionally release the 22 independent journalists currently imprisoned for their work". "The failure to do so would render its adoption of this important treaty [the UN Bill of Human Rights] meaningless," he added. Cuban trade unionist Pedro Alvarez and three other Cuban political prisoners were released on health grounds earlier this month, and flown to Spain. The 60-year-old said that the Cuban authorities had given him the choice to remain in prison or go into exile.

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Caribbean-Latin America

'Young' guns in line to succeed Castro

2007-12-25

FIDEL CASTRO'S successor could be one of two younger officials, dubbed "good cop" and "bad cop" by US intelligence analysts. The Cuban dictator, 81, said in a letter read out on state television last week that he had a duty not to hold on to power nor to obstruct the rise of the "younger generation". It was the first time he had conceded that he might never return to power after he was taken ill with intestinal bleeding last year. Since then his brother Raul, 76, has been in charge. US spy chiefs have begun to rethink their assumption that Cuban communism will collapse after Dr Castro's death. Instead they expect the nation's course to be decided by a power struggle between two men. The "good cop" is Carlos Lage Davila, 56, considered the third most powerful man in Cuba. As economics tsar, the former doctor is credited with negotiating the favourable deal with Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan President, to import oil to Cuba - an arrangement that has mitigated the effects of the US economic embargo. Bet he likes jazz, too. His rival is Felipe Perez Roque, 42, the foreign minister. He is the "bad cop", regarded as a firebrand more likely to fight genuine reforms. An intelligence source said: "It will come down to Lage or Roque. Whoever wins will determine the speed and nature of reforms in Cuba." Dan Erikson, a Cuba specialist at Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think-tank, said: "These guys were Castro's top young aides. Lage is seen as being more sophisticated, mature and diplomatic. Perez Roque is younger and likely to play the role of attack dog. "If you want someone to do a trade deal, you send Lage. If you want someone to deliver a tirade at the UN, you send Perez Roque." The US officially remains committed to the view that Cuban communism will disintegrate when Dr Castro dies, but analysts in the CIA and the State Department are now preparing plans to deal with slower change. Central to this is an assessment that Cuba's leaders have persuaded Dr Castro that if he wants his revolution to survive his death, he needs to help the handover of power.

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Europe

Spain resumes aid to Cuba for human rights deal

2007-04-05

Spain has promised to resume development aid to Cuba in return for Havana's pledge to open dialogue on human rights. Spanish foreign minister Miguel Angel Moratinos held talks with Cuba's acting president, Raul Castro late on Tuesday. The visit "continues developing the fixed objectives," said Moratinos, referring to the resumption of aid. Moratinos added: "That is the great news. (Aid) had been suspended for many years and we're going to resume cooperating with the Cuban goverment." Havana stopped accepting development assistance from EU member-states in the summer of 2003 during the diplomatic crisis between Cuba and Brussels sparked by the Castro government's execution of three ferry hijackers and imprisonment of 75 peaceful dissidents. The Spanish government, headed at the time by conservative Premier Jose Maria Aznar, led the push for EU sanctions against Cuba. Moratinos did not mention the possible areas of dialogue that could be pursued with the Cuban government regarding human rights, one of the most sensitive issues for the Havana regime. But he did say that "logically" the matter had been part of the visit's agenda. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said on Monday Havana was ready to begin a dialogue with Spain on the matter and set up a formal mechanism for the talks. "Cuba is willing to do so (talk with Spain about human rights) at this time. With the European Union, there would have to be conditions like the full elimination of the sanctions against Cuba, the elimination of the common position," he said. Officials with the Spanish delegation did not say anything about a possible meeting with Cuban dissidents, something that does not appear on the Spanish minister's official agenda.

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Caribbean-Latin America

U.S.: Castro's Health Is Deteriorating

2006-11-12

WASHINGTON (AP) - The government believes Fidel Castro's health is deteriorating and that the Cuban dictator is unlikely to live through 2007. Anybody got a tissue? No. That dire view was reinforced last week when Cuba's foreign minister backed away from his prediction the ailing Castro would return to power by early December. "It's a subject on which I don't want to speculate," Felipe Perez Roque told The Associated Press in Havana. U.S. government officials say there is still some mystery about Castro's diagnosis, his treatment and how he is responding. But these officials believe the 80-year-old leader has cancer of the stomach, colon or pancreas. Maybe all three! He was seen weakened and thinner in official state photos released late last month, and it is considered unlikely that he will return to power or survive through the end of next year, said the U.S. government and defense officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the politically sensitive topic. With chemotherapy, Castro may live up to 18 months, said the defense official. Without it, expected survival would drop to three months to eight months. 18 months in hell or eight months. I say give him the chemo. American officials will not talk publicly about how they glean clues to Castro's health. But U.S. spy agencies include physicians who study pictures, video, public statements and other information coming out of Cuba. X-Ray Vision Satellites and microphones disguised as mosquitos. A planned celebration of Castro's 80th birthday next month is expected to draw international attention. The Cuban leader had planned to attend the public event, which already had been postponed once from his Aug. 13 birthday. Why not postpone it to his funeral and do both at once?

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Caribbean-Latin America

Fidel's recovery delayed?

2006-11-07

Cuba's foreign minister backed away Monday from his prediction that Fidel Castro will return to power by early December, raising questions about the pace of the communist leader's recovery from intestinal gastric cancer surgery. My guess is he'll be all better sometime around Doomsday, give or take a couple weeks. Felipe Perez Roque also told The Associated Press that there was no guarantee that Castro would be well enough to attend the postponed celebration of his 80th birthday on Dec. 2. Perez Roque had told the AP in September that he expected Castro to be fully back at the helm by early December, and when asked about the birthday celebrations had said: "I have no questions in my mind that we will be able to celebrate his birthday in December as he deserves." Complete with a six-hour stemwinder. But in an interview Monday, Perez Roque said he couldn't discuss whether Castro would return to power so quickly. "It's a subject on which I don't want to speculate," he said, adding: "The important thing is his recovery, which he's doing in a serious and persistent manner." "He's stable but slowly deteriorating, just like Franco." Castro has not made any public appearances since July 26, a few days before he was sidelined by the surgery and announced a temporary transfer of power to his younger brother Raul. The Cuban government has treated Castro's ailment as a state secret, releasing sporadic videos and photographs to prove he's recovering. Sorta like what dictatorships do when the head cheese is ill. A video released late October on state-run television showed the Cuban leader defiantly denying rumors that he was on his deathbed. Yet some Cubans said they were surprised to see how frail he still was. Perez Roque said he meets with the leader frequently, and has seen him since the latest video. "He looks good," the minister said. "I see that his recovery is advancing, that his convalescence is satisfactory."

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Terror Networks

Calls for US to be 'challenged'

2006-09-17

WASHINGTON'S biggest enemies, from communist Cuba to North Korea, called on developing nations overnight to challenge US dominance through a revived Non-Aligned Movement labelled a Cold War relic by critics. More than 50 heads of state and leaders from over 100 Third World countries, among them Iran and Venezuela, rejected US use of the "axis of evil" label and supported Tehran's right to nuclear technology for peaceful use. "American imperialism is in decline. A new, bi-polar world is emerging," Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez said. "The non-aligned group has been relaunched to unite the South under its umbrella," Chavez, who will host a visit in Caracas by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday, told Venezuelan television from Havana. But governments with friendly ties to Washington, among them India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Chile, Peru and Colombia, sought to steer the summit way from confrontation and finger-pointing at the United States. "I don't regard this summit as anti-US, or for that matter anti-anybody," Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told a news conference. Cuba, which hosted the summit under the new leadership of Raul Castro because his brother and iconic revolutionary Fidel Castro was still recovering from life-threatening surgery, said the movement was reborn. "The idea that the movement must go beyond statements and take action in international forums has gained force here. Our strength must emerge from our numbers," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque. NAM nations are almost two thirds of the UN. Leaders took turns at the podium to criticise global poverty, unfair trade practices and "arbitrary" actions by powerful nations that – they complained – controlled the United Nations. Some said NAM should be strengthened as an alternative. North Korea took the opportunity to blast the United States for unilateral actions against individual countries and joined the call for a revitalized NAM to raise a united voice. "The United States is attempting to deprive other countries of even their legitimate right to peaceful nuclear activities," North Korea's second-ranking leader, Kim Yong-nam, said. North Korea, which defied international warnings by test-firing ballistic missiles in July, will not return to talks on ending its nuclear programs under growing US sanctions, he said. Mr Kim, who heads North Korea's parliament, said in a speech that United States was "abusing the human rights issue" to interfere in the internal affairs of countries not allied to it. The NAM, founded in 1961 by nations that wanted to assert their independence from both Washington and Moscow, backed Iran's right to development, research and production of nuclear energy. It also urged Iran to continue cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Tehran has cut back on short-notice UN inspections and ignored a Security Council deadline of August 31 to stop enriching uranium, a process that could yield atomic bombs. In one concrete result of the summit, nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan agreed to resume formal peace negotiations that were frozen after the July train bombings in Mumbai. The agreement came after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on the fringes of the summit. New Delhi had said the carnage that killed 186 people on July 11 was plotted by a Pakistan-based group of Islamic militants. Fidel Castro, a symbol of opposition to Washington, was supposed to preside over the summit but was too ill to attend. He received UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in a dressing gown in his hospital room. The 80-year-old leader, who took power in a revolution in 1959, ceded power temporarily to his brother Raul Castro on July 31 after undergoing surgery to stop intestinal bleeding. Raul, 75, who lacks his brother's oratorical skills, shed his military uniform for a business suit to host the summit and read brief speeches. Mr Chavez, with his penchant for banter and controversy, looks the natural heir to Castro, his friend and ally, as a leading US opponent.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Cuba Expels Diplomat for Alleged Spying

2006-04-15

HAVANA (AP) - Cuba ordered the expulsion of a Czech diplomat Friday, accusing him of spying for the United States. Stanislav Kazecky, who was in charge of political, cultural and media affairs for the Czech embassy, was given 72 hours to leave the Caribbean island. He said he plans to leave Saturday evening. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said Kazecky was repeatedly spotted attempting to photograph and enter military installations. ``These are places where he has no reason to be,'' Perez Roque said. ``We have decided not to renew his visa.'' The visa expired Friday. ``He carries out orders by American special services, works closely with the United States subversive apparatus, distributes money and materials to mercenary groups and helps the government of the United States,'' Perez Roque said. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he had not heard of any reports of a Czech diplomat spying for the United States. "Say, that's a new one on me!" Kazecky said the expulsion is a result of the human rights work the Czech Republic has done. ``I've never knowingly been at a military installation,'' Kazecky said. The Czech government repeatedly has criticized Fidel Castro's government and offered moral support to Cuban dissidents. The Czech Republic said it was responding by refusing to renew a Cuban diplomat's visa. The Cuban diplomat, who has not been identified, can stay in the Czech Republic until April 19, when the visa expires.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Ahmadinejad to visit Cuba

2006-02-07

I sure hope he isn't riding in one of those unreliable Iranian aircraft. It sure would be a shame if he crashed in the middle of the Atlantic. How much is cab fare from Tehran to Havana? Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accepted an invitation to visit Cuba from President Fidel Castro, in gratitude for Cuba's support of Iran's nuclear program, the official Granma newspaper said on Tuesday. Ahmadinejad accepted the invitation in Tehran from Cuban Ambassador Felipe Perez Roque. During his visit, the Iranian leader will attend the September 11-16 Non-Aligned Summit in Havana, the daily said. On Saturday in Vienna, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria voted against a resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency to refer Iran to the UN Security Council over a nuclear program the West suspects is weapons-oriented. The Axis of Almost as Weasel. The Iranian President recently publicly thanked Cuba for its "dignified and principled" position during the IAEA's special meeting, which ended in a 27-3 vote in favour of reporting Iran to the UN council. Separately, Granma announced that Iranian Parliament President Ghulam Ali Haddad Adel has accepted an invitation to visit Cuba from Cuba's National Assembly.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Cuba Harshly Criticizes US Post Overseeing Transition

2005-08-01

HAVANA (AP) - Cuba's Communist Party on Monday harshly criticized the U.S. government for creating a post to oversee a transition on the Caribbean island, accusing American officials of intruding in the country's domestic business. U.S. President George W. Bush "once again meddles in a rude manner in the internal affairs of Cuba by naming one of his men to publicly coordinate subversive actions against the island," the Granma newspaper said in a signed editorial. Caleb McCarry, a veteran congressional staff expert on Latin America, was appointed last week to the new post aimed at preparing for a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba. The move was criticized by Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque on Friday and by Cuban Parliament speaker Ricardo Alarcon on Saturday. The post of "transition coordinator" that is being filled by McCarry grew out of a 2004 report on Cuba prepared by a commission headed by then-U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. The report outlined the steps that the United States was prepared to take to assist a democratic Cuba and to bring pressure to bear on Fidel Castro's government in the meantime. "In Iraq, a U.S. coordinator was also named ... but for that they had to wait to invade and militarily occupy the nation," the editorial said. I like that we're planning ahead. I can't see any military action unless the "transition" got really bloody and threatened to spill over or if the flood of refugees got out of hand.

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