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Major Events in Cuba during 2007 (II)
Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
See Part I here:
Major Events in Cuba during 2007 (I)- Dec 29, 2007
http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/Week-of-Mon-20071224/073524.html
Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) - Jan 3, 2008
http://ainch.ain.cu/mailman/listinfo/ingles
Major Events in Cuba during 2007 (II)
AIN Special Service
General Elections
The nomination of President Fidel Castro as candidate for deputy to
the National Assembly of the People's Power highlighted a good part of
the electoral environment in the country during the electoral process
on the island. The first stage was held from September 1st to November
15th, corresponding to the first nomination and later election of the
municipal delegates. On this occasion 15,236 people were elected by
the over 96 percent of people over 16 years of age that went to the
polls. On December 2nd, with the constitution of the 169 municipal
assemblies and the approval of candidates for the provincial assemblies
and the deputies of the national assembly, the second stage of the
process began. On January 20th, the Cuban people will vote for 1,201
provincial delegates and 614 deputies to the National Assembly.
Operation Milagro Treated 1 Million People with Eye Ailments
Operation Milagro promoted by Cuba and Venezuela has treated 1 million
people from 31 Third World nations to recover their eye sight. This
free eye rehabilitation program for low income people, included the
island's donation of 37 surgical centers to 8 nations, and work on the
installation of another 7 is underway. The Milagro Mission, initiated
by Presidents Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez began in July of 2004 and
its objective is to benefit 6 million low income people from Latin
America in a period of ten years.
Tropical Storm Noel: Tragedy in Eastern Cuba
Between October 11th and November 5th Tropical Storm Noel caused
intense rain to hit the eastern part of the country. The number of
homes destroyed or partially damaged reached 21,987; over 13,000
kilometers of roads, and railways were severely damaged as well as that
caused to agriculture, services and other goods. The losses were
estimated at some 499 million dollars. The amount of rain in some
areas made many people recall Hurricane Flora in 1963.
Strong Cuban Response to Bush
In the face of new provocations by the Bush Administration against
Cuba, the daily word on the island was courage, said Foreign Minister
Felipe Perez Roque responding in October to US President George W.
Bush's speech, in which he announced an escalation of its anti-Cuba
policy with an escalated blockade, more subversion and attempts to
isolate the island. With the US president's attempts to starve out the
Cuban people by sickness and hunger and provoke a change by force, the
island proclaimed several demands:
The US must:
1) respect Cuba's right to independence, sovereignty, and self
determination, have its own laws and decide on its own political system
2) stop its anti-Cuba policy of aggression,
3) cease interfering in Cuba's internal affairs and fabricating and
financing internal opposition
4) end its radio and television war
5) immediately stop, without conditions, its economic blockade
6) lift the travel restrictions on the American people to the island
and allow Cuban Americans to travel freely to the island to visit their
relatives
7) stop stimulating illegal immigration.
Cuba Announced It Would Sign Human Rights Pacts
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque announced that Cuba would
sign two im****tant international pacts. The first: Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights and the second: the Civil and Political Rights.
The sovereign decision was the result of ending of manipulation on the
human rights issue by the US government and the elimination of the
special rap****teur for the island after the creation of the current
Human Rights Council. The human rights issue in Cuba, so manipulated
over the years by the US to justify its blockade and its continued
aggression policy against the island. entered into a period of crisis.
Exemplary Cooperation Cuba-Venezuela
During 2007, the governments of Cuba and Venezuela advanced in their
plans of cooperation within the framework of the Bolivarian Alternative
for the Americas, ALBA. On January 16 agreements were signed in the
sectors of Trans****tation, Communication, Finance, Agriculture, Mining,
Industry, Tourism and Energy and in October new accords were penned
with 14 initiatives for a major bilateral economic integration in oil
exploration, installation of an undersea cable and the basis for the
construction of the petrochemical complex, among others.
One project that stands out is the remodeling, expansion and
modernization of the Camilo Cienfuegos oil refinery inaugurated on
December 21st in the south-central city of Cienfuegos. After the first
stage of its modernization, after several years of inactivity, the
refinery has the capacity to process 65,000 barrels of oil a day.
On December 21st, both nations signed 14 new cooperation texts in the
eastern city of Santiago de Cuba that includes such areas as oil,
petrochemical, mining and agriculture, fi****ng, maritime trans****tation
and light industry and construction materials.
Im****tant Agreements at the 4th PetroCaribe Summit
The 4th PetroCaribe Summit, held in the city of Cienfuegos,
characterized the project as a model of cooperation among developing
nations guided by solidarity and offering special and differential
treaties to nations with scarce energy resources. The 11 Heads of
State or Government present at the meeting approved the final do***ent
of this im****tant Summit, headed by President Hugo Chavez and First Vice
President Raul Castro. The text adopted the new and im****tant proposal
formulated by the Venezuelan President in order for the 17 signatory
states to pay with goods and services the ac***ulated debt as
beneficiaries of the oil sent by Caracas.
He stressed the im****tance of studying new ways of energy savings and
the creation of technical groups to delve into the development of an
infrastructure and of projects in the supply of gas and petrochemical
products. All of the accords are examples of the continued expansion
of the Bolivarian project born in June 2005.
Intense Pre-Olympic Year
2007 was characterized by Cuban participation in a number of world
champion****ps, world cups and pre-Olympic tournaments in numerous
s****ts, among them weightlifting, track and field, chess, rowing,
canoeing, cycling, diving and volleyball. The island has obtained, to
date, Olympic spots in 12 disciplines. Its outstanding performance
achieved second place for Cuba in the Pan American Games held in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, where Cuban athletes won 59 gold, 35 silver and 41
bronze medals, only surpassed by the United States. In addition, Cuba's
baseball team won second place during the World Cup held in Taipei and
was defeated by the United States in the finals.
*
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