Category — Cuban Communist Party

Via Bloomberg:

United Aircraft Corp., the Russian state aerospace group, and OAO Aviaexport agreed with Cuba’s Civil Aviation Institute to sell the Caribbean nation airplanes and set up service centers for local clients.

A memorandum of understanding was signed last week during Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin’s visit to Cuba to deliver models including OAO Tupolev Co.’s Tu-204 mid-range planes and Antonov An- 148 regional jets, Russia’s Industry and Trade Ministry said in a statement on its Web site today.

Russian drugmakers OAO Pharmstandard and OOO Pharmapark also agreed with Cuba’s Center of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnologies to cooperate on producing vaccines in Russia, according to the statement.

Related posts

• Return of Russian military aircraft in Cuba (0)
• Crazy Ivans in Cuban waters (0)
• Russia, Cuba and Latin America (0)
• Russia Should Restore Its Positions in Cuba (0)
• Regional security in the Americas (0)

Army General Raul Castro delivered a speech in Santiago de Cuba yesterday commemorating the 55th anniversary of the start of the communist revolution. Castro warned the populace of more hard times ahead.

Relevant parts of the speech:

The majority of our nation has demonstrated sufficient familiarity and maturity to understand these truths, which turn out to be inescapable. On the other hand, other persons stubbornly try to close their eyes before the world’s problems. I repeat that the Revolution has done and will continue to do everything in its power to foster its development and reduce to a minimum the unavoidable consequences of the current international crisis for the population. However, we must inform our people in a timely manner of the difficulties so that they may be prepared to face them. We have to get used to not receiving just good news.

[...]

As great as our desires may be to resolve each problem, we cannot spend more than what we have, and in order take the greatest advantage, it is vital to save everything, primarily fuel.

[...]

As a poor country without easily exploitable large natural resources, which has to work hard to earn a living in a world where most of the people live in the direst poverty, the material objectives of our people cannot be too ambitious.

[...]

Aside from production, our defence will not be ignored regardless of the outcome of the next presidential elections in the United States. Defence preparedness is going well. In November 2007, we carried out the Moncada exercises in the western and central part of the island with good results. In the eastern territory, we carried them out in June because we decided to postpone them in order to not affect the recovery efforts in the aftermath of last year’s heavy rains. We continue the favourable development of Operation Caguairan which has translated into a significant increase of reserve preparedness, who complement active duty and militia troops. At the same time, we have continued developing the military theatre of operations, upgrading of armaments and other of the resources, and developing and training officers; more than 2,000 graduated this year, the highest rate in the last 10 years.

The conditions have been created to carry out the strategic exercise Bastion 2008 with highest quality and rigour in November.

Full speech translated by BBC Monitoring.

Further coverage from: AFP, BBC video report, AP, Reuters, & New York Times.

Related posts

• No related posts.

BBC reports on the Cuban government’s change to the use of state land:

Cuba is to put more state-controlled farm land into private hands, in a move to increase the island’s lagging food production.

Private farmers who do well will be able to increase their holdings by up to 99 acres (40 hectares) for a 10-year period that can be renewed.

Until now, private farmers have only been able to run small areas of land.

The BBC’s Michael Voss, in Havana, says this is one of President Raul Castro’s most significant reforms to date.

[Read more →]

Sphere: Related Content

Tags: Cuban Government, land, production, Raul Castro, Security, state, state-owned enterprises

Related posts

• Upsurge in violence (0)
• U.S. Policy and Cuba’s Security Services (1)
• Miscellany… (0)
• Issues discussed in Politburo & Council of State meeting (0)
• Fidel Castro will be cast aside from power (0)

Army General Raul Castro wearing a white guayabera gave a televised address before the National Assembly (Cuban Parliament) yesterday addressing critical issues befacing the country.

The BBC calls Castro’s address his most sombre assessment of Cuba’s economic situation since he succeeded his brother Fidel in February.  He said would have to lift restrictions on salaries more slowly than anticipated and key reforms could be affected by global rises in food and oil prices.

Castro said “the salary problem” was being studied and would be addressed “gradually and according to priorities” but that quick action may not be possible.

Castro’s speech was preceded this week by National Assembly meetings in which government officials warned that belt-tightening would be needed due to rising prices for fuel and imports.  They also said the government would decentralize a sagging construction sector to make it more efficient and consider raising the retirement age to help Cuba cope with an aging population.

[Photo: AFP]

Related posts

• Fidel and retirement (0)
• Castro Parliament Bid Supported (0)
• After Fidel, The Deluge (0)
• Will Cuba Become a Global Ethanol Player? (0)
• Upsurge in violence (0)

Reuters/Brazil Online (via O Globo Online) reports Raúl Castro will visit Brazil at the end of the year according to a Brazilian government source.

The invitation was extended during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s visit to Havana in Janaury.

The time frame of Raúl Castro’s visit was hinted in meeting between Lula and Ricardo Alarcón, president of the Cuba National Assembly, last Wednesday, in Planalto Palace. It is likely that the date will be December.

[Photo: EFE]

Related posts

• Brazil’s billion dollar investment in Cuba (0)
• US intel analyzes video of Fidel (0)
• Raul seeks Lula’s help (0)
• One of the world’s oldest leaders (0)
• News round up (0)

The European Courier has published an article titled “The Future of Cuba,” which discusses the new role of Cuba in a world in which the US is becoming less dominant (see hypotheses written by Parag Khanna of the New America Foundation and Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International) and is forcing Cuba to form new relationships with the US, the EU and most importantly China.

Related posts

• No related posts.