Vol. 12, No. 9 September 2004

www.cubanews.com

In the News Bush, Kerry agree on embargo but little

When Fidel is gone else when it comes to U.S. Cuba policy Phil Peters, Brian Latell: Differing visions BY ANA RADELAT principles, although Bush is not bound by them. of post-Castro Cuba ...... Page 4 resident Bush and his rival for the White It also said that “Republicans understand that House, Sen. John Kerry, both say they the Castro regime will not change by its own Fast-food fantasy P back the long-standing embargo against choice,” and recommended more money for the Castro regime, but with their eye on Cuban- Bush’s plan to thwart Cuban jamming of Radio U.S. restaurant chains mum on potential American voters, they’ve taken very different and TV Martí broadcasting through the use of for future expansion to Cuba ...... Page 6 approaches on policy toward Cuba. military aircraft. In addition, the GOP called for Bush has managed to avoid the issue of Cuba increased funding of groups that are involved in Calling on Beijing since Jun. 30, when new regulations that tight- “democracy-building” efforts in Cuba. ened travel and remittances took effect, anger- Kerry, meanwhile, says the new travel restric- Cuba’s MINVEC proposes joint ventures ing many Cuban-Americans who still have fami- tions are too harsh and that he backs “princi- pled travel” to the island. with Chinese counterparts ...... Page 7 ly on the island. But the Republican Party platform — adopted “George Bush’s cynical, election-year policy on the first day of the GOP convention in New will punish the Cuban people and hurt Ameri- Newsmakers York — praised Bush’s most controversial cans with families on the island while doing Vladimiro Roca, one of the island’s best- measures, including limiting exile travel to the nothing to hasten the end of the Castro regime,” said the Massachusetts Democrat. “Cuban- known dissidents, tells CubaNews about island from once a year to every three years and allowing Cuban-Americans to send gift parcels Americans are the most positive force for his hopes and frustrations ...... Page 8 only to immediate family members. change in Cuba today, and we should be encour- The measures “provide a plan for agile, effec- aging the exchange of ideas that lay the ground Silicon Island? tive and decisive assistance to the people of for political reform.” See Election, page 2 Cuba, which limits Internet access, hopes Cuba,” said the platform, which outlines GOP to become an IT power ...... Page 10 Cuba gradually recovers from the wrath OJ that’s PC ‘Ethically produced’ Cuban orange juice of unwelcome visitors Charley and Ivan now on U.K. grocery shelves...... Page 11 BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT In the north, the coastal villages of Santa Fe Business briefs wo years ago, in October 2002, western and Playa Baracoa also sustained heavy dam- age. Also badly affected were the rural towns of Sherritt resumes exploratory oil drilling; Cuba was struck by two storms — Isidore T and Lili — in the space of a month. Guira de Melena, San Antonio de los Baños, Argentina to sign trade pact ...... Page 12 Well, it’s happened again. Hurricane Charley Alquízar and Bauta. raced across western Cuba on Aug. 13 and Ivan Charley destroyed banana plantations, felled Guest editorial followed exactly a month later, on Sep. 13. fruit trees, damaged homes and anything else in Charley entered the southern coast of La its path. Industrial plants, educational and Antonio Martínez calls new travel regs an health institutions and local, provincial and cen- Habana province shortly after midnight Aug. 13 affront to Cuban-Americans ...... Page 14 tral government offices also sustained damage, as a Category 2 hurricane, cutting a path of as did hundreds of hectares of banana, citrus, destruction on its way north. Its eye passed guava, mango and avocado plantations. New approach to AIDS over the north coast about two hours later, at a See Hurricanes, page 3 LíneAyuda marks 6th birthday as Cubans point east of Playa Baracoa. The storm caused an estimated $1 billion in begin talking about STDs ...... Page 15 damages, mainly in coastal villages along both DEAR SUBSCRIBER: This issue of CubaNews the southern and northern coasts of western should have been in your hands three weeks ago. But the back-to-back hurricanes that caused ha- CubaNews (ISSN 1073-7715) is published monthly Cuba. In the south, the fishing villages of by Luxner News Inc. © 2004. All rights reserved. Guanímar and Cajío were wiped out by giant voc in Cuba and Florida also disrupted our edi- Subscriptions: $429/year. For subscription or edito- waves and swirling winds. The towns’ inhabi- torial and production schedule. We apologize for rial inquiries, call us at (301) 365-1745, send a fax to our lateness and will be back on track with the (301) 365-1829 or e-mail us at [email protected]. tants had been evacuated to safety hours before, but all their possessions were lost. October issue. Thank you for your understanding. 2 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 Cu Network, a moderate Democratic group that After the new Cuba regulations created a Election — FROM PAGE 1 is spending millions of dollars to woo backlash in the exile community, the State Hu A month before the GOP met in New York, Hispanic voters. Department said it would review public com- Democrats crafted their own platform at their García said he made the switch because he ments and possibly make changes. tie convention in Boston. It did not mention the wanted to get involved in Democratic politics, Some believe the new regulations restrict- Ch embargo, but called for “effective and peace- telling CubaNews that “at the foundation, I ing humanitarian aid and Cuban-American hu ful strategies to end the Castro regime as had to play it straight down the middle.” travel will be moderated, but García said an soon as possible and enable the Cuban people As the CANF’s executive director, García Bush isn’t likely to scale back the regulations er to take their rightful place in the democratic lobbied the Bush until after the Nov. 2 election, in order to pla community of the Americas.” administration to avoid angering hardline exiles. kn Said the platform: “We will work with the spend more money “After the election, all bets are off,” he said. ty international community to increase political on Radio and TV Kerry has also sent running mate Sen. Martí, and to help and diplomatic pressure on the Castro regime LARRY LUXNER John Edwards (D-NC) as an emissary to the La to release all political prisoners, support civil to Cuban dissidents exile community. Edwards has made several In society and begin a process of genuine politi- and independent campaign trips to Florida, including one right na cal reform.” groups working to after the Boston convention that included ho “democratize the meetings with Cuban-American leaders. ELIÁN GONZÁLEZ AND JOE GARCÍA island.” “I can tell you, John Kerry will keep the fou He’s happy that In 2000, Cuban-American anger toward the pressure on Castro and support those in the ve the White House fight for freedom,” Edwards assured the exile Clinton administration’s decision to send has agreed to in- young rafter Elián González back to his father group. ne crease the U.S. Ex-CANF man Joe García th in Cuba resulted in an overwhelming exile Agency for Interna- Edwards has also adopted a tough line on vote for Bush. According to pollster Sergio new trade with Cuba, saying he opposes ed tional Development’s Cuba program from the itu Bendixen, 92% of South Florida exiles who $9 million Bush had budgeted to $30 million allowing the financing of farm sales to Cuba came to the United States voted for Bush. for fiscal 2005. which now take place on a cash-only basis. But support for the president was lower Another factor that may affect White House re But García says the new tough regulations cu among more recent Cuban immigrants and on travel and remittances are a mistake. policy on Cuba is the possible election of Mel 2nd-generation Cuban-Americans, Bendixen Martínez, a Florida Republican, to the Senate. an “[Bush] turned Cuba policy into a ridiculous an found. Only 55% of Cubans who arrived in the pandering to the right,” he told us. Martínez, Bush’s former secretary of hous- United States after 1980 voted for Bush, as did ing and urban development, would be the first sa 58% of Cuban-Americans born in the United THE MEL MARTÍNEZ FACTOR Cuban-American in the Senate if he wins his ar ap States. The strategy in the Kerry-Edwards García, whose job at the New Democrat race against Democratic rival Betty Castor. camp is to win enough of these votes to carry Network is outreach to the exile community But Martínez is much more moderate than FO Florida, perhaps the most important swing in Florida and other swing states — he’s even the Cuban-American lawmakers in the House state in the race for the White House. who have influenced Bush’s tough stance, meeting with exiles in Nevada — said he tried mu In August, Kerry’s effort received a huge to wean the CANF away from focusing its pol- even to the point of criticizing the “wet foot- boost when Joe García quit his post as execu- dry foot” policy which allows only Cubans ag icy toward Cuba on the embargo. Co tive director of the Cuban American National “The embargo is not the be all and end all,” who reach U.S. shores to apply for residency Foundation and joined the New Democrat and eventual American citizenship. García told CubaNews. de Senate panel OK’s Dorgan proposal; Flake withdraws bill Ch sa key Senate subcommittee on Sept. 8 Asset Control (OFAC) for permission. eration it deserves.” to approved a proposal by Sen. Byron “American farmers need new markets, and Both the House and the Senate in the past th A Dorgan (D-ND) clearing the way for the Cuban market is right at our doorstep,” have supported relaxing the trade embargo to TV U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba to promote the Dorgan said in a press statement. “Even with allow Americans to travel to Cuba. But every in sale of U.S. farm products without facing road- all the roadblocks, Cuba has emerged as our year for the past four years, proposals to do blocks from the federal government. country’s 23rd-largest food export market, out just that have been stripped from final versions mi The Senate’s Agriculture Appropriations of 225 worldwide. This administration’s mantra of bills and have never been signed into law. th Subcommitte accepted the proposal, which for family farmers is to ‘rely on the market.’ Within the next few weeks, Rep. Jim Davis was co-sponsored by Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) Well, then that market ought to be open and (D-FL) plans to introduce an amendment — and others. No one opposed it. free and that is not the case as long as they with Flake’s support — that will roll back the Dorgan authored legislation enacted into continue to put roadblocks in the way of U.S. new restrictions that allow Cubans residing in law in 2000 that lifted the 40-year-old embargo farm sales to Cuba.” the United States to visit Cuba only once every against U.S. food and medicine sales to Cuba. The measure will next be considered by the three years. Since 2001, U.S. farmers have sold $650 mil- full U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Davis said the damages inflicted on Cuba by lion in farm products to Cuba. probably later this month. hurricanes Charley and Ivan prove that Bush’s The Bush administration, however, has Meanwhile, Rep. Jeff Flake, an Arizona new policy on family travel to Cuba needs to be worked hard to thwart farm sales to Cuba by Republican who earlier this month introduced repealed as soon as possible. delaying or refusing to issue travel licenses to a bill that would end the U.S. travel ban to “When you looked around the community many U.S. citizens who want to go to Cuba to Cuba, dropped the legislation after he couldn’t after the hurricanes, you had families reaching sell farm products. get “meaningful debate” on the subject in an out to families, neighbors reaching out to A number of North Dakotans have been election year. neighbors. It’s a wonderful thing,” Davis told among those caught up in the U.S. govern- Reuters reports that the House instead will the St. Petersburg Times. “We have many, many ment’s effort to block travel to Cuba to pro- debate a narrower measure before the end of people in our community who want to reach mote agricultural sales. September which focuses on restrictions the out to their families in Cuba.” Dorgan’s amendment would allow Ameri- Bush administration imposed Jun. 30. An earlier Davis resolution was approved in cans who want to sell farm products to Cuba to Flake withdrew his measure, noting that July. It sought to block new restrictions on go there without having to apply to the “with elections so close and politics so raw, this Cuban-Americans’ ability to mail supplies such Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign debate would not receive the thoughtul delib- as clothing or soap to relatives still in Cuba. An 04 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 3 d a neighbors in safer areas. The rest were taken Habanos, previous tobacco harvests were ate Hurricanes — FROM PAGE 1 to 2,492 shelters, most of them in schools and safely stored away and unaffected by Ivan. m- According to Cuban civil defense authori- hospitals, reported a top civil defense official, “Nothing fell down here. We had no dam- ties, 40,500 homes were heavily damaged by Lt. Col. Luís Angel Macareno Veliz. age to our homes or tobacco storage houses. ct- Charley, and 8,300 of them destroyed. The Ivan caused no deaths in Cuba, though the Thank God,” said Carlos, son of Cuba’s best- an hurricane also felled hundreds of utility poles Isabel Rubio municipality was flooded by the known tobacco planter, Alejandro Robaina. aid and at least 26 huge power transmission tow- surging waters of the Río Cuyaguateje. The Tobacco is Cuba’s No. 3 export, producing ns ers worth $50,000 each. The 400-mw power sea penetrated 1 km inland at La Coloma, Cor- an average of 150 million hand-rolled cigars to plant at Mariel, in La Habana province, was knocked offline, temporarily cutting electrici- Hurricanes Charley and Ivan H AVANA Varadero id. ty to hundreds of thousands of people. Gulf of Mexico en. For 11 days, the Havana suburbs of Playa, Mariel Jaruco BahÌa G¸ira de Matanzas G¸ines he La Lisa and Boyeros — site of José Martí Honda Artemisa Melena ral International Airport — were cut off from the BatabanÛ ColÛn Pinar San CristÛbal C ght national power grid, compared to 24 to 48 del RÌo Los Palacios h a ed hours in the rest of Havana. San Luis r t a S w Mantua La Coloma l Z a p a a Guane e Despite the destruction, Charley killed only m San Juan y p Cienfuegos four people, largely due to Cuba’s highly de- Cape San B he y MartÌnez A a Antonio Sandino CortÈs Nueva y u o he veloped hurricane risk management system. Ger ona f Punta g P i g ile “Education, prevention and political willing- FrancÈs Isle of . s Cabo Corrientes 1 I ness are among the many reasons explaining v Youth 3 a La Fe n on the low death toll in hurricanes in Cuba,” stat- Cayo Cantiles Cayo Lar go S Punta e del Este ses ed Salvano Briceño, a director at the UN Inst- p Cocodrilo . itute for Disaster Reduction in Geneva. 1 Kilometers 80 ba 3 Caribbean Sea “Disaster preparedness, prevention and Miles 50 use response are part of the general education Armando H. Portela Mel curriculum. People in schools, universities and workplaces are continuously informed tés and Punta de Cartas; there was also exten- worth around $240 million. te. sive flooding in Batabano, south of Havana. Gonzalo Rodríguez, an agriculture official us- and trained to cope with natural hazards,” said Briceño. “From an early age, all Cubans The hurricane inflicted only minor damage in Pinar del Río province, said Ivan devastated rst on the Cuban tobacco industry, since planting the citrus crop in the Sandino district, with his are taught how to behave as hurricanes approach the island.” had not yet gotten underway in Pinar del Río over 60% of the fruit knocked off by the strong province, which produces the best leaves for winds. Three-quarters of the fruit on the an FOR CUBA, IVAN WASN’T SO TERRIBLE Cuba’s most expensive cigars. ground will be lost because they weren’t yet use About 225 of the region’s 12,000 tobacco ripe. The crop loss also included 6,620 acres ce, Compared to Charley, Hurricane Ivan was curing houses were destroyed and another of banana groves, cassava and corn, but the ot- much kinder to Cuba, even though the dam- 1,674 partially damaged — unlike in October livestock and poultry farms did not report ans age it inflicted on Grenada and the U.S. Gulf 2002, when Isidore and Lili scored direct hits huge losses. ncy Coast was horrendous. on the area, destroying seedling beds and Together with 155 mph winds and sea sur- Ivan’s eye narrowly missed landfall at Pinar thousands of barns for during tobacco leaves. ges pushing in over Pinar del Río, Ivan del Rio as it passed through the Yucatan “Damage to the Cuban tobacco sector has destroyed many houses and roads. People in Channel between Cuba and Mexico. been very limited,” primarily because plant- the capital were relieved when they knew the ll One Havana-based foreign correspondent ing season doesn’t begin until October, said a hurricane would spare Havana and its more said preparations before Ivan were like “a call statement issued by Habanos S.A., a 50-50 than half of its substandard housing, which to arms,” and in a way, it was. Cubans fled venture between Madrid-based Altadis S.A. would not have withstood such fierce winds. ast their homes along coastal areas, leaving their and Cuba’s state-run Empresa Cubana del For the sugar industry at least, Ivan did to TVs, refrigerators and other precious assets Tabaco. “The supply of tobacco for Habanos more good than harm. The storm apparently ery in well-sheltered containers. production will not be affected, and the next provided much-needed moisture to Cuba’s do The government evacuated a total of 1.9 harvest will start in normal conditions.” drought-stricken sugar crop, with damage ns million people throughout the country, 78% of Pinar del Rio produced 22,000 tons of leaf . them to the houses of friends, family and during the last harvest, though according to See Hurricanes, page 4 vis — he in ery PRENSA LATINA by h’s be ity ng to old ny ch

in on ch An electrical transmission tower lies in ruins, while power lines and street signs litter a Havana suburb after the Aug. 13 onslaught of Hurricane Charley. 4 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 Cu POLITICS P C- Peters and Latell: Opposing visions of a post-Castro Cuba L th BY DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI external threat. efit and would start to sense, and to see more th he recent Association for the Study of Similar views can be found in greater detail, clearly, the will and readiness for more th the Cuban Economy (ASCE) confer- in a paper written by Latell two years ago for changes. Economic indicators would imme- ing T ence in Miami was yet another oppor- the University of Miami’s Institute for Cuban dately react in very positive terms, producing H tunity for scholars to offer their views on what and Cuban-American Studies (ICAAS). real growth. Short-term continuity and stable ca may or may not happen once Fidel Castro is Peters, on the other hand, disagrees with long-term changes would thus be ensured. wa gone from power. Latell’s scenario and seriously questions the This option seems more consistent with a th And the opening session set the tone when foundations upon which it is built. pattern of survival for the leadership and A two key speakers, Philip Peters and Brian Peters, vice-president of the Lexington society at large, and less apocalyptical than Br Latell, presented their opposing views on the Institute in Arlington, Va., has conducted a the “day after” scenario proposed by Latell. M matter — something that’s been absorbing fair amount of field research in Cuba itself in sig the energies of hundreds of political analysts recent years. He argues that such foundations Hurricanes — FROM PAGE 3 ini for the last 15 years. have little or nothing to do with the reality in to For Latell, a former CIA analyst and now re- Cuba. His main line of reasoning, and subse- confined only to Pinar del Río province, A searcher at Washington’s Center for Strategic quent scenario, is that after Castro’s passing, which produced 75,000 tons of the most an and International Studies, there’s only one the younger Cuban leadership will be able to recent crop of 2.52 million tons of sugar. als possibility: that of absolute chaos, character- act with a considerable degree of cohesive- “Just a few of our 85 mills sustained of ized by extreme violence throughout Cuba, ness to ensure their own continuity in power. minor damage, and some cane is under mi triggered by an uprising of generals vying for How can this be achieved? Peters says water,” said a local sugar expert quoted by A their particular interests. existing reforms in Cuba have had a very lim- Reuters. In addition, brigades were hard ed Latell warns that total anarchy will prevail ited impact on most of Cuba’s 11.2 million at work draining flooded plantations fre as the leadership crumbles into an inmense people, due to the fact that they are aimed before water could suffocate the plants, TV confrontation among the different factions. mainly at the external sector. according to well-known sugar reporter He predicts that immediately after Castro’s By adopting a series of minimal reforms Juan Varela Pérez. OF without bringing the downfall of the regime death is announced, people will take to the Unfortunately, Ivan provided little relief R streets, demanding a complete overthrow of or losing control, the new leadership would to the drought-plagued eastern part of the gain acceptance and credibility to move for- De the regime. The corollary of such a scenario country as it passed south of Cuba, but ste is nothing less than a full-scale intervention ward with reforms of a much broader eco- precipitation increased as the storm nomic nature. The immediate reaction would N by the U.S. military to stop the fighting, neared, benefiting the rest of Cuba which fir bloodshed and ensuing exodus of migrants — be favorable and reassuring. has also suffered a lack of rain this year. These could include allowing more self-em- sp and then initiate the kind of “democratic tran- “Sugar workers and farmers in the west- A sition” promoted by the Bush administration. ployment, enacting property laws that stimu- ern provinces, as well as some central wa Latell bases his predictions on conflicts and late urban and rural activities, expanding the provinces, have benefited from Ivan’s rain- right to sell and rent and encouraging various ag rivalries among strictly military elites in vari- fall, because they can now increase plant- forms of foreign investment. In essence, this De ous Third World countries, while dismissing ing,” he said. “Cane cut during the last other experiences suggesting that consensus would legalize much of what already goes on I and compromise might take place for the as part of Cuba’s underground economy. harvest, which has been slow to grow tar sake of continuity, especially in the face of an Large sections of the population would ben- back, now has new life, increasing yields er for the coming harvest.” an According to Reuters, farmers have na OFAC lets UNC continue Cuba study program planted just 51% of the 380,000 acres of fin cane planned for the year. Cuba will post- his coming spring semester, University Carolina students are included amongst the pone sugar milling into the new year and UN of North Carolina students will again be very small number of U.S. students who con- idle up to 20 mills due to drought damage, C Table to study at the University of Havana tinue to have the opportunity to study in said industry sources who projected out- 20 — an opportunity no longer available to most Cuba, and to experience for themselves social put at 2.0 million tons of raw sugar, a 20% fro U.S. students. and cultural life of a society that is organized drop from the 2003-04 harvest. T It seems that the UNC Semester in Havana on very different principles compared to the Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero tri meets the requirements of those few pro- United States.” reported the damages were minimal to that Ar grams still allowed under tighter rules adopt- Meanwhile, the Treasury Department has sector, confined to a few installations near an ed Jun. 30 by the Treasury Department’s renewed a license for researchers at the southwest coast that can be repaired an Office of Foreign Assets Control. Southern Illinois University to travel to Cuba. rapidly. Television reports also showed A UNC is one of only a handful of U.S. institu- John Haller, SIU’s vice-president for acade- damages to Hotel Bucanero in Santiago de 96 tions that have both an OFAC license and a mic affairs, said the license had expired Jun. Cuba’s Baconao district. ed study-abroad program of more than 10 weeks’ 30, and that it wasn’t going to be renewed. But In related news, the B’nai B’rith Cuban ex duration, as now required by OFAC. Its Cuba the school, located in Carbondale, Ill., Jewish Relief Project is collecting clothing, 0.9 Program is run by Prof. Lou Pérez, a top U.S. appealed to U.S. Reps. Jerry Costello, John medicine and supplies for victims of both an academic expert on Cuba. Shimkus and Ray LaHood, who successfully Charley and Ivan, regardless of religion. T The program costs $9,336 and includes intervened on SIU’s behalf. The Pittsburgh-based project is licensed sc housing, tuition, transportation and most Haller said the new license restricts who is by the U.S. government to assist Cubans 0.7 other expenses. eligible to go to Cuba and why. through humanitarian missions and dona- av According to a UNC press release, “it was Details: Study Abroad Office, University of tions despite the 40-year blockade. Am agreed to enhance the program by allowing North Carolina, 201 Porthole Bldg. CB-3130, Details: Stan Cohen, B’nai B’rith Cuban T Carolina students who have sufficient fluency Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3130. Tel: (919) 962- Jewish Relief Project, Pittsburgh. Tel: (412) wh in Spanish to enroll directly in one of the reg- 7002. Fax: (919) 962-2262. URL: http://stu- 421-4859 E-mail: [email protected]. T ular classes of the University of Havana. Thus, dyabroad.unc.edu/programs.cfm?pk=1697. ht 04 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 5 POLITICAL BRIEFS C-130 BROADCASTS TV MARTÍ SIGNALS TO CUBA In their own words … a Last month, a C-130 cargo plane flying just off the Cuban coast broadcast TV Martí signals to “Ivan is a Category 5 hurricane, but Hurricane Fidel is a Category 6 hurri- ore the island for the first time, but few people saw cane and this one doesn’t move northwest. It’s been stationary, wreaking ore the signal because of electricity problems follow- havoc on a nation for 45 years.” me- ing Hurricane Charley. — Tampa lawyer Ralph Fernández, quoted Sep. 15 in the St. Petersburg Times. ng Havana had no official response to the broad- ble cast, though earlier this year Fidel Castro “We are alive. The rest will be repaired.” warned that the program was a dangerous sign — Sonia Camejo, who lives in the fishing town of Cortés, 275 km west of Havana. h a that a U.S. invasion of Cuba would be imminent. nd According to the website of the Office of Cuba an “Cuba is a giant prison. We have to put up alarm bells around the walls. Broadcasting, which runs both TV and Radio With every signature, every conference we make another step towards free- Martí. the C-130 “is already in flight, sending the dom in Cuba ... This summit is important, as the least signature of a petition is signal from TV Martí to Channel 13, fulfilling the important. All this creates pressure.” initiative adopted by President George W. Bush — Former Czech President Vaclav Havel, speaking on the second day of a Sep. 19 to speed up a democratic transition in Cuba.” human rights summit in Prague. , Among a series of other measures, Bush t announced earlier this year that the U.S. would also spend $18 million to evade Cuba’s jamming “There’s nothing to justify that people like Raúl Rivero should be imprisoned d of Radio and TV Martí by broadcasting from a just because they wrote a critical poem against a dictator.” r military cargo plane inside U.S. territory. — Former Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, also speaking in Prague. y Although many Cubans in the past have report- d ed receiving Radio Martí on FM or shortwave “The Constitution of the Republic is clear when it states that pardons can s frequencies, very few say they have actually seen only be granted to individuals convicted of political crimes [and not convicted , TV Martí broadcasts. terrorists].” r — Pananamian Attorney General José Antonio Sosa, commenting on outgoing OFAC DIRECTOR RICK NEWCOMB TO STEP DOWN President Mireya Moscoso’s pardon of Luís Posada Carriles and three accom- f Richard Newcomb, chief of the U.S. Treasury plices. The four had been sentenced to jail on charges of trying to assassinate e Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, is Fidel Castro during the 10th Ibero-American Summit in November 2000. t stepping down Oct. 1 after 17 years on the job. m Newcomb will work for the Washington law “It’s a very spontaneous movie. It’s not a left-wing documentary, and I hope h firm of Baker Donelson, according to Treasury Americans will see it that way.” spokeswoman Molly Millerwise. — Oliver Stone, talking about his documentary “Looking for Fidel” at the San - As chief of OFAC, Newcomb more than anyone Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain. l was responsible for enforcing the U.S. embargo - against Cuba, under both Republican and “Unfortunately, neither party can see past Florida when trying to decide - Democratic administrations. what to do about Cuba.” t In a statement issued Sept. 14, Treasury Secre- — Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), who withdrew a bill to lift the U.S. travel ban against w tary John Snow said that under Newcomb’s lead- Cuba in the face of election-year politics. s ership, “OFAC has been pivotal in administering and enforcing economic sanctions against rogue e nations and targeted individuals” involved in “I love Miami, but Havana is a significantly more attractive tourist destina- f financing or supporting terrorism. tion, even if it’s in ruins. When Havana gets repainted and rebuilt, Miami’s - gonna be in for a hard time, as will Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.” d UNDP RANKS CUBA 52nd IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT — Pedro A. Freyre, Cuba committee co-chairman at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, speaking at the recent ASCE conference in Coconut Grove, Fla. , Cuba has scored 52nd in the United Nations’ - 2004 Human Development Index, unchanged % from the year before. “In the past year, there’s been a clear trend toward re-centralization of the The only Latin American or Caribbean coun- economy. It is unlikely that the flow of foreign direct investment will pick up in o tries ranking ahead of Cuba are Barbados (29th), the near future, unless Cuba promotes a gradual decentralization.” t Argentina (34th), Chile (43rd), Uruguay (46th) — Paolo Spadoni, a doctoral student at the University of Florida, on this year’s r and Bahamas (51st). The rest of Latin America 15% drop in the number of ventures between the Cuban state and foreign firms. d and the Caribbean ranks below Cuba. d According to the UNDP report, adult literacy is “In most countries, the underground economy is viewed negatively by poli- e 96.9% for those over age 15, while Cuba’s adjust- cymakers, but not in Cuba’s case. It produces a lot of relatively low-cost goods ed real per-capita income is $5,259. Cuba’s life and services for Cuban citizens. It evades direct taxation but not indirect taxa- n expectancy index is 0.86, the education index is tion. Unfortunately, all of this entrepreneurship is being frittered away.” , 0.91 and the GDP index is 0.66, giving the island — Archibald R.M. Ritter, Cuba expert and professor of economic and h an overall Human Development Index of 0.809. international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. This compares to top-ranked Norway, with a d score of 0.956, and the world HDI average of “This makes no sense. As family members, we have the right to say where s 0.729. Developing countries as a group have an we want our dead to be, and we want Che to stay in Cuba.” - average HDI of 0.663, while the average for Latin — Camilo Guevara, son of the famous rebel, on plans by a Buenos Aires America is 0.777. lawmaker to bring Che Guevara’s body back to his native Argentina. n The United States ranks 7th on the 2004 list, ) while Sierra Leone ranks in last place, at No. 177. The full UNDP report is available online at http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/. 6 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 Cu RETAILING F U.S. fast-food chains tight-lipped about expanding to Cuba M

BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA countries where we are currently operating.” out any such possibility, since the physical Pizza Hut, which is owned by Kentucky- presence of a restaurant chain may entail the he recent explosion of U.S. food ex- based Yum! Brands (the same holding com- unintended use of property subject to claims ports to Cuba under the Trade Sanc- T pany that also owns KFC and Taco Bell) de- from Cuban exiles. Sp T tions Reform Act of 2000 raises an inter- clined comment. McDonald’s Corp. didn’t get According to OFAC spokeswoman Molly esting question. Cu back to us at all. Millerwise, “since persons subject to U.S. jur- sty Now that it’s legal for U.S. companies to sell Barbie Blanco, a spokeswoman for Burger food commodities to the lucrative Cuban mar- King, said only: “At this time, Burger King str ket — at least on a cash-only basis — how doesn’t contemplate doing business in Cuba.” long will it be before American fast-food fran- ati Even if these U.S. fast-food operations $3 chises seriously explore the possibility of con- decide on taking steps toward penetrating the LARRY LUXNER me ducting business with the Cubans? Cuban market, there are limits on what they For the time being, it seems that at least can actually do in Cuba — whether that Fo some big-name franchises are saying “no” un- means setting up full-fledged restaurant oper- VE til they see a significant improvement in rela- ations in Havana, or at least selling their food tur tions between the United States and Cuba. items in bulk to Alimport, for consumption in Inv CubaNews attempted to get comments on state hotels or Cuba’s own fast-food sector. th this issue from top U.S. fast-food executives, “Only the export of food products is sp but it wasn’t easy. allowed,” says John Kavulich, president of the For instance, we tried to reach Patrick U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council in tie Doyle, executive vice-president of Domino’s New York, which tracks business opportuni- ind Pizza International in Ann Arbor, Mich. What ties in Cuba. me we got instead was a statement from a Domi- Kavulich said that it might be OK for ar no’s spokesman who asked not to be named. Domino’s or Pizza Hut to sell pizza-making “As the recognized world leader in pizza ingredients to a Cuban fast-food outfit like the um delivery with stores in more than 50 countries El Rápido chain, but setting up and operating am worldwide, Cuba is certainly a market that we a flagship restaurant on Cuban soil is entirely Golden Arches at Guantánamo, Cuba. ch could envision having interest in at some another matter. Te point in the future,” he told us. “That being The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of isdiction cannot deal in property in which six said, we haven’t reached that point yet, and Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which en- Cuba or a Cuban national has an interest, U.S. th we will continue to focus our attention on forces the trade embargo against Cuba, rules companies cannot sign a contract — which is considered property — with a Cuban or non- ca Cuban entity regarding the operation of a en Canada’s Pizza Nova chain may end Cuba operations franchise in Cuba.” ma mo During a recent phone interview with Aside from the legal headaches, Kavulich xperienced travelers to Cuba — frus- says that for political reasons, Cuba is just not lop trated with hard-to-find paladares and CubaNews, Pizza Nova’s owner and presi- dent, Sam Primucci, was tight-lipped about worth it for most fast-food conglomerates. E hotel restaurants of dubious standards “They elect not to [do business with Cuba] ed his chain’s future on the island. — know that decent dining options are few because of the proclivity of the Bush adminis- $2 and far between across the island. “There isn’t very much I can tell you at in this time. We don’t know how much longer tration to look at these firms unfavorably In 1994, one foreign chain stepped in to toward doing business in Cuba,” he said. Be provide quality pizza and Italian cuisine. we’ll be in Cuba,” was all Primucci would say. Primucci and the Pizza Nova manage- “They have operations in military bases, for of Toronto-based Pizza Nova opened its first example, McDonald’s at Guantánamo Bay, Cuban franchise that year at Marina Hem- ment refused to provide annual sales figures in Cuba from the late 1990s to 2003. and they don’t want to jeopardize that. Cu ingway, just outside Havana. The eatery, a There’s no incentive to push the envelope.” 50-50 partnership with Palmares — the Given the chain’s popularity, Primucci’s restaurant division of Cuban state tourism surprising statement leaves some to specu- entity Cubanacán — quickly became a hit late that the successful pizzeria is having FOREIGN AID TO CUBA IN 2003* problems with its Cuban partners. Also, the among foreigners as well as Cubans with fact that Pizza Nova is expanding into the COMMODITY VALUE dollars to spend. U.S. market (with operations popping up in 1. Spain (central government) $16 Pizza Nova, with its scooter-driven home Florida, New Jersey and New York) may be 2. Kuwait 10 delivery service, acquired a reputation for causing Primucci to worry about exposure 3. China 9 quality in a country that once tried to pass to legal action triggered by Helms-Burton. 4. Japan 8 off oversized mozzarella and tomato sauce- In July, a 95-year-old Cuban exile living in 5. Canada 8 filled empanadas as “pizza.” Miami sued the French resort chain Club 6. Spain (Basque country) 5 The success of Pizza Nova encouraged Med for operating on the Varadero property 7. Belgium 3 the Canadian chain to expand to Varadero, that her family owned before the revolution. as well as Cienfuegos, Guardalavaca (Hol- 8. France 3 A pullout by Pizza Nova will not diminish 9. Germany 3 guín province) and Santiago de Cuba. The the demand for pizza in Cuba. In fact, it may 10. Italy fact is that Pizza Nova is in a lucrative mar- push Cubanacán (through food purchasing 3 ket where it doesn’t have to struggle against agency Alimport) to seek out an alternative 11. Norway 2 the likes of Domino’s and Pizza Hut. provider of pizza-making ingredients — 12. Sweden 2 Even without U.S. competition, however, including a possible U.S. supplier. 13. United Kingdom 2 Pizza Nova may pull out of Cuba altogether. – VITO ECHEVARRÍA 14. Switzerland 1 *Grant and loan aid, in millions of dollars. Source: ICCAS. 04 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 7 FOREIGN INVESTMENT a MINVEC wants joint ventures with Chinese manufacturers cal he Cuban government is attempting to technology products, fresh and processed cit- million TV sets, the machinery for manufac- he expand trade with China, its 3rd-largest rus products, steel, coal and tobacco. turing bicycles, and telephone terminals to ms T trading partner after Venezuela and Yang Shidi, economic and trade adviser at upgrade Cuba’s antiquated telecom system. Spain, while preserving the distance between the Chinese Embassy in Havana, told the Since the late 1980s, China has revived lly Cuba’s own brand of socialism and Chinese- Cuban magazine Negocios that bilateral trade cooperation with Cuba by granting soft gov- ur- style “market socialism.” amounted to $254 million in the first half of ernment loans and donations, mainly for edu- According to Inter Press Service, Havana’s this year, representing a 28% jump over the cation and agriculture. strategy is not only aimed at boosting cooper- In 2003, China’s govern- ation and trade flows, which in 2003 totaled ment gave Cuba a $9 mil- $357 million, but at attracting greater invest- lion development loan, and ment from China as well. it recently added the island In early September, Cuba’s Ministry of to its list of official tourism Foreign Investment and Cooperation (MIN- destinations. China could VEC) presented 41 proposals for joint ven- become a leading source of tures at the 8th China International Fair for visitors for Cuba’s growing Investment and Trade. The event was held in tourism industry. The the port city of Xiamen, one of China’s leading World Tourism Organiza- special economic zones. tion reports that 17 million Cuban proposals for investment opportuni- Chinese tourists travelled ties for China are in areas such as the fishing abroad last year. industry, footwear and garments, wood and Cuba and China estab- metal furniture, medical equipment and sug- lished diplomatic ties on arcane by-products. Sept. 28, 1960, but bilateral Some of these projects are targeting medi- relations have been chilly at um-sized businesses, but others require large times, depending on each amounts of capital, says Anaiza Rodríguez, Pagoda guards the entrance to Old Havana’s famous Chinatown. nation’s position within the chief of Cuba’s Investment Promotion Center. former socialist bloc. Ten such ventures are already in operation — year-ago period. Analysts said the 2001 visit to Havana by In addition, trade between the two coun- then-Chinese president Jiang Zemin and Fidel ch six in Cuba and four in China — as well as three “cooperative production contracts.” tries is more balanced than in the past, with Castro’s 2003 trip to Beijing confirmed that .S. China exporting $139 million worth of goods ties are now based on a footing of mutually is The four JVs in China are in pharmaceuti- cals, high-tech medical equipment, genetic to Cuba and importing $115 million. advantageous trade interests and shared polit- on- Of the total trade balance in 2003, Chinese ical values. fa engineering and biotech. The Biotech Phar- maceutical Corp. Ltd. is currently building a exports to Cuba stood at $236 million and But while China’s economic model is an modern production plant in the Beijing Deve- Cuba’s exports to China at $121 million, said important reference point for Cuba, local ch Shidi, who added that Cuba is one of his coun- authorities underline that Cuban socialism not lopment Zone, one of China’s most important. Although Cuba’s trade with China exceed- try’s top trading partners in Latin America. must follow its own route, based on the dis- ed $600 million in 1990, it had declined to Cuban products imported by the Chinese proportionate role of socialist state enterpris- ba] include tobacco, biorat (a biological rat poi- es and the tendency towards centralization. nis- $268 million by 1995, largely due to the drop son), interferon (a drug that stimulates the Details: Anaiza Rodríguez, Director, Centro bly in Cuban sugar production. Up until 1990, immune system), high-tech medical equip- de Promoción de Inversiones, Calle 30, #512, id. Beijing was buying more than a million tons ment, vaccines and seafood. e/5ta y 7ma, Miramar, La Habana. Tel: +53 7 for of sugar a year from Havana. Among Cuba’s most significant imports 202-3873. Fax: +53 7 204-2105. E-mail: ay, In the past few years, China’s imports from from China were a shipment of more than a [email protected]. URL: www.cip-minvec.cu. at. Cuba have expanded to include nickel, bio-

* BUSINESS GUIDE TO CUBA CUNY seeks names for Cuba-related database E The City University of New York’s Bildner particular areas of Cuban studies. The Business Guide to Cuba is the most Center for Western Hemisphere Studies is in 6 comprehensive research report on Cuban The Directory of Cuba Specialists lists sev- 0 business and politics available today. the process of compiling a free directory of eral hundred professionals, specialists, jour- 9 With more than 300 pages of exclusive professionals in the United States and abroad nalists and intellectuals interested in Cuban 8 information, data, charts and maps on all who are actively engaged with Cuban studies studies who hold faculty or research appoint- 8 productive sectors of the economy — as and Cuba-related issues. ments at a university; hold policymaking or 5 well as a list of official contacts, business Anyone will be able to search the directory, other government positions related to Cuba; practices and even Cuban street slang — now being organized as a searchable data- 3 hold a position at an international organiza- the Business Guide to Cuba is your No. 1 base with funding from the Ford Foundation. 3 resource on potential investment opportu- Researchers may find the directory useful tion; are professionals affiliated with founda- 3 nities and pitfalls in this emerging market. to identify colleagues who work on related tions or NGOs, or publish frequently on 3 Copies of the guide are available for only subjects. Newcomers to the study of Cuba can Cuban affairs. 2 $99 each, shipping and handling included. use it to become familiar with the field by Details: Bildner Center for Western Hemis- 2 To order your copy, call us toll-free today phere Studies, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, New at (800) 365-1997, fax us at (301) 365-1829 browsing members’ research interests and 2 publications. York, NY 10016-4309. Tel: (212) 817-2096. 1 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. Visa, MasterCard and Amex accepted. For those outside the academic world, it Fax: (212) 817-1540. E-mail: cubaproj- S. can serve as a reference tool to specialists in [email protected]. URL: www.cubadirectory.org. 8 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 Cu sa NEWSMAKERS — bu

Vladimiro Roca says Fidel is blind to people’s suffering he to BY LARRY LUXNER order to remain in Cuba. That’s how it was Roca says his own PSDC has 35 members, th or someone who spent five years in a until 1997, when I was sent to prison in and that there are 300 to 400 similar dissident Cu filthy Cuban jail, Vladimiro Roca Antú- Cienfuegos for five years,” he said. “In 2002, movements throughout Cuba. Most are ha F nez doesn’t seem very worried about when I got out, I received a $50,000 prize from small, he said, with 10-30 members each. cip openly criticizing Fidel Castro. the Parkinson Fund of New York, which is Roca says the most important of them are do CubaNews caught up with the 61-year-old what I’m using to live on.” Movimiento Cristiano de Liberación (led by tra dissenter one recent Saturday morning as he The truth is, Roca doesn't live so badly. He Oswaldo Payá of Proyecto Varela fame); Par- wo relaxed on his porch in suburban Havana. For and his wife Magaly reside in the relatively tido Solidaridad Democrática (Fernando Sán- sa nearly two hours, Roca — founder of the upper-class Havana neighborhood of Nuevo chez) and the Partido Liberal Democrática Partido Socialdemócrata de Cuba (PSDC) — Vedado, where the dissident spends his time (Héctor Maceda). picked apart all that was wrong with the Castro regime and why his country urgently “I needs democracy. “Here in Cuba, there’s dissent and there’s opposition,” he explained. “A dissident is someone who dissents from the official politi- LARRY LUXNER c cal line, but within the system. There are dis- sidents within the Communist Party because they’re not in agreement with the PCC’s posi- tions. I really consider myself an opositor be- ause I’m opposed to the system of govern- th ment we have. I am not in agreement with the system, and I’m struggling to change it." ze He adds: “Whether you like it or not, the litt revolution took place, and immediately after, many of those who struggled for the revolu- ou tion turned against it because they felt de betrayed, because none of the promises that Th Fidel Castro made were kept.” jus me ROCA’S CHECKERED PAST Roca is well-known for being one of the TH sons of Blas Roca, secretary-general of the Partido Socialista Popular, the old communist Dissident Vladimiro Roca, 61, relaxes in front of his home in the Havana suburb of Nuevo Vedado. fai party of the late 1950s. He trained as a fighter in pilot in Czechoslovakia in 1960, but per- writing papers, talking to foreign journalists Virtually all those groups were victims of formed poorly and was dismissed from active and surfing the Internet, to which he has the Castro regime’s March 2003 crackdown. ar duty a few years later. legal access. Roca’s party even has its own “The dissident movement suffered a brutal re He then studied economics and worked at web page at http://pscuba.org, which now blow. The jailing of the 75 dissidents pe the Ministry of Foreign Investment and accepts credit-card donations online. destroyed almost the entire leadership,” he ity Cooperation (MINVEC), but was accused of Yet Roca concedes that “the PSDC doesn’t told CubaNews. “For many days, I was sitting try being a heavy drinker and wasting time dur- have any legal space to operate because the on this porch, doing nothing, waiting for them ing work hours. In the early 1990s, he alleged- government doesn’t permit the registration of to come and get me.” sta ly became involved in the trafficking of art political parties, so it’s a party in name only." Roca said he’s applied to travel abroad bu and jewelry. three times, and each time he was denied per- fig Roca then became an associate of Elizardo ‘NO TOLERANCE’ FOR THE OPPOSITION mission. The first was to visit a daughter liv- th Sánchez for a short time until they broke over ing in Tampa; the second time was in 2003, to pr financial issues and he founded the PSDC. Roca told us the government has staged In 1997, after he and three other dissidents two hostile actos de repudio in front of his visit Mexico, and the third time was to attend of engaged in a campaign to expose the opera- house. The first one took place in February a pro-democracy event in Colombia. es tions of foreign companies in Cuba, in an 1992 and involved about 400 people; the sec- “I cannot set foot anywhere in Latin ing attempt to deter investment, he was charged ond one happened nine months later. Since America,” he complained, and added that for tra with jeopardizing national security and sen- then, there have been no such protests this reason alone, he does not support the bu tenced to five years in prison. “because the government couldn’t organize U.S. travel ban against Cuba. ca any people from my barrio.” The other three — René Gómez Manzano, ROCA SAYS EMBARGO KEEPS FIDEL IN POWER ev Félix Bonne Carcassés and Marta Beatriz Nevertheless, he said, “people who know I th Roque — were freed, though the latter two live in this house pass by here with curiosity. “The Castro government violates my right were eventually jailed again on other charges. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a cage. But in my to travel, so I can’t [support the idea of] the “th Roca said he first tried to change the sys- neighborhood, I don’t have any problems.” American government doing the same thing,” fre tem from within the Party, but then went pub- Asked why the Castro regime tolerates he said. “On the other hand, even if Amer- be lic after realizing that wasn’t possible. him, Roca looked quizzically at us. “There is icans could travel here, it wouldn’t influence th “When I began the party, I was fired from absolutely no tolerance. I was put in prison for anything. For how many years have we been th my job [at MINVEC] and had to sell my Lada. five years for doing nothing. The official rea- receiving tourists from democratic countries, After that, I began selling dishes, fine crys- son was sedition, but I never promoted vio- 14 years? Has it made any difference?” po tals, paintings and a collection of watches in lence nor made protests.” One thing that would make a difference, he th 004 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 9 said, would be to drop the embargo entirely The poll, with a 10% margin of error, showed — but there isn’t enough pressure by big that 47% of the respondents wanted to leave TOURISM BRIEFS business to do so, he says. Cuba — a percentage he said would be con- REPORT ANALYZES HAVANA TOURISM GROWTH “The embargo, according to my analysis, siderably higher today. g helps Fidel stay in power. He needs an enemy Interestingly, Roca doesn’t include himself Andrea Colantonio, a doctoral candidate at to keep the people in a state of war, even in that group. “I don’t want to emigrate,” he England’s University of Reading, offers an rs, though it’s a fictitious war,” Roca told says. “They want me to leave, but I don’t want interesting look at Cuba’s tourism industry in ent CubaNews. “In the first place, the embargo to go. It’s my country. I was born here.” a paper presented at the recent Association are has been maintained for so many years prin- for the Study of the Cuban Economy (ASCE) cipally because the big U.S. multinationals STRONG WORDS FOR THE ‘COMANDANTE’ conference in Miami. are don't have interests in Cuba. If it were lifted, Roca told CubaNews he was encouraged The 38-page report is entitled “Tourism in by trade between Cuba and the United States after the UN narrowly voted in mid-April to Havana During the Special Period: Impacts, ar- would be $2 billion a year. This is roughly the condemn Cuba for human rights violations. Residents’ Perceptions and Planning Issues.” án- same level of trade that takes place between “From our point of view in the opposition, Its objective, says Colantonio, is two-fold. ica “The first is to assess selected dimensions of the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the 1990s tourism redevelopment “It’s a strategy: as long as you’re busy fixing your house, looking for on Havana’s urban environment. In this con- text, the paper will test the claim that tourism food and figuring out how to get around, you don’t think about development is coinciding with the broad re- emergence of patters of duality within LARRY LUXNER changing the government. You’re preoccupied with just getting by.” Havana’s urban fabric,” he said. — VLADIMIRO ROCA, FOUNDER OF THE CUBAN SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY “The second aim is to use the findings of a questionnaire survey on habaneros’ percep- tions on tourism development to identify poli- cy-related and planning issues that are crucial the U.S. and Canada in one day.” the UN vote is important because it gives to guarantee sound tourism development in Meanwhile, he says, average Cuban citi- moral support to our struggle. But the vote Havana.” zens continue to suffer, and the regime does won’t change the human rights situation in For a free PDF of Colantonio’s report, call little to alleviate their suffering. Cuba. In four years it hasn’t done anything.” CubaNews at (301) 365-1745 or send an e- “Far from trying to solve the country’s seri- He continued: “I’m convinced that Fidel mail to either [email protected] or ous economic problems, the government is doesn’t care about the well-being of the peo- [email protected]. dedicated to what it calls the ‘battle of ideas.’ ple. In fact, I think it would bother him if peo- This is an enormous propaganda campaign to ple were better off. Fidel is not a comandante, CUBA EXPECTS 2.1 MILLION VISITORS THIS YEAR justify all the disasters and errors the govern- but a pretty diabolical person. Many intellec- Cuba’s Ministry of Tourism recorded 44,415 ment has committed.” tuals, especially those on the left like Carlos hotel guests on Aug. 10 — higher than the Fuentes and Jorge Semprun who were capti- THE REGIME’S BIGGEST MISTAKES 40,026 record for one day last summer. The vated by his charisma, have abandoned him." ministry said Jardines del Rey, Holguín, In Roca’s opinion, the three most serious Asked what might happen once Castro is Varadero and the city of Havana are Cuba’s failings of the Castro government have been gone from the scene, Roca hesitated a bit. major tourist destinations, with over 2.1 mil- in housing, transport and food supply. “I don’t like to speculate on things like that. lion vacationers projected in 2004. of “There are many other problems, but these But in similar situations, like after Stalin died, The millionth tourist of the year arrived in n. are the three basic ones. If they wanted to the system endured for many more years,” he Cuba in May, a month earlier than last year, tal resolve them, they could have done so, and let said. “We also have the example of Ho Chi marking a 10%, according to the ministry. Minh in Vietnam. I do think that after Castro nts people work for their own future. But the real- Cuba’s leading sources of tourism continue he ity is that they don’t want to solve the coun- dies, it’ll be much easier and faster to make changes than when he was alive.” to be Canada, Great Britain, Spain and Italy. ng try's economic problems,” he said. To accommodate them, the island now has “They want the people to be working con- em ‘FREE THE FIVE’ CAMPAIGN IS A FARCE over 40,000 rooms in 273 hotels, 60% of them stantly. It’s a strategy: as long as you’re kept four- and five-star facilities. ad busy fixing your house, looking for food and Before leaving, we asked Roca about the er- figuring out how to get around, you don’t Castro regime’s insistence that the five Cuban U.S. TRAVEL TO CUBA DOWN 25% SINCE JUN. 30 think about changing the government. You’re men serving sentences in U.S. federal prisons liv- The number of people visiting Cuba from to preoccupied with just getting by.” for spying are innocent and must be returned. Specifically, Roca accuses the government Roca replied that the entire volverán cam- the United States has dropped 25% since new nd of “using construction materials to build paign to “free the five” is a media circus aimed U.S. travel restrictions took effect this sum- escape tunnels in case of war” instead of giv- at distracting the Cuban people from their mer, according to Cuban Tourism Minister tin ing those resources to the people. Regarding everyday problems. Manuel Marrero. for transportation, he says “you can find eight “The government hasn’t told the truth “These measures have really pressed down he buses parked together, doing nothing be- about this. They say the five were in the U.S. the flow of American tourists ... and Cubans cause they belong to the state company, while on a mission against terrorism, and this is residing in the U.S.,” Marrero said. “We are everybody has to walk. Their excuse is false. They were found guilty of espionage by hoping for recovery after November.” there’s not enough gasoline.” a jury independent of the government,” he The Bush administration tightened travel ght And when it comes to food, says Roca, said, noting that the court which convicted restrictions Jun. 30 as part of a package of he “they don’t allow the campesinos to produce the men didn’t even use all the evidence it had measures to hurt Cuba’s economy and even- g,” freely. In Cuba, nobody dies of hunger, against them. tually remove Castro from power. er- because our land is very fertile. Nevertheless, “Prison is horrible. I don’t wish that on any- Cuban-Americans, who make up a large nce the land doesn’t produce anymore because body. But they committed a crime against the chunk of the 150,000 people estimated to trav- en they’ve used so much fertilizer.” laws of the U.S. and they have to pay,” he said. el to Cuba from the U.S. each year, were most es, Roca said his organization took an informal “On the Internet, I saw a photo where one of affected by the new rules. They can now poll in 1996 among residents of Havana and them is imprisoned, and compared to the cell legally travel to the island only once every he the provinces of Pinar del Río and Villa Clara. where they kept me, it’s a five-star hotel.” three years rather than annually as before. 10 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 Cu INFORMATICS A Silicon Island: Cuba’s big potential for software exports ‘E BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT students bears two quotes from national hero At present there is already a second plant BY dozen students at Los Tumbos primary José Martí: “World forces have to be known if with 800 programmers and system analysts,” school, in an isolated area of western they are to be put to work,” and “Man will said software executive Alicia Fernández. A Pinar del Río province, gather in front learn to defend himself and invent things.” “These experts work in applications that S of a shiny new Pentium-3 computer powered The study program includes cybernetics, range from banking to Internet, mainly for by solar cells. In most other Latin American information engineering and other technical the European market, where we have person- ch countries, the scene would be science fiction, nel rendering consulting and analysis, while W for what good is a computer to a rural child contributing to alliances between the ml living in such a remote location? European companies, which offer their mar- du But Cuba seems different. In a world where ket know-how, and their Cuban counterpart,” jui the difference between rich and poor coun- said Fernández. or tries is measured not only in economic terms, “Cubans work with European high-quality ma but also by the capacity to elaborate, compile standards acquired legally, with their licenses and manage information, the Castro govern- and exploitation rights. They don’t elaborate ute ment seems set on turning the country into a products, only information services, so they Fa software production power. don’t generate intellectual property which ca What an irony, considering how few belongs to the clients,” she told CubaNews. th Cubans actually own computers and how “We work with an extensive model which er tightly the regime limits Internet access for allows us to manage massive markets and its own citizens. offer reasonable tariffs to penetrate them. Br Ignacio González Planas, Cuba’s minister of Top management at Softel’s Havana headquarters. This model requires a lot of well-prepared co informatics and communications, says the specialists, which is why we need thousands co disciplines. They also contain elements of of young people creating and exporting com- island’s newly developed software industry, general culture and languages. The program Br called Incusoft, is not an enterprise or an insti- puter services, in order to be competitive in is designed to equip students with theoretical this globalized market.” tution but a wide-reaching concept that com- and practical knowledge to act competitively th bines all Cuban companies related to software in the software industry. EVENTUAL LEADER IN THE INFOTECH SECTOR far production, as well as educational and According to Planas, UCI will produce “a sp research institutions. highly qualified work force for software pro- Cuban authorities hope these efforts will Ne Over 20,000 students are now registered at jects, a connecting point between the higher help the island become a leader in software polytechnical institutes at the secondary education system, science and industry to information applications and services. level, up from 10,488 in 2002. Computer clubs promote the transfer of technologies.” “Intelligence capital formation in this field IC are springing up all over Cuba; so far, 300,000 “It’s an impressive project for its reach and as an element of the development of our citizens have taken PC courses at 300 such magnitude,” said one foreign observer, “and I national economy is not an immediate-effect BY clubs, a figure that could double this year. don’t know of any other country in the world task, it takes time to process and it has to be As is the case with athletes and ballet dan- engaged in such massive effort with such a well-planned to obtain competitive products cers, some experts say that cyber-talent has comprehensive approach.” said Alejandro Duran Cárdenas, director of to begin at an early age. Many Cuban children the recently created Coordinating Center for F Recently, González Planas’s ministry redis- ev and adolescents who today play with their tributed the function of its Information Tech- the Development of Human Capital at MITC. PCs could someday play leading roles in an IT nology Group (GTI in Spanish) to obtain “We can’t stop at personnel formation, as you revolution that could turn Cuba into a great can have a good specialist, but if he doesn’t ra greater specialization. GTI had 80% of all pro- as “silicon island.” fessionals in this sector; what’s left are six know how to manage know-how, he will never enterprises: Softel, dedicated to medical infor- achieve his full potential.” FROM LISTENING POST TO LEARNING CENTER ter mation; Segurmatica, for anti-virus protection Selby Wilson, secretary-general of the cin As part of that goal, the Castro government systems; CEDAI, for automatization projects Trinidad-based Caribbean Association of an recently opened its new Information Sciences and intelligent buildings; GET, offering solu- National Telecommunications Organizations m University (known in Spanish as Universidad tions for the tourism sector; DESOFT, for (CANTO), had this to say: de Ciencias Informáticas, or UCI). Located 15 software development, and Centersoft, the “If I compare what Cuba is doing with the cia miles south of Havana, UCI’s home is the group’s marketing enterprise, which man- Caribbean, I would give Cuba the advantage wi famous Lourdes spy center once used by the ages businesses overseas. as to approach and policy to develop the IT to Soviet Union to eavesdrop on U.S. communi- “In 1999, the first software factory was put industry. This doesn’t mean this is not hap- Dr cations (see CubaNews, June 2004, page 6). into operation to produce accounting pro- pening in the rest of the Caribbean, but not Ha UCI already houses 4,000 students in the grams. Good economic performance was the with the approach of close government com- first and second year of cybernetic engineer- result and it was extended to other provinces. mitment as it is being done in Cuba.” of ing. It hopes to produce technicians and spe- ad cialists with a new operational and marketing USEFUL CONTACTS IN THE CUBAN SOFTWARE INDUSTRY: er approach capable of turning Cuba into a soft- as ware services exporter. MINISTRY OF INFORMATICS AND COMMUNICATIONS: Avenida Independencia y 19 de co Professors at the university tell CubaNews Mayo, Ayestarán, La Habana. Tel: +53 7 66-8000. Fax: +53 7 881-2856. E-mail: [email protected]. ca that the facilities have optimum conditions for CEDAI: Ave. de Presidentes 302, Vedado, La Habana. Tel: +53 7 55-2871. Fax: +53 7 33-4167. work and study, with Internet connections, DESOFT S.A.: 5ta Avenida #8808, Playa, La Habana. Tel: +53 7 204-1960. po modern teaching programs and above all, SEGURMATICA Consultoría y Seguridad Informática: Calle Zanja No. 651, esq. Soledad, La ac hundreds of PCs — not only in classrooms Habana. Tel: +53 7 870-3536. Fax: +53 7 873-5965. th but also in dormitories for the 8,000 students SOFTEL: Avenida 7ma, No. 19401 esq. a 194, Siboney, Playa, La Habana. Tel: +53 7 271- ca UCI expects to host in the future. 6666 or 271-8288. Fax: +53 7 33-6123. E-mail: [email protected]. URL: www.softel.cu. uc Interestingly, the registration card of UCI 04 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 11 AGRIBUSINESS s ‘Ethically produced’ Cuban juice now sold in U.K. groceries ant BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA working with cooperatives. The premium goes ference between the market price and the s,” ocially conscious British shoppers are into a separate bank account for improvement Fairtrade minimum price is transferred to increasing their purchase of juice pack- of the farmers and their families.” Cuba’s National Association of Small Far-mers hat S aged in Cuba under the “fair trade” label. The Cuban cooperatives Crowthers refers to (ANAP), which then supplies the cooperatives for Consumers at major U.K. supermarket are CCS José Martí and CPA José Martí, both with goods of their choice, bought from the on- chains like Asda, Tesco, Safeway, Sainsbury’s, located in the province of Ciego de Avila. international market. ile Waitrose and Somefield are grabbing up 200- Fairtrade identified those two cooperatives as So far, sales of the Cuban-made Fruit he ml and 1-liter tetra cartons of “ethically pro- being the most dis- Passion brand Fairtrade orange and other fruit advantaged in Cuba ar- duced” Fairtrade’s Fruit Passion brand orange juices are encouraging. Fairtrade estimates — using equipment t,” juice, “pure breakfast” juice (grapefruit and retail sales were just short of £770,000 in 2002, and machinery in a orange) and “pure tropical” juice (orange, climbing to £1.05 million in 2003 (a 37% ity bad state of repair increase), with expected sales increases in mango and banana)from Cuba. due to lack of spare ses Along with the Fruit Passion brand (distrib- 2004. Along with the one-liter cartons, which ate parts, along with typically retail for £1.09 each, the 200-ml car- uted by Gerber Foods Soft Drink/UK), the encountering prob- ey Fairtrade label is prominently displayed on the tons are sold as three-packs for £0.99. ch lems in hiring sea- Fairtrade is looking into selling other cartons, to make sure consumers know that sonal workers to har- they’re supporting a product that helps work- Cuban-produced goods throughout Europe. ch vest the oranges Spokeswoman Eileen Maybin says ers who produce the juice itself. themselves. nd Fairtrade, with offices throughout Great “Fairtrade has investigated importing fresh m. According to Fair- Britain and Europe, says its mission is to buy trade, Cuban law pre- oranges and other fruits, but this is still only at ed commodities like orange juice, coffee and the exploratory stage.” ds vents the cooperative cocoa from marginalized farmers in Cuba, from receiving foreign currency — a real issue Crowthers also said “there has been some m- Brazil and other poor countries. discussion about rum,” which would cover in in Cuba’s dollarized economy — so an elabo- “The Fairtrade price is based on meeting rate system was set up to make sure the pro- farmers involved in Cuban sugar production. the cost of production and a small premium for ducers benefit from Fairtrade. Details: Fairtrade, 16 Baldwin’s Gardens, farmers to invest in the future,” Fairtrade Cuban frozen orange-juice concentrate is Room 204, London EC1N 7RJ, United King- spokeswoman Barbara Crowther told Cuba- purchased in Amsterdam at conventional mar- dom. Tel: +44 207 405-5942. Fax: +44 207 405- will News. “In the case of the juices, it would be ket terms. The Fairtrade premium and any dif- 5943. E-mail: [email protected]. are eld our ICIDCA leads Cuban research into sugarcane derivatives ect BY PATRICIA GROGG / TIERRAMÉRICA byproducts of the 20th century was polico- Also in Cuba, scientists have utilized sugar- be sanol (PPG), discovered and developed in cane pulp to produce anti-diarrhea drugs cts aced with continuing low world sugar prices, Cuba is stepping up efforts to Cuban laboratories. PPG works as a regulator Ligmed-A and Ligmed-H, for animals and of of the metabolism for fats, including choles- humans, respectively. for F make use of sugarcane derivatives for terol, and as a food supplement for people in The first has a powerful anti-microbe effect TC. everything from plastics to medicines. Some Cuban scientists even claim that as a situations of great physical exertion. and a great capacity to absorb toxins and path- ou This “natural” medication does not have ogenic microorganisms in the digestive tract of n’t raw material, sugarcane has as much potential as petroleum. harmful side effects and is even believed to pigs. Its use for livestock is made simple by the ver Local experts are unanimous in touting “al- enhance sexual function. The product has cus- fact that it does not have a strong taste or ternative” uses for sugarcane (Saccharum offi- tomers in Europe and Australia, among other smell, nor does it have adverse side effects. he cinarum) to make sweets and alcohol, drugs, points of the globe, and is sought by many Likewise, Ligmed-H has been used success- of animal feed, resins, preservatives, plastics and tourists visiting Cuba. fully in hospitals for digestive illnesses, and ev- ns manufactured products like paper or furniture. Laboratorios Dalmer, the Havana lab where en as a palliative for symptoms of colon cancer. “Currently, in the production and commer- PPG is produced, has spent years searching For decades, Cuba invested heavily in infra- he cialization of sugar, is not enough to produce for other natural derivatives of Cuban plants, structure and research for a sector that ge with high quality and low costs. It is essential and of sugarcane in particular. focused mostly on sugar production. The aim IT now is to take greatest advantage of that invest- to head towards broad diversification,” said LIGMED-H: BETTER THAN PREPARATION-H? ap- Dr. Luís O. Gálvez, director of ICIDCA, Cuba’s ment, say officials. not Havana-based sugarcane research institute. Just a few weeks ago, Cuban experts an- Among the projects underway is the crea- m- Founded in 1963, ICIDCA is at the forefront nounced a new family of antibiotics for treat- tion of a Development Center for Industrial of Cuba’s technological endeavors to take full ing animals. These drugs were produced from Fermentation and Nutrition, which will have advantage of this crop. ICIDCA research cov- sugarcane by the Chemical Bioactives Centre three pilot plants for semi-commercial produc- ers agriculture, animal feed and human food, at the Central University of Las Villas, in Santa tion of biotech derivatives of sugarcane. The as well as environmental, biotech and pharma- Clara, 300 km east of the capital. center has the financial backing of the UN de cological studies. These include extracts of The research center uses furfural, from Development Program and implementation u. cane wax and organic acids. sugarcane waste, to produce what is known as support from the UN Industrial Development 7. “In sugarcane derivatives, there is ongoing G-1, a strong adversary against bacteria and Organization. potential in the technological knowledge fungi that were resistant to previously known Details: Dr. Luís O. Gálvez Taupier, Director, a achieved by Cuba,” said Gálvez, adding that antibiotics. G-1 is used as a veterinary drug to Instituto Cubano de Investigaciones de los Deri- through chemical and biotechnology, sugar- treat diseases in nine animal species. vados de la Caña de Azucar (ICIDCA), Via 1- cane can generate as wide a variety of prod- The center has also developed new active Blanca 804, S.M. del Padrón, La Habana. Tel: ucts as those which come from petroleum. ingredients from furfural for use in agricultur- +53 7 55-7706. Fax: +53 7 98-8243. E-mail: One of the most interesting sugarcane al biotech, and in human and animal medicine. [email protected]. URL: www.icidca.cu. 12 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 Cu diet, may significantly encourage milk produc- tor, potential for increased trade is huge. T BUSINESS BRIEFS tion and increase the animal’s weight by up to Sysco already distributes food products to pr 600 grams a day. more than 420,000 restaurants, schools, de ARGENTINA, CUBA TO SIGN TRADE ACCORD Predical can replace pasture and forage, par- hotels, hospitals and other customers in the mo Argentina will sign a bilateral trade agree- ticularly in the dry season when most tradi- United States and Canada. Its products “ ment in Havana worth $200 million, despite tional feed is scarce. It can also replace the include everything from poultry and corn so Cuba’s large debt with the Argentine govern- use of 20% of other industrial feeds which dogs to canned peaches and cheesecake. tiv ment, according to the Notimex news agency. have been traditionally used in cattle-raising. In late August, Dickson told a news confer- we Raúl Taleb, Argentina’s ambassador to and which are sold at very high prices on the ence at Havana’s Hotel Meliá Cohiba earlier O Cuba, said that Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa international market. this month that Sysco’s Alabama operation ed will arrive in Havana later this month, one was working with Cuban food purchasing th year after the normalization of bilateral rela- FAMOUS CZECH BEER NOW ON CUBAN MARKET agency Alimport “on a strategic plan to pro- re tions and a visit in which he met with Cuban The legendary Czech beer Pilsner Urquell vide world-class food products to the tourism U. President Fidel Castro. has returned to the Cuban market, thanks to industry. Our scope is not limited to hospitali- A ap Taleb told journalists that through this efforts made by the firm Simplex CZ, the ty, however,” he added. Dickson indicated that other potential mar- mo accord, Cuba would import Argentine food exclusive exporter of that brand for Central and export medicine, mainly vaccines, and kets for Sysco in Cuba include institutions dr America and the Caribbean. such as hospitals. thu medical technology. If the pact is signed, the Comercializadora ITH S.A., attached to the current Cuban trade imbalance, last year In June, Sysco acquired International Food un Ministry of Tourism, will distribute Pilsner favorable to Argentina, would be reduced. Group of Plant City, Fla., to expand its pres- I Urquell in Cuba. In 2003, Argentina sold Cuba about $150 ence outside of North America. Terms of the tan million but purchased Cuban products valued Considered the world’s first light beer, the deal weren’t disclosed. on at only $1.5 million. 160-year-old brand is associated with the International Food, which had sales of $77.8 th “Financial engineering will be necessary” to group SABMiller. The Czech company’s four million last year, supplies products to fast-food th enable this agreement, said Taleb, alluding to major brands are Gambrinus, Radegast, restaurants in the Caribbean, Central and A Cuba’s huge foreign debt with Buenos Aires. Velkopopovicky Kozel and Pilsner Urquell. South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle all Details: www.pilsnerurquell.com. East. of ZAPATA SWAMP TO GET UNESCO DESIGNATION Details: David Dickson, Sysco Food Services an ALABAMA’S SYSCO IN TALKS WITH ALIMPORT Cuba’s Ciénaga de Zapata — the largest and of Alabama, PO Box 1750, Calera, AL 35040. ch best-preserved swamp in the Caribbean — is Food distributor Sysco Corp. said it’s work- Tel: (205) 668-7110. Fax: (205) 668-7098. tia about to be declared a UNESCO World ing with Cuban officials to increase sales to E-mail: [email protected]. the island’s tourism industry under an excep- OF Natural Heritage Site. SERCUBA TO HANDLE ITALY, SPAIN REMITTANCES Located in southern Matanzas province, the tion to the U.S. trade embargo. T Zapata swamp covers more than 300,000 So far, reports the Miami Herald, Sysco has The Cuban government has inaugurated a Fo hectares and is home to 13,000 Cuban croco- sold only $500,000 worth of food to Cuba new service to receive remittances via Italy M diiles. It also harbors 1,025 plant species, since late last year. But David Dickson, presi- and Spain, only five weeks after the restric- by including 43 medicinal plants, as well as 192 dent of Sysco Food Services of Alabama, says tions approved by the Bush administration De species of birds, 37 species of reptiles, 12 of that as North America's largest food distribu- took effect, reports Prensa Latina. “ mammals 11 of amphibians and a wide range Cu of insects, mollusks and crustaceans. tify If UNESCO designates the Ciénaga de Sherritt to resume exploratory oil drilling in Cuba Ca Zapata a World Natural Heritage Site, it would as oronto-based Sherritt International and environmentally responsible manner,” an be Cuba’s third after the Ramsar site and the Corp. plans to resume exploratory oil the company said in a prepared statement. Biosphere Reserve. er T drilling in northern Cuba by year’s Meanwhile, Sherritt nearly doubled its pe ALMACENES ULTRA MARKS 10th ANNIVERSARY end and may increase its $90 million capital quarterly profit to a record $61.9 million on of spending plan in light of current high world strong metals prices. Sherritt’s profit for the The commercial center Almacenes Ultra, M oil prices, reports the Oil & Gas Journal. quarter ended Jun. 30 came to 42 cents a 19 one of the biggest malls in Cuba, is celebrat- Capital spending was $46.2 million in the share. That compared with earnings of ing the 10th anniversary of its reopening with sta first half of 2004, with a drop in oil produc- $33.8 million or 24 cents in the year-earlier its increased sales. tion to 37,444 barrels a day. The 13% pro- quarter. The establishment is owned by the Havana M duction dip was due to natural declines in Revenue at Sherritt, which also has signif- be branch of Tiendas Panamericanas, a unit of two oil fields and delays in drilling several icant oil, gas, power generation and tourism Corporación Cimex S.A. Covering 5,500 sq T development wells in the last half of 2003. assets, mostly in Cuba, was up 21% to $267 of meters in downtown Havana, Almacenes Ultra With three rigs running, Sherritt will million from $221 million. receives around 5,000 clients every day — refocus development on the Seboruco area, Pretax earnings at its metals business hit both Cubans and foreigners — and sells where recent drilling has resulted in higher a record $62.5 million on higher realized T 32,000 products ranging from textiles and than anticipated initial production rates. nickel and cobalt prices. Coal generated C electrical appliances to furniture, construction Sherritt will undertake a 50% capacity $61.6 million in revenue, up slightly from materials and food supplies. expansion of the Yumuri oil treatment facili- $60.1 million the year before. 1 2 ANIMAL FEED IS DERIVED FROM SUGAR BAGASSE ty in late 2004 to process production expect- Sherritt’s power business generated $7.8 ed from new wells at Seboruco and Yumuri. million in pretax profits, compared with last 3 In an effort to produce alternative animal Construction was completed earlier this year’s $7 million. And an 18% jump in real- 4 feed, Cubans have created an efficient prod- year on a pipeline to ship gas from the ized oil prices pushed pre-tax earnings for 5 uct based on sugarcane bagasse. Canasi facility to the Cuban gathering sys- its Cuban oil up to $44.6 million from $35.8 The new product, known as Predical, is tem at Puerto Escondido. million. 6 based on hydrolysed bagasse, to which is “This pipeline project reaffirms the corpo- Details: Ernie Lalonde, VP/Investor Rela- 7 added proteins and vitamins. The new feed is ration’s commitment to assist the Cuban tions, Sherritt International, 1133 Yonge St., 8 particularly useful in cattle-raising, but it can government in developing the infrastruc- 5th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M4T 2Y7, 9 also be beneficial in poultry and aquaculture. ture necessary to utilize the large volumes Canada. Tel: (800) 704-6698. Fax: (416) 1 Predical can be stored indefinitely, and if of gas produced at Canasi in an efficient 935-2289. E-mail: [email protected]. added at a 50% portion in the animal’s daily 04 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 13 The new service is called Sercuba and is named as SDNs by OFAC. Meanwhile, over 8,000 cubic meters of con- provided by Empresa de Telecomunicaciones Persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction may not struction materials have been exported to de Cuba S.A. (Etecsa), the state phone engage in any transactions with Melfi Marine Caribbean islands by Materiales Construcción monopoly partially owned by Telecom Italia. without prior authorization; in addition, any Sancti Spíritus. “Sercuba provides a safe, easy and rapid property of Melfi Marine in the possession of The entity's director, Eduardo Javier Her- solution to send money transfers to your rela- persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction is blocked. nández, said monthly exports of processed tives and friends in Cuba,” says the company In July, OFAC fined Chiron Corp. $168,500 quarry stone and different kinds of gravel r- website at www.sercuba.com. for selling pediatric vaccines to Cuba. It took have reached 4,000 cubic meters, and that On Jun. 30, the U.S. government implement- the action against the biotech company after operations could exceed 25,000 cubic meters ed a package of measures aimed at tightening Chiron officials voluntarily disclosed that they by year’s end. the embargo on Cuba. The measures include had “inadvertently” shipped two vaccines for At present, the Sancti Spíritus plant supplies restrictions on money remittances sent by infants to Cuba between 1999 and 2002 materials to more than 60 social programs m U.S. relatives and friends to the island. through a European subsidiary. such as the refurbishing and construction of li- Although the $100-a-month limit still AP reported that this was the second-high- schools, computer centers and health clinics. applies, Cuban-Americans can now send est penalty issued by OFAC in 2004, and the Details: Galo Castillo Blanco, Excilgas, Carr. r- money only to close relatives: parents, chil- highest against a U.S.-based company. Earlier La Jaiba, Km. 1.5, Pueblo Nuevo, Matanzas, dren, siblings, spouses and grandchildren, this year, Alpha Pharmaceutical Inc., head- Cuba. Tel: +53 45 25-3306 or 25-3819. Fax: thus excluding cousins, nieces and nephews, quartered in Panama, was fined $198,700 for +53 45 25-3820. E-mail: [email protected]. d uncles and in-laws, among others. trading with Cuba. In 1993, Cuba authorized money remit- Details: Molly Millerwise, Public Affairs, CITRUS EXPORTER GETS ISO 9001 QUALITY SEAL e tances from overseas Cubans to their relatives OFAC, Washington. Tel: (202) 622-2960. Santiago de Cuba-based Contramaestre has on the island. Most of that money comes from been given the ISO 9001 seal for its exports of 7.8 the United States, home to 1.2 million out of WFP ALLOCATES FUNDS TO FIGHT DROUGHT concentrated citrus juice and scented oil. od the 1.5 million Cubans living abroad. The UN World Food Program says it will The five-year-old state company is one of six According to Sercuba, which has offices in earmark $161,000 for the nutrition of children Cuban plants processing tropical fruits, along e all 14 provinces, the service offers a network in three eastern Cuban provinces, where a with factories in Ciego de Avila, Pinar del Río, of affiliates in several countries, very low fees drought has affected food supply. Isla de la Juventud, Holguín and Matanzas. s and no surcharge for cash withdrawals or pur- The WFP said Jul. 10 that the money would Contramaestre processes fresh fruit sup- 0. chases charged on the card. Besides, no ini- be used to provide extra rations of rice, beans plied by plantations in the eastern provinces, tial fund is required to begin using the card. and cooking oil for 114,195 children under the and exports finished products to Holland, OFAC ADDS MELFI MARINE TO CUBA BLACKLIST age of five in the provinces of Holguín, Las Germany, Italy, Belgium, and France. Scented ES Tunas and Camagüey. oil produced from citrus fruits are used in the The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of According to a WFP statement, “the lack of European food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic Foreign Assets Control has named Melfi rain has caused severe damage to agriculture industries. Marine S.A., a shipping company controlled and livestock in the region, putting at risk The ISO 9001 designation was awarded by by the Cuban government, as a Specially food security for its inhabitants.” Cuba’s Oficina Nacional de Normalización. Designated National (SDN) of Cuba. “With this step, we continue to restrict the ILLINOIS FARMERS SELL PEAS TO ALIMPORT UKRAINE DENIES IT SOLD WEAPONS TO CUBA Cuban government’s access to capital by iden- Illinois farmers have sold Cuba 15,000 tons The Ukrainian government denies reports tifying and isolating companies controlled by of green and yellow field peas, thanks to a that it sold weapons to Cuba and Venezuela. Castro,” said Juan Carlos Zarate, Treasury’s deal between Alimport and the Illinois Inter- Vasyl Baziv, deputy chief of the Ukrainian assistant secretary for terrorist financing, in national Trade Center. The peas come from president’s administration, said at a Sept. 17 an Aug. 10 press statement. “The Castro gov- several locations throughout the state, includ- briefing that Ukraine “did not supply military- ernment uses money to enrich itself and per- ing Bellmont, Okawville, Tolono, Waverly, purpose products to Cuba in 2003-04,” contra- petuate its totalitarian regime at the expense Forest City, Manito, Monmouth, Sterling and dicting a report by Jane’s Intelligence Digest. of the Cuban people.” Pontiac. “Several batches of dual-purpose goods Melfi Marine was incorporated in Panama in About 200 growers were contracted for the were supplied — aircraft engine parts were 1981 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of shipment, whose value wasn’t disclosed. Un- supplied by Motor Sich, while Meridian sent state-owned Cimex, which in February was like markets for corn, soybeans and wheat, radio-electronic devices to Cuba,” Baziv said, itself named by OFAC as an SDN. Melfi the market for dry field peas is increasing rap- though because no international sanctions Marine provides container shipping service idly. The peas are used for soups and in snack have been imposed on either Cuba or between Havana and Halifax, Nova Scotia. foods, as well as for feed on dairy farms and Venezuela, “there are no restrictions on sell- The announcement brings to 12 the number hog farms. And unlike soybeans, they don't ing dual-purpose goods [to them].” of Cuban government-controlled entities require processing prior to feeding. The Jane’s report, Baziv added, is “another piece of misinformation and a very dirty form TOP 10 U.S. EXPORTS TO CUBA* EXCILGAS, CONSTRUCTION FIRM EYE EXPORTS of competition on the world arms market.” Excilgas, a factory in central Matanzas COMMODITY VALUE province, hopes to export 20,000 gas contain- CUBA SENDS DOCTORS TO ISLAND OF NAURU 1. soybean oilcake $10.33 ers this year, though it’s unclear which coun- Cuba has sent 11 doctors to the tiny Pacific 2. rice 5.71 tries will be buying the containers. atoll of Nauru, in what that country’s health 3. wheat 4.91 The factory is the only plant of its kind in minister, Kieren Keke, says is a “major contri- 4. powdered milk 4.15 Cuba, and over the past six months produced bution” to Nauru’s ability to handle serious 54,000 gas containers, mainly for domestic health problems. 5. corn 3.87 demand. This year, Excilgas expects to pro- “We were down to three doctors trying to 6. poultry (chicken) 2.27 duce over 150,000 such units. serve a population of over 10,000,” said Keke. 7. vegetable oilcake 0.59 Cubans are increasingly using natural gas “So the injection of 11 doctors at once has 8. dicalcium phosphate 0.32 as domestic kitchen fuel, an initiative that has been received with a lot of thanks.” 9. cotton 0.23 benefited thousands of households in Havana Keke said that while there have been a few and elsewhere. The program continues to language problems — since few people in 10. poultry (turkey) 0.15 expand throughout the island in order to Nauru speak Spanish — communication is *total exports in May 2004 in millions of dollars. Source: USDA. replace traditional fuels like kerosene. gradually improving. 14 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 15 GUEST EDITORIAL P Washington’s unfair Cuba policy: Time for a reality check F

The following was written by Tony Martí- Several hundred thousand Americans have never go back to the bad old days of Batista. BY nez, a Washington-based attorney and consult- already traveled legally to Cuba over the Yet here is where part of the disconnect ant who serves as an advisory board member years, not including the probable thousands lies. Many of the Cuban-American hardliners of the Latin American Working Group. The that have traveled to Cuba illegally over the are the descendants or beneficiaries of the re- T views expressed in this article are those of years. These Americans and Cuban-Ameri- gime of late Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, Martínez and do not necessarily reflect those of cans return crying at the thought of a policy the very regime and people who were thrown Lín CubaNews or its owners. Comments should be which would limit contact and interaction out by the Cuban Revolution. And in the name se directed to [email protected]. with people and families. of freedom and democracy in Cuba, they are eb In the Latin culture, family is the most now leading the charge here in the United pu BY TONY MARTÍNEZ important thing. Contact and communication States and influencing the Republican party. ve with family is sacred. If you think President ing ree to Fly, a powerful new documentary Bush can win the Hispanic vote with policies TRAVEL BAN VIOLATES CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS on U.S.-Cuba travel issues by Estela and behavior like this, think again. The votes Bravo, reveals the history of the tor- Why do we choose not to learn from histo- aim F this November will be against Bush, not for ry? History records that when social and eco- als tured application of travel restrictions to Cuba him. Adelante, John Kerry. and their devastating impact on families. nomic conditions were very bad in Cuba for on The Cubans are concerned that foreign in- most Cubans prior to 1959, a young lawyer ec The same tragedy is being repeated now terference, particularly from Washington, will with the new rules that took effect Jun. 30. named Fidel Castro, along with a relatively M return them to their pre-revolution period. small group of people around him, success- for How are we going to free Cuba by separat- Indeed, before 1959, Cuban politics consist- ing and cutting off Cuban-Americans from fully overthrew a despotic dictator named ed of graft, corruption, maladministration, fis- Batista, who was supported by the United tee their own families still on the island? One def- cal irresponsibility and social insensitivity inition of insanity is doing the same action States through most of his time in power. 12 especially toward Afro-Cubans. Foreign inter- When the Cubans decide they want a se repeatedly and expecting a different outcome. ests controlled the economy, owning 75% of Welcome to U.S. Cuba policy and the horror change in their form of government and their arable land, 90% of essential services, and 40% leader they will effect whatever change they sa of the embargo and travel restrictions. of sugar production. Income from sugar was The Bush Administration made a grave feel is necessary for them. What if Cubans, it augmented by a vigorous tourist business left alone and treated as responsible mature wo political miscalculation and let all U.S. politi- based on hotels, casinos, and brothels. cians learn the lesson about U.S. Cuba policy. participants in a world society, were permit- vid This is the reality Cubans perceive and the ted to discover for themselves what the fail- pe Only a minority — albeit a vocal and well- only history they know. They don’t want to funded hardline Republican minority in ures and limits of their government are and lose the progress they’ve made in areas like decide for themselves how they will adapt and 56 Florida — supports continuing the embargo health care and education. Those generations on Cuba and these new travel restrictions. fro of Cubans born after 1959 will tell you they’ll See Martínez, page 15 U.S. foreign policy with Cuba deserves to an be logical and rational. The current policy is ed neither. What most Cuban-Americans and all Cuban state-owned music label Egrem goes global kn Americans support are family reunification, in travel and visitation, and a cessation of the early ‘90s, we have had to learn to see music uban state-owned record company Eg- re hostilities that have provoked so much loss of rem is getting an international launch as a business and get to know how foreign economic opportunity and human suffering. de Cfor the first time in its 60-year history, markets work,” Egrem’s international com- die Hardliners seek change in Cuba through reports Billboard magazine. mercial director, Minerva Rodríguez, told HI political retribution and humiliation by cutting The label’s catalog features major names Billboard. “Now we are ready to compete.” off even their own community from their fam- HI in Cuban music, including the Grammy-win- The choice of the United Kingdom as its bis ilies on the island. Cuban citizens will find ning members of the Buena Vista Social first overseas territory coincides with Eg- ways to resist and sacrifice even more. Club: Compay Segundo, Rubén González, rem striking a deal that will see its acts Why? It is not in the nature of Hispanics to Omara Portuondo and Ibrahim Ferrer. appear at a new London venue. accept humiliation as a political means to an Egrem will enter the U.K. market Aug. 30 The artists will perform regularly at the end. You cannot humiliate a Hispanic into any- with 10 CDs to be released through a deal new Floridita bar/restaurant on Wardour M thing, especially a Cuban. The very nature of with Proper Music Distribution. Similar in- Street in London’s Soho district, under an im the policy of economic and political humilia- dependent deals are set for other European agreement with London-based partners pe tion, like the embargo shows, seeks to do just territories in coming months. Havana Holdings Ltd. and Conran Holdings. that. It is utter ignorance of, and is inconsis- These are the first direct international dis- Those companies are due to open the venue tent with, the Hispanic culture and mindset, co tribution deals for Egrem; the label’s reper- in October on a site previously used by the th which abhors humiliation and prides itself on toire was previously available outside Cuba Marquee Club, one of London’s key music being able to resolve difficulties. ins only under licensing deals. clubs in the 1960s and 1970s. ed DON’T REPEAT MISTAKES OF THE PAST The first batch of releases features re- The Floridita, which will have concerts po cordings by such acts as Beny Moré, six nights a week, will feature Cuban artists I am not Cuban-American and still, even I Chucho Valdés and Los Van Van, alongside brought in by Egrem. The partnership also know humiliation will never work with a Am new material from some of the 33 acts on plans to present a Cuban music awards and be Cuban! The absurd notion that freedom will festival early next summer in London. Egrem’s current roster. Among those are liv come to Cuba by cutting off people from their pop group Buena Fé, 20-year-old singer Says Havana Holdings director Andrew for families is a prescription for failure. Leticia and rap trio Triangulo Oscuro. MacDonald: “It will be an entirely new way The reality of the future of U.S. Cuba policy A second batch of U.K. releases — includ- of presenting Cuban culture outside Cuba.” lies with Congress, which has overwhelming- ing a boxed set of early recordings by Buena Details: Andrew MacDonald, Havana Hol- mu ly voted to lift travel restrictions to Cuba sev- Vista members — will follow in November. dings Ltd., London. Tel: +44 207 629-0393. th eral times and legalized the sale of food and “Since the [Cuban] economic crisis of the E-mail: [email protected]. en medicine to Cuba in 2000. ne 04 15 CubaNews ❖ July 2004 PUBLIC HEALTH AGRICULTURE BRIEFS MINI-COWS GET ATTENTION IN PINAR DEL RÍO k Fight against AIDS takes new direction Rancher Raul Hernández’s cows look just like any other breed, only they’re no larger BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT a. tion rates in the Western Hemisphere and the than big dogs. And they’re a perfect source of ect alking in Cuba about sex, let alone sex- world, with only 0.03% of its population milk for Cuban families, Hernández told AP. ers ually transmitted diseases, was taboo between the ages of 15 and 49 infected with Standing about 23 to 28 inches tall, the mini re- T even after the 1959 revolution. HIV. Havana alone accounts for 57% of all cows can be kept in a small area and they ta, Forty-five years later, it’s another story. cases. These consist mainly of men who have feed on simple grasses and weeds. wn LíneAyuda (Help Line) — a telephone coun- sex with other men, though increasingly the “They are patio cows, easy to work,” said me seling service on AIDS and other STDs — cel- disease has been infecting women and those Hernández, 74, at his farm in San Juan y Mar- are ebrated its 6th anniversary Sept. 4 in a very who don’t practice safe sex. tínez, about 125 miles west of Havana. “They ed public way, with a gala topping a summer pre- After an initial stage in which all HIV give up less meat, but they can deliver four to y. vention campaign called “a golpe seguro” (us- patients were quarantined in special centers, five liters of top-quality milk to a family.” ing safe steps) or more literally, “a sure hit.” in 1993 an ambulatory attention system was Hernández, a retired ranch hand, started TS Confidential and anonymous, LíneAyuda is begun. This program allows HIV-positive out with a tiny bull, which neighbors had to- aimed at preventing STDs — not only HIV but patients as well as those with full-blown AIDS ridiculed because of its small size, and began co- also syphilis, gonorrhea and others. It went to receive attention at home, after being eval- breeding it with the littlest cows he could find. for online in September 1998 as one of many proj- uated by a team of specialists to determine if Five years and several generations later, he yer ects sponsored by the United Nations and the the patients will act responsibly or not. had a herd of cows that reach no higher than ely Ministry of Public Health’s National Center The Cuban approach to HIV/AIDS also has his waist. ss- for Prevention of STDs-VIH/SIDA. its critics. Those who contact HIV are He told AP that his success has ranchers ed During the past six years, nearly 200 volun- required to attend an eight-week education throughout the area pursuing breeding exper- ed teers — 40 of them still working — have given and drug support program in a sanatorium, iments of their own to come up with their own 12 hours each day after being trained as coun- which some say violates their civil rights. tiny cows. And Hernández is training local a selors by specialized personnel. But Dr. Byron Barksdale, director of the teenagers to help care for the little animals. eir “We receive an average of 35 calls a day,” U.S.-based Cuban AIDS Project, was quoted “Now the neighbors are excited by the ey said counselor Jorge Portela. “In some cases, last year saying: “I don’t know if six weeks or idea,” he says. ns, it is only people requesting statistics, but our eight weeks are the magic numbers, but that VEGGIES PLANTED ON FORMER SUGARCANE LAND ure work is aimed at changing behavior and pro- is certainly longer time than is given to people mit- viding psychological and social support to the in the U.S. who receive such a diagnosis. They Cuba has opened its so-called winter cultiva- ail- people who request our services.” may get five minutes’ worth of education.” tion campaign (root crops, grains and fresh nd So far, LíneAyuda has received more than Since May 1986, Cuba started testing all the vegetables) by planting 102,000 hectares for- nd 56,740 calls from all over Cuba. Most calls are blood available in hospitals, began producing merly used for sugar cane. Sugar Deputy from people afraid of being infected with HIV diagnostic kits, and developed its own lab Minister Gustavo Rodríguez said that the 15 and wanting to know where they can get test- technology to face the disease. This allowed measure was part of the project to increase ed. Other calls come from people wanting to health authorities to certify blood and its food production. know about preventive measures and sex life byproducts, start voluntary tests on pregnant Addressing a gathering at a farm in Matan- l in general. women and initiate massive blood tests on zas province, Rodríguez noted that of 32,000 risk groups and those more vulnerable, c From 1986 to the end of 2003, Cuba has hectares, 24,000 were irrigated via electricity. registered 5,257 cases of HIV, of which 2,330 including inmates, to the disease. Also part of the program is the replacement of n developed full-blown AIDS and 1,186 have Cuba is now one of the few developing m- imported seeds in 43 units located in 13 died. Officially, 2,868 Cubans currently are countries that actually provides its HIV/AIDS provinces to produce vegetables, bananas and d HIV-positive and 1,203 live with AIDS. Of the patients with a full supply of free drugs. More grains. HIV-positives, 79.3% are homosexual and strikingly, Cuba has recently promised to pro- In 2002, the Cuban government closed half s bisexual men, and 20.7% are women. vide anti-retroviral drugs to its Caribbean of the island’s 154 sugar mills as part of a g- Even so, Cuba has one of the lowest infec- neighbors at below-market prices. restructuring of the troubled sugar industry. s e democratic ideals, developing economic send money to their loved ones, while flying r Martínez — FROM PAGE 14 opportunities, and creating social progress. U.S. military planes around the island to beam n improve their society to become more pros- We are doomed if we seek to repeat the mis- radio and TV programming are going to some- s perous and vital? takes of the past and ignore history. how transform Cuba into a democracy? s. Don’t they have that right as a sovereign By further limiting the right to travel to The friendship, warmth, and regard shared e country? It is sheer arrogance to deny them Cuba, Americans question why their right to between the Cuban and American peoples rise e the right to figure it out for themselves travel has been limited by an administration above the politics of both our countries and c instead of being imposed upon and humiliat- bias to appease this vocal minority. In the will make the post-embargo transition easier ed by us. Discovering freedom is far more name of pursuing democracy in Cuba, than some may be concerned about. I have s potent and powerful than having it imposed. Americans are themselves being denied their complete faith this will triumph over the cur- s For all Americans, and I include Cuban- own human and constitutional rights. rent politics of humiliation and spite. o Americans, to presume that we know what is The choice for Miami is to see the reality of d best for the 11.2 million people who actually THE REALITY OF WASHINGTON’S CUBA POLICY U.S. Cuba policy as it truly is and to begin live on that island, flies in the face of the ideals It is an oxymoron that in the cause of grant- making choices that will restore the two coun- w tries to positions of true friendship and coop- y for which our country stands. ing more rights and freedom to people, you ” For change in Cuba to be successful, it have to give up your own rights and your own eration. It begins with the reconciliation and l- must be organic and must come from within freedom. Can anyone really believe that limit- reunification of the Cuban and American fami- 3. those living on the island, without interfer- ing the right of Cuban Americans to visit ly not with separating it further. ence. America’s best role is that of a good when and whom they choose among their Perhaps a President John F. Kerry will be neighbor and economic partner, promoting families in Cuba and restricting their right to able to do that next year. 16 CubaNews ❖ September 2004 CALENDAR OF EVENTS CARIBBEAN UPDATE If your organization is sponsoring an upcoming event, please let our readers know! You already know what’s going in Cuba, Fax details to CubaNews at (301) 365-1829 or send an e-mail to [email protected]. thanks to CubaNews. Now find out what’s happening in the rest of this diverse and Sep. 26-30: International Optics, Life & Heritage, San Francisco de Asís Church, Old fast-growing region. Havana. Art and archaeological preservation. Details: Angel G. Augier, Institute of Nuclear Subscribe to Caribbean UPDATE, a monthly newsletter founded in 1985. Cor- Sciences and Technology, Havana. Fax: +53 7 202-1518. E-mail: [email protected]. porate and government executives, as well as scholars and journalists, depend on this Sep. 28-30: IV Encuentro de Turismo de Naturaleza de Cuba, Sancti Spíritus, Cuba. publication for its insightful, timely cover- Seminar to focus on nature tourism. Details: Juan Carlos Govea, Ministerio de Turismo, age of the 30-plus nations and territories of Havana. Tel: +53 7 204-5708. Fax: +53 7 204-4111. E-mail: [email protected]. the Caribbean and Central America. When you receive your first issue, you Sep. 29-30: 18th Annual Convention and Hospitality Expo del Caribe 2004, Caribe Hil- have two options: (a) pay the accompany- ing invoice and your subscription will be ton, San Juan. Details: Marinés Soto, Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association, 954 Ponce processed; (b) if you’re not satisfied, just de León Ave. #702, San Juan, PR 00907-3605. Tel: (787) 725-2901. Fax: (787) 725-2913. write “cancel” on the invoice and return it. There is no further obligation on your part. Oct. 4-5: “Cuba Today: Continuity and Change Since the Special Period” Bildner Center, The cost of a subscription to Caribbean City University of New York. Symposium “gathers students and scholars from diverse dis- UPDATE is $267 per year. A special rate of ciplines to probe patterns of continuity and change in economy, politics, civil society, art $134 is available to academics, non-profit organizations and additional subscriptions and literature, race relations, national identity, culture, historical perspective and Cuba’s mailed to the same address. role in world affairs.” Details: Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY To order, contact Caribbean UPDATE at 10016-4309. Tel: (212) 817-2096. E-mail: [email protected]. URL: www.bildner.org. 116 Myrtle Ave., Millburn, NJ 07041, call us at (973) 376-2314, visit our new website at Oct. 8: 3rd Annual National Summit on Cuba, University of Tampa. Politicians, execu- www.caribbeanupdate.org or send an e-mail to [email protected]. We accept tives and lobbyists to present views on US-Cuba policy and assess impact of 2000 Trade Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Sanctions Reform Act. Sponsored by World Policy Institute, Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy and other groups. Cost: $150. Details: Lissa Weinmann, WPI, New York. Tel: (212) 229-5953. E-mail: [email protected]. URL: www.nationalsummitoncuba.org.

Oct. 9: “Cuban History in One Lesson,” Casa Bacardi, Miami. Noted columnist and author Carlos Alberto Montaner covers the essentials of Cuban history in six hours. Cost: $95 including lunch. Details: Institute of Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, 1531 Brescia Ave., Coral Gables, FL 33124. Tel: (305) 284-2822. URL: www.miami.edu/iccas/. Editor & Publisher Oct. 13-15: 5th International Wine Fest, Hotel Nacional, Havana. Wines from 15 coun- LARRY LUXNER tries to be represented. Details: Damian Fuentefria, Hotel Nacional, Calle O y 21, Vedado, Washington correspondent La Habana. Tel: +53 7 873-3896. Fax: +53 7 873-3899. E-mail: [email protected]. ANA RADELAT Political analyst Oct. 31-Nov. 7: XXII Feria Internacional de La Habana, Havana. Considered one of the DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI

region’s top trade events, this year’s FIHAV will feature large exhibits by Spain, China, Feature writers Germany, Mexico and Brazil. Details: Pabexpo, Havana. Tel: +53 7 271-6614 or 271-0758. VITO ECHEVARRÍA PETER DIEKMEYER Fax: +53 7 271-9065. E-mail: [email protected]. URL: www.complejopalco.com. Cartographer ARMANDO H. PORTELA

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