Saturday, December 30, 2006

Raul Castro reclama mas eficiencia en la produccion agricola

Raúl Castro reclama más eficiencia en la producción agrícola

'No podremos sentirnos satisfechos hasta que las hortalizas estén
abundantes en todo el país y a precios asequibles', dijo el gobernante
provisional.

Agencias

viernes 29 de diciembre de 2006 19:33:00

Raúl Castro reclamó más eficiencia en la agricultura, al evaluar los
resultados de 2006, que cerró con "crecimientos en la producción pero
disparidades en los resultados provinciales e inversiones inconclusas",
según un reporte oficial, informó la AFP.

El gobernante provisional encabezó una reunión de evaluación del
rendimiento agrícola urbano en este año.

"El movimiento de la agricultura urbana avanza, pero no podremos
sentirnos satisfechos hasta que las hortalizas estén abundantes en todo
el país y a precios asequibles", dijo el también ministro de las Fuerzas
Armadas.

El Ministerio del Azúcar debía haber completado 1.295 hectáreas de
cultivos de hortalizas en 2006, pero esta tarea sólo pudo cumplirse al
46%, debido en parte a que los sistemas de riego fallaron por la llegada
tardía de medios importados para poner a funcionar la irrigación.

Al examinar esa situación, Raúl Castro señaló que eso forma parte de las
deficiencias en las inversiones y pidió ser más precisos en la
elaboración de los contratos con los suministradores externos.

Asimismo, ordenó avanzar más en el uso de tecnologías para la
agricultura, de acuerdo con el informe.

Durante la última sesión anual de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder
Popular, el pasado 22 de diciembre, el gobernante interino criticó
duramente viejos problemas que lastran la agricultura cubana y la hacen
ineficiente, provocando un aumento de las importaciones de ese sector.

En la Asamblea censuró a las empresas del Estado por incumplir el pago a
campesinos y cooperativistas que les venden sus productos y aportan el
65% de la producción agropecuaria, lo que da margen a los "pillos", como
llamó a los intermediarios y revendedores.

Raúl Castro consideró "inexplicables" las "trabazones burocráticas" que
motivan la morosidad e impiden una mayor disponibilidad de alimentos a
la población.

El mandatario provisional encabezó la segunda y última sesión ordinaria
anual de la Asamblea, en ausencia de su hermano, Fidel Castro, a quien
sustituye desde el 31 de julio por una crisis de salud.

http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/encuentro-en-la-red/cuba/noticias/raul-castro-reclama-mas-eficiencia-en-la-produccion-agricola/(gnews)/1167417180

Friday, December 29, 2006

Nickel still number one for Cuba

Nickel still number one for Cuba
Patricia Grogg

HAVANA, Cuba, December 29, 2006 - Nickel retained its first place among
Cuban exports in 2006, its earnings boosted by unprecedented high prices
on the international market, although output was lower than the
government had hoped.

Over the past year, the price of nickel ore rose by 157 percent to
today's market value of more than 30,000 dollars a ton. On Dec. 15, it
was quoted at 34,800 dollars a ton on the London market.

However, experts are now warning that the predicted slow-down in the
U.S. economy in 2007, and a temporary oversupply of nickel on the global
market, may bring nickel prices down in the near future.

Nickel has been Cuba's top traditional export product since 2000, and in
2005 it was once again the country's top source of foreign exchange,
along with services and the biotechnology sector.

However, Canadian firm Sherritt International announced an estimated
shortfall of 3,000 tons at an ore-processing plant it operates in
partnership with Cuba. This means that the national production target of
76,700 tons for this year, a modest increase over production in 2005, is
unlikely to be met.

The Cuban-Canadian joint venture Moa-Níquel (formerly Pedro Soto Alba)
S.A. said in its report for the first quarter of 2006 that it would have
to readjust its planned output target of 33,000 tons for 2006 downwards
to 30,000 tons, because of bottlenecks in the production process,
apparently in the first quarter.

"So far, strong prices have compensated for the decline in production,"
a Cuban researcher who wished to remain anonymous told IPS. Total Cuban
nickel production in 2005 amounted to 75,900 tons, similar to output for
2004, and a very modest increment of 1..1 percent was planned for 2006.
Given the upward trend in international prices, which crossed the 20,000
dollar a ton mark in 2000, the Cuban government designed an ambitious
plan for a gradual increase in production.

Last year, Cuba reached an agreement with Sherritt International for
expanding production at the Moa-Níquel plant, and incorporating the
latest technology at a Canadian cobalt-nickel refinery, financed with
more than 500 million dollars contributed equally by both partners.

The expansion of the Moa-Níquel plant was intended to increase output by
16,000 tons year, or about 50 percent, by the end of 2008.

But Sherritt itself has now announced that the plans to increase
Moa-Níquel's capacity will have to be reviewed, and are now forecasting
staged production increases of 4,000 tons for 2008, 9,000 tons in 2009,
and a further 3,000 tons by 2011.

The Cuban-Canadian joint venture owns the processing plant at Moa, in
the eastern Cuban province of Holguín, a refining facility at Fort
Saskatchewan, in the western Canadian province of Alberta, and a trading
corporation in the Bahamas.

Two other nickel processing plants, the René Ramos Latour and the
Ernesto Che Guevara facilities, operated at full capacity in 2005,
according to informed sources consulted by IPS. They are both owned and
operated by the Cuban state Unión del Níquel company.

Cuba has substantial nickel and cobalt reserves located in Moa and
Nicaro, in the province of Holguín.

Proven nickel reserves are estimated at 800 million metric tons, and
probable reserves at two billion tons. Cuba's cobalt reserves,
meanwhile, account for approximately 26 percent of the world's total
reserves.

Official statistics indicate that the island's processing capacity is
about 70,000 tons a year, including all three processing plants.

Expansion plans for the industry include building a ferronickel plant, a
compound of iron and nickel used almost entirely in the manufacture of
stainless steel. The plant will be built jointly with China, according
to an agreement signed in 2005 during Chinese President Hu Jintao's
state visit to Havana.

The ferronickel factory, also to be located in Moa, is expected to
produce 68,000 tons a year of iron-nickel alloy. Conceived as a joint
venture, Cuba will own 51 percent of the shares and the Chinese
Minmetals group the remaining 49 percent.

There are plans for China to invest in a fifth processing plant, to be
built close to the ore reserves at San Felipe in the eastern province of
Camaguay, which would increase Cuban nickel production to 120,000 tons a
year (up from its current 76,000 tons) in the future.

China is to invest over one billion dollars in the Cuban-Chinese San
Felipe project, according to the agreements signed by Cuban President
Fidel Castro and President Hu in Havana.

Without going into details, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said in
Caracas on Dec. 14 that Venezuela and Cuba are planning to manufacture
stainless steel with Cuban nickel and Venezuelan iron.

At present, it is estimated that China absorbs half of Cuba's total
nickel output, and would be capable of buying up the other 50 percent,
according to experts, because China is the world's top producer of
steel, and its industry is still expanding.

Experts concur that until the day when oil starts gushing from the
underwater reserves in the Cuban zone of the Gulf of Mexico -- China is
also involved in oil exploration there -- nickel is important as
collateral for the loans Beijing has given Havana in recent years.

China is now Cuba's second largest trading partner, after Venezuela.
Trade between Cuba and China was worth more than one billion dollars in
2006, and the Asian giant is providing the Caribbean country with large
amounts of soft credit.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, world nickel production stood
at 1.5 million tons in 2005.

Russia, the United States, Canada, Australia, Norway and Cuba are the
world's foremost producers of nickel, a non-ferrous metal used in a
large number of industrial processes.

Stainless steel manufacturing uses about 60 percent of the total
production of nickel, which is also employed in the chemical,
petrochemical, electronic, aerospace and automobile industries. (IPS)

http://www.caribbean360.com/News/Caribbean/Stories/2006/12/29/NEWS0000003879.html

Castro, Chavez and China

Castro, Chavez and China
Why leftist ideology is no impediment for market capitalism in Latin America
Michael Werbowski
Published 2006-12-29 05:43 (KST)

Castro's ill health and the future of the Cuban revolution are material
for much of the media speculation these days. His legacy and the future
of Cuba will be one of the big stories of 2007.

However in hindsight 2006, besides being the year of his sad and
inevitable departure, has been all in all an excellent one for leftist
leaders in Latin America. Nicaragua, Equator, Bolivia, Venezuela have
all electorally shifted and adapted to a greater or lesser degree to
"socialism light": a new 21st century style of socialism geared to the
age of globalization. On a more sobering note, Mexico for its part is
tilting left yet risks being torn asunder by a fiercely polarized
political landscape in the post electoral period.

Chinese Communism with Capitalist Salsa Comes to Latin America

The "new left" in the region is modeled not so much on the old Marxist
hardliners' hackneyed and worn revolutionary rhetoric. It's far more
practical and its guiding principles come not from Moscow as during the
Cold War but from Beijing. The model for growth and progress even under
the red banner of a workers' paradise is a state-run society according
to Chinese capitalism. To the dismay of their more democratic rivals
like India, the Chinese have shown the world that a state planned
economy can be run on capitalist free-market precepts very profitably.

China much like the Soviet Union of yesteryear is today, without doubt a
great military power. Yet unlike the defunct Soviet empire, however,
China is a manufacturing superpower as well. China makes old capitalist
nations (and Latin America's former colonial oppressors) cower with
fright when they compare their growth rates to that of the mighty dragon's.

China for all intents and purposes is the world's factory. With that in
mind, the Communists, "caudillos" and strongmen in Havana and Caracas or
even Managua can only emulate with great eagerness this successful
economic model. China can export its socialism with a free market flavor
to Latin America. In return this region so rich in natural resources
such as petroleum and minerals can return the favor. Chinese oil
companies are already doing business with Cuba by prospecting for oil
off the island's coastline. The U.S on its side, can maintain a
stranglehold over Cuba with its embargo.

But Havana seeks energy self sufficiency and has oil from Venezuela and
investment cash from China to keep its "booming" economy going. For his
part, Hugo Chavez has willingly spurned Washington but not without
courting Chinese business partners beforehand. He obviously prefers to
have China, a more ideologically compatible partner, as his major client
for its oil exports. But geography and distance makes oil exports
eastward expensive.

Chavez, despite his impassioned revolutionary rhetoric, is a "venture
capitalist" at heart; he looks to China for entrepreneurial inspiration.
But on the other hand, he seems to genuinely want to redistribute the
fruits of prosperity (mainly sourced from oil revenues) to his people.
He has so far done this successfully.

Other Latin American leaders recently elected over the course of 2006
might turn away from their rational marketplace in the U.S and Europe to
China as their new client for their oil and gas and mineral exports as
Chavez has done recently. This reorientation or realignment away from
the North American export markets towards markets in China and the Far
East is perhaps one feature of Latin America's 21st-century style of
socialism and one of the most important geo-political phenomena of our
times.

http://english.ohmynews.com/ArticleView/article_view.asp?menu=A11100&no=337293&rel_no=1&back_url=

NYSE To Suspend, Delist Cuba Bonds Due 6/30/1977

NYSE To Suspend, Delist Cuba Bonds Due 6/30/1977

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

The New York Stock Exchange suspended trading in the 4 1/2% bonds of the
Republic of Cuba due June 30, 1977, effective immediately.

The issue has been halted and unavailable for trading since July 6, 1995.

The suspension and the Exchange's planned delisting application is the
result of the Republic's defaulted status of debt securities, the length
of time that trading has been halted, and other reasons, the Exchange said.

-Monica M. Clark; 201-938-5400; AskNewswires@dowjones.com

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20061228%5cACQDJON200612281702DOWJONESDJONLINE000701.htm&

Petrolera canadiense quiere que Cuba le pague

Posted on Fri, Dec. 29, 2006

Petrolera canadiense quiere que Cuba le pague
EFE
TORONTO

La empresa petrolera Pebercan anunció que ha ''intensificado la
negociaciones con las autoridades cubanas'' para solucionar el retraso
en el pago de unos $69 millones que debe la empresa pública Cubapetróleo.

En noviembre de este año Pebercan informó de que Cubapetróleo se había
atrasado en dos meses en los pagos a su subsidiaria Peberco, que vende
su producción de petróleo a la empresa cubana.

La deuda se elevará a $69 millones el 31 de diciembre, y de esa
cantidad, un 55 por ciento, alrededor de $37 millones, se adeuda a
Pebercan, mientras que el resto es de su socio, Sherritt International
Oil and Gas.

Pebercan dispone en Cuba de cinco campos petrolíferos, entre ellos el
Bloque 7, objeto de la reclamación y que es el único que está
produciendo crudo en la actualidad. Toda la producción del Bloque 7 es
vendida a Cubapetróleo.

Pebercan también indicó que tiene que determinar próximamente la
cantidad que invertirá en el 2007 para el desarrollo de los campos
petrolíferos cubanos.

''La participación proporcional de la compañía en los esperados costes
de tal inversión se aproxima a los 65 millones de dólares, que
corresponden a su interés en las operaciones del Bloque 7'', indicó
Pebercan a través de un comunicado.

La petrolera canadiense aseguró que está en la actualidad en
negociaciones con Cubapetróleo y que espera llegar a un acuerdo sobre la
cantidad que invertirá en la tercera semana de enero.

La empresa indicó que ``los tres pozos perforados actualmente serán
completados a mediados de enero del 2007.

La compañía mantiene una producción de 20,000 barriles de petróleo
diarios en el Bloque 7 y, hasta una futura comunicación, también
mantiene sus operaciones diarias normales''.

http://www.miami.com/mld/elnuevo/news/world/cuba/16339469.htm

Nuevos enlaces aereos con destino a Cayo Largo del Sur

Nuevos enlaces aéreos con destino a Cayo Largo del Sur (Cuba)
Luz Marina Fornieles

Cayo Largo del Sur.-La empresa aérea Cubana de Aviación, (la principal
aerolínea de Cuba) comenzará a operar en breve (concretamente en los
meses de enero y febrero) unos vuelos especiales con destino a Cayo
Largo del Sur (un islote con un gran atractivo turístico).

Cubana de Aviación ya está, además, impulsando la comercialización de
paquetes de una y dos semanas, en los que se combinan los destinos de
Cayo Largo, Varadero y La Habana. Según los expertos, Cayo Largo es
considerado como uno de los lugares con mejores condiciones para el
buceo y las actividades náuticas por sus playas vírgenes y bellas
formaciones coralinas.

Situado al sur de la Isla Grande, en el Archipiélago de los Canarreos,
ese destino de sol y playa dispone de un aeropuerto y un puerto
internacional, y una infraestructura hotelera y extrahotelera diversa y
de calidad.

http://www.caribepreferente.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5817&Itemid=42

La educacion economica en Cuba

Diario Las Americas
Publicado el 12-28-2006

La educación económica en Cuba
Por Jorge A. Sanguinetty

Cuba no comenzó a formar economistas hasta mediados de los años
cincuenta, cuando las universidades de Villanueva y de Oriente
inauguraron programas con ese fin. La Universidad de La Habana sólo
ofrecía algunas asignaturas de economía como apéndice a otras carreras,
como la de contabilidad. Hay que decir que el programa de economía en
Villanueva era de una alta calidad académica, capaz de formar toda una
generación de economistas que le hubieran prestado un gran servicio al
país. Desafortunadamente para Cuba, el gobierno revolucionario clausuró
la universidad en 1960. Impedir toda manifestación independiente de
liderazgo intelectual era la marca definitiva del totalitarismo que
comenzaba a invadir el país en forma de blitzkrieg.

En 1962, la Universidad de La Habana inauguró una carrera de economía de
cinco años que inicialmente prometía ser muy completa. Sin embargo se
convirtió en una ensalada educativa que combinaba una buena dosis de
matemática, con otra de marxismo y varias asignaturas poco o nada
integradas con el resto del currículo como las de análisis de
costo-beneficio o evaluación de proyectos, comercio internacional,
contabilidad (una incongruencia), análisis de insumo-producto,
planificación y una aberración con pretensiones escolásticas titulada
socialismo científico. Lo curioso de este programa de estudios era su
casi total desconexión con el aparato de dirección económica del país,
especialmente del sistema de planificación central.

En 1964, ya entrando en el tercer año de la carrera inaugurada dos años
antes, fueron los propios estudiantes de economía (habían comenzado 500
pero ya quedaban 105), que aprovechando una visita de Fidel Castro a la
universidad, se le aproximaron para quejarse de que a pesar de estarse
educando en esa disciplina sólo unos pocos trabajaban en cuestiones
económicas. Entonces el dictador, haciendo gala de sus poderes
absolutos, dio la orden de que todo estudiante de economía que así lo
deseara podría acogerse a una beca, devengando el mismo ingreso que
tenía como salario en su centro de trabajo. Los cien estudiantes que se
acogieron a las becas, se agruparon en determinados "equipos" de
investigación o trabajo especializados en diversos sectores de la
economía, como agricultura, industria, pesca, etc.

Aunque la historia de este bizarro episodio educativo está por
escribirse, con el tiempo los equipos se fueron disolviendo, sin dejar
evidencia que ese experimento en la formación de economistas haya hecho
una contribución importante a la economía cubana. Sin embargo, algunos
de los miembros iniciales marcharon al extranjero en viajes de estudio,
para luego volver a Cuba. Estudiantes de años sucesivos también fueron
al extranjero para participar en programas más o menos largos. Mientras
tanto, en la Universidad de La Habana hubo algunos cambios positivos
pero insuficientes en la formación de los economistas, como permitir
estudiar algunas obras que durante mucho tiempo se habían considerado
prohibidas por su carácter "burgués" o simplemente "revisionista" y por
lo tanto contrarrevolucionario. Pero a pesar de los cambios, la
formación de los economistas cubanos seguía sufriendo las desventajas
inherentes a la falta de libertad académica y del ejercicio profesional
que se necesita para la adquisición de experiencia, particularmente en
el ámbito internacional.

Irónicamente la planificación socialista se desarrolló en Cuba a partir
de la Junta Nacional de Planificación y del Ministerio de Economía,
ambos creados en los años cincuenta por el gobierno de Fulgencio
Batista. O sea, la semilla del "dirigismo económico", la noción de que
el estado podría manejar la economía o por lo menos el desarrollo de la
economía mejor que la empresa privada, ya se había plantado en Cuba.
Esto facilitó la aceptación ulterior de un sistema socialista por parte
del público general.

No teniendo Cuba suficientes economistas (y especialistas en otras
disciplinas como ciencias políticas) que pudieran influenciar el
pensamiento tanto de ciudadanos, políticos y periodistas, como de
legisladores y líderes gremiales, los argumentos a favor de lo que se
llamaba entonces "la libre empresa" no eran lo suficientemente
convincentes, ni gozaban de la credibilidad necesaria para ser tomados
en serio. Es extraordinario como el analfabetismo económico de la
sociedad cubana, hipnotizada por los acontecimientos de enero de 1959,
permitió la invasión victoriosa de ideas revolucionarias, a pesar del
estilo desorganizado e improvisado que caracterizaba la gerencia
política de Fidel Castro. Tácitamente, Cuba se declaró algo así como una
"sociedad abierta" a un invasor, en este caso de ideas, sin presentar
una resistencia organizada, pues carecía del liderazgo intelectual
necesario para levantar una defensa eficaz de sus instituciones y de lo
mucho que hasta entonces la república había logrado.

Me temo que actualmente Cuba esté peor que hace casi medio siglo en
cuanto al liderazgo intelectual que necesitará para todas las
dimensiones de su reconstrucción. En la isla, casi toda expresión de
liderazgo independiente se reprime, generalmente por el gobierno, pero
en muchos casos por otros cubanos. Fuera de Cuba, creo que se puede
afirmar que cualquier expresión potencial de liderazgo intelectual que
pudiera existir no cuenta con una masa crítica de seguidores como para
ser tomada en serio. ¿Por qué será esto? ¿Será porque no somos capaces
de formar o cultivar suficientes guías del pensamiento como lo hacen
otros países? ¿Es que sólo podemos ser seguidores de acción y, por lo
tanto, de caudillos? Yo no lo sé, pero confieso que me atribula la
posibilidad de que una respuesta radique en la falta de interés de
muchos de nuestros ciudadanos en estos temas.

http://www.diariolasamericas.com/news.php?nid=19865

La magia del 12,5%

Economía
La magia del 12,5%

Cae la agricultura, sube la inflación, el turismo se estanca. ¿Cómo
crece la economía cubana?

Elías Amor Bravo, Valencia

El último informe de CEPAL —Balance preliminar de las economías de
América Latina y el Caribe—, en su apartado relativo al estado y
evolución de la economía cubana, continúa arrastrando la polémica
abierta el pasado año con las autoridades de la Isla en relación con los
procedimientos de cálculo de las principales macromagnitudes.

La polémica sobre los métodos estadísticos empleados, lejos de aportar
serenidad al análisis económico, reafirma la clara apuesta del régimen
por ofrecer una imagen, al menos desde las cifras, que no se corresponde
con la realidad de pobreza, miseria y penuria que cualquier observador
puede precisar al viajar a la Isla.

CEPAL constata que en los dos últimos años el continente latinoamericano
atraviesa una etapa de expansión, con ritmos de crecimiento medios del
5,3%, dentro de un entorno mundial en auge que incrementa el volumen de
las exportaciones y facilita las compras en el exterior a través de una
favorable relación real de intercambio.

El crecimiento económico en la zona, además, ha ido acompañado de
inversiones en infraestructuras, así como también de una menor tensión
en la evolución de las variables monetarias, lo que ha permitido
aumentar el empleo y el nivel de renta real y consumo en la práctica
totalidad de países.

El informe analiza la información disponible de cada uno de los países,
y como no cabría de otro modo, a pesar de las dificultades estadísticas
con las autoridades de Cuba, el análisis de la economía de la Isla
presenta una serie de ejemplos de la mala gestión de la economía y de la
incapacidad para aprovechar el momento coyuntural favorable.

Inflación galopante

Así, por ejemplo, mientras que a nivel regional todos los países
aumentan sus fuentes de suministro y de exportación en la actual
coyuntura expansiva de la economía mundial, los datos permiten observar
que Cuba sólo busca concentrar sus operaciones comerciales en el
exterior con sólo dos países: Venezuela y China. Respecto a Venezuela,
servicios de salud y educación; y con China, básicamente minerales, como
níquel, cuyo precio ha experimentado un fuerte aumento durante este año.
Estas prácticas comerciales no tienen su origen en una mayor
competitividad de la economía cubana, sino en los tradicionales pactos
políticos de "estilo CAME" y en la "solidaridad".

Quizás por ello el saldo comercial, situado en 141 millones de dólares,
es muy similar al registrado dos años atrás, aun cuando es cierto que
mejora respecto al ejercicio de 2005. De igual modo, las reservas
internacionales se han vuelto a estancar, con un saldo en la cuenta de
capital de 500 millones de dólares, similar al año anterior.

Esto ha servido para justificar la sensata decisión de los bancos suizos
UBS y Credit Suisse de interrumpir sus relaciones crediticias con el
régimen, tras los acontecimientos producidos en el verano relativos a la
salud del máximo dirigente y el factor de inestabilidad que ello supone.

La capacidad exterior de generar riqueza de la economía cubana ha
llegado a un límite y eso condiciona su nivel de endeudamiento.

Además, nuevas amenazas gravitan sobre la economía nacional. Así, el
volumen de dinero en circulación se ha disparado durante 2006, ya que no
existen canales eficaces para su traslación a los sectores productivos
empresariales, como ocurre en otras economías.

La consecuencia de ese descomunal descontrol monetario, que el Banco
Central de Cuba no consigue atender con sus instrumentos ineficaces,
será la inflación, que de nuevo crece, situándose en el 5,5%. Una tasa
que supone dos veces y media la registrada dos años antes, y que no
sirve para compensar los aumentos de salarios o de pensiones que han
decretado las autoridades.

En ocasiones, se ha advertido acerca de los peligros sociales que se
derivan de una inflación galopante, sin duda, nada favorable para
acometer los cambios que precisa la economía de la Isla.

La aceleración de la inflación llega, además, en un ejercicio en el que
los deberes en materia de asuntos económicos se han dejado sobre la
mesa. Es evidente que las prioridades políticas abiertas tras el pasado
verano han impedido la adopción de las urgentes y necesarias medidas en
materia de reformas económicas.

Huracanes 0, agricultura -7

La política económica sigue dirigida a denunciar el bloqueo/embargo, a
la lucha contra la presunta corrupción, con escasos avances —por no
decir ninguno— en las inversiones públicas, que permitan recomponer la
imagen deteriorada y paupérrima de un país sin futuro. Los datos
anunciados sobre construcción de viviendas se limitan a recuperar parte
de los daños físicos ocasionados por los huracanes en años anteriores.

Por último, las medidas orientadas a reforzar el control central y
estalinista de la economía se han mantenido, eliminando cualquier
iniciativa liberalizadora, lo que muestra que el denominado "período
especial" ya es pura historia.

A nivel sectorial, la economía cubana vuelve a mostrar notables
contradicciones y deficiencias productivas. Una vez más, la agricultura
vuelve a registrar un nuevo descenso en las cifras de producción, el
-7%, a pesar de la ausencia de huracanes y del favorable régimen de
lluvias, como señala el informe de CEPAL.

Las controvertidas decisiones relativas al sector del azúcar y el
régimen de propiedad estatal siguen lastrando las escasas capacidades
productivas del campo cubano para abastecer a una población en aumento.

La minería, a pesar de la favorable coyuntura de precios del níquel y
las ventas masivas a China, apenas aumentó un 1,5%, cifra muy modesta
que pone de manifiesto que no se realizan las necesarias inversiones
para mejorar la productividad de las explotaciones, a pesar de los
fuertes vínculos comerciales con Holanda en este ámbito.

El conjunto de actividades manufactureras tan sólo aumentó un 2%, según
el informe de CEPAL, lastrado igualmente por la reconversión del sector
del azúcar. El sector turístico observó cómo las cifras de recaudación
se han estancado durante el año, en ausencia de campañas de marketing y
comercialización que faciliten la llegada de nuevos visitantes, y las
remesas de las familias exiliadas registraron un descenso significativo,
sobre todo las procedentes de Estados Unidos.

Cabe preguntarse, en tales condiciones, de dónde puede salir ese 12,5%
de crecimiento económico que apuntan las autoridades cubanas y no
aceptan los economistas de CEPAL, cuando las principales fuentes
sectoriales registran avances muy modestos, e incluso descensos, como en
la agricultura. Casi siempre, en economía, los intentos de lavar una
imagen dan muy mal resultado.

Dirección URL:
http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/encuentro-en-la-red/cuba/articulos/la-magia-del-12-5

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Cuba owes Canadian oil firms $69 mln - Pebercan

Cuba owes Canadian oil firms $69 mln - Pebercan
Wed Dec 27, 2006 4:38pm ET147
(In U.S. dollars unless noted)

CALGARY, Alberta, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Cuba's state-run oil company is
behind in $69 million of payments to its Canadian partners in a
heavy-oil-producing block on the north side of the island, one of the
partners said on Wednesday.

Pebercan Inc. (PBC.TO: Quote, Profile , Research) said Cubapetroleo SA,
known as Cupet, owes it 55 percent, or $37 million, of that amount as
spelled out in its production sharing and sales agreements for the
concession, Block 7.

Cupet owes the remainder to the other partner, Sherritt International
Corp. (S.TO: Quote, Profile , Research), Pebercan said.

Photo

The top news, photos, and videos of 2006. Full Coverage

It said it has intensified talks with Cuban authorities in its efforts
to resolve the matter.

In the meantime, operations on Block 7, located on the coast between
Matanzas and Havana, are proceeding normally with production of about
22,000 barrels a day, Montreal-based Pebercan said.

It is currently drilling three wells there.

The company also said it plans to spend $65 million on its share of
development in 2007 and hopes to reach an agreement on that with Cupet
in the third week of January.

Pebercan shares rose 5 Canadian cents to C$2.80 on the Toronto Stock
Exchange.

($1=$1.16 Canadian)

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?view=CN&storyID=2006-12-27T213802Z_01_N27461155_RTRIDST_0_PEBERCAN-CUBA.XML&rpc=66&type=qcna

Pebercan intensifies talks over debt

December 27, 2006, 7:54PM EST text size: TT
Pebercan intensifies talks over debt
MONTREAL

Pebercan Inc. said Wednesday it has intensified negotiations with Cuban
authorities over a late payment of $69 million owed to it and partner
Sherritt International by Cubapetroleo SA.

As of Dec. 31, Peberco will be owed $37 million, or 55 per cent of the
balance outstanding for the development and operation of the Block 7
oilfield, while the rest will be owed to Sherritt International Oil and
Gas Ltd.

Pebercan has five exploration concessions in Cuba, including Block 7,
which is the only one operated to date. The company sells all of its
production to state-owned Cubapetroleo SA, also known as CUPET.

Besides seeking the money that it claims is owed under agreements with
CUPET, Pebercan is still determining the amount it will invest in 2007
to develop the oil assets.

Pebercan said its proportionate share of the expected cost of such
investment totals $65 million, which corresponds to its interest in the
Block 7 operations.

The company said it hopes to reach an agreement on the amount required
to be invested during 2007 as capital expenditures during the third week
of January.

Pebercan also expects that drilling of three wells by the company will
be completed by mid-January.

The company's shares traded Wednesday at $2.75, unchanged from Friday's
close and just above a 31-month low of $2.71 set in intraday trading on
Friday before the Christmas holiday break.

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8M9HBMG1.htm

Aumenta el turismo ucraniano hacia Cuba

Aumenta el turismo ucraniano hacia Cuba
Luz Marina Fornieles

La Habana.-El flujo de turistas ucranianos hacia Cuba ha crecido en el
2006 un 50 por ciento respecto al año anterior, así lo ha afirmado en
Kiev (capital de Ucrania) una fuente diplomática cubana durante un
encuentro con diversos touroperadores de ese país de Europa del Este.

Más de 120 entidades trabajaron de manera sostenida con el Consulado de
la Isla, ha dicho el embajador de La Habana en Ucrania, Julio Garmendía,
ante decenas de empresarios reunidos en la delegación de la Antilla Mayor.

Durante la velada, la sección consular de esa misión entregó diplomas de
reconocimiento a las compañías Verano, Turisticheski Club, Hispatopur y
Caribski Club, principales emisoras hacia Cuba en este año.

Representantes de empresas ucranianas señalaron que se observa una
explosión en el interés por la oferta caribeña. Asimismo destacaron que
la presencia de una delegación cubana en la Feria Turística Primavera de
Kiev, el pasado mes de marzo, contribuyó de manera decisiva al
posicionamiento de la oferta de la perla del
Caribe.

Desde el año 2003 se observa un incremento sostenido en la emisión de
turistas de Ucrania hacia Cuba, lo cual podría multiplicarse si
existiera un vuelo directo, proyecto que estudian algunos empresarios.

http://www.caribepreferente.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5807&Itemid=42

Cuba mira a China

Jueves 28 de diciembre de 2006

Cuba mira a China
Por Alberto Benegas Lynch (h.)
Para LA NACION

Se ha venido insistiendo, durante mucho tiempo, en que hay que fabricar
"el hombre nuevo", que deje de lado todos sus intereses personales y
abandone cualquier incentivo para entregarse alegremente a la
colectividad. Estos experimentos costaron la vida de millones de
personas y la libertad de otras tantas, condenadas en campos de
concentración o "lugares de reeducación". No pocos consideraban que este
embate a la naturaleza humana resultaba posible y otros, los más, los de
la nomenklatura, aprovechaban y aún aprovechan el esfuerzo ajeno para
enriquecerse.

En el primer caso, no se tiene en cuenta que toda acción humana se
realiza por el interés personal del sujeto actuante. El acto podrá ser
ruin o sublime, pero siempre está en interés de quien lo lleva a cabo.
Estaba en interés de la Madre Teresa la curación de los leprosos, así
como estaba en interés de Al Capone el obtener réditos de los asaltos a
la vida y a la propiedad de otros.

En esta instancia del proceso de evolución cultural, el monopolio de la
fuerza que denominamos gobierno debe proteger los derechos de los
gobernados, garantizando seguridad y una justicia independiente (que es
lo que habitualmente no hacen, inmiscuyéndose en tareas que no sólo no
le competen sino que resultan a todas luces inconvenientes).

En una sociedad abierta, en el terreno crematístico, cada uno, al
perseguir su interés personal debe beneficiar a su prójimo (sea
vendiendo computadoras o zapatos), como condición para mejorar su propia
situación. El cuadro de resultados indica si se dio en la tecla con las
preferencias de la gente o si se erró el camino, con lo que se reencauza
la administración de recursos, siempre y cuando no se toleren operadores
que hacen negocios en los despachos oficiales buscando mercados cautivos
que finalmente perjudican a todos, especialmente a los más necesitados.

Pero lo que quiero señalar aquí es que ahora, aparentemente, se cayó la
máscara. La camarilla enquistada en el poder, en Cuba, está deliberando
si conviene seguir "el modelo chino". Este esquema consiste en terminar
con la cháchara del hombre nuevo, basarse más bien en la condición
humana y liberar la energía creadora a través de los incentivos
naturales en el comercio, que permiten obtener ganancias a todas las
partes involucradas y huir de "la tragedia de los comunes". Esto es,
finalmente, percibir que lo que es de todos no es de nadie.

Pero, y este pero es de gran importancia para los que están ubicados en
el poder, la casta gobernante obtiene para sí jugosas comisiones por el
permiso y la concesión que otorgan a los comerciantes para instalarse y
ofrecer bienes y servicios. En otros términos, estos parásitos se
arrogan la facultad de seguir exprimiendo a los que producen y crean
para embolsarse sumas fabulosas en su propio beneficio.

Queda entonces ahora al desnudo la hipocresía de los sinvergüenzas que
han usurpado el poder en provecho propio. Parecido a la estructura de
poder rusa, en la que la economía está, en gran medida, en manos de
mafias, ex nomenklaturas. Todo preparado para que, cuando en uno u otro
caso se produzca un barquinazo, los tilingos de siempre aludan a "la
crisis del capitalismo".

¿Qué será de las afirmaciones del sanguinario Castro I cuando decía que
"la empresa privada es básicamente inmoral", que "los incentivos
materiales estropean el carácter del hombre nuevo", que "hay que
suprimir el dinero", que "los hombres trabajarán por hábito" y que
"desde la primera infancia hay que reprimir en el hombre todo
sentimiento egoísta en el disfrute de las cosas materiales, por ejemplo,
el sentido de la propiedad individual", según las citas de Hugh Thomas
en su obra sobre Cuba?

El artículo 11 de la Constitución de la República Popular China reza
así: "El Estado permite la existencia y el desarrollo del sector
privado...". Salvando las distancias, del mismo modo en que ocurre en
muchas sociedades contemporáneas, en las que el fisco trata al
contribuyente como un limón que hay que exprimir al máximo sin matar la
planta, para que siga dando jugo, los gobernantes chinos usufructúan
para uso personal de millonarias "comisiones" que están obligados a
entregar los empresariados-concesionarios para subsistir.

Se revierte la relación con el poder: los empleados no son los
gobernantes, sino los gobernados. Consecuentemente, se revierten también
los principios más elementales de la teoría constitucional, en la que
los gobiernos tienen facultades limitadas y enumeradas y los gobernados
derechos no enumerados, para, en cambio, entronizar un sistema en el que
los gobiernos pueden hacer lo que se les ocurra y los "mandantes" tienen
derechos cada vez más escuálidos y raquíticos.

Después viene, al galope tendido, otra zoncera mayúscula, cual es el
sostener que, si avanzara el espíritu del liberalismo en China, nos
toparíamos con "el peligro amarillo", debido a las invasiones de
productos que Occidente recibe de aquella procedencia.

Dejando de lado el hediondo tufo racista de la referida afirmación, se
recurre a expresiones militares tales como la de las susodichas
"invasiones", como si el vender bienes más baratos y de mayor calidad
fuera el resultado de tropas de ocupación y de la coacción, en lugar de
comprender el enorme beneficio de los países receptores, quienes liberan
recursos humanos y materiales para otros fines, que no podían considerar
antes de las nuevas adquisiciones.

Se dice también, en esta misma línea argumental, que los salarios en
esas zonas son "de esclavos" (paradójicamente, dicho por muchos de los
adulones de regímenes totalitarios esclavistas) sin vislumbrar siquiera
las ventajas descomunales que proporcionan las inversiones extranjeras
para los salarios locales.

Ríos de tinta se han escrito en favor de ese círculo cuadrado denominado
"socialismo de mercado" que tanta alabanza recibe hoy de las autoridades
chinas.

Mi tesis doctoral en Economía versó sobre una crítica a esa tradición de
pensamiento y, además, publiqué un libro con ese título. No es mi
intención repetir las refutaciones en esta oportunidad, pero señalo que
ese "matrimonio de conveniencia" entre el socialismo y el mercado es
autodestructivo para este último elemento del binomio.

Si bien es cierto que no hay tal cosa como "purezas" y ortodoxias en el
campo científico y, para el caso –salvo en la religión– en ningún otro,
el intercalar aquellas propuestas mutuamente excluyentes resulta en
detrimento de la sociedad contractual y a favor de la hegemónica.

A la pregunta de cuál de los dos elementos tiñe al otro, debe
responderse que es el socialismo lo que impregna al mercado, puesto que,
en este contexto, necesariamente a este último proceso se lo toma de
manera sustancialmente distinta del mecanismo que se basa en la
propiedad y en marcos institucionales que garantizan derechos. En el
"socialismo de mercado" hay una pantomima o simulacro de mercado que no
permite desarrollar su rol primordial.

Resultan controvertidas las opiniones sobre cómo terminará la historia
en China, en vista de las tensiones desatadas y del cercenamiento de
libertades vitales como la de expresión; pero es de interés destacar la
tradición iniciada por Lao-tsé, seiscientos años antes de la era cristiana.

Tal como nos recuerda Edward Crane, en un ensayo sobre la importancia de
las libertades civiles en China, el fundador del taoísmo señalaba al
político que "cuando los impuestos son altos, la población padece
hambre. Cuando el gobierno se inmiscuye mucho, la población pierde su
espíritu [...] Debe confiarse en la gente, hay que dejarla en paz".

Estos sabios consejos, y otros que provienen de la misma persona y de
otras que compartían los mismos principios en aquella región del
planeta, no sólo infunden cierta dosis de esperanza, en cuanto a la
posibilidad de retomar una larga secuencia abandonada en esa parte del
mundo, sino que pone el dedo en el tema crucial de la presunción del
conocimiento de ingenieros sociales megalómanos de otros lares, que
pretenden dirigir aquello que no está a su alcance coordinar.

Es que toda la concepción socialista y estatista avanza sobre las
autonomías individuales por medio de la manía regulatoria de actividades
lícitas.

En verdad resulta tragicómica la soberbia de politicastros y candidatos
al poder cuando apuntan a políticas como la llamada redistribución del
ingresos, en abierta contradicción con la asignación de recursos que
realiza la gente en los supermercados y demás canales de expresión de
deseos y preferencias.

El explotar la aberración de que mayorías esquilmen a minorías en
abierta contradicción con los postulados de la democracia no modifica el
hecho de que las consecuentes disminuciones en las tasas de
capitalización reducen salarios e ingresos en términos reales de la
población.

Las carcajadas homéricas llegan a su máxima sonoridad, cuando estos
mandones tienen la inaudita pretensión de coordinar millones de arreglos
contractuales vía "acuerdos de precios" y demás dislates, como si
alguien pudiera contar con la información necesaria para tales
propósitos, y sin percatarse de que, precisamente, el conocimiento es,
por su naturaleza, disperso, y que, en cada contrato libre y voluntario,
se está formando un proceso que no es susceptible de manejarse
individualmente en su totalidad, puesto que excede las capacidades
consideradas.

Se dice con razón que es mejor para los cubanos que se adopte el modelo
chino en lugar de seguir en la miseria en que se encuentran, pero, como
también se ha dicho, entre tener una espada clavada hasta la mitad de la
hoja o tenerla hasta el mango, la opción final debería consistir en no
tenerla clavada de ningún modo.

Es una lástima que, por el momento, Cuba no tome como modelo a países
como Irlanda, en lugar de mirar como ejemplo a China, pero, claro,
Castro II y sus acólitos y secuaces quedarían sin empleo, junto con la
pléyade de chupasangres y seudointelectuales rastreros y beneficiarios
del poder ilimitado.

El último libro del autor es La tragedia de la drogadicción.

Link permanente: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/870814

Pebercan acelera las negociaciones para que Cuba pague sus atrasos

CANADA-CUBA
Pebercan acelera las negociaciones para que Cuba pague sus atrasos
Hora: 03:12 Fuente : EFE

Toronto (Canadá), 28 dic (EFECOM).- La empresa petrolera Pebercan
anunció hoy que ha "intensificado la negociaciones con las autoridades
cubanas" para solucionar el retraso en el pago de unos 69 millones de
dólares que debe la empresa pública Cubapetróleo.

En noviembre de este año Pebercan informó de que Cubapetróleo se había
atrasado en dos meses en los pagos a su subsidiaria Peberco, que vende
su producción de petróleo a la empresa cubana.

La deuda se elevará a 69 millones de dólares el 31 de diciembre, y de
esa cantidad, un 55%, alrededor de 37 millones de dólares, se adeuda a
Pebercan, mientras que el resto es de su socio, Sherritt International
Oil and Gas.

Pebercan dispone en Cuba de cinco campos petrolíferos, entre ellos el
Bloque 7, objeto de la reclamación y que es el único que está
produciendo crudo en la actualidad. Toda la producción del Bloque 7 es
vendida a Cubapetróleo.

Pebercan también indicó que tiene que determinar próximamente la
cantidad que invertirá en 2007 para el desarrollo de los campos
petrolíferos cubanos.

"La participación proporcional de la compañía en los esperados costes de
tal inversión se aproxima a los 65 millones de dólares, que corresponden
a su interés en las operaciones del Bloque 7", indicó Pebercan a través
de un comunicado.

La petrolera canadiense aseguró que está en la actualidad en
negociaciones con Cubapetróleo y que espera llegar a un acuerdo sobre la
cantidad que invertirá en la tercera semana de enero.

La empresa indicó que "los tres pozos perforados actualmente serán
completados a mediados de enero de 2007. La compañía mantiene una
producción 20.000 barriles de petróleo al día de producción en el Bloque
7 y hasta una futura comunicación, también mantiene sus operaciones
diarias normales". EFECOM

jcr/ojl/hma/lms

http://www.invertia.com/noticias/noticia.asp?subclasid=&clasid=&idNoticia=1670278

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Tourism has proven to be Cuban lifesaver

Tourism has proven to be Cuban lifesaver
But it is a cornerstone of a corrupt dictatorship
By D'Arcy Jenish - Business Edge
Published: 12/22/2006 - Vol. 6, No. 26

This is the time of year when the travel sections of the Saturday
newspapers start to become thick with ads for packaged holidays to warm
and sunny southern locales. Winter-worn Canadians can take their pick of
Florida, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Trinidad, Venezuela, Costa
Rica, Mexico and many other places.

In recent years, though, Cuba has become the destination of choice.
Canadians love Cuba. And the Cuban government loves Canadians.

On Nov. 29, the country's Ministry of Tourism reported that the number
of visitors had exceeded two million for the third consecutive year. As
usual, Canada was the No. 1 source of visitors.

More than 600,000 Canadians travel to the island annually and, in truth,
Cuba has its attractions. Wonderful beaches. Warm water. Verdant
mountains. Lovely Spanish-style architecture. Friendly people. And let's
not forget the prices. Cuba has been cheaper than many of its competitors.

The vast majority of those tourists, virtually all of them in fact, will
stay in hotels or resorts that are owned and rigidly controlled by
Cuba's Communist government. Most will have little or no contact with
ordinary Cubans.

Indeed, the government practises what outside experts call "tourist
apartheid," an official policy aimed at keeping foreign visitors apart
from its citizens. "Cubans are not allowed in tourist hotels unless they
have special permission or work there," says Archibald Ritter, a
Carleton University economist who specializes in the study of developing
countries. "They are not allowed to stay in those hotels even if they
have the money. They are not allowed to walk in the front door."

More than 100,000 Cubans work in the tourist industry and the ministry
issues strict guidelines to regulate their dealings with the outsiders.
They are to limit their relations with foreigners "to those that are
strictly necessary."

They are "to be vigilant at all times of any deed or attitude that could
be harmful to the state."

They are to refuse "remuneration, gifts, donations, accommodation or
services that go against dignity and respect and create commitments ...
" Tourists with a social conscience might argue that the dollars they
spend go into government coffers to provide essential services.
Therefore, the argument goes, they are contributing to the well-being of
the populace,.

There is some truth to this. Tourism is now Cuba's largest source of
foreign currency.

It brings in US$2 billion annually - big bucks in a US$40-billion economy.

And Ritter says that the government spends the money on health care,
education, infrastructure and other basic necessities.

But nobody should be under any illusions about Cuba's tourist industry.
It is one of the cornerstones of an aging and corrupt dictatorship that
has ruined the island's economy, has oppressed, persecuted and
impoverished its own people, and has no objective other than its own
survival.

In the merry days of the Soviet Union, Fidel Castro and his comrades had
no interest in tourism, not when Moscow was paying higher than world
prices for Cuba's declining sugar production and selling oil at less
than world prices.

This fantasy disintegrated with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Iron
Curtain. Cuba's gross domestic product plummeted 35 per cent between
1989 and 1993 and the economy was thrown into crisis.

The government experimented with limited reforms by legalizing
self-employment in about 150 occupations and it began to develop the
tourism industry.

Tourism has been a roaring success and probably saved the government
itself from collapse.

Now the limited free-market reforms are being rolled back. Since October
2004, the government has stopped issuing new licences for entrepreneurs
who want to try their hand at one of the approved occupations. In June
2005, more than 2,000 existing licences were revoked. Even as it
squeezes the private sector, government enterprises are incapable of
delivering adequate supplies of food, clothing and household goods,
which has created a thriving black market.

Meanwhile the repression and persecution continue. Reporters Without
Borders calls Cuba the second-largest jailer of journalists in the world.

As of June this year, at least 315 Cubans were behind bars for political
crimes, according to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National
Reconciliation.

By any rational measure, Cuba's socialist experiment, now approaching
its 50th anniversary, has failed abysmally. It survives thanks to the
stubbornness and stupidity of a feeble, old dictator and his pampered
henchmen, and tourists from a free and prosperous nation who are
prepared to look the other way in order to enjoy cheap southern vacations.

(D'Arcy Jenish can be reached at jenish@businessedge.ca)

http://www.businessedge.ca/article.cfm/newsID/14322.cfm

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Cuba's needs match Alabama's products

Editorial
Cuba's needs match Alabama's products

A little home cooking never hurts. On a visit to Cuba last week,
Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks and staff prepared a traditional
Southern meal with Alabama products for government officials as part of
the ongoing effort to increase trade with the island nation.

The meal might have won over some palates -- it's hard to beat fried
catfish, cornbread, butter beans, green bean casserole, coleslaw, pecan
pie and sweet tea -- but the real selling point for Alabama is the
exceptionally good match between the needs of Cuba and the products
Alabama has to offer. Sparks is absolutely correct to continue pursuing
expanded trade with Cuba.

"Over the past several months, there have been many rumors as to the
future of Cuba because of President Castro's health," Sparks said in an
interview with The Associated Press. "We felt that it was important for
us to make this trip because we want to ensure that no matter what
happens with Cuba, that Alabama will be able to continue our trade
relationship."

The potential is tremendous. Cuba particularly needs poultry and timber
products. Alabama has lots of both, and the capacity to produce more.

Last year, Cuba bought $140 million in Alabama products, about one-third
of its total purchases from the United States, according to Sparks. That
could grow significantly in the years ahead.

Another Alabama advantage in trade with Cuba is the port of Mobile,
which is just two days' sail from Cuba. It offers an easily accessible,
cost-effective way to move products to Cuba.

Sparks' concern about the future of Cuba in the post-Fidel Castro era is
valid. The longtime Cuban president is aging and ailing. It is hard to
imagine his tenure lasting much longer. By building relationships with
other Cuban leaders, Sparks is positioning Alabama to continue as a
significant trading partner long after Castro is gone.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061226/OPINION01/612220363/1012/OPINION

Target won't use Che Guevara's image

Target won't use Che Guevara's image
Michael Vasquez the Miami Herald |
Posted December 26, 2006
MIAMI -- In some circles, Che may live, but in Target stores, he's history.

Images of the communist revolutionary figure -- his ears donned with an
iPod-esque set of earphones and splashed on the latest CD cases -- have
been pulled from the shelves.

"The stores don't have pictures of Osama bin Laden or Adolf Hitler,"
said Miguel Saavedra, founder of the anti-Castro group Vigilia Mambisa.
"It's disrespectful to the Cuban community."

Miami's Cuban exile community collectively gasped at the use of Fidel
Castro's one-time right-hand man to sell music accessories, with
community leaders saying Guevara was one of history's brutal mass murderers.

Exiles weren't the only ones who angrily questioned Target's move to
cash in on Guevara's cult status in some circles, particularly
rebellious youth.

Investor's Business Daily lamented in an editorial earlier this month
that "all this reflects an indifference to history . . . he was a
psychopath with a central role in Cuba's 1961 mass executions. . . .
Guevara signed at least 600 death warrants and executed children against
firing squad walls; he was responsible for at least 2,000 deaths."

"We have made the decision to remove this item from our shelves," a
Target statement read. "It is never our intent to offend any of our
guests through the merchandise we carry and we sincerely apologize for
any discomfort this situation may have caused our guests."

Guevara, born in Argentina, began his young adulthood as a medical
student but soon abandoned that pursuit for the life of a hard-line
communist soldier. He played a key role in the communist takeover of
Cuba, earning the rank of comandante and Cuban citizenship for his
successes.

Guevara held a variety of high-ranking positions in the Cuban government
-- during a stint as president of the National Bank of Cuba, currency on
the island was printed with the signature "Che" -- and tried,
unsuccessfully, to foment communist rebellions in other nations. Guevara
was captured and executed in Bolivia in 1967 at age 39.

But his cult status among disaffected youth and others has endured --
with his reputation for brutality sometimes overlooked.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-che2606dec26,0,1275102.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-state

Las lluvias retrasan los primeros trabajos de la zafra en Cuba

cuba-azucar 25-12-2006

Las lluvias retrasan los primeros trabajos de la zafra en Cuba

Las lluvias han hecho que algunas centrales (fábrica) azucareras cubanas
no hayan podido comenzar su trabajo en el inicio de la zafra 2006-2007,
informa hoy el diario oficial 'Granma'.

'A causa de las lluvias, centrales en condiciones de arrancar en
diciembre no han podido hacerlo', indicó el diario.

Entre los ingenios azucareros afectados está el 'Paquito Rosales', en
Santiago de Cuba, el primero en arrancar los trabajos de la zafra de
esta temporada.

Según fuentes de esa central consultadas por 'Granma', en este momento
están inactivos varios de sus centros de recepción.

También, se vieron afectados otros ingenios en la provincia de Santiago
de Cuba, en el oriente del país, como el 'Chile', que espera la mejora
de las condiciones meteorológicas para reanudar la cosecha.

'Granma' señaló que el comienzo del funcionamiento de la casi totalidad
de las centrales está previsto para enero, aunque el Ministerio del
Azúcar había indicado que si existían condiciones adecuadas, las
fábricas con mayor volumen de caña, podían adelantar su trabajo para
evitar el desplazamiento de las tareas de molida hasta mayo.

La nueva campaña productiva debe concluir en abril con la participación
de 51 centrales operativas, nueve más que en temporadas precedentes,
debido al aumento en el cultivo de caña y a las mejoras puestas en marcha.

Las autoridades cubanas han señalado su interés en aumentar la
producción de azúcar este año y aprovechar la coyuntura de los precios
internacionales de este producto, del que esperan una zafra en el 2007
un 25 por ciento más alta que la de este año.

La cosecha de azúcar del 2006 concluyó con resultados de alrededor de
1,2 millones de toneladas.

Cuba se ha volcado en la recuperación del sector tras una
reestructuración de su industria azucarera desde el 2002, que llevó al
cierre de casi un centenar de ingenios (fábricas) y a la asignación de
la mitad del área destinada a la caña a otros cultivos.

Tras la subida de los precios del azúcar en el mercado internacional,
las autoridades decidieron impulsar de nuevo la producción de caña,
antiguo motor de la economía local.

La producción de azúcar da empleo a más de 350.000 trabajadores en Cuba.

Terra Actualidad - EFE

http://actualidad.terra.es/nacional/articulo/cuba_lluvias_retrasan_primeros_trabajos_1294225.htm

Monday, December 25, 2006

Raul Castro Speaks About Cuba Food Woes

Raul Castro Speaks About Cuba Food Woes
Acting Leader Raul Castro Sees No Excuse for Cuba's Transportation and
Food Problems
By ANITA SNOW
The Associated Press

HAVANA - Acting president Raul Castro complained to lawmakers about
inefficiencies in the island's economy, telling them in comments made
public Saturday that there is no excuse for the transportation and food
production problems that anger many Cubans.

"In this Revolution we are tired of excuses," he said, giving the
strongest sense yet of the frank and demanding leadership style he will
likely adopt if his ailing older brother Fidel Castro does not return as
president.

After almost five months in power, it has become clear that the
75-year-old Raul Castro will call officials to account for their actions
and demand they produce real results, rather than offer mere political
platitudes.

He also has shown a willingness to criticize aspects of the communist
system that are not working.

"The Revolution cannot lie," he said in comments published by the
Communist Party newspaper Granma. "This isn't saying that there have
been comrades who have lied, but the imprecision, inexact data,
consciously or unconsciously masked, can no longer continue."

Castro spoke Friday afternoon during a year-end meeting of the National
Assembly. He did not address the two-hour session that international
journalists were allowed to attend in the morning.

Excerpts of his comments aired later on state television showed him
looking gruff and almost angry as spoke in a strong, controlled tone
about problems affecting average Cubans.

It was unknown how long he spoke, but Castro tends toward short speeches
with concrete messages on local matters a sharp contrast to his older
brother's extemporaneous discourses that often ran many hours while
ranging over philosophical thoughts on world and Cuban affairs.

Lacking the charisma of his more famous brother, Castro will need to
make changes that improve the lives of Cubans to gain the popular
support necessary to govern over the long run.

Public transportation problems top the list of Cubans' many complaints
about the system, a litany that includes crumbling housing, insufficient
food for their families and government paychecks that don't cover basic
expenses.

Castro's willingness to publicly criticize the system's failings is a
switch from the past policy under his brother of extolling the virtues
of the revolution while blaming a handful of corrupt individuals for
problems.

But it is too early to know whether his frankness could evolve into a
more generalized kind of Cuban glasnost, the policy of openness in
public discussions that was promoted by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
in the late 1980s.

Fidel Castro, 80, temporarily ceded his powers to his brother July 31
when it was announced he had undergone emergency surgery for intestinal
bleeding. He has not appeared in public since, and looked thin and frail
in a government video released in late October.

Fidel's medical condition is a state secret, but Cuban authorities deny
he suffers from terminal cancer as U.S. intelligence officials say. Yet
officials also have stopped insisting he will return to power, making it
more probable that Raul, his constitutionally designated successor, will
eventually assume a permanent role.

Unlike Fidel, who in recent year rolled back modest economic reforms
adopted in the 1990s, Raul is believed to favor a limited opening up of
the economy.

Raul, who also is defense minister, has long railed against government
inefficiency.

During Friday's parliamentary session, he criticized the "bureaucratic
red tape" preventing the government from completing payments to the
individual farmers and cooperatives producing 65 percent of the island's
vegetables.

In excerpts of his comments aired Friday night on state television,
Castro also criticized efforts to improve Cuba's dilapidated public
transportation, saying it is "practically on the point of collapse."

Phil Peters, an analyst at the Lexington Institute, a think tank in
suburban Washington, said the willingness to blame systemic problems
rather than the moral failings of individuals was underscored in October
in a newspaper series on petty corruption.

The Communist youth newspaper Juventud Rebelde told of a state cafeteria
where patrons who paid for one-third of a liter of beer got one-fourth
instead, letting employees skim the difference from the cash register. A
government-employed cobbler charged three times the official rate
because he had to buy his own supplies.

The articles told Cubans the government recognizes "that law enforcement
alone is not the solution to the problem," Peters wrote in a recent
institute newsletter.

"The article did not say what Cuba's interim president believes would
inspire allegiance to the revolutionary project if old war stories do
not suffice; that question was left hanging," Peters concluded. "The
coming year will tell us if economic policy change is his answer."

http://abcnews.go.com/International/print?id=2748209

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2748209&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

Raul Castro urges transport plan

Raul Castro urges transport plan
By Stephen Gibbs
BBC News, Havana

Cuba's acting President Raul Castro has said Cuba's transportation
system is practically on the point of collapse.

Speaking to members of the National Assembly, he also said there was "no
excuse" for many of the problems the communist-led island faces.

The comments, excerpts of which have been published in the Cuban state
media, are being seen as a marked change of style from his brother Fidel.

The veteran leader has not been seen in public since having surgery in July.

He did not attend the closed-door National Assembly meeting, amid
continued speculation over the state of his health.

Media debate

"Tell it as it is," is what Raul Castro is reported to have urged
assembly members to do.

Almost five months into his acting presidency, the head of the Cuban
army is stamping his own style on the way this country is run.

The assembly meeting, which in the past has been dominated by lengthy,
sometimes meandering speeches by Fidel Castro, wrapped up in a single day.

Raul Castro said the revolution was tired of justifications. He said it
was "inexplicable" how bureaucracy was delaying payments to farmers, and
warned that simply buying thousands of new buses was no solution to
Cuba's transportation problems.

The younger Castro is also reported to have urged more debate and self
criticism in the media, which is entirely state run and has tended to
take a congratulatory tone.

Raul Castro is believed to be more open to the idea of economic reform
than his elder brother, but it is not yet clear whether he might be
heading down that path.

Nor is it known what is the current prognosis for Fidel Castro, who is
suffering from an unspecified gastric illness, and has been out of
public view for almost five months.

A Barcelona based newspaper, El Periodico, is reporting that a leading
Spanish surgeon, Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido, flew to Havana on Thursday to
treat the president. The paper says he brought with him medical
equipment not available in Cuba.

The Cuban government, which says Fidel Castro's health is a state
secret, has not commented on the report.

Mr Garcia Sabrido is believed to have been in Cuba last November, to
attend a conference on surgery. The programme for that conference lists
him delivering two lectures. One was one peritoneal cancer, the other
was on colonic cancer.

Unnamed US officials have been quoted in the US media saying they
believe President Castro is suffering from cancer. US Intelligence head
John Negroponte recently said it was his understanding that Mr Castro
had months, not years to live.

But the Cuban government last week told a group of 10 visiting
congressmen and women that the 80-year-old leader is not suffering from
cancer, or any other terminal illness, and that they are optimistic he
will recuperate.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/6208283.stm

Published: 2006/12/24 20:16:27 GMT

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6208283.stm

Castro's brother critical of inefficiencies in Cuba

Posted on Sun, Dec. 24, 2006

Castro's brother critical of inefficiencies in Cuba
Complaints against system a change of pace from ailing leader who often
extolled revolution while blaming corruption
By Anita Snow
ASSOCIATED PRESS

HAVANA - Acting president Raul Castro complained to lawmakers about
inefficiencies in the island's economy, telling them in comments made
public Saturday that there is no excuse for the transportation and food
production problems that anger many Cubans.

"In this revolution, we are tired of excuses," he said, giving the
strongest sense yet of the frank and demanding leadership style he will
likely adopt if his ailing older brother Fidel Castro does not return as
president.

After almost five months in power, it has become clear that the
75-year-old Raul Castro will call officials to account for their actions
and demand they produce real results, rather than offer mere political
platitudes.

He also has shown a willingness to criticize aspects of the communist
system that are not working.

"The revolution cannot lie," he said in comments published by the
Communist Party newspaper Granma. "This isn't saying that there have
been comrades who have lied, but the imprecision, inexact data,
consciously or unconsciously masked, can no longer continue."

Raul Castro spoke Friday afternoon during a year-end meeting of the
National Assembly. He did not address the two-hour session that
international journalists were allowed to attend in the morning.

Excerpts of his comments aired later on state television showed him
looking gruff and almost angry as spoke in a strong, controlled tone
about problems affecting average Cubans.

It was unknown how long he spoke, but Raul Castro tends toward short
speeches with concrete messages on local matters -- a sharp contrast to
his older brother's extemporaneous discourses that often ran many hours
while ranging over philosophical thoughts on world and Cuban affairs.

Lacking the charisma of his more famous brother, Raul Castro will need
to make changes that improve the lives of Cubans to gain the popular
support necessary to govern over the long run.

Public transportation problems top the list of Cubans' many complaints
about the system, a litany that includes crumbling housing, insufficient
food for their families and government paychecks that don't cover basic
expenses.

Raul Castro's willingness to publicly criticize the system's failings is
a switch from the past policy under his brother of extolling the virtues
of the revolution while blaming a handful of corrupt individuals for
problems.

But it is too early to know whether his frankness could evolve into a
more generalized kind of Cuban glasnost, the policy of openness in
public discussions that was promoted by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
in the late 1980s.

Fidel Castro, 80, temporarily ceded his powers to his brother July 31
when it was announced he had undergone emergency surgery for intestinal
bleeding. He has not appeared in public since, and looked thin and frail
in a government video released in late October.

Fidel's medical condition is a state secret, but Cuban authorities deny
he suffers from terminal cancer as U.S. intelligence officials say. Yet
officials also have stopped insisting he will return to power, making it
more probable that Raul, his constitutionally designated successor, will
eventually assume a permanent role.

Unlike Fidel, who in recent years rolled back modest economic reforms
adopted in the 1990s, Raul is believed to favor a limited opening up of
the economy.

Raul, who also is defense minister, has long railed against government
inefficiency.

During Friday's parliamentary session, he criticized the "bureaucratic
red tape" preventing the government from completing payments to the
individual farmers and cooperatives producing 65 percent of the island's
vegetables.

In excerpts of his comments aired Friday night on state television, Raul
Castro also criticized efforts to improve Cuba's dilapidated public
transportation, saying it is "practically on the point of collapse."

Phil Peters, an analyst at the Lexington Institute, a think tank in
suburban Washington, said the willingness to blame systemic problems
rather than the moral failings of individuals was underscored in October
in a newspaper series on petty corruption.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/nation/16311643.htm

Raul hace un llamado a la eficacia en Cuba

Posted on Sun, Dec. 24, 2006

Raúl hace un llamado a la eficacia en Cuba
Agence France Presse
LA HABANA

El gobernante provisional de Cuba, Raúl Castro, hizo honor a su fama de
general enérgico y pragmático, al exigir a los funcionarios más eficacia
y menos justificaciones para enfrentar los serios problemas económicos y
sociales que aquejan a la isla.

Vestido con su uniforme de general del Ejército y sentado al lado de la
silla vacía de Fidel, Raúl reclamó rigor, disciplina y autocrítica, al
cerrar el viernes la última sesión del Parlamento, que estuvo marcada
por la ausencia de su hermano, quien le cedió el poder el 31 de julio
debido a que convalece de una cirugía.

''De justificaciones estamos cansados en esta Revolución'', dijo
contundente Raúl, ante los 522 diputados reunidos en el Palacio de las
Convenciones, en la parte final de la sesión a la cual no tuvo acceso la
prensa extranjera.

Imponiendo su estilo directo y abierto al debate, Raúl Castro exigió
evaluaciones críticas de cada sector, y puso el dedo en la llaga sobre
los tres principales problemas que afectan a los cubanos: la
alimentación, el transporte y la vivienda.

Al reclamar transparencia en la gestión estatal, Raúl Castro, ministro
de las Fuerzas Armadas (FAR), pidió ''analizar y decir las cosas como
son'', y recordó la definición que hizo en mayo de 2000 su hermano
Fidel: ``Revolución es no mentir jamás''.

''No se trata de que haya compañeros mentirosos, sino que las
imprecisiones, los datos inexactos, enmascarados consciente o
inconscientemente, no pueden continuar. Debemos ser consecuentes con lo
que planteamos, discutimos y aprobamos'', dijo.

En ese sentido criticó a las empresas del Estado por incumplir el pago a
campesinos y cooperativistas que les venden sus productos y aportan el
65% de la producción global agropecuaria, lo que da margen a los
''pillos'', como llamó a los intermediarios y revendedores.

Raúl, bajo cuyo mando los militares incursionaron en sectores claves de
la economía como el turismo y la agricultura, consideró
''inexplicables'' las ''trabazones burocráticas'' que motivan la
morosidad e impiden una mayor disponibilidad de alimentos a la población.

Asimismo abogó por aplicar una ''disciplina rigurosa'' para resolver la
crisis del transporte, un diario dolor de cabeza para los cubanos por la
falta de autobuses y el mal estado de los pocos existentes.

http://www.miami.com/mld/elnuevo/news/world/cuba/16308691.htm

Raul Castro critica justificacion problemas economicos en Cuba

Raúl Castro critica 'justificación' problemas económicos en Cuba
23 de diciembre de 2006, 10:45 AM

LA HABANA (Reuters) - El presidente interino de Cuba, Raúl Castro,
criticó a quienes "enmascaran" y "justifican" las deficiencias de la
economía socialista de la isla, dijo el sábado la prensa oficial, en una
nueva señal del estilo pragmático con el que gobierna tras la salida de
escena de su hermano Fidel.

Durante una sesión semestral del Parlamento, Raúl, un general de 75
años, exigió el viernes respuestas precisas y sin ambiguedades a los
ministros de Agricultura y Transporte, dos de los sectores más
deficientes de la isla.

"Porque de justificaciones estamos cansados en esta revolución," dijo
Granma, el diario del gobernante Partido Comunista, citando al
presidente interino en una nota titulada "Reclama Raúl más rigor y
transparencia."

"Las imprecisiones, los datos inexactos, enmascarados conciente o
inconcientemente no pueden continuar," agregó Raúl, recordando que su
hermano Fidel dijo una vez "Revolución es no mentir jamás."

La economía cubana creció este año un 12,5 por ciento, según cálculos
oficiales. Sin embargo, muchos cubanos se quejan de que las estadísticas
no se reflejan en sus mesas.

El sistema socialista de la isla está plagado por problemas prácticos
como la mala distribución de los productos agrícolas, la falta de
transporte público y un déficit de centenares de miles de viviendas.

Raúl reemplazó temporalmente en julio a su hermano Fidel, el líder
histórico de la revolución aquejado por una enfermedad no revelada.

En un discurso ante estudiantes universitarios, esbozó esta semana su
línea de gobierno: no imitará a su hermano, promoverá el debate y
también la toma de decisiones colectivas.

Siempre a la sombra de Fidel, Raúl Castro ha sido reacio al protagonismo
mediático.

Fuera de Cuba es percibido por algunos como un potencial reformista y
dentro por otros como un militar de mano dura.

Desde que asumió en julio el poder, fortaleció el papel del Partido
Comunista e incorporó a dirigentes más jóvenes a su cúpula.

Según Granma, Raúl dijo ante el Parlamento ser el "promotor" de algunos
reportajes publicados en los últimos meses por la prensa oficial y que
expusieron los problemas en la producción y distribución de alimentos.

Funcionarios cubanos insisten en que Fidel Castro, de 80 años, regresará
al poder, aunque no precisan cuándo ni cuáles será su papel en el futuro.

Raúl dijo esta semana que Fidel es "insustituible" y aclaró sólo el
Partido Comunista podrá llenar un día su vacío.

"Ya nosotros estamos concluyendo el cumplimiento de nuestro deber y hay
que dar paso a las nuevas generaciones," añadió en un discurso donde
expuso su estilo de gobierno.

http://espanol.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/061223/internacional/internacional_cuba_raul_sol_1

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Cuban parliament lauds island's economic growth

Posted on Sat, Dec. 23, 2006

Cuban parliament lauds island's economic growth
By Doreen Hemlock
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

HAVANA - Cuban officials unveiled stellar economic results to the
nation's legislature Friday, but hopes for a message from ailing Fidel
Castro never materialized.

Officials said Cuba posted its fastest economic growth in its socialist
history this year: 12.5 percent, the highest rate in the Latin America
and the Caribbean region.

The burst helps the island recover from its worst economic crisis ever,
prompted by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of its generous
subsidies to Cuba in the 1990s.

But serious problems remain. Cuba is still short on the foreign currency
needed to import basics such as oil, buses and food. And local output
and productivity remain low, so the island doesn't produce enough
supplies domestically either, officials said.

"Let's work to get the maximum results with the minimum spending
possible," Finance Minister Georgina Barreiro told the National
Assembly, urging islanders to toil harder and smarter in 2007.

On the streets of Havana's colonial section, many residents were little
impressed with announcements the economy sprinted past last year's 11.8
percent growth and 5.4 percent in 2004. Nor were they wowed by an
announcement to the Assembly that the government had pared the budget
deficit to 3 percent of economic output.

Instead, they wanted to see more tangible results in their daily lives:
salaries that could stretch to buy chicken and beef, plus the
mobilization of more buses, so that they needn't wait hours at bus
stops. Many recalled better times before the demise of the Soviet bloc
crippled Cuba's economy.

"I wish prices would come down for food and other basics," said Jose
Miguel Arias, 34, who sells T-shirts to tourists at an artisan's fair.
"And transportation in Cuba is the worst."

Independent economic sources such as the U.N. Economic Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean have questioned Cuba's economic data.
The government recently revised its method for calculating growth to
place a value on the many free services it provides, including health
care and education. Some say the formula overstates growth by about 3
percentage points.

Even using calculations by others, Cuba's economy would have grown far
faster - 9.5 percent - than the 5.3 percent average in Latin America
this year, Economy Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez said. Yet he defended
Cuba's calculations.

"Cuba doesn't falsify statistics nor manipulate them for electoral
purposes," Rodriguez told the one-party legislature, including 90
deputies who have been in the Assembly since its founding 30 years ago.

The economic news came a legislative session Friday in which 502
deputies approved economic and budget bills without objection or
discussion in public.

Before the meeting, speculation swirled about whether Fidel Castro
recovering from intestinal surgery late July and last seen in a video
late October might send a message to the Assembly. But there was no news
forthcoming from the 80-year-old.

Cuba's acting chief Raul Castro was present at the Assembly, but did not
speak during the roughly hour-long part of session open to the press at
Havana's main convention center.

At least one political dissident group, the Progressive Arch, has asked
for Raul Castro to be made the permanent leader, a move that likely
would require legislative approval. But the Assembly apparently did not
address the issue. Officials continue to insist Fidel Castro is recovering.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16305476.htm

Russia banks syndicate $203 mln aircraft loan for Cuba

Russia banks syndicate $203 mln aircraft loan for Cuba
17:16 | 22/ 12/ 2006

MOSCOW, December 22 (RIA Novosti) - A syndicate of Russian banks and
Cuba's Àviaimport S.À. have signed a $203.4 million credit agreement,
Russia's state-controlled foreign trade bank Vneshtorgbank said Friday.

The credit is for 12 years and will be used to buy Russian Il-96-300 and
Tu-204 passenger planes, said VTB, which is the credit organizer.

Cuba will provide sovereign guarantees as loan security, while the
aircrafts will be used as collateral.

The bank said it is the largest deal on the export of Russian airplanes
in modern Russian history, and the second-largest long-term project
under the state program of financial support for industrial exports.

In addition to VTB, the syndicate comprises Russia's state-run
Vnesheconombank and Roseximbank, which supports government export
operations.

http://en.rian.ru/business/20061222/57603049.html

Raul Castro tackles Cuba's shortcomings

Raul Castro tackles Cuba's shortcomings
Sat Dec 23, 2006 12:41 PM ET
By Anthony Boadle

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's interim leader Raul Castro urged greater
honesty in dealing with chronic shortages of housing and public
transport, the biggest complaints in the communist state, Cuban state
media reported on Saturday.

"Tell it as it is," he told the first session of the National Assembly
since brother Fidel Castro ceded power to him in July after undergoing
emergency surgery.

"Tell the truth, without justifications, because we are tired of
justifications in this revolution," the newspaper Juventud Rebelde
reported Defense Minister Raul Castro as saying on Friday.

Raul Castro, who is considered more of a practical administrator than
his more ideological brother, said he encouraged a series of recent
newspaper articles criticizing bureaucracy and corruption in the food
supply system.

The one-day session discussed high food prices and deficiencies in
housing and public transport, the three main complaints among Cubans.

Cubans stand for hours waiting for packed buses, some of them wagons
pulled by trucks, and many live in dilapidated houses, often crowded
with more than one family.

Raul Castro said it was "inexplicable" how bureaucratic hurdles had held
up payments to peasant cooperatives that produce 65 percent of Cuba's food.

The younger Castro has criticized state inefficiencies in the past, but
now he is effectively running the country. He is said to favor reforms
easing state controls over the economy.

Raul Castro said his brother was continuing to recover from an
undisclosed illness.

Fidel Castro, in power since a 1959 revolution, has not been seen in
public since July 26. His prolonged absence has fueled speculation that
he is dying and uncertainty about Cuba's future.

The low-key Raul Castro, who has spent most of his life in the shadow of
his larger-than-life brother, said he will govern in a more collegiate way.

Last week, in an address to university student leaders, he stressed the
need for debate and disagreement to improve decision-making.

There is also a difference in style between the two men.

The low-key Raul Castro's practical approach to Cuba's economic problems
contrasted with that of his more famous brother, who ran Cuba with
hours-long meandering speeches that focused less on solving domestic
problems and more on attacking his ideological enemy the United States
and defending the rights of Third World countries.

Raul Castro also called for more debate and self-criticism to deal with
the many problems facing the country and said the state-run press had an
important role to play, the ruling Communist Party newspaper Granma
reported.

Cuba posted a record 12.5 percent growth rate for the year, using a
unique method of calculation that adds free education, medical care and
other social services provided by the state.

But officials said the island nation of 11 million has still not
recovered fully from the severe crisis it suffered since the collapse of
its benefactor the Soviet Union in 1991.

© Reuters 2006.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-12-23T174032Z_01_N18357550_RTRUKOC_0_US-CUBA-CASTRO.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsHome-C1-topNews-6

Exiles circumvent U.S. embargo to send gifts to Cuba through foreign Web sites

Exiles circumvent U.S. embargo to send gifts to Cuba through foreign Web
sites
The Associated Press
Posted December 23 2006, 10:31 AM EST

MIAMI -- A small but growing number of Cubans in South Florida are
getting around the U.S. embargo that limits what can be sent to the
communist island by sending their Christmas gifts through foreign
Internet sites.

At least one Canadian Web site, www.Cubamaxstore.com, allows people to
ship items such as beef, jams and even deodorant to relatives in Cuba.
While the gifts aren't the I-Pods and Sony PlayStations that Americans
crave, they are much appreciated by Cubans who earn an average of $10 to
$15 a month and often struggle to put enough food on the table.

The trend exemplifies the creative ways Cuban families are seeking to
stay connected, despite the restrictions on travel and exports imposed
by the governments on both sides of the Florida Straits, said
Cuban-American activist Ramon Saul Sanchez.

``Fortunately, people try to keep in touch with their families.
Unfortunately, they have to go through all these measures,'' he said.

Antonio Conte, who left Cuba in the early 1990s and edits an online
magazine of articles written by Cuban dissidents, recently ordered meat
and other items to his adult daughter and son who live in Cuba. He said
it was easier than going through one of the few authorized parcel
services and safer than returning to the island.

``My uncle told me about it. It's better to send food there instead of
money. It's not so expensive, and you can help a bit.'' Conte said. ``In
Cuba you have your ration card, and you get chicken only once in a
while. Only the children and the sick get meat.''

A gift basket of assorted canned meats and other snacks costs about $60.
The Web site also offers electronics and appliances, although no one
interviewed for this article said they purchased such items.

While the U.S. embargo against the island _ enacted in 1963 at the
height of the Cold War _ has long limited what can be sent there,
restrictions enacted in 2004 made sending gifts there even more difficult.

Now most Cubans in the U.S. can only visit the island once every three
years and can only send quarterly remittances of up to $300 per
household to immediate family members.

Add to that the Cuban government now takes 20 cents of every U.S. dollar
sent there. The amount is smaller for other currencies, such as the euro
or the Canadian dollar, which makes the Canadian online store more
attractive.

Neither Cubamaxstore.com nor the U.S. Commerce Department, which
enforces the embargo, returned numerous calls for comment.

Aleida Vives, 68, said she'd never used the Internet before she sent
meat to her sister this year.

``It's a little cheaper,'' she said, adding that meat and other
specialty items are often more expensive in Cuba and the quality is poor.

Others refused to talk about their purchases because they might be
accused of supporting the island's communist government because they
feared their families might get into trouble for accepting the gifts or
sending them.

``I know people who do it, but I don't know too much about it,'' said
Neuves Fernandez, who works at a Miami-area check cashing office that
sends money orders to Cuba, echoing the response of many.

There's another concern. The Canadian Web site appears to operate in a
legal gray area, said Florida International University Economics
Professor and Cuba expert Jorge Salazar-Carillo.

U.S. law forbids exporting products to Cuba through third countries such
as Canada or Mexico, but it does make an exception for families sending
food, vitamins and personal hygiene items of $200 or less to immediate
family members, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's
Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Cubamaxstore.com and its customers ``are trying to operate under the
radar of the U.S. regulations,'' Salazar-Carillo said.

Conte said sending the food home is not about politics, it's simply
about a father trying to help out his children.

``Food is the most difficult,'' he said. ``My daughter never asks for
anything, but they can eat and have a few days without that Cuban
struggle of having to invent how they are going to get enough food on
the table.''

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1223cubanexiles,0,5587070.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Trading with Cuba

Trading with Cuba
Alabama can make more economic hay if policies are changed
Friday, December 22, 2006
Huntsville Times

It's a reiteration, not a change of philosophy. And it doesn't carry the
same clout it would if he were destined to head the state Senate again.
Nevertheless, it's commendable and important for state Sen. Lowell
Barron, D-Fyffe, to urge the United States to reconsider its trade
policy with Cuba.

Barron was part of a state delegation that recently returned from the
island nation. It's one of his last acts as president pro tem of the
Senate, a position he won't seek again because he doesn't have the votes
to win.

But it's not just his lame-duck status that has given Barron the courage
to suggest a U.S. policy change that not all will welcome. Earlier this
year, the Alabama Legislature adopted a resolution urging Congress to
lift economic sanctions against Cuba. Gov. Bob Riley vetoed it, too late
in the session for the Legislature to try to override the veto.

But it's not the Legislature that deserves most of the credit or blame
for Alabama's Cuban connection. That goes to Agriculture Secretary Ron
Sparks, who was also part of the latest delegation to the island, and a
tireless worker in behalf of Alabama's agribusiness interests there.

In the last two trips, Sparks says, Alabama has received $30 million in
trade commitments. In 2005, Cuba bought $140 million worth of stuff from
Alabama, which translated into a $400 million boon for the state. In
2006, Cuba will have bought almost two-thirds of its U.S. purchases from
Alabama. And this was during a year when drought was devouring this
state's agricultural industry.

Great benefits

But, wait: Doesn't the United States forbid trade with Cuba? Yes, for
everything but food and medicine. It's Barron's contention that this
quasi-embargo makes no sense. And with Alabama's inroads in the Cuban
economy, our businesses and industry stand to benefit greatly from
broader trade.

Here are some other reasons for reconsidering the sanctions:

They aren't working. Other countries are trading with Cuba. They are
reaping the economic benefits. We're cutting off our noses to spite our
faces by keeping the embargo in place.

Cuba is about to undergo a major transition. Whether or not he's on his
death bed, Fidel Castro's days obviously are drastically numbered. And
when charismatic leaders pass away, countries change. Alabama is poised
to benefit from that change.

Surely we have learned by now that we can't impose our way of government
on other nations. We have to take them somewhat as they are. Talking to
them, interacting with them and, especially, trading with them is a more
productive program than isolating them - particularly if they don't pose
national harm to us, as Cuba doesn't.

Not everyone will agree with that assessment, which makes Sparks'
leadership, and Barron's support, all that more courageous.

Lifting the embargo needs to be examined in terms of practicality and
potential. When that's done, the politics of Cuba may not be a deal-breaker.

By David Prather, for the editorial board. E-mail: david.prather@htimes.com

http://www.al.com/opinion/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1166782769192900.xml&coll=1