CubaNews articles from November 2003

CubaNews archives from November 2003

Senate votes 59-36 to lift travel ban, but measure unlikely to survive veto threat.
November 1, 2003... The U.S. Senate easily approved a measure that would strip the Treasury Department of money to enforce travel regulations to Cuba, putting Congress on a collision course with President Bush, who has vowed to veto any attempt to weaken the...

Cuba negotiates 4+1 deal with Mercosur as Latin America returns to Castro's fold.
November 1, 2003... Fidel Castro's dissident crackdown has earned him many enemies in Washington, and with his incessant rantings against the European Union, the Cuban leader has lost his hero status in Madrid, Paris, Rome and Berlin. But in many Latin...

Venezuelans in Miami win sympathy and money from Cuban exile groups.
November 1, 2003... A growing number of Venezuelans, especially those from the country's middle and upper classes, are packing their bags and relocating to Miami--where they've found a natural haven among that city's anti-Castro exile community. Many of these...

Travel executives meet in Cancun to blast U.S. travel ban.
November 1, 2003... The Mexican resort of Cancun played host Oct. 16-18 to an unprecedented U.S.-Cuba Travel Conference that ended with a one-day, "fully hosted" trip by American travel executives to Havana. The brazen junket to the Cuban capital took place...

Despite obstacles, U.S. food exports to Cuba keep rising.
November 1, 2003... Corn from Iowa, cattle from Florida, rice from Texas and apples from Washington state--these are just a few of the farm commodities eagerly being snapped up by the Cuban government in an expensive and calculated effort to influence members of...

LAWG seeks money to keep network active.
November 1, 2003... The Latin America Working Group, a non-profit organization that seeks to end the U.S. embargo against Cuba, is seeking donations to keep its Cuba policy e-mail network alive. In an e-mail asking supporters to contribute at least $50 to the...

Bill to abolish section 211 gaining momentum.
November 1, 2003... The National Foreign Trade Council says the U.S.-Cuba Trademark Protection Act of 2003 has more than doubled its sponsorship since the bill's introduction this summer. The bipartisan measure would help U.S. companies protect trademarks...

Fla. port hires Alamar to organize Cuba trip.
November 1, 2003... Alamar Associates, a firm run by Washington consultant Kirby Jones, is getting $15,000 to organize a trade mission to Cuba by Florida's Manatee County Port Authority. The mission, approved Oct. 16 by the Manatee County Commission, is set...

In their own words ...
November 1, 2003... "Clearly, the Castro regime will not change by its own choice, but Cuba must change. The dictator has responded with defiance and contempt, and a new round of brutal oppression that outraged the world's conscience." --President Bush, in...

EIU projects 2004-05 growth at 3%, inflation at under 2%.
November 1, 2003... The following is excerpted from an Economist Intelligence Unit article which appeared Oct. 22, 2003, on EIU's ViewsWire. To learn how to access Cuba reports from the Economist Intelligence Unit, please call EIU at (212) 554-0600 or send an...

Old Havana lures Jewish tourists with first 'kosher' hotel.
November 1, 2003... Care for an authentic Cuban mojito at the "L'chaim" bar? How about Israeli salad, matzo-ball soup and cheese blintzes? All this and more is now on the menu at the Hotel Raquel--Cuba's first boutique establishment catering specifically to...

Cuba says foreign debt held steady at $10.9 billion in 2002.
November 1, 2003... Cuba's foreign debt was unchanged in 2002 at just under $11 billion as the government slashed imports to cope with a foreign exchange shortage, reported Reuters, citing a study by the UN's Economic Commission for Latin America and the...

Kevin Whitaker defends White House policy on Cuba.
November 1, 2003... Not every mid-level State Department official has had the honor of being personally singled out by Fidel Castro in an angry May Day speech before a million people in Havana's Plaza de la Revolucion. But that's what happened earlier this...

Text of directive issued by DHS in response to new U.S. policy on travel to Cuba.
November 1, 2003... The following is the text of a press release issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) following the president's Oct. 20 speech: Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security will step up enforcement of travel...

Cuba's big 3: Cimex, Cubanacan, Gaviota.
November 1, 2003... They're not exactly Fortune 500 companies, but Grupo Cimex S.A., Cubanacan S.A. and Gaviota S.A. lead the list of Cuba's top state-owned entities. And all three have benefitted from a healthy recovery in Cuba's all-important tourist industry....

Cadbury Adams to export gum to Cuba.
November 1, 2003... Cadbury Adams USA wants to crack the Cuban chewing-gum market. Steven Sabo, general manager for the company's Caribbean division, said he's been dealing with Cuban state agency Alimport since last March and is now getting ready to export. ...

Sugarcane land earmarked for other uses.
November 1, 2003... As a result of the restructuring of Cuba's troubled sugar industry, approximately half of all sugarcane lands are being converted to other uses, according to CubaNews sources. Such lands represent one million hectares, of which nearly half...

Ceiba reports jump in grapefruit exports.
November 1, 2003... State entity Citricos Ceiba says its grapefruit exports this harvest have hit 3,000 tons, compared to 1,500 tons for last year's harvest. The company, which had 2002 revenues of $7 million, processes 300 tons of citrus a day at its plant,...

Fla. firm ships more beef cattle to Cuba.
November 1, 2003... A deal by Cuban food purchasing agency Alimport to buy 250 head of Florida beef cattle from J.P. Wright & Co. Inc. of Naples represents the first sale of Florida beef cattle to Cuba in over 40 years. The deal, valued at over $300,000,...

Wine industry awaits trial grape crop.
November 1, 2003... A grape crop in San Cristobal, in western Pinar del Rio province, is expected to bear fruit early next year. According to experts, the grapes harvested in Pinar del Rio will replace imports of Italian musts processed at a wine factory...

Belgium seeks to expand bilateral trade.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Belgium's ambassador to Cuba, Patrick de Beyter, recently stated that his country is looking to expand bilateral relations with Cuba, in line with the European Union's emphasis on continuing engagement and dialogue. No less than 14 Belgian...

Tiendas Universo has new retail website.
November 1, 2003... Cuba's state-run Tiendas Universo S.A. has launched a new Internet portal aimed at selling products and services offered by Cubanacan S.A. and its Palmares branch. Visitors to the site at www.cuba-shop.net can choose from virtual catalogs,...

Vermont-Cuba trade initiative falls short.
November 1, 2003... Vermont's attempt to establish trade relations with the Cuban government has met with disappointment, the Rutland Herald reported Oct. 21. Beginning this spring, Vermont trade officials have explored the possibility of exporting farm...

Fiberoptics comes to Pinar Del Rio.
November 1, 2003... Cuba's western province of Pinar del Rio will benefit from fiberoptic communications next year, reports state media. A project now in the works involves linking all the province's cities and towns digitally, and installing 3,000 phone lines...

Transport fair generates business.
November 1, 2003... Cuba's 7th International Transport Far, held at the Pabexpo convention center in Havana, resulted in contracts valued at over $50 million, according to the government. Thanks to the fair--attended by over 100 companies from 16...

Cuba cracks down on falsified cigars.
November 1, 2003... Corporacion Internacional Habanos S.A. has announced new customs regulations for the export of Cuban cigars. The regulations, which took effect Oct. 8, come in response to Cuba's never-ending battle against falsified cigars. They require...

Internet use in Cuba: facts and omissions.
November 1, 2003... Cuba now has 250,000 computers, 60% of which are connected to the Internet. That's according to Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, son of the Cuban leader, who was speaking at the 32nd UNESCO General Conference in Paris. He said there are 360,000...

Moody's gives Cuba foreign-currency rating of Caa1.
November 1, 2003... In its annual report on Cuba, Moody's Investors Service says the country's Caa1 foreign-currency rating and stable outlook are based on a debt moratorium, in place since 1986, continued evidence of a flawed payments record, extreme dependence...

Colombian airline to serve Havana route.
November 1, 2003... The Colombian government will allow West Caribbean Airways S.A. to transport passengers, cargo and mail between Bogota and Havana, with two weekly flights. West Caribbean Airways was the chief beneficiary of a plan by state agency...

J-V to assemble Russian Lada vehicles.
November 1, 2003... After the fall of the Soviet Union, many predicted that the Soviet-built Lada would follow the fate of so many 1950s-vintage Fords, Buicks and Plymouths: they'd roam Cuba's streets and highways as antique relics until they fell apart for lack...

Cuba seeks Niche market in organic food.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... For the first time, Cuba will export packaged organic coffee and honey, according to Peter Grosch, general manager of German firm CBS and Dr. Alberto Bahamonde, the company's Cuban representative. Grosch said that Cuba already has 7,000...

Norwegian firm wins oil-rig contract.
November 1, 2003... Norwegian drilling-rig operator Ocean Rig ASA announced Oct. 10 that it had received a letter of intent regarding a contract for the semi-submersible drilling rig Eirik Raude from Repsol YPF Cuba S.A. The contract covers the drilling of one...

Cuban literacy program stirs up kiwis.
November 1, 2003... Havana's ambassador to New Zealand is defending a Cuban-sponsored Maori literacy project, branding an acting member of Parliament a "racist America-lover" for criticizing the program. The Cuban diplomat, Miguel Ramirez, said his country's...

Laos pledges to strengthen ties with Cuba.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Laos and Cuba, two of the world's few remaining communist states, have agreed to boost bilateral ties during recent talks in the Laotian capital of Vientiane. According to the state-run KPL news agency, Laotian officials forged a...

Nautical shops are first in planned chain.
November 1, 2003... The province of La Habana now has two nautical hardware stores, which if successful will form the foundation of a new retail chain. The facilities, which recently opened in the coastal towns of Cabanas and Surgidero de Batabano, are a joint...

Prison documentary available on video.
November 1, 2003... The University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies is promoting the sale of "Presidio: The Trip Back"--a controversial expose of the Cuban prison system and human-rights violations under the Castro regime. ICCAS says...

Corredores help Cubans navigate complex housing laws.
November 1, 2003... It's been described as "underground" or "clandestine," in the foreign press, but few people know that Havana's Paseo del Prado serves as the hub of a national real-estate market complete with a cadre of real-estate brokers, information...

Bush's new 'get-tough' policy: what does it really mean?
November 1, 2003... President Bush made his 14-minute policy statement Oct. 10 at the White House in front of scores of prominent Cuban-Americans representing the most extremist political views. Many others were not invited, including, rather significantly,...

Calendar of events.
November 1, 2003... If your organization is sponsoring an upcoming event, please let our readers know! Fax details to CubaNews at (301) 365-1829 or send an e-mail to larry@luxner.com. Nov. 2-9: Havana's 21st International Fair, Expocuba Pavilion, Havana. Over...