Cuban vice-president dies
Cuban vice-president diesArticle By:Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:46
Cuban Vice President Juan Almeida Bosque, a revolutionary commander who fought alongside Fidel Castro to bring down a pro-American dictatorship, has died. He was 82.
An official communique issued through state media said Almeida, the number three official in the Americas' only communist regime, died late Friday from cardiac arrest.
Almeida was one of just three top Cuban leaders to hold the title of revolutionary commander.
His death served as a reminder that Cuba's old guard is not getting any younger. President Raul Castro is now 78, and Fidel Castro is five years his senior, Vice President Jose Ramon Machado, the regime's number two, is also 78.
As a black man in racially diverse Cuba, Almeida was an important visual symbol of a break with the past, particularly in 1950s Cuba, where racism and discrimination were common. His close relationship with Castro for decades has been a sign of Afro-Cubans' access to power and influence in communist Cuba.
Born on 17 February 1927 in Havana, Almeida took part in the 1953 assault on the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba that historians cite as the starting point of the Cuban Revolution.
He participated in the Granma guerilla expedition and fought the rebel war in the Sierra Maestra Mountains against the government of Fulgencio Batista, a US-backed Cuban dictator.
A fine marksman, he was famous in official revolutionary history for shouting — when outnumbered in the first battle against Batista's forces — "Nobody here is going to surrender!"
When revolutionary leaders came to power in 1959, he was promoted to general of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces and later became a member of the central committee and political bureau of the Cuban Communist Party.
He was also the third-ranking member of the Cuban Council of State.
Bricklayer by trade
Almeida, a bricklayer by trade who also was an accomplished music composer, was close to Fidel Castro, who led Cuba for almost five decades before stepping aside during a health crisis. Castro still leads the communist party.
"The name of Revolutionary Commander Juan Almeida Bosque will always remain in the hearts and minds of his countrymen as the finest example of revolutionary firmness, solid convictions, bravery, patriotism and commitment to the people," the official statement said.
The government declared 12 hours of official mourning for Sunday.
"Well, this is the first of the high-ranking leadership to go; we have to get ready. The others will follow — time marches on," said Maria Cruz (54) a Havana housewife.
The "historic" leaders' main political objective has been to sustain the regime and project it into the future.
Financial help from Venezuela has been critical on that front.
But politically, it is unclear who the party's "new generation" pick will be to lead the majority of Cubans whose entire lives have been spent under revolutionary communist rule.
Efforts by other governments, including the neighboring United States, to press Cuba on political and economic opening have not borne much fruit.
Economically, the Raul Castro government has yet to launch substantive reforms. This week, it reversed a decade-long freeze on granting private taxi licenses, while oxen are widely used to drive plows in the crippled farm sector.
The US government has been encouraging Cuba to make progress on human rights issues.
It could well be a moot argument. The Cuban government denies that it has political prisoners and claims it is home to a democracy less corrupt than most.
Cubans earn an average of less than 20 dollars a month.
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Cuban Exile’s Plan for a Ferry From Miami to Havana Is Awaiting U.S. Approval
Cuban Exile's Plan for a Ferry From Miami to Havana Is Awaiting U.S. ApprovalBy DAMIEN CAVEPublished: September 12, 2009
MIAMI — Imagine a ferry from Miami to Havana that costs far less than a flight. Cuban-Americans, who can now visit the island without restriction, could eat lechón on deck, then deliver a shipping container of food to needy relatives by morning.Skip to next paragraphEnlarge This ImageMichael F. McElroy for The New York Times
Armando Ruiz says his proposed ferry service to Cuba would benefit people with less money.
Armando Ruiz, 72, a Cuban exile and former concert promoter, has dreamed of this for a decade. Now he thinks it might actually happen — if the Obama administration approves his application for a license.
"He says he wants to help the Cuban people," Mr. Ruiz said, referring to President Obama. "How can he do it without a ship?"
Until recently, Miami's community of Cuban exiles was considered far too volatile to handle a ferry cruising from Florida to Cuba for the first time since 1962 . But Mr. Ruiz's proposal shows how much the political climate here has changed.
It is faith in pent-up demand for a new approach that has led Mr. Ruiz to consider chartering a $23 million, 600-cabin cruise-ferry from a dealer in Lithuania. It may also be the dream of riches, which he denies, or family legacy, which he does not. But for the White House, his proposal mainly shows how a shift from policymakers can produce demands that outpace diplomatic deliberation.
Ever since the president announced plans in April to encourage contact with Cuba by letting Cuban-Americans travel back whenever they wanted and send more money and gifts, the administration has found itself fending off pressure to move more quickly toward normalized relations.
Cuban officials, some members of Congress and travel companies like Orbitz have all demanded that the travel ban be lifted, not just for Cuban exiles but for all Americans. Charter flight operators in Miami, after praising the new approach, spent the summer complaining that the administration took too long to publish regulations that put the policy for Cuban-Americans into effect.
And now that the new rules are out — published in the Federal Register this month — entrepreneurs are stepping up with ideas for expanding links with Cuba.
Mr. Ruiz's ferry is one of several proposals that aim to push through the door that Mr. Obama opened just a crack. Direct flights from Los Angeles to Havana started in June. Several other cities, including Tampa and New Orleans, may also soon offer flights to Cuba through charter companies.
Cultural exchanges that could grant travel rights to Americans who are not of Cuban descent are in the works with charter operators in Miami — a tactic widely used under President Bill Clinton and severely restricted by President George W. Bush.
Eddy Levy, 75, co-owner of Xael Travel, said the entire travel industry, including charter companies like his own, were laying the groundwork for what they hoped would be a more significant opening.
"The important thing is the relationship between the two countries," said Mr. Levy, who has focused on connecting Jewish families in Cuba and the United States. "It's one very big step toward normalizing relations if the United States opens travel to the non-Cubans."
He said that allowing all Americans to go to Cuba would mean enough travelers to go around — on commercial flights, on ferries and on charters.
Tessie Aral, president of ABC Charters, which flew 10,500 passengers to Cuba this summer, up from 6,000 last year, agreed.
"I think all of that will be wonderful when all travel restrictions are lifted," Ms. Aral said. "But we're not there yet."
At this point, Mr. Ruiz sees his proposed ferry service mainly as an alternative for those with less money, more gifts or an inability to fly because of illness or fear. He described the seven or so charter companies — the only businesses with landing rights from both the American and Cuban governments — as a monopoly that charges too much (around $500 round trip) because of minimal competition.
He said he got the idea for a ferry about 15 years ago on a trip to Cuba. He was buying cigars in a poor section of Havana from a man who said no one in his building could afford a television.
"I thought, we have so many televisions that get thrown out," said Mr. Ruiz, in an interview at his luxury apartment building overlooking the Atlantic. "If I had a ship, I could bring so many and donate them."
Cargo seemed to excite him the most. Mr. Ruiz's eyes brightened behind his Dolce & Gabbana eyeglasses when he said that someone who could take only 44 pounds of luggage on a plane without paying extra would be able to carry four times as much onto the boat. It would all be part of the ferry ticket price, he said, which would probably run about $100 less than plane fare.
The schedule would include at least three overnight round trips a week.
Think of the possibilities, he said: bicycles and toys for Christmas; food, medicines and construction materials after hurricanes. He said his company, Florida Ferry International, had interested investors, including Cuban-Americans, and management companies ready to staff the ship. He said the business would cost somewhere from $300,000 to $1 million dollars a month to operate, depending on the boat leased and the partners involved.
Critics of greater engagement, like Mauricio Claver-Carone of the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC, said it would never happen "without reciprocity on democratic reforms and human rights by the Cuban regime."
Cuba could also refuse to let Mr. Ruiz dock his boat or — struggling with an economy as bad as it has ever been — try to charge exorbitant fees.
But in his eyes, Washington is the source of the holdup. His application notes that the law governing travel allows licenses not just for aircraft but also for vessels. The State Department, where Mr. Ruiz's lawyer has been told the license request now sits, did not respond to calls or an e-mail message.
"How could he deny it if he says he wants to open up Cuba," said Mr. Ruiz, a Republican who voted for Mr. Obama and carries a photo of him in his Blackberry. "This is not a dream. This is a right."
Next Article in US (12 of 27) » A version of this article appeared in print on September 13, 2009, on page A25 of the New York edition.
Cuban Exile's Hope for a Ferry to Cuba Awaits U.S. Approval – NYTimes.com (12 September 2009)http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13cuba.html
Alarcón: Obama es ‘decente’ y puede liberar a los cinco espías
PolíticaAlarcón: Obama es 'decente' y puede liberar a los cinco espías
'Usted tiene que ponerlos en libertad inmediatamente (…) sólo así podrá ser creíble su mensaje de paz, de reconciliación', dijo al mandatario estadounidense.
Agencias | 13/09/2009
El gobierno de Cuba pidió nuevamente este sábado al presidente estadounidense, Barack Obama, que libere a sus cinco agentes presos en Estados Unidos por espionaje, reportó la AFP.
"Tenemos que hacerlo ahora porque hay una persona decente, porque el hombre que ocupa hoy la presidencia no tiene nada que ver con la infamia cometida con nuestros compañeros, pero él (Obama) sí tiene la autoridad, la capacidad para hacer justicia", afirmó Ricardo Alarcón, presidente de la Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular, al cerrar una vigilia y jornada artística por los cinco espías.
Al referirse al ex presidente Bush en el acto la Tribuna Antiimperialista —popularmente conocida como protestódromo—, frente a la Sección de Intereses de Washington en La Habana, Alarcón dijo que "jamás" hizo un pedido así "cuando había un bandido en la Casa Blanca".
Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González, Ramón Labañino, René González y Gerardo Hernández fueron detenidos el 12 de septiembre de 1998 y condenados a penas de 15 años y a dos cadenas perpetuas bajo cargos de espionaje.
"Usted puede, usted debe señor presidente, usted tiene que poner en libertad inmediatamente, y para eso lo autoriza su Constitución, a estos cinco héroes de América Latina, de Cuba, de Estados Unidos, de la humanidad; sólo así podrá ser creíble su mensaje de paz, de reconciliación", afirmó el funcionario dirigiéndose a Obama.
Varios pintores afines al régimen ejecutaron obras alegóricas a los cinco agentes en la madrugada en una vigilia que concluyó en velada de poetas y músicos por el 11 aniversario del arresto.
"Nosotros no creemos en casos cerrados, nosotros vamos a abrirlos con el poema, el arte, la música, nuestras voces, con las uñas, con los dientes y terminará el día que los cinco estén con nosotros", concluyó Alarcón.
© cubaencuentro.com
Alarcón: Obama es 'decente' y puede liberar a los cinco espías – Noticias – Cuba – cubaencuentro.com (13 September 2009)http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/cuba/noticias/alarcon-obama-es-decente-y-puede-liberar-a-los-cinco-espias-209819
Los ‘históricos’ del régimen
PolíticaLos 'históricos' del régimen
Agencias | 13/09/2009
Estos son los principales dirigentes de la vieja guardia del régimen, además del máximo líder Fidel Castro, de 83 años, retirado del poder por enfermedad, y de su hermano Raúl Castro, quien heredó el gobierno.
—José Ramón Machado: Número dos de Cuba. Médico de 78 años, ocupa desde 1990 el estratégico puesto de organizador del PCC. Es miembro del Buró Político, del Secretariado del Partido Comunista (PCC), y primer vicepresidente de los Consejos de Estado y Ministros.
—Ramiro Valdés: Comandante de la Revolución de 77 años. Miembro del Buró Político y del Consejo de Estado. Ministro de Informática y Comunicaciones.
—Guillermo García: Comandante de la Revolución de 81 años.
— José Ramón Balaguer: Médico de 77 años. Miembro del Buró Político, vicepresidente del Consejo de Estado y ministro de Salud.
—Abelardo Colomé: 70 años. Miembro del Buró Político. General de Cuerpo de Ejército de las FAR, vicepresidente del Consejo de Estado y ministro del Interior.
—Julio Casas Regueiro: 73 años. Ministro de las FAR. Miembro del Buró Político, vicepresidente del Consejo de Estado y general de Cuerpo de Ejército.
—Leopoldo Cintra: 68 años. Número dos del Ministerio de Defensa. Miembro del Buró Político y del Consejo de Estado. General de Cuerpo de Ejército y jefe del Ejército Occidental.
—Ulises Rosales: General de 67 años. Miembro del Buró Político. Fue jefe de Estado Mayor de las FAR. Ministro de Agricultura.
© cubaencuentro.com
Los 'históricos' del régimen – Noticias – Cuba – cubaencuentro.com (13 September 2009)http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/cuba/noticias/los-historicos-del-regimen-209818
La rebeldía consiste en huir del país
"La rebeldía consiste en huir del país"
Sobre el hostigamiento que sufrió en el Congreso Nacional, Molina relata que "me increpaban acerca de porqué en Cuba la gente no sale a la calle, si están tan disconformes. Yo les recordaba que los pueblos del bloque del Este no salieron a al calle salvo en el final del proceso de caída del comunismo. Porque sino, iban a la Siberia. En todo caso, el pueblo cubano tiene una forma sui generis de rebelión: no sale a a la calle, sino que huye. Hay más de tres millones y sigue el éxodo. Ya no por embarcaciones precarias, sino en yates que llegan de visita, por sobornos en el aeropuerto, y de otras formas"
"La rebeldía consiste en huir del país" – El Mundo – LaCapital.com.ar (13 September 2009)http://www.lacapital.com.ar/ed_impresa/2009/9/edicion_327/contenidos/noticia_5775.html
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