Latin Americans Demand End of US Blockade against Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 1 - Claudio Patat, national coordinator of the Argentinean contingent that is part of the 18th South American Solidarity-with-Cuba Brigade, condemned the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States on the island. In his statements to the Prensa Latina news agency, he also denounced the unfair imprisonment in US jails of Fernando Gonzalez, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernandez and Rene Gonzalez, condemned for informing on plans of violent actions against Cuba, conceived in Florida.

The member of the Argentinean Movement of Solidarity with the Caribbean nation asserted that they’re working with a lot of rigor in his country, especially in Buenos Aires.

Likewise, Venezuelans from various walks of life will send over the next few days dozens of postcards to President Barack Obama with requests for the release of the five Cuban antiterrorist heroes, according to information provided by activist Rosalinda Chanaga, coordinator of the Venezuela-Cuba Movement of Mutual Solidarity.

She told the Prensa Latina news agency that this group plans new actions to spread the truth abut the case of Gerardo, Rene, Antonio, Ramon and Fernando, and on the injustice being committed against them -unjustly incarcerated since 1998.

Some 300 committees are working in 111 nations to support the cause of these Cuban antiterrorists.

On this issue, the El Nacional newspaper, from the Dominican Republic, published that about 30 organizations of that country asked the United States to lift the unjust and inhuman blockade maintained by Washington against the island for almost half a century now.

The organizations, making up the Committee in Solidarity with Cuba, underlined that the States have the right to self-determination and that nobody –no matter how strong it feels- has the power to condemn them to any kind of blockade, reads a note published by the Cuba
Foreign Ministry’s Web site.

Also, Cubans living in Nicaragua held their 2nd National Meeting, in which they condemned the siege laid to the island by the US and demanded the immediate release of The Five. (acn)

Argentine Workers Ask Obama to Consider Cuban Five Case

hAVANA, Cuba. The Central of the Argentinean workers trade-union federation has sent a letter to US President Barack Obama requesting to consider the petition presented by the defense of the Cuban Five.

Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando González and Rene González —known internationally as the Cuban Five— are unjustly incarcerated in the US.

The men were arrested over 10 years ago for warning Cuba on the terrorist plans organized by Florida-based counterrevolutionary groups, the actions of whom, have resulted in thousands of Cubans being killed and others wounded or mutilated, besides costly damage to the country’s
economy.

The Argentine trade union federation’s message notes that the legal process against the Cuban Five has been contrary to the constitutional principles of Amendments 5, 6, 8, and 16 of the US Constitution, reported Granma newspaper on its web site.

The request to Obama adds that the treatment of the Cuban Five also violates article 26 of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man; Articles 5, 10 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Articles 5 and 8 of the American Convention on Human Rights; and Articles 9, 10 and 14 of the International Pact of Civil and Political Rights.

The Argentine organization has based its request on "the 12 Amicus Curiae presented before the US Supreme Court of Justice in support of the petition submitted by the defense lawyers of the Cuban Five on January 30, requesting that their case is re-examined.”


(Desde Argentina piden a Obama considere caso de Los Cinco)

Argentinean Press Highlights Training of Doctors Graduated in Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, April 28 (acn) The Argentinean newspaper Página 12, with national coverage, has highlighted the work of youngsters from that country who graduated as doctors in Cuba, giving free medical treatment to residents in a poor neighborhood south of Buenos Aires.

Propuesta Tatu, a non-governmental organization (NGO) composed of graduates from Havana's Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) opened a health centre for the treatment of the population living in the 17 de Noviembre neighbourhood, in the municipality of Lomas de Zamora, Buenos Aires, Prensa Latina news agency reports.

The report underlines the altruistic work of these physicians, who offer their services in an area in which about 4,000 families and some 20,000 people live.

Página 12 reports that the members of Propuesta Tatu have planned the training of people living in this neighborhood, in order to organize health groups, help them become familiar with common diseases in the community, and how to recognize and prevent them..

Medicaments for each case are also given free of charge, due to contacts from the aforementioned organization with laboratories making donations.

This ONG was conceived in 2002 by Argentinean youngsters studying at ELAM, and began to materialize in 2007 in neighbourhoods inhabited by people with scant resources in the city and province of Buenos Aires, and presently has a total of 11 projects.

(Destacan labor de médicos argentinos graduados en Cuba)

Reward Cuba in Fair of tourism of Argentina

Havana, March 18. Cuba received the First Prize as better pavilion in the Caribbean sector of the International Fair of Tourism (FIT 2008) that is carried out in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

For it integral proposal and expositor quality, the Island deserved this distinction for the first time after 12 years of participation in the FIT, informs today Presses Latin.

Mario Ramos Álvarez, director of the Office of Information and Tourist Promotion of Cuba for the South Cone, declared that the stimulus is also a recognition its country to receive in 2008 to 47 thousand 405 Argentinean visitors.

He said that although an international crisis, the Cuban touristic industry continues in development to offer dissimilar proposes, sustained in principles of quality, prices and comfortable atmosphere.

The ambassador of the Island in Buenos Aires, Aramís Fuente, underlined the interest of professionals of the sector to have access to the Cuban product that takes implicit cultural and historical values.