Raul Castro: Man Alone in the Crowd / Yoani Sanchez
Posted on May 1, 2014
The shouts, the posters, the slogans in a million voice chorus, awaken
dormant, extinct sensations. Seeing the sea of people passing in front
of the platform, his heart skips a beat in his chest. The red face,
dilated pupils, goosebumps and tension in the jaw. They are the first
symptoms of the excitement crowds provoke in caudillos. A ritual they
need to dip their hand into from time to time, to avoid the solitude of
power.
Autocrats invent marches, huge processions, lavish parades–"the biggest
in the world"–to rejoice in their own authority. They know that they,
and only they, can force a million people out of their beds in the early
hours, load them onto buses, write down the names of every attendee, and
set them to marching through a great plaza. To make it clear who's the
boss, to send a message by way of a crowd chanting their name,
worshiping them and giving thanks. A "mass" that would never dare to
stand down, people whom they don't rub shoulders with, whom they fear
and who–deep inside–they despise.
Today, in the Plaza of the Revolution, an elderly man in sunglasses will
preside over the May Day event. Days ahead of time every rooftop near
the place has been checked out and guards have been posted at the
highest points in the city, calculating how a shot could be fired at the
platform. His own grandson will remain close to protect him and a fleet
of cars will be waiting "in case something happens" and he has to
escape. He doesn't trust the very crowd that he himself has summoned.
The autocrat is afraid of his own people. Fear and suspicion. The
feeling is mutual. He knows that the hundreds of thousands of heads he
looks down upon are there… because they fear him, not because they love him.
30 April 2014
Source: Raul Castro: Man Alone in the Crowd / Yoani Sanchez |
Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/raul-castro-man-alone-in-the-crowd-yoani-sanchez/
Thursday, May 1, 2014
The May Parrot
The May Parrot / Juan Juan Almeida
Posted on April 30, 2014
On April 28 the newspaper Granma published the plan for ensuring
transportation to the International Workers' Day parade in order to
facilitate Cubans from various municipalities getting to the Plaza of
the Revolution. All very spontaneous.
"A colorful parade, flavored with socialism, in which, formed into
blocks, more than a million people participated, comprising everyone
from Havanans to Palestinians. Hundreds of thousands of workers,
employees, and students paraded with the colors of the Cuban flag,
shouting slogans supporting the revolution, socialism, and the
leadership of Fidel and Raul Castro." OK, I'm not really a prophet, but
those are the words, more or less, that are published every May 1st. A
bunch of crap.
Translated by Tomás A.
29 April 2014
Source: The May Parrot / Juan Juan Almeida | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/the-may-parrot-juan-juan-almeida/
Posted on April 30, 2014
On April 28 the newspaper Granma published the plan for ensuring
transportation to the International Workers' Day parade in order to
facilitate Cubans from various municipalities getting to the Plaza of
the Revolution. All very spontaneous.
"A colorful parade, flavored with socialism, in which, formed into
blocks, more than a million people participated, comprising everyone
from Havanans to Palestinians. Hundreds of thousands of workers,
employees, and students paraded with the colors of the Cuban flag,
shouting slogans supporting the revolution, socialism, and the
leadership of Fidel and Raul Castro." OK, I'm not really a prophet, but
those are the words, more or less, that are published every May 1st. A
bunch of crap.
Translated by Tomás A.
29 April 2014
Source: The May Parrot / Juan Juan Almeida | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/the-may-parrot-juan-juan-almeida/
Thai company inks biopharmaceutical technology pact with Cuban firm
Thai company inks biopharmaceutical technology pact with Cuban firm
April 29, 2014 5:03 pm
Thailand's first biopharmaceutical company on Tuesday signed a
technology transfer pact with Cuba's Center of Molecular Immunology to
produce drugs to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases.
The agreement was signed between the Siam Bioscience Company and the
Cuban centre, set up in 1994 to research and manufacture "off-patent
biopharmaceuticals."
The specialised medical field uses genetic engineering to produce new
medicines, most of which remain inaccessible to developing countries
because of their high production costs.
"In Cuba we made the first steps in biotechnology early in the
'80s,under the direct leadership of President Fidel Castro," said
Agustin Lage Devila, director general of the Center of Molecular Immunology.
"However, no country can face this enormous challenge alone," he said.
"International cooperation is needed, especially joint projects among
developing countries."
In Thailand, the centre agreed to make Siam Bioscience its contract
manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals to treat lymphoma, breast cancer and
autoimmune diseases, which include arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
DPA
Source: Thai company inks biopharmaceutical technology pact with Cuban
firm - The Nation -
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Thai-company-inks-biopharmaceutical-technology-pac-30232519.html
April 29, 2014 5:03 pm
Thailand's first biopharmaceutical company on Tuesday signed a
technology transfer pact with Cuba's Center of Molecular Immunology to
produce drugs to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases.
The agreement was signed between the Siam Bioscience Company and the
Cuban centre, set up in 1994 to research and manufacture "off-patent
biopharmaceuticals."
The specialised medical field uses genetic engineering to produce new
medicines, most of which remain inaccessible to developing countries
because of their high production costs.
"In Cuba we made the first steps in biotechnology early in the
'80s,under the direct leadership of President Fidel Castro," said
Agustin Lage Devila, director general of the Center of Molecular Immunology.
"However, no country can face this enormous challenge alone," he said.
"International cooperation is needed, especially joint projects among
developing countries."
In Thailand, the centre agreed to make Siam Bioscience its contract
manufacturer of biopharmaceuticals to treat lymphoma, breast cancer and
autoimmune diseases, which include arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
DPA
Source: Thai company inks biopharmaceutical technology pact with Cuban
firm - The Nation -
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Thai-company-inks-biopharmaceutical-technology-pac-30232519.html
Ukraine crisis affects start of EU talks with Cuba
Ukraine crisis affects start of EU talks with Cuba
By Daniel Trotta
HAVANA (Reuters) - The European Union told Cuba on Wednesday it
disagreed with its support of Russia in the Ukraine crisis as the
dispute cast a shadow over talks aimed at improving relations between
the communist-run island and European countries.
"It's a point of great concern to the EU," the EU's chief negotiator in
the talks, Christian Leffler, told reporters in Havana.
Negotiators for the 28-nation bloc and Cuba met on Tuesday and Wednesday
in Havana for a first round of talks. Only the European side spoke about
the meetings afterward.
Leffler said the differences over Ukraine did not affect the talks but
were an example of what would be discussed in future discussions.
Speaking hours before the first meeting, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno
Rodriguez publicly criticized the European Union and the United States
for imposing sanctions on a number of Russian officials.
"Cuba energetically rejects the imposition of sanctions against Russia,
knowing that those who impose them are the same governments that have
launched wars of conquests that intervene in the internal affairs of
sovereign countries and provoke the destabilization of governments that
don't go along with their interests of domination," Rodriguez said in an
appearance with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was in Havana.
Leffler said Rodriguez's comment did not affect the two days of talks
but that he had raised the Ukraine issue in a separate meeting with him.
"We clearly disagree with this assessment of EU policy towards Ukraine
and towards Russia in the context of the Ukrainian crisis," Leffler told
the news conference.
Russia annexed the Crimea region after Ukraine's pro-Moscow president
was ousted in February by protesters demanding closer links with Europe.
Kiev and the West accuse Russia of stirring up a separatist campaign in
the east, a charge Moscow denies.
Leffler, a Swede who heads European diplomacy in the Americas, said the
Ukraine crisis raised issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity
that the European Union considers fundamental.
Cuba has stood by Moscow, formerly the closest of allies and a crucial
economic supporter of Cuba in the days of the Soviet Union.
Cuba's relations with the EU have been frayed since European member
states adopted a "common position" in 1996 that placed human rights and
democracy as conditions for improving ties With the Caribbean country.
The two sides recently agreed to open discussions on issues such as
human rights, trade and investment.
Leffler said the talks this week were "very constructive."
"There was a clear interest on both sides to come to a quick, common
understanding of what the bases are for this negotiation," he said.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Kieran Murray)
Source: Ukraine crisis affects start of EU talks with Cuba - Yahoo News
-
http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-crisis-affects-start-eu-talks-cuba-015513988.html;_ylt=AwrTWfzFIGJTq2wAngbQtDMD
By Daniel Trotta
HAVANA (Reuters) - The European Union told Cuba on Wednesday it
disagreed with its support of Russia in the Ukraine crisis as the
dispute cast a shadow over talks aimed at improving relations between
the communist-run island and European countries.
"It's a point of great concern to the EU," the EU's chief negotiator in
the talks, Christian Leffler, told reporters in Havana.
Negotiators for the 28-nation bloc and Cuba met on Tuesday and Wednesday
in Havana for a first round of talks. Only the European side spoke about
the meetings afterward.
Leffler said the differences over Ukraine did not affect the talks but
were an example of what would be discussed in future discussions.
Speaking hours before the first meeting, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno
Rodriguez publicly criticized the European Union and the United States
for imposing sanctions on a number of Russian officials.
"Cuba energetically rejects the imposition of sanctions against Russia,
knowing that those who impose them are the same governments that have
launched wars of conquests that intervene in the internal affairs of
sovereign countries and provoke the destabilization of governments that
don't go along with their interests of domination," Rodriguez said in an
appearance with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was in Havana.
Leffler said Rodriguez's comment did not affect the two days of talks
but that he had raised the Ukraine issue in a separate meeting with him.
"We clearly disagree with this assessment of EU policy towards Ukraine
and towards Russia in the context of the Ukrainian crisis," Leffler told
the news conference.
Russia annexed the Crimea region after Ukraine's pro-Moscow president
was ousted in February by protesters demanding closer links with Europe.
Kiev and the West accuse Russia of stirring up a separatist campaign in
the east, a charge Moscow denies.
Leffler, a Swede who heads European diplomacy in the Americas, said the
Ukraine crisis raised issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity
that the European Union considers fundamental.
Cuba has stood by Moscow, formerly the closest of allies and a crucial
economic supporter of Cuba in the days of the Soviet Union.
Cuba's relations with the EU have been frayed since European member
states adopted a "common position" in 1996 that placed human rights and
democracy as conditions for improving ties With the Caribbean country.
The two sides recently agreed to open discussions on issues such as
human rights, trade and investment.
Leffler said the talks this week were "very constructive."
"There was a clear interest on both sides to come to a quick, common
understanding of what the bases are for this negotiation," he said.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Kieran Murray)
Source: Ukraine crisis affects start of EU talks with Cuba - Yahoo News
-
http://news.yahoo.com/ukraine-crisis-affects-start-eu-talks-cuba-015513988.html;_ylt=AwrTWfzFIGJTq2wAngbQtDMD
US contractors profiled 'Cuban Twitter' responses
Posted on Wednesday, 04.30.14
US contractors profiled 'Cuban Twitter' responses
BY ALBERTO ARCE AND DESMOND BUTLER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Paula Cambronero was studying public relations
at a Costa Rican college when she landed her first real job working for
a U.S. government contractor. But it wasn't to write press releases.
As part of a program shrouded in secrecy to build a "Cuban Twitter" on
the Communist-governed island, Cambronero profiled Cuban cellphone
users, categorizing them as "pro-revolution," "apolitical" or
"anti-revolutionary."
The social media network, paid for by the U.S. Agency for International
Development, sought to undermine the Cuban government through cellphone
text messaging to get around the island's Internet restrictions, The
Associated Press detailed in an investigation published in early April.
The plan for the bare-bones service, known as ZunZuneo, was to build a
subscriber base slowly through innocuous news messages, then when it
reached a critical mass of users, introduce political content aimed at
inspiring Cubans to organize "smart mobs" to "renegotiate the balance of
power between the state and society," according to documents obtained by
the AP.
Following the AP's report, USAID chief Rajiv Shah told a U.S. Senate
panel that the program was not intended to influence Cuban politics. But
that doesn't square with Cambronero's work, first as an intern then as a
contracted employee, as detailed in the documents.
Cambronero's job was to test the political waters before the program was
launched. The contractor asked her to sign a security protocol that
required encrypted communications with other staff and emails sent from
a domain name "not publicly linked" to the contractor. It cautioned that
she would handle a "considerable amount of sensitive information that
must be safeguarded to protect critical operations of the Project."
USAID and its contractors went to great lengths to hide the U.S.
government's role in ZunZuneo, including establishing a front company in
the Cayman Islands to hide the money trail.
Cambronero, who studied at the University of Costa Rica, said
enthusiastically in a report on her work that it was "my first job
experience with an established schedule."
Nevertheless, she had considerable responsibility, building out a
database about Cuban mobile phone users, including gender, age,
"receptiveness" and "political tendencies" that USAID believed could
help bolster its Cuba programs. The Cubans responding to the text
messages were not aware the U.S. government was gathering data on them.
Cambronero did not respond to requests for comment. The State Department
had no comment Wednesday.
The political content of the social networking program is sensitive
because the Obama administration has denied it involved covert action.
The U.S. National Security Act defines "covert" as government activities
aimed at influencing political conditions abroad "where it is intended
that the role of the United States Government will not be apparent or
acknowledged publicly." The law requires the president to approve covert
activities.
Costa Rica's government has asked Washington to explain why it ran such
a program from Costa Rican territory. Carlos Roverssi, the minister of
communications, said Wednesday that it will be up to the country's
recently elected government to deal with the matter once the U.S. responds.
"It seems to me that the issue is now public and the next government
should follow up on the issue, without a doubt," he said.
The State Department has said it would be "troubling" if political
messages were sent under the program, and ordered a review.
On Tuesday, USAID spokesman Matthew Herrick told the AP that the agency
had completed its review and forwarded to congressional oversight
committees a catalog of the messages sent to Cubans.
He said that the 249 messages related to technology, sports, world news
and trivia and that they "were consistent with the objective of creating
a platform for Cubans to speak freely among themselves."
Contractors hired a Cuban-born satirist to craft overtly political
messages that took aim at Cuba's leaders and some of them were sent to
Cuban mobile subscribers. Responses to those texts were reviewed by
Cambronero.
Herrick said those messages were sent out "under a grant that pre-dated
the ZunZuneo project."
However, multiple documents reviewed by the AP show USAID characterized
the grant that funded the political messages as the first stage of the
same project, describing it as the "test phase" of the network that
became ZunZuneo.
Under the program, contractors sent the texts from Spanish telephone
numbers to thousands of Cuban cellphones as part of a test to see if a
text-message based social network was viable. Some of the messages
included questions and Cubans were asked to respond.
Cambronero collected a sample of more than 700 responses and analyzed
them according to two variables. The first was the level of interest in
the messages received, and the second was the political nature of the
response.
She wrote in her report that 68 percent of responses showed mild
interest in the texts. But what many of the respondents most wanted to
know was the question that those behind the project were keeping secret:
Who was sending the messages? 210 responses criticized the sender's
anonymity, she noted.
"Explain your point better because I don't understand and remember that
if you haven't done anything you shouldn't fear anything, at least tell
me your name if you're not a coward," said one respondent.
One asked text senders not to "play around with the feelings of the
Cuban people."
Many users realized the messages were from Spain and they replied using
the term "Gallego" — which means someone from Spain's Galicia region but
is used in Cuban slang for a stupid person.
Other respondents asked for help in obtaining birth certificates of
Spanish ancestors, one of the basic requirements for obtaining Spanish
passports needed to leave the island.
Cambronero analyzed 59 responses for political content. She found that
only 10 had a political character, of which two were
counter-revolutionary. She also identified the respondents — by cell
number, name and location.
She recommended that "messages with a humorous connotation should not
contain a strong political tendency, so as not to create animosity in
the recipients."
Julia Sweig, director of Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign
Relations, said profiling the Cuban twitter users was "highly
inappropriate."
"Imagine for a moment how the American people would feel if the shoe was
on the other foot and a foreign government was gathering data on them
surreptitiously through a social network it had set up."
---
Associated Press writer Jack Gillum in Washington contributed to this
report.
---
Desmond Butler on Twitter: http://twitter.com/desmondbutler
Alberto Arce on Twitter: http://twitter.com/alberarce
Source: SAN JOSE, Costa Rica: US contractors profiled 'Cuban Twitter'
responses - Nation Wires - MiamiHerald.com -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/30/4089455/usaid-contractors-profiled-cuban.html
US contractors profiled 'Cuban Twitter' responses
BY ALBERTO ARCE AND DESMOND BUTLER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Paula Cambronero was studying public relations
at a Costa Rican college when she landed her first real job working for
a U.S. government contractor. But it wasn't to write press releases.
As part of a program shrouded in secrecy to build a "Cuban Twitter" on
the Communist-governed island, Cambronero profiled Cuban cellphone
users, categorizing them as "pro-revolution," "apolitical" or
"anti-revolutionary."
The social media network, paid for by the U.S. Agency for International
Development, sought to undermine the Cuban government through cellphone
text messaging to get around the island's Internet restrictions, The
Associated Press detailed in an investigation published in early April.
The plan for the bare-bones service, known as ZunZuneo, was to build a
subscriber base slowly through innocuous news messages, then when it
reached a critical mass of users, introduce political content aimed at
inspiring Cubans to organize "smart mobs" to "renegotiate the balance of
power between the state and society," according to documents obtained by
the AP.
Following the AP's report, USAID chief Rajiv Shah told a U.S. Senate
panel that the program was not intended to influence Cuban politics. But
that doesn't square with Cambronero's work, first as an intern then as a
contracted employee, as detailed in the documents.
Cambronero's job was to test the political waters before the program was
launched. The contractor asked her to sign a security protocol that
required encrypted communications with other staff and emails sent from
a domain name "not publicly linked" to the contractor. It cautioned that
she would handle a "considerable amount of sensitive information that
must be safeguarded to protect critical operations of the Project."
USAID and its contractors went to great lengths to hide the U.S.
government's role in ZunZuneo, including establishing a front company in
the Cayman Islands to hide the money trail.
Cambronero, who studied at the University of Costa Rica, said
enthusiastically in a report on her work that it was "my first job
experience with an established schedule."
Nevertheless, she had considerable responsibility, building out a
database about Cuban mobile phone users, including gender, age,
"receptiveness" and "political tendencies" that USAID believed could
help bolster its Cuba programs. The Cubans responding to the text
messages were not aware the U.S. government was gathering data on them.
Cambronero did not respond to requests for comment. The State Department
had no comment Wednesday.
The political content of the social networking program is sensitive
because the Obama administration has denied it involved covert action.
The U.S. National Security Act defines "covert" as government activities
aimed at influencing political conditions abroad "where it is intended
that the role of the United States Government will not be apparent or
acknowledged publicly." The law requires the president to approve covert
activities.
Costa Rica's government has asked Washington to explain why it ran such
a program from Costa Rican territory. Carlos Roverssi, the minister of
communications, said Wednesday that it will be up to the country's
recently elected government to deal with the matter once the U.S. responds.
"It seems to me that the issue is now public and the next government
should follow up on the issue, without a doubt," he said.
The State Department has said it would be "troubling" if political
messages were sent under the program, and ordered a review.
On Tuesday, USAID spokesman Matthew Herrick told the AP that the agency
had completed its review and forwarded to congressional oversight
committees a catalog of the messages sent to Cubans.
He said that the 249 messages related to technology, sports, world news
and trivia and that they "were consistent with the objective of creating
a platform for Cubans to speak freely among themselves."
Contractors hired a Cuban-born satirist to craft overtly political
messages that took aim at Cuba's leaders and some of them were sent to
Cuban mobile subscribers. Responses to those texts were reviewed by
Cambronero.
Herrick said those messages were sent out "under a grant that pre-dated
the ZunZuneo project."
However, multiple documents reviewed by the AP show USAID characterized
the grant that funded the political messages as the first stage of the
same project, describing it as the "test phase" of the network that
became ZunZuneo.
Under the program, contractors sent the texts from Spanish telephone
numbers to thousands of Cuban cellphones as part of a test to see if a
text-message based social network was viable. Some of the messages
included questions and Cubans were asked to respond.
Cambronero collected a sample of more than 700 responses and analyzed
them according to two variables. The first was the level of interest in
the messages received, and the second was the political nature of the
response.
She wrote in her report that 68 percent of responses showed mild
interest in the texts. But what many of the respondents most wanted to
know was the question that those behind the project were keeping secret:
Who was sending the messages? 210 responses criticized the sender's
anonymity, she noted.
"Explain your point better because I don't understand and remember that
if you haven't done anything you shouldn't fear anything, at least tell
me your name if you're not a coward," said one respondent.
One asked text senders not to "play around with the feelings of the
Cuban people."
Many users realized the messages were from Spain and they replied using
the term "Gallego" — which means someone from Spain's Galicia region but
is used in Cuban slang for a stupid person.
Other respondents asked for help in obtaining birth certificates of
Spanish ancestors, one of the basic requirements for obtaining Spanish
passports needed to leave the island.
Cambronero analyzed 59 responses for political content. She found that
only 10 had a political character, of which two were
counter-revolutionary. She also identified the respondents — by cell
number, name and location.
She recommended that "messages with a humorous connotation should not
contain a strong political tendency, so as not to create animosity in
the recipients."
Julia Sweig, director of Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign
Relations, said profiling the Cuban twitter users was "highly
inappropriate."
"Imagine for a moment how the American people would feel if the shoe was
on the other foot and a foreign government was gathering data on them
surreptitiously through a social network it had set up."
---
Associated Press writer Jack Gillum in Washington contributed to this
report.
---
Desmond Butler on Twitter: http://twitter.com/desmondbutler
Alberto Arce on Twitter: http://twitter.com/alberarce
Source: SAN JOSE, Costa Rica: US contractors profiled 'Cuban Twitter'
responses - Nation Wires - MiamiHerald.com -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/30/4089455/usaid-contractors-profiled-cuban.html
Canadian parliament member warns Cuba investors
Posted on Wednesday, 04.30.14
Canadian parliament member warns Cuba investors
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
JTAMAYO@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM
A senior Canadian parliament member has taken a punch at Cuba's new
foreign investment law, saying that one of his constituents has been
jailed on the island since 2011 without trial and has been offered
leniency if he pays questionable debts.
"The international financial community should ponder long and hard the
investment blandishments of Cuban ministers, diplomats and trade
officials," said Peter Kent, chairman of the House of Commons Defense
Committee.
"Reality is at stark odds with the platitudes" of those officials, Kent
added, going on to detail the case of his constituent, Cy Tokmakjian,
one of several foreign businessmen jailed in Cuba on what they say are
fraudulent corruption charges.
Tokmakjian, 73, a Canadian citizen of Lebanese descent, is president of
Tokmakjian Group, at one point the second largest Canadian firm
operating in Cuba. He has been jailed since Sept. 10, 2011 for
investigation by Interior Ministry officials.
Kent described the ministry as modeled on the Soviet KGB and East German
STASI security services. He also noted that all of the other jailed
businessmen come from Canada and Europe — not Cuban allies such as
China, Venezuela or Russia.
Tokmakjian's assets in Cuba, worth more than $90 million, have been
frozen and "it seems no coincidence" that the total value of the
government's claims against him exceeds that amount, Kent wrote in a
column published Tuesday in the Huffington Post.
"There have been suggestions to company representatives that additional
millions sent from Canada could result in a more 'lenient' outcome," he
added. "He has been told, many times, that, if he drops International
claims against Cuba or admits to minor 'offenses,' he would have a
lenient trial and be released immediately."
Tokmakjian has repeatedly denied all the allegations against him, which
include bribery and tax evasion. Kent said the businessman is ready to
defend his case vigorously in a Cuban court.
Kent said that when he visited Cuba in 2010 as Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs in charge of the Americas, Tokmakjian "was characterized
as a valued partner by Cuban interlocutors." The Canadian company
largely sold imported vehicles to the island's government.
The parliament member also noted that among the foreign investors who
lost millions in Cuba when they came under suspicion of corruption were
Briton Stephen Purvis, who was working to develop a golf course, and
Frenchman Jean Louis Autret, who ran a string of bakeries and other
businesses.
Another Canadian businessman, Sarkis Yacoubian, was expelled from Cuba
in February after serving about one third of a nine-year sentence. He
was arrested in July 2011 and was convicted in April 2013 of bribery,
tax evasion and "activities damaging to the economy."
Yacoubian, who ran a $30 million trading company in Cuba, Tri-Star
Caribbean, told the Toronto Star newspaper that he had cooperated with
investigators and hoped to receive a lenient sentence. Cuban officials
never explained his expulsion.
He and Tokmakjian were imprisoned at La Condesa, a facility on the
outskirts of Havana reserved for foreigners and important Cuban
government officials.
Source: Canadian parliament member warns Cuba investors - Cuba -
MiamiHerald.com -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/30/4090219/canadian-parliament.html
Canadian parliament member warns Cuba investors
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
JTAMAYO@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM
A senior Canadian parliament member has taken a punch at Cuba's new
foreign investment law, saying that one of his constituents has been
jailed on the island since 2011 without trial and has been offered
leniency if he pays questionable debts.
"The international financial community should ponder long and hard the
investment blandishments of Cuban ministers, diplomats and trade
officials," said Peter Kent, chairman of the House of Commons Defense
Committee.
"Reality is at stark odds with the platitudes" of those officials, Kent
added, going on to detail the case of his constituent, Cy Tokmakjian,
one of several foreign businessmen jailed in Cuba on what they say are
fraudulent corruption charges.
Tokmakjian, 73, a Canadian citizen of Lebanese descent, is president of
Tokmakjian Group, at one point the second largest Canadian firm
operating in Cuba. He has been jailed since Sept. 10, 2011 for
investigation by Interior Ministry officials.
Kent described the ministry as modeled on the Soviet KGB and East German
STASI security services. He also noted that all of the other jailed
businessmen come from Canada and Europe — not Cuban allies such as
China, Venezuela or Russia.
Tokmakjian's assets in Cuba, worth more than $90 million, have been
frozen and "it seems no coincidence" that the total value of the
government's claims against him exceeds that amount, Kent wrote in a
column published Tuesday in the Huffington Post.
"There have been suggestions to company representatives that additional
millions sent from Canada could result in a more 'lenient' outcome," he
added. "He has been told, many times, that, if he drops International
claims against Cuba or admits to minor 'offenses,' he would have a
lenient trial and be released immediately."
Tokmakjian has repeatedly denied all the allegations against him, which
include bribery and tax evasion. Kent said the businessman is ready to
defend his case vigorously in a Cuban court.
Kent said that when he visited Cuba in 2010 as Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs in charge of the Americas, Tokmakjian "was characterized
as a valued partner by Cuban interlocutors." The Canadian company
largely sold imported vehicles to the island's government.
The parliament member also noted that among the foreign investors who
lost millions in Cuba when they came under suspicion of corruption were
Briton Stephen Purvis, who was working to develop a golf course, and
Frenchman Jean Louis Autret, who ran a string of bakeries and other
businesses.
Another Canadian businessman, Sarkis Yacoubian, was expelled from Cuba
in February after serving about one third of a nine-year sentence. He
was arrested in July 2011 and was convicted in April 2013 of bribery,
tax evasion and "activities damaging to the economy."
Yacoubian, who ran a $30 million trading company in Cuba, Tri-Star
Caribbean, told the Toronto Star newspaper that he had cooperated with
investigators and hoped to receive a lenient sentence. Cuban officials
never explained his expulsion.
He and Tokmakjian were imprisoned at La Condesa, a facility on the
outskirts of Havana reserved for foreigners and important Cuban
government officials.
Source: Canadian parliament member warns Cuba investors - Cuba -
MiamiHerald.com -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/30/4090219/canadian-parliament.html
Cuba, EU approve road map on normalization talks
Posted on Wednesday, 04.30.14
Cuba, EU approve road map on normalization talks
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HAVANA -- Cuba and the European Union have closed a first round of talks
on normalizing relations troubled since the 1990s after agreeing to a
road map for further discussions.
EU official Christian Leffler says they have established "the general
structure" for future talks and "the principal elements to be included."
Leffler says talks have not yet touched on the EU's so-called "Common
Position" of 1996, which has driven policy toward the island and bars
full cooperation between Europe and Havana.
EU officials say concerns about civil liberties and democratic
participation will continue to influence policy.
Cuba says it is open to talking about any issue.
Leffler spoke Wednesday at the EU Embassy in Havana. He said talks will
resume at an unspecified date.
Source: HAVANA: Cuba, EU approve road map on normalization talks -
Latest News - MiamiHerald.com -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/30/4090435/cuba-eu-approve-road-map-on-normalization.html
Cuba, EU approve road map on normalization talks
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HAVANA -- Cuba and the European Union have closed a first round of talks
on normalizing relations troubled since the 1990s after agreeing to a
road map for further discussions.
EU official Christian Leffler says they have established "the general
structure" for future talks and "the principal elements to be included."
Leffler says talks have not yet touched on the EU's so-called "Common
Position" of 1996, which has driven policy toward the island and bars
full cooperation between Europe and Havana.
EU officials say concerns about civil liberties and democratic
participation will continue to influence policy.
Cuba says it is open to talking about any issue.
Leffler spoke Wednesday at the EU Embassy in Havana. He said talks will
resume at an unspecified date.
Source: HAVANA: Cuba, EU approve road map on normalization talks -
Latest News - MiamiHerald.com -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/30/4090435/cuba-eu-approve-road-map-on-normalization.html
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