Cuba Notes for April 2011

By Tom Whitney

Kudos for bringing back forests

In its recent released report on the "State of the World's Forests 2011," the UN Food and Agriculture Organization gives Cuba high marks for achieving the highest rates in Latin America and the Caribbean for setting aside forest acreage for protective purposes. Beginning in 1998, Cuba's forestry restoration program has added some 250,000 acres to the island's forests. Anticipating a reforestation rate of 120,000 acres annually, Cuba plans to increase its forest coverage from 26.9 percent at present to 29 percent by 2015. Speaking of new tree plantations, national forestry director Carlos Alberto Díaz Maza says, "60 percent will be conservation forests, protecting our coasts, our river basins, and soils." Cuba joins 11 other countries in achieving the world's highest reforestation rates. April 26

Spanish Bank bows to U.S. whim

Spain's BBVA bank has 100,000 employees worldwide. One works in Cuba. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission made the discovery while perusing the giant bank's annual report. Washington, reports La Republica, quizzed Bank financial director Javier Malagón about the "reach and nature of [the bank's] past, present, and future activities" in Cuba and identity of its Cuban government contacts. Although the sole BBVA representative there deals only with banking needs of non-Cubans, BBVA is under the gun. There are SEC rules applying to traders on the New York Stock Exchange keeping up ties with an allegedly terrorist nation. BBVA and other foreign banks have already had to close offices in Iran. "The U.S. doesn't let down its guard," commented elpais.com. April 20

No easy fix for agriculture

Agriculture will be on the agenda of the Communist Party Congress opening in Havana on April 16. A recent review traces progress following implementation of a 2008 decree opening up unused, arable land to private farming. Cuba then was spending $1.5 billion annually to import 60 percent of food consumed there. There are now 100,000 new farms on previously idle land, with 50,000 more targeted for 2015. They are in addition to the 350,000 farms functioning as of 2009.. Three fourths of formerly unused land delivered to aspiring new farmers is under cultivation. Problems noted by the report on larepublica.es include: ongoing drought, diminished credit availability, delayed processing of land use applications, hurricane recovery costs from 2008, and effects of the U.S. economic blockade. Some 50 percent of arable land remains idle. April 13

Self employment is applied to mines, quarries

The Basic Industry ministry announced April 4 that self-employed workers henceforth would be allowed to work mines and quarries previously operated only by state - owned companies. Officials promise to speed up the issuing of permits. Concessions for extracting small volumes of construction materials will be good for a year. Vice Minister of Basic Industry Iván Martínez, cited by Cubadebate.cu, indicated that impetus for the change comes from decisions taken to increase production of building materials - sand, bricks, and cement. Stepped up housing construction is a government priority. Involvement of private enterprise in mining and quarrying parallels the movement this year of half a million workers from state employment into the private sector. April 5

Continuing revelations on U.S. subversion

Pediatric cardiologist Manuel Collera appeared on television on March 28 in one of a series of programs unmasking Cuban intelligence agents. Beginning in 2000 he befriended U.S. and Canadian visitors bringing humanitarian aid. His U. S. - assigned job, reports Cubadebate.cu, was to indentify Cubans to receive the humanitarian aid, using it as entrée into antigovernment activities. He conferred often with U.S. government representatives. The U.S. Interests Section in Havana arranged contacts with North American visitors. The Donner Foundation of Canada and Pan American Foundation for Development served as conduits of money to fund anti-government projects in Cuba. Jean Guy Allard reported recently that USAID, which funded the latter group, joined the U.S. State Department this year in spending $30 million on Internet destabilization projects. March 30

Television series turns to cyber war

The series "Cuba's Reasons," has documented U.S. intrusions, including a Luis Posada agent arranging for hotel bombings and U.S payments to street protesters and sham journalists. Former state security agents infiltrating the groups figure prominently in the showings. On March 21, programming turned toward U.S. destabilization efforts using Internet systems. Telecommunications specialist and former agent Dalexi González told how a U.S. citizen gave him software security systems to hand over to government opponents. The report on Cubadebate.cu includes Information Ministry official Carlos del Porto's description of long term U.S. efforts to bend the Internet toward disrupting Cuban military, economic, and diplomatic functions. Anti-Cuban blogger Yoani Sánchez, recipient says the UK Guardian of $500,000 in international prize monies, was shown entering the U.S. Interests Section and foreign embassies. March 22

Blockade does not exempt health care

The United Nations Development Program recently informed Cuba that the U.S. government, in unprecedented fashion, has frozen this year's first trimester, $4.2 million dollar allocation of funds the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria provides for Cuba. Cuba would have added the money to $200 million its health system annually dedicates to preventing HIV/AIDS infection and treating affected people. These efforts, maintained throughout the almost thirty years of the pandemic, have earned worldwide recognition. On March 12, foreign trade official Orlando Hernández, quoted by Cubadebate.cu, pointed out that "this action is added to a long list of examples of extraterritorial application of economic, commercial, and financial encirclement of Cuba by the United States for more than 50 years." March 15

UN Human Rights Council hears of the Cuban Five

Speaking before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 8, Cuban diplomat Juan Antonio Quintanilla denounced the incarceration in U. S. prisons of Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Ramon Labañino, Rene Gonzalez and Fernando Gonzalez. According to the Cuban News Agency, Quintanilla reminded the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that the trial of the Five was biased and that defense attorneys were denied access to documents available to prosecutors. The Working Group had already ruled in 2005 that their detention was arbitrary. Like Cuban spokespersons before him, the official demanded that the U.S. government free the men who at the time of their arrests in Florida 12 years ago were defending Cuba against terrorist attacks. March 9