[CubaNews] JAMAICA OBSERVER: Jamaica, Cuba to collaborate in five areas

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jamaica, Cuba to collaborate in five areas

Thursday, May 08, 2008

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20080507T230000-0500_135387_OBS_JAM
AICA__CUBA_TO_COLLABORATE_IN_FIVE_AREAS.asp

JAMAICA and Cuba have agreed to collaborate in the areas of agriculture,
health, tourism, water resources and housing, Prime Minister Bruce Golding
told reporters in Kingston yesterday.

The prime minister, who was speaking at a press conference at the Norman
Manley International Airport, shortly after he and members of his team
arrived from an official visit to Cuba, said frameworks in the respective
areas will require follow-up work on both sides to hammer out the finer
details.

He said, however, that in the area of agriculture, Christopher Tufton,
Jamaica's agriculture minister, had already held discussions with his Cuban
counterpart and looked at some of the agricultural projects which can be
replicated in Jamaica. The discussions, Golding said, also included the
significant levels of technical assistance Cuba was willing to provide,
particularly in the area of greenhouse technology and ways of enhancing its
effectiveness here in Jamaica.

In addition, Tufton is also negotiating for Cuban extension officers to be
sent to assist farmers in Jamaica.

On the issue of health, the prime minister said Health Minister Ruddy
Spencer would be returning to Cuba with a technical team from his ministry
to look at the expansion of health services offered to Jamaicans by the
Cubans.

The prime minister said while he was not prepared to discuss the details of
that arrangement just yet, it would seek to address two critical areas of
health provision.

On tourism, Golding said Jamaica was seeking to return assistance to Cuba
through the area of tourism collaboration which would result in multiple
destination promotion by both countries.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett told the Observer he would be providing
further details on this arrangement when he speaks in the sectoral debate in
Parliament next week.

Meanwhile, the water and housing minister, Horace Chang, signed off on two
memorandum of understanding to address the issue of water resource
management and the provision of shelter in squatter settlements.

However, even as Golding made the announcement about the partnership in the
five areas, he gave a commitment to encourage the American Government to
pursue a path of constructive engagement with the Cuban Government similar
to what has been adapted with communist China and Vietnam.

He said the US was prepared to engage constructively with China and Vietnam
and the time has come for constructive engagement with Cuba.

"We gave them (Cuban Government) an assurance that not only would we
continue to support that view, but that we would use whatever influence we
have, however limited, to seek to encourage and influence the thinking of
the US Government towards a different approach to Cuba," Golding said.

He said there were clear signs that Cuba was moving on a path of reform
since Raul Castro assumed presidency. "Some very significant initiative has
been taken and we believe it is something that ought to be encouraged," said
Golding.

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WALTER LIPPMANN, CubaNews
Los Angeles, California
http://www.walterlippmann.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
"Cuba - Un Paraiso bajo el bloqueo"
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