[CubaNews] ITAR-TASS: Medvedev expresses sympathy for hurricane-stricken Cuba

[Walter Lippmann <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Medvedev expresses sympathy for hurricane-stricken Cuba
03.09.2008, 22.32

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=13037203&PageNum=0
	

MOSCOW, September 3 (Itar-Tass) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had a telephone conversation with Cuban leader Raul Castro Wednesday, in the course of which he expressed sympathy for the people of Cuba in the wake of the damage that has been inflicted on the country by hurricane Gustav, the Kremlin press service said. Medvedev also told Castro about Russiaâs efforts in rendering humanitarian aid to Cuba.

Apart from this, the two leaders discussed the current status of and prospects for bilateral relations in various spheres. âThe Ministry for Emergency Situations and Civil Defense has dispatched two Ilyushin-76 transport jets to Cuba,â a source at the ministry told Itar-Tass. âThey will deliver the first consignments of relief supplies to the hurricane-stricken population.â

The ministry officials plan two more flights to Cuba. The jets will deliver there the tents for accommodating at least 5,000 people, asbestos roofing slates, window glass, foodstuffs, and prime necessities. President Medvedev issued an instruction to Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu September 1 to allocate emergency aid to Cuba in the wake of the devastating hurricane. Fidel Castro compared hurricane Gustavâs aftermath for Cuba with that of a nuclear strike.

Official data indicates that Gustav, which was accompanied by gusts of wind blowing at 340 kilometers per hour, has inflicted damage on more than 100,000 buildings in Cuba. On the Isle of Youth, the hurricane damaged 20,000 houses of the 25,000 houses located there. It also did a severe blow to the infrastructure and the farming sector but preventive measures taken by the Cuban authorities have made it possible to avoid victims among the population. 

=========================================
     WALTER LIPPMANN
     Los Angeles, California
     Editor-in-Chief, CubaNews
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CubaNews/
     "Cuba - Un ParaÃso bajo el bloqueo"
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