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Cuba / US Relations

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba in response, to US Embassy hostility.

Cuba has never perpetrated, nor will it ever perpetrate attacks of any sort against diplomatic officials or their relatives, without any exception
Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba in response to recent measures taken by the Trump administration following incidents involving U.S. diplomatic personnel in Havana

Author: Cubaminrex | internet@granma.cu
october 3, 2017 16:10:00
Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba in response to recent measures taken by the Trump administration following incidents involving U.S. diplomatic personnel in Havana:

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Photo: Cubaminrex
On September 29, 2017, the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced the decision to significantly downscale the diplomatic staff of the US embassy in Havana and withdraw all their relatives, claiming that there had been “attacks” perpetrated against US Government officials in Cuba which have harmed their health.
Once again, on October 3, the US Government, in an unwarranted act, decided that 15 officials of the Cuban Embassy in Washington should depart from the United States, claiming that the US had reduced their diplomatic staffing levels in Havana and that the Cuban Government had failed to take all appropriate steps to prevent “attacks” against them.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protests and condemns this unfounded and unacceptable decision as well as the pretext used to justify it, for it has been asserted that the Cuban Government did not take the appropriate measures to prevent the occurrence of the alleged incidents.
In the meeting that, at the proposal of the Cuban side, was held with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, warned him against the adoption of hasty decisions that were not supported by evidence; urged him not to politicize a matter of this nature and once again required the effective cooperation from the US authorities to clarify facts and conclude the investigation.

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The Havana Malecón preparing to reopen

The Havana Malecón preparing to reopen
After two weeks of intense work to repair damage caused by Hurricane Irma to Havana’s waterfront Malecon, parts of the avenue and its surrounding areas are set to reopen October 1

Author: Cubadebate | internet@granma.cu
september 27, 2017 12:09:20

WORLD NEWS WEA-IRMA-CUBA SIP

 

 

 

 

 

 

Road workers repairing damage caused by Hurricane Irma to the capital’s seawall. September 26, 2017.

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After two weeks of intense work to repair damage caused by Hurricane Irma to Havana’s Malecon, parts of the avenue and its surrounding areas are set to reopen October 1.
The avenue is closed due to repair works currently underway, stated Raúl Díaz Guadarrama, director general of the National Roads Administration Center, speaking to ACN.
He noted that 14 points of damage, mainly to pavements, were identified along the eight kilometer seawall, which is one of the capital’s most famous reference points.
Repairs are being carried out by brigades from the Ministry of Construction, Raúl Roa Contingent, Havana Waters enterprise, Provincial Roads Administration Center and Engineering Works Constructor number five, among other entities, noted Díaz Guadarrama.
Meanwhile, Carlos Díaz Hidalgo, the Ministry of Transport’s provincial director of road infrastructure, noted that over 1,000 cubic meters of concrete has been used in works to repair damage caused by the hurricane.

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Cuba Hurricane Irma

The Guiteras thermoelectric plant up and running

The Guiteras thermoelectric plant up and running
The long awaited news has arrived: shortly after 3pm on September 27, and after more than two weeks of intense repair work, the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant was reconnected to the national electricity grid
Author: Ventura de Jesús García Gutiérrez | ventura@granma.cu
september 28, 2017 14:09:06

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The long awaited news has arrived: shortly after 3pm on September 27, and after more than two weeks of intense repair works, the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant was reconnected to the national electricity grid.
Of course, the news was welcomed by workers and directors of the plant who have been working round the clock to get the facility back up and running following damage caused by Hurricane Irma. We are very, very happy, we have fulfilled the heroic task we were assigned, stated Alejandro Ventosa, a founding member of the plant’s workforce and decorated Labor Hero of the Republic of Cuba.
Meanwhile, Rubén Campos Olmo, director general of the facility praised the work of all who made this first phase of recovery efforts possible, with repairs completed to generator no. two, supplying 200 megawatts. He also went on to note that the other generator should be fixed in about six days, which should see the power supply to citizens stabilize. Everyone hopes that this stage will be as successful as the previous one, he noted.
In this regard, Campos Olmo stated that workers are currently cleaning all of the pipelines, channels and other spaces filled with debris, 14,000 cubic meters of which has been removed thus far. He also highlighted the importance of fitting temporary coverings to protect generators and other equipment from seawater damage.
Opened in March 1988, the Antonio Guiteras is one of the country’s main and most consistent suppliers of power to the national grid.

Cuba Hurricane Irma

Cuba will be ready for tourist high season

Cuba will be ready for tourist high season without a trace of Hurricane Irma
Cuba’s Tourism minister noted that the main damage in this sector was limited to light roofing, false ceilings, broken windows, and green areas

Author: Juan Diego Nusa Peñalver | internet@granma.cu
september 27, 2017 12:09:57

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Varadero’s Hotel Meliá Las Américas is open and offering services to tourists.

We reiterate our commitment that all Cuban tourism facilities will be operational in time for the upcoming high season, Minister of Tourism Manuel Marrero Cruz stressed during a meeting with some 160 tour operators September 23, in Varadero’s Plaza América Convention Center, to address the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
The minister explained that the necessary financial and material resources, equipment, and personnel are available for this purpose.
Marrero insisted that our “commitment to you is not limited to recovering from the effects of the hurricane, but that everything will be better than before and that we will have as a final result an updated and higher quality tourist product.”

Verónica Orellana Rodríguez and José Antonio Triviño Bermúdez, from Cádiz, Spain, are spending their honeymoon in Varadero’s Ocean Vista Azul hotel.
He noted that he was speaking with authority, having toured “all the tourist sites along the north coast of the country, and several of them on more than one occasion… Cuban tourism will be operational and restored for this high season.”
The official stressed that power, water, and communications were restored in 100% of the country’s tourist resorts, including the northern Santa María, Coco and Guillermo keys.
He also offered a broad analysis of the effects caused by the adverse weather phenomenon on the local leisure industry, and described these to be generally minimal.

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