Posted on 07/07/2002 8:49:21 PM PDT by HAL9000
Arrival in Cuba de Ralph Nader, ex-candidate ecologist with the American presidency
Havana, 7 juil (AFP) - Ralph Nader, former candidate ecologist with the American presidential election of 2000, arrived Sunday at Havana, the invitation of the cuban French National Assembly, noted the AFP on the spot.
In visit in Cuba until Wednesday, Mr. Nader met as of Sunday evening cuban president Fidel Castro, at the time of a dinner deprived with the Palate of the Revolution.
On its arrival with the airport, where it accomodated by the president of the Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, Ralph Nader decided in favour of a "public discussion, on line and in time limited" between Washington and Havana on the question of the democracy, at the time of a press conference.
May 20, American president George Bush had announced a hardening of his policy with regard to Cuba if Castro did not engagait democratic reforms. The cuban government had answered while proceeding to a constitutional reform giving an "immutable" character to the socialist mode.
Mr. Nader also defended the idea of trade between the two countries, with the image of trade between the United States and China.
Ralph Nader should discuss, Monday morning, with the cuban Minister for the Foreign Affairs Felipe Perez Roque, before going to the Center genetic engineering and biotechnology of Havana.
Washington shows Cuba to produce biological weapons, inter alia in this center, which Havana described as "completely false and hypocritical".
The program of Mr. Nader does not include/understand meetings with representatives of the opposition castrist, but it affirmed that it would benefit from his stay in the island to discuss with dissidents.
Ralph Nader is the second politician of high row to be gone to Cuba, since the visit of the democratic former president American Jimmy Carter (1976-1980) last May.
Mr. Carter had proposed there a platform of dialogue between Cuba and the United States, according to which the administration of the president George W Bush should take the first step in softener the commercial embargo striking the island.
Former US presidential contender Ralph Nader arrives in Cuba
HAVANA, July 7 (AFP) - Former US presidential contender Ralph Nader arrived here Sunday to discuss with Cuban President Fidel Castro ways of combating tropical diseases.
Nader, who was the US Green Party's presidential nominee in 2000, was met at the airport by Cuban National Assembly Chairman Ricardo Alarcon.
He said a US-Cuban partnership in fighting tropical diseases would make sense because the United States had the money and Cuba trained and experienced personnel.
Nader also spoke in favor of abandoning a 40-year-old US trade embargo against Cuba and of launching a dialogue between the two countries on the meaning of democracy.
The US politician, who traveled to Cuba at the invitation of its National Assembly, is scheduled to have the first of his two planned meetings with Castro later Sunday.
Nader, who has already begun a series of meetings with Alarcon, is scheduled to meet Monday with Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque. He will return to the United States on Wednesday.
Nader said he intended to use his stay in Cuba to meet with local dissidents, although such a meeting is not included in his official program.
In visit in Cuba until Wednesday, Mr. Nader met as of Sunday evening cuban president Fidel Castro, at the time of a dinner deprived with the Palate of the Revolution.
I wonder what the "Palate of the Revolution" is...and why they were deprived. LOL!
Nader: U.S. should lift economic sanctions against Cuba
Havana, Jul 07, 2002 (EFE via COMTEX) -- U.S. consumer advocate and former Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader arrived on Sunday in Cuba for a three-day visit and said that Washington should lift economic sanctions against the island.
Nader arrived at the Jose Marti International Airport, where he was received by National Assembly head Ricardo Alarcon.
"The best way to learn is to visit, and I have not been here since 1959," Nader said.
He said that his visit, which is scheduled to end on Wednesday, had "several motives," including learning about Cuban life firsthand.
Nader, who won 2.72 percent of the vote in 2000, believes Washington should do business with Cuba like it does with China.
He also said the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) would "spread throughout Latin America an autocratic government" which holds secret meetings that exclude citizens and non-governmental organizations.
He said the FTAA would only benefit multinational corporations and did not include measures to protect workers or environmental standards.
"That is why we suggested that our government revoke the agreement and respect workers rights and the environment," Nader said.
Nader plans to dine twice with Cuban President Fidel Castro and to visit important social, economic and cultural areas on his visit.
He is also scheduled to speak with the president of the Assembly's Economic Affairs Commission, Osvaldo Martinez; Culture Minister Abel Prieto; Labor and Social Security Minister Alfredo Morales Cartaya; and dissidents who seek democratic reform.
In May, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter also visited the island.
U.S. President George W. Bush has said that he would veto any move to ease the economic embargo until Cuba puts democratic reforms in place and moves toward a market economy.
Copyright (c) 2002. Agencia EFE S.A.
Agreed. Originally I read it as "Pate of the Revolution" and figured it was on the menu.
It gets better. Clinton is in Sweden and Carter is in Venezuela.
It gets better. Clinton is in Sweden and Carter is in Venezuela.
WOW!! No wonder I've felt so good these past few days!!
You are known by the company you keep.
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