Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos
(Photo: Facebook official account)

The Colombian government and Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) resumed their peace negotiations in the Cuban capital of La Habana yesterday, when the guerrilla group surprised with a proposal to delay next year’s presidential elections. The FARC stated it is “urgent and convenient” to postpone elections for a year and hold them in 2015, saying that this will protect the ongoing peace negotiations from “all possible circumstances that may jeopardise this process.”

In the 10th round of negotiations, both sides are discussing the political future of FARC and its possible political participation in Colombian society.

Iván Márquez, the FARC’s main negotiator, said their proposal is about a full delay, “from electing mayors and all the way to electing members of the House of Representatives, senators and the country’s president.”

The elections in Colombia are scheduled for May 2014 and with current president Santos expressing his desire to run for reelection, FARC claims that campaigning could affect the peace process.

Government officials immediately rejected FARC’s proposal and asked the guerrilla movement to focus on the current peace negotiations. President Juan Manuel Santos replied: “There is not even a minimum possibility this could happen. We have an electoral calendar that will be fulfilled.”

Some analysts suggest that the guerrilla’s main goal is to prepare its own candidate or support a particular political sector to get representation in the Congress.

FARC’s proposed election delay would also mean “no presidential reelection” and moreover, that this, along with peace agreements made in Cuba, would be endorsed via a newly-appointed Constituent Assembly.

Rejecting FARC’s idea, government delegate Humberto De la Calle concluded: “We should not be distracted by proposals that contribute so little to the clarity, as it implies the extension of the current term, which will not work.”

The Cuban government confirmed today that it is to introduce the country’s first free trade zone. The policy will see a new customs regime for the importation, production, and sale of goods in both the domestic and international market.

The government confirmed that the first free trade industrial region will be established at Puerto de Mariel in Cuba’s Artemisa province. The customs regime will see companies operating in the area exempt from import taxes, meaning goods can then be re-exported with higher added value, as well as alterations in the current customs procedures for production, importation, and sale of goods.

Puerta Mariel, located in the northwest of Cuba, will assume all national maritime commerce that until now had been centred in Havana. The plan is for the zone to become a “mega-port”, the first of its kind in Cuba, and an industrial platform for trade with both domestic and international markets.

The free trade zone initiative cost US$900 million, with US$640 million contributed by Brazil and the remainder by Cuba. The Brazilian investment company Odebrecht has already built several industrial plants in the zone.

The minister of foreign trade and investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, said that the opening of the free trade zone is part of the policy of President Raúl Castro “to increase exports and effective import substitution”, and represents “an interesting opportunity for foreign capital.”

The expansion of the Puerto de Mariel, and the construction of the “mega-port” is stated to begin in April.

President Raúl Castro of Cuba (Photo: Wikipedia)

Cuban leader Raúl Castro announced yesterday that he would step down after his second term as president ends in 2018.

81-year-old Castro made the announcement in a nationally broadcasted speech soon after the Cuban National Assembly elected him to preside over a second five-year term. ‘This will be my last term.” He told the country.

Migual Dìaz-Canel, 52, is to become Castro’s first vice-president after rising through the ranks as a member of the political bureau. Dìaz-Canel will succeed the president if he is unable to serve his full term.

The new government is tipped to be the last ruled by the Castro brothers who have governed Cuba since the 1959 revolution. Castro also suggested that some constitutional changes are set to be severe and will therefore have to be ratified by the Cuban people in a public referendum. However, he added that, “He was not named president in order to destroy Cuba’s socialist system.”

Speaking about the appointment of Dìaz-Canel during the broadcast, Castro said, “It represents a definitive step in the configuration of the future leadership of the nation through gradual transfer of key roles to new generations.” These changes are likely to include two-term limits and age caps for political offices including the presidency.

Former minister of higher education and erstwhile electrical engineer by training, Dìaz-Canel has long been mooted to succeed Castro and travelled to Venezuela to witness the inauguration of Hugo Chávez, a significant Castro ally.

Below: Raúl Castro (Photo: Manu Dias / AGECOM); above: Dmitri Medvedev (Photo: maik.info in Flickr).

Cuba and Russia signed ten agreements to strengthen diplomatic and commercial relations, as the first order of business in a series of bilateral talks currently taking place in Havana.

The series of accords solidifies the states’ cooperation on issues including space exploration and aeronautics, debt regulation, energy, customs terms, education, nuclear medicine, permanent embassy installation, the environment, and national archives.

Head of state Raúl Castro and Russian prime minister Dmitri Medvedev signed the agreements in the Palace of the Revolution, where they will meet for further discussion over the next three days.

The bilateral discussions are expected to highlight the diversification of trade, energy issues, and pharmaceuticals.

Medvedev arrived in Havana yesterday after a stay in Brazil where he met with President Dilma Rousseff. Apart from the formal discussions, while in Cuba the prime minister is to leave flowers at the Mausoleum of the International Soviet Soldier, which holds 67 Soviet soldiers who died in Cuba as part of a brigade stationed on the island for various years, including during the crisis of 1962. He is also scheduled to visit the Russian stand in the city’s international book market.

Voters turned out in large numbers on Sunday to renew 612 seats in Cuba’s National Assembly.

After the elections, the new parliament will be formed over a period of 45 days, and it will be in charge of electing the 31 members of the State Council.

The State Council is then expected to confirm Raúl Castro for a second presidential term, which could be his last as he promised to limit the political terms in Cuba to a maximum of 10 consecutive years (two terms).

Half of the National Assembly is elected by the people, in a first electoral phase. The rest of the candidates are put forward by the National Commission of Candidacies, and confirmed by representatives of mass organisation (workers, women, students, and farmers).

Fidel Castro (photo by Antonio Milena – ABr)

Fidel Castro turned out to be the surprise of the election day as he reappeared to vote in the electoral college of the neighbourhood Plaza de la Revolución, where he used to vote before becoming sick and handing power to his brother Raúl. It is the first time since 2006 that Fidel Castro has voted in person.

After voting, Castro –former president and current deputy– talked about various subjects with the local media. He referred to the economic reforms introduced by his brother Raúl, and added that the community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was an advance due to the efforts of many, among them the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. Chávez, who is recovering from an operation in Havana, “is much better” said Castro.

During the election day, several government members valued the elections of the socialist country as an exercise of sovereignty and participative democracy. Others accused it of being a “farce”. Fidel Castro stated that in Cuba “the elections are not like in the United States where only a minority can vote (…) here the people are in charge.”

The Cuban authorities assert that the Cuban electoral system is democratic and transparent, but opponents question it as the people only vote for half of the congress and that a major part of the candidates for which they vote are government civil servants.

Cuban cultural award Casa de las Américas ran its 54th edition between 21st and 31st January and named the winners yesterday. The panel chose from among 776 participants in five categories from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Chile, Peru and other countries.

Argentine author Gabriel Cortiñas won in the poetry category for his book ‘Pujato‘, leaving 328 competitors behind. Cuban author Jesús Arboleya Cervera got the prize in the category socio-historical essay with his piece ‘Cuba y los cubanoamericanos. Un análisis de la emigración cubana‘ (‘Cuba and Cuban-Americans. An Analysis of Cuban Emigration’) among 43 other participants. Nicolás Doljanin from Argentina became a winner in the category testimonial literature, presenting his book ‘La sombra del tío‘ (‘The uncle’s shadow’). He competed with 55 other authors. The Brazilian literature category gathered 158 participants and awarded Luiz Ruffato for his book ‘Domingos Sem Deus‘ (‘Sundays without God’).

The Extraordinary prize for studies about original cultures of the Americas was given to Lucía Guerra from Chile for her book ‘La ciudad ajena: Subjetividades de origen mapuche en el espacio urbano‘ (‘The Alien City: Subjectivity of Mapuche Origins in Urban Space’).

Additionally to the mentioned prizes, for the 13th time Casa de las Américas awarded honorary grants to relevant books by the authors of “Our America, or related to Latin American topics”, in the genres of poetry, fiction and essays. This year the panel considered books published in 2010 and 2011. The first prize, for an essay named after Ezequiel Martínez Estrada, went to Víctor Barrera Enderle from Mexico for his book ‘Lectores insurgentes. La formación de la crítica literaria hispanoamericana (1810-1870)‘ (‘Insurgent Readers. Forming the Latin American Literary Critics (1810-1870)’. The second prize for narrative literature named after José María Arguedas went to Chico Buarque from Brazil for his book ‘Leche derramada’ (‘Spilled Milk’). The third prize for poetry named after José Lezama Lima went to Rafael Courtoisie from Uruguay for his piece ‘Tiranos temblad‘ (‘Tyrants Tremble’).

Casa de las Américas was founded in April 1959 and is recognised as one of the oldest and most prestigious literature awards in Latin America. Edward Brathwaite, Humberto Costantini, Roque Dalton, Eduardo Galeano, Renato Prada Oropeza, and Susana Rotker got the prize in different years.

The negotiating teams of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government of Juan Manuel Santos are scheduled to restart the fourth round of peace talks on Thursday in Havana, Cuba after a one-week recess.

The talks will resume in the Conference Centre, with Cuba and Norway as mediators of a process that seeks to end a regional armed conflict that has lasted for more than 50 years.

The third round of negotiations finished on 24^th January. Both parties issued a joint statement in which they said that “the dialogue marks a good step and we have reached common ground, although there are still some differences.”

The text references approaches to end rural poverty and to achieve a farming transformation through the implementation of comprehensive programs aimed at democratising access to land.

The peace talks began on 19^th November and have so far focused on the issue of rural development, the first of a six-point agenda agreed to by both parties.

While the FARC require comprehensive agriculture reform, the government defends a land policy that is “bold and new, respecting private law, respecting property, and respecting the rights acquired in good faith”.

Besides the issue of land, the other points that the parties will address are political participation, the end of armed conflict, the solution to illegal drugs, and the rights of victims.

Talks started just after FARC detained two soldiers. The head of the government’s negotiating team, Huberto de la Calle, repudiated this and expressed the solidarity of the delegation with the National Police and the families of the hostages.

“It is radically wrong if they think that such actions will force the government to a bilateral ceasefire,” he said.

Victims and social organisations called on the government for a bilateral ceasefire so that the peace process will not be affected by acts of war.

Cuba’s Public Health Ministry today acknowledged that there are 51 confirmed cases of cholera in the capital city of Havana. Concerns are rising as the Latin American country struggles to control the largest outbreak of cholera that it has seen in decades.

Cuban authorities have issued an official statement that says that doctors have noticed an increase in “watery diarrhoea” in some city districts, which has been confirmed as cholera.

Medical workers have been going from house to house in the capital city, checking for symptoms.

The source has been identified as a foodseller at a local sports event who is believed to have caught the disease during a previous outbreak.

The central district of Cerro has been worst affected and only sealed food and drink is being permitted for sale, with restaurants and bars closed down.

According to health ministers, the outbreak was first detected on 6th January, and following the subsequent safety measures, officials claim the disease is now in its “extinction phase”. The statement did not mention any fatalities.

However, the family of one man, 46-year-old Uvaldo Pino Rodriguez, told the Associated Press last week, that he had died from Cholera on 2nd January. Rodriguez’s sister claims that authorities sealed off his room after he died and told her to burn all his belongings.

Before the outbreak last July, Cuba had not experienced problems with cholera for over 50 years.

Today marks the first day of Cuba’s eased immigration reform which allows citizens to leave the country more easily than in decades. The new policy, announced last 16^th October, only requires most Cubans to present a valid passport and visa to travel without special government approval.

While the new law replaces previous requirements like the exit permission notice known as a ‘white card’, invitation letters, or legal consulate approval, Cuba still reserves the right to deny exit “to preserve human capital created by the Revolution” and “for ‘public interest’ reasons” or for “defence” and “national security”. Allowable stays abroad have been extended from the previous 11 months to a full two years and permanent foreign residents no longer have to pay the US$40 per month fee. Those who left the country illegally after 1994 also now enjoy a means to return to the island.

Lastly, the law does place restrictions on professions considered especially crucial to the national workforce to prevent ‘brain drain’ such as high-level directors, scientists, doctors, teachers, and athletes. Instead, permission could be granted on a case-by-case basis.

For its part, the United States, second home to 85% of current Cuban emigrants, says it  “positively accepts” the reform, but reiterates that “Cubans will continue to need approval” to enter the country. Victoria Nuland, spokesperson for the United States State Department, added that the US is working “to guarantee the necessary mechanisms to respond to any increase in the amount of visa requests or undocumented immigration, and urges Cuban families to utilise the family reunification tools and other legal immigration mechanisms in effect.” She asked that no one undertake “dangerous journeys by sea, putting their lives in danger.”

While the reform has been welcomed by some, many dissidents claim it is still discriminatory. “It seems that [the filter] will now be in the process of giving the passport and not in the so-called white card for permission, like up until now,” tweeted dissident blogger Yoani Sánchez, who plans to submit paperwork to leave the island today. Elizardo Sánchez, head of the Cuban Commission of Human Rights and National Reconciliation, commented, “The new law continues to be essentially discriminatory and violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights persists,” referencing the declaration’s protection of freedom of movement.

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has planned to visit her Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez in Havana this week.

Hugo Chávez is recovering from an operation related to his cancer struggle in Cuba and will miss his scheduled inauguration in Caracas on 10th January.

Oscar Parrilli, secretary general of the presidency, confirmed that Fernández would make a stop in Cuba at the start of her world tour in which she will be visiting United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Página 12 has quoted a government source as saying that “the trip [to Cuba] is being managed very carefully and is a private trip”. Fernández and Chávez have been long-time political allies and share a close personal relationship. According to the same source the Argentine president would only remain in the Caribbean country for 30 hours before starting her official trip.

Hugo Chávez with President Fernández's late husband Nestór Kirchner (Wikimedia Commons)

According to La Nación, the Argentine government received a message asking Fernández to postpone her visit to Cuba but the president insisted she wanted to visit, at least to support Chávez’s family.

La Nación also published that last Thursday Fernández had sent Ricardo Follonier, an aide to the late President Néstor Kirchner and close to the Venezuelan government, to Cuba to express the Argentine government’s support.

Hundreds of Chávez supporters marched yesterday in Buenos Aires in support of the Venezuelan president. The supporters, many members of social movements and political parties, marched to the Venezuelan embassy to deliver a letter of support and solidarity.

“The Argentine people thank you and promise that we will stand firm in following your teachings, defending our achievements, and continue fighting for what still needs to be done,” the letter read.