Medvedev and Castro meet to rebuild Russia-Cuba relations

[Judi Lynn]

Medvedev and Castro meet to rebuild Russia-Cuba relations
Russian president will meet Fidel Castro tonight after signing oil exploration and nickel mining deals with brother Raul today

Rory Carroll, Latin America correspondent guardian.co.uk, Friday November 28 2008 17.07 GMT

President Dmitry Medvedev was due to hold talks with Fidel Castro tonight to rebuild Russia's relations with Cuba almost a decade after they ended in acrimony.

The Russian leader earlier met and signed deals on nickel mining and oil exploration with Raul Castro, who succeeded his ailing older brother as Cuba's president in February.

In a display of bonhomie, the two presidents toured Havana's historical sights arm in arm. "It has been a magnificent visit and now he will see Fidel," Raul shouted to TV cameras.

The one-night stop in Havana was the final leg of Medvedev's week-long Latin America tour, a visit intended to open business opportunties for Russian companies and to show that Moscow could operate in the US backyard amid tension over Washington's involvement in eastern Europe and the Caucasus.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/28/cuba-russia

[Judi Lynn]

1. Cubans seek more trade with Canada

Cubans seek more trade with Canada
5 hours ago

OTTAWA — Cuba's trade minister says the Caribbean nation is seeking more business with Canada to bolster his country's economy during the global economic crisis.

Raul de la Nuez told The Canadian Press he hopes to boost the volume of trade between the two countries in the months ahead.

De la Nuez met this week with his Canadian counterpart, International Trade Minister Stockwell Day, as well as Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz.

"I think that we have an opportunity to improve or to increase the volume of trade that today we have," De la Nuez said.

"We think that the relationship between both countries is important to us, and I think during this meeting we had the opportunity to discuss some of these issues."

A spokeswoman for Day says the two ministers spoke about Canada supplanting Spain as Cuba's third-largest trading partner, and about the growing number of Canadian tourists vacationing there.

Day also assured De la Neuz that Canada would make every effort to ease exports of agricultural goods and fertilizer to Cuba after three massive hurricanes swept over the island in the last two months.

De la Neuz says there's a need in Cuba for food, chemicals, fertilizers, machinery and commercial and high-tech equipment from Canada. In exchange, he says Cuba can provide Canada with nickel and ore concentrate, cigars and other traditional Cuban products.

More:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5igHfRwb1JM6FTKUUfnpVMPvGOZzw