Cuban Parliamentary Sessions End with Support to Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas

Havana, December 25 (RHC) — Cuban Parliamentary sessions concluded on Friday in Havana with the presence of President Fidel Castro and with the approval of the budget and economic and social guidelines for 2005.

A total of 10.5 billion pesos will be earmarked for education, health and social assistance, culture, sports, sciences and technology - 68 percent of expenditures included in the budget.

Education (4.1 billion pesos), health and new programs to improve medical and assistance services (2.3 billion pesos) as well as payments for social security pensions (2.3 billion pesos) registered the highest increases compared to 2003. Assignments for these three sectors rose by 11.3 percent, 9.4 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

Some 645 million pesos were allocated for social assistance and programs to help low-income citizens or the physically disabled.

Although science, technology and environment are subsidized with additional resources, they were granted 248 million pesos, while defense and interior order received 1.4 million pesos.

A declaration in support of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas - known by its Spanish acronym ALBA - was also approved in the last day of sessions of the Cuban Parliament.

The declaration expresses the satisfaction of the Cuban National Assembly with the joint declaration and agreement for the implementation of ALBA signed on December 14th by Cuban and Venezuelan presidents Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez during a two-day visit of the latter to Havana.

During the final day of sessions, the Cuban Parliament unanimously agreed to name the year 2005 as Year of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas.

Also on Friday, President Fidel Castro referred to recent agreements with China, Venezuela and Brazil.

The Cuban leader announced that China has granted Cuba several credits to acquire medical equipment, TV sets, and fabric and to develop the island’s infrastructure in sectors such as telecommunications, railroads and oil extraction. Chinese banks have also granted 500 million dollars for the creation of a Cuban-Chinese joint venture that will be in charge of constructing a nickel plant that will produce some 22,500 tons of the metal in 25 years. China will also make a 1.3 billion-dollar investment in a joint venture to exploit a new nickel reserve in the province of Camagüey that will produce some 50,000 tons a year.

Regarding Venezuela, the Cuban president announced that both countries agreed to study a program of oil supply for 2005 that, in addition to the national oil production, will guarantee the necessary supplies for the national use. Fidel Castro noted that Cuba’s services to Venezuela are given upon very preferential economic bases to compensate the goods and services that Venezuela provides. Among other items, the Cuban leader added that Cuban facilities will be used for the distribution of Venezuelan oil in the Caribbean and that studies are being made to create a Cuba-China-Venezuela joint venture for the production of stainless steel in Venezuela.

Finally, Fidel Castro announced that, in order to alleviate the damages caused by worst drought of the last 75 years and the devastation of hurricanes Charley and Ivan, Brazil has granted Cuba an important credit for the acquisition of food in 2005.

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