Posted on 9/29/2003, 10:18:48 PM by Tailgunner Joe
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva departed Cuba, after visiting with his old pal Fidel Castro and working to increase business ties between their two countries.
Lula, Latin America's most influential democratically elected leftist leader, arrived in Havana for a 30-hour visit on Friday. The trip also helps break Castro's increasing diplomatic isolation.
The Brazilian leader is arguably the most important head of state to visit Cuba since Mexico's President Vicente Fox in February 2002.
"Everything went very well. It was the best visit that we've ever had," gushed Castro as he bade farewell to Lula at the Havana airport.
Castro and Lula's friendship goes back 20 years, when Lula was a labor union activist during Brazil's hard-line military dictatorship.
Lula had no remarks on departure, but earlier thanked Castro for the support he offered so many years ago.
Castro described the Brazilian leader as "our brother Lula" as he inaugurated a binational meeting of business leaders in Havana, while Lula urged private investors to "not fear becoming multinational enterprises."
Even thouth Lula is a pro-democracy champion in Brazil, he declined to accept requests to meet Cuban dissidents and the families of political prisoners during his two-day stay.
"I have plenty of problems in Brazil, and neither I nor any respectable head of state can come to a country to dictate rules on internal politics," Lula said in Mexico before flying to Cuba.
In two lengthly private meetings, the two leaders focused on economic and commercial issues.
The United States and the European Union have stepped up criticism of Havana's human rights record, especially an April crackdown which saw 75 dissidents jailed for up to 28 years.
In return for European criticism, the Cuban authorities this week refused a visa for the German government's human rights envoy, Claudia Roth. The German government called the decision "very disappointing". Cuba also has refused to allow the top UN human rights official to visit.
The Brazilian business delegation, numbering some 50 executives, is interested in several sectors of Cuba's economy including sugar, fishing, generic medicines and vaccines, tourism and deep water oil exploration.
Representatives of Brazil's national oil company, Petrobras, are examining the restructuring of Cuban oil refineries including the Cienfuegos plant in central Cuba, as well as the modernisation of outdated equipment.
Brazilian oil men are also interested in recovering unproductive offshore oil deposits, according to a Brazilian source who was optimistic agreements could be brokered.
Current trade between the two countries is relatively modest; it totalled some 88 million dollars in 2002.
Brazil sold some 74 million dollars worth of exports to Cuba last year compared with some 14 million dollars in Cuban sales in the other direction.
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Brazil, Cuba Sign $200M in Business Deals
Linked for decades as fellow icons of Latin America's left, Brazil's president and Fidel Castro cemented their relationship Saturday as they talked business and ignored Cuba's human rights record.
Presiding over the signing of $200 million in new business deals in Cuba by private Brazilian enterprises, the Cuban leader put his arm around President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as they talked about future trade between their nations.
"This is an exceptional step for Cuba and Brazil," said Silva, a former labor leader known throughout the region simply as "Lula."
"In a globalized world, we must join together ... so we can compete one-on-one with developed nations," Silva said.
Specifics of the agreements were not disclosed, but included $140 million in deals with Brazilian firms to build four beach resort hotels, Brazilian officials said. Other deals included investment in Cuban sugar and transportation.
Brazilian officials said their country's development bank would provide financing for the investments. They denied earlier news reports from Brazil that the bank was negotiating a $400 million credit line for the Cuban government.
"Cuba is very honored," Castro told reporters. "This is the best trip we have had in a long time."
Silva also briefly met Cuba's Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Ortega on Saturday morning, said a presidential spokesman, who declined to provide details.
Castro was at Silva's side during much of his 1 1/2 day visit. The Cuban leader greeted the Brazilian president with a hug at the airport when he arrived at noon Friday, and was at the airport to see him off when he left Saturday afternoon.
The Brazilian president has toned down his once-radical image and needs to maintain good relations with the United States, Brazil's No. 1 trading partner.
But as he grows accustomed to his budding role as a leader of regional integration, Silva also clearly wants to maintain good ties with Cuba, which has not had diplomatic relations with the United States for more than four decades.
Silva said before he arrived he would not meet with Cuban dissidents or discuss Cuba's human rights record.
Most recently, Cuba was target of international condemnation for a March crackdown that sent 75 dissidents to prison for terms ranging from six to 28 years.
"I don't give opinions about the internal political conditions of other countries," Silva told reporters in Mexico this week.
On Friday, Silva and Castro oversaw the signing of government accords on health, education, agriculture and fishing.
Also signed was an agreement to re-negotiate Havana's $40 million debt with Brazil, to be paid back in part with revenue from the island's exports to the Latin American giant.
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