By Ben Aris. Irish
Independent Online. December 15, 2000
RUSSIAN and Cuban presidents Vladimir Putin and Fidel Castro yesterday
agreed to breathe new life into Moscow-Havana ties but failed to resolve a major
money problem - the communist island's enormous Soviet-era debt.
"There are still some problems remaining which have accumulated in the
last 10 years. The Soviet Union invested a lot in Cuba's economy. This is worth
billions of dollars," said Mr Putin, the first Russian leader to visit Cuba
since the collapse of the USSR.
Cuba's debt to the ex-Soviet Union, inherited by Russia, has been previously
estimated in Moscow at around $20bn.
But Mr Castro disputes this figure and argues in return that the damage
caused to its economy by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 adds up to an
equivalent value.
The presidents signed a joint declaration which condemned the US trade
embargo against Cuba.
Mr Putin wants to rekindle Moscow's political and economic ties with its
former Cold War ally.
In addition to the bilateral trade and investment benefits for Cuba, Mr
Putin is thought to want to rebuild Russia's global role.
GREAT
Meanwhile, an American businessman sentenced last week to 20 years in s
Russian labour camp for spying left the country yesterday after he was pardoned
by President Putin.
Edmond Pope was given Russia's maximum sentence for espionage for trying to
buy Russian naval secrets. The Kremlin said he was being freed because of his
poor health and the importance of relations with America.
Mr Pope (54) arrived at a US base in Germany where he will undergo medical
tests on his rare bone cancer.
He announced: "It's great. I feel great. I feel good." He added
that it was great to be "back in the real world". The case against him
was brought by the FSB, the successor to the KGB.
Mr Pope, who had been buying information about Russia's high-speed torpedo,
claimed that all the information was publicly available. His family asked for
clemency because of his cancer.
After Mr Putin signed the decree, Mr Pope was taken to a Moscow airport
where he boarded a special flight.
Mr Pope was the first westerner convicted of spying since the Cold War.
He had already spent eight months in prison awaiting trial. | 