CUBANET ... CUBANEWS

December 20, 2001



Cuba News

Yahoo!

Yahoo! December 20, 2001.

Castro: U.S. energy companies welcome

By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer

HAVANA, 20 (AP) - President Fidel Castro (news - web sites) says he would allow U.S. companies to prospect for petroleum off the coast of Cuba - even though U.S. law would probably forbid it.

"We would not deprive Americans of the possibility of investing in these resources,'' Castro said late Wednesday in a three-hour live television appearance on the government's nightly "Round Table'' program.

"If tomorrow anyone wants to participate in the search, we would provide them with the same possibilities of those already looking,'' he added.

The long-standing U.S. trade embargo against Cuba would seem to bar American companies from prospecting for petroleum off the island's coast.

Cuba, long dependent on petroleum imports, has begun searching for crude oil in recent years. Foreign partners and investment would provide cash-poor Cuba with the assistance it needs to undertake wide-scale off-coast prospecting

Castro's idea came up while he was discussing Cuba's first direct commercial purchases of American food. He said Cuba was paying $40 million - including transportation costs - to purchase the grains, chicken and other products to be delivered through the end of February.

Representatives of American business and some U.S. officials hope the shipments will lead to increased trade with Cuba. Many anti-Castro exiles oppose the food sales, saying they will erode U.S. trade sanctions they say are necessary to punish Castro's one-party government.

Castro, who has long sought an end to the sanctions, said the food will replace reserves depleted since early November, when Hurricane Michelle barreled across the island, destroying tens of thousands of homes and severely damaging crops.

The U.S. government offered humanitarian aid to Cuba after the hurricane, but Havana said it would rather make direct commercial purchases of American food to restock reserves.

Nearly all trade between the two nations is banned under the U.S. embargo. Congress, however, passed a law last year that permitted the sale of American food to Cuba.

Positive production tests: Two new successes for PEBERCAN in Cuba

Wednesday December 19, 3:15 pm Eastern Time. Press Release.

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--PEBERCAN is pleased to announce that the SEBORUCO 2RE and CANASI 4 wells drilled in the Republic of Cuba resulted in two new successes.

SEBORUCO 2RE is a re entry and deepening of the SEBORUCO 2 deviated hole. Drilling was completed at the end of June 2001. The total length of SEBORUCO 2RE is now 4,018 meters, 815 meters of which penetrated two successive hydrocarbon pools.

As a result of the production tests carried out on these wells, the average production of SEBORUCO 2RE is presently 3,500 barrels per day.

Drilling of CANASI 4 was completed on September 14, 2001. The total length of this well is 3,760 meters, 1,590 meters of which penetrated three successive hydrocarbon pools.

After testing, CANASI 4 production was determined to be 2,500 barrels per day.

Taking these two new stabilized productions into account, Block 7 is now producing over 11,000 barrels per day, or approximately 5,300 barrels per day as PEBERCAN's net share.

Contact:

PEBERCAN Inc.
Cedric Sirven
Vice-President, Finance
Phone: 1 (514) 286-5200
Fax: 1 (514) 286-5177
Email: info@pebercan.com

Obituaries in the News / Jose Fajardo

WEST NEW YORK, N.J. 20 (AP) - Jose Fajardo, a Cuban flutist who was one of the most influential bandleaders in Latin music, died Dec. 11 of an aneurysm. He was 82.

The Cuban native had emigrated from Cuba in 1961, when he refused a request from the Cuban government to continue a musical tour to other communist countries.

During his lengthy career, Fajardo recorded more than 40 albums and performed around the world. He was credited with expanding the audience for charanga, a Cuban musical style that backs a singer with flute, violins, piano, bass and percussion.

Fajardo started his first group, Fajardo y sus Estrellas, in the 1940s. He later led three bands by the same name.

After moving to the United States, he founded bands in New York and Miami and began performing in new style called pachanga, featuring a slightly more assertive rhythm.

Fajardo was featured on "Cuban Masters: Los Originales,'' an album of performances by leading Cuban musicians that was released last month.

Castro asks Cubans to be optimistic

By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer

HAVANA (AP) - President Fidel Castro told Cubans Wednesday there would be enough food for the nation in the coming year and asked citizens to trust his leadership amid concerns over the long-term economic effects of Hurricane Michelle.

"We need your confidence that things are getting better,'' Castro said in a lengthy nighttime address on state television. "We have food guaranteed for the coming year.''

Castro spoke more than three hours on the government's nightly "Round Table'' program. It was dedicated to the arrival last weekend of the first direct commercial shipments of American food to Cuba in nearly four decades.

While the American shipments will help Cuba's food reserves, Castro said they represented just 4 percent of annual food imports. Castro said Havana was paying $40 million for the American delivery.

The broadcast gave Cubans the most complete information yet about the American shipments and what they meant for the nation's food supply.

Archer Daniels Midland of Decatur, Ill., has contracted to sell Cuba about $14 million in grain. The first shipment of 26,400 tons of American corn, arrived Sunday. ADM will make seven additional grain shipments over the next two months. Five-hundred tons of frozen chicken parts from the United states, valued at $300,000, also docked Sunday.

Anti-Castro Cuban exiles in the United States object to the direct sale of American food, claiming it could erode the trade embargo imposed to punish Cuba for its one-party political system.

Representatives of American agribusiness and some U.S. officials hope the shipments will lead to increased trade with the island.

Castro said the food will replace reserves depleted since early November, when Hurricane Michelle barreled across the island, destroying tens of thousands of homes and severely damaging crops.

The U.S. government offered humanitarian aid to Cuba after the hurricane, but Havana said it would rather make direct commercial purchases of American food to restock reserves.

Nearly all trade between the two nations is banned under the U.S. embargo. Congress, however, passed a law last year that permitted the sale of American food to Cuba.

[ BACK TO THE NEWS ]

Cuban independent press mailing list

La Tienda - Books, posters, t-shirts, caps

In Association with Amazon.com

Search:


SEARCH NEWS

Advance Search


SECCIONES

NOTICIAS
Prensa Independiente
Prensa Internacional
Prensa Gubernamental

OTHER LANGUAGES
Spanish
German
French

INDEPENDIENTES
Cooperativas Agrícolas
Movimiento Sindical
Bibliotecas
MCL

DEL LECTOR
Letters
Cartas
Debate
Opinión

BUSQUEDAS
News Archive
News Search
Documents
Links

CULTURA
Painters
Photos of Cuba
Cigar Labels

CUBANET
Semanario
About Us
Informe 1998
E-Mail


CubaNet News, Inc.
145 Madeira Ave,
Suite 207
Coral Gables, FL 33134
(305) 774-1887