CUBA NEWS
Yahoo!
Cuba Denies It Owes US$130 MLN To Indonesia
JAKARTA, Oct 4 Asia Pulse, - The Cuban
government has denied it owes US$30 million
to Indonesia because of a rice purchase
in 1993 as reported by the State Logistics
Agency (Bulog) to the House of Representatives
(DPR).
Cuban Ambassador to Indonesia Miguel Ramirez
Ramos refuted the Bulog report at a meeting
with the House leadership represented by
Deputy Speaker AM Fatwa on Sept 28.
The Bulog had reported to the House it
was investigating the rice sale transaction
with Cuba because there was no clarity about
the payment, the House said in a statement
made available on Wednesday.
There were differences between the date
and information possessed by the House and
those by the Cuban government about the
transaction, it said.
Bulog data showed the sale took place in
1993. The Bulog data were also used by a
House delegation led by AM Fatwa to visit
Cuba in February 2002 to make further enquiries.
However, the Cuban government had denied
that it had such a debt and claimed it had
settled the matter with the Hong Kong branch
of PT Berdikari.
According to the Cuban government, it had
bought the rice in 1997 and not in 1993.
The Cuban ambassador explained this at
a meeting with the House leaders.
Ramirez added that Alimport and Cubazucar,
Cuban state companies, along with PT Berdikari
signed a three-party agreement on June 27
in 1997, appointing Alimport to import the
rice, while Cubazucar would pay for the
rice with sugar. And if the Cubazucar could
not meet its obligation to supply the sugar,
Alimport would be responsible for it.
On PT Berdikari, Ramirez said in the negotitiations,
Berdikari FC Limited was represented by
JR Macines. At the time, the company had
a branch in Indonesia.
"There was never a question to the
Alimport company nor to the Cuban Foreign
Affairs Ministry on the reason of using
PT Berdikari Indonesia or Hong Kong or whether
there was an agreement between Bulog and
Berdikari," he said.
Those involved in the rice-purchase contract
were Alimport and Hong Kong-based Berdikari.
When the agreement was signed, Ramirez
added, the authority in the Cuban Foreign
Affairs Ministry asked for a meeting with
the Indonesian ambassador in Havana to explain
its position in the case.
A meeting between Alimport, Bulog and Jakarta-based
PT Berdikarti and Hong Kong-based Berdikari
in Cuba was never held as the Bulog and
Jakarta-based Berdikari never visited Cuba
as the Hong Kong-based Berdikari did. The
fact showed they would sue Alimport.
"The authority in Cuba had explained
these to all Indonesians visiting Cuba,
including the AM Fatwa-led delegation,"
he said.
He said Cuba understood there was a big
possibility of an agreement between Bulog
and Hong Kong-based Berdikari but such an
agreement did not involve Cuba which had
valid contacts with the Hong Kong-based
Berdikari.
(ANTARA)
Cuban Visas to U.S. on the Rise
HAVANA, 1 (AP) - The U.S. government allowed
several hundred more Cubans to migrate to
America over the past year that during the
year previous, according to figures released
Friday.
The American mission in Cuba said it had
granted 23,000 immigrant visas for Cubans
during the U.S. fiscal year that just ended
- 2,000 more than last year and 3,000 more
than required by migration accords.
Under migration agreements signed in the
mid-1990s, the United States must provide
at least 20,000 visas to Cubans annually,
and Cuba must discourage its citizens from
making risky attempts to immigrate illegally
to the United States.
The accords are aimed at encouraging safe,
legal and orderly migration from Cuba to
the United States.
Nevertheless, hundreds still leave communist
Cuba each year on smugglers' fast boats,
or homemade rafts made with floating inner
tubes, heading toward an uncertain fate
in hopes of illegally reaching the United
States.
The U.S. statement also called on the Cuban
government to grant exit permits to more
than 1,600 Cubans it says have been granted
American immigration visas but denied permission
by their own country to leave.
Many of those Cubans are doctors or other
professionals who the Cuban government considers
too important to the functioning of society
to allow them to immigrate in large numbers.
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