Lage decries production without quality

By Weekly Archive On Oct 3, 2007

Lage
decries production without quality

A
service by the Radio Progreso Alternativa Havana Bureau

Carlos
Lage, vice
president of the Council of Ministers, warned about the fact that
"one must not produce anything which lacks quality, or anything
that we may be unable to validate, not only from a material
viewpoint, but also functionally speaking or in terms of service”.

All
national newspapers mentioned the speech given by the Cuban official
made this past September 29 during the 80th Assembly of the National
Council of the Cuban Worker´s Association (CTC).

While
commenting on the words of the Cuban communist party official, the
Granma
newspaper emphasized those related to the role of workers "whose
active participation is essential for an efficient socialist
economy."

Economizing,
so quotes the diary, is defined as "our major resource,"
hence his appeal to keep on fighting wasteful and uncontrolled use of
fuel as well as over-consumption of electricity and disorganization
in working areas.

The
CTC assembly analyzed the ongoing situation of the agreements of the
19th Congress of Laborers as well as the economic plan.

Cuba
and foreign investment

"Avoiding
errors from the past," Cuba studies areas and forms of further
expansion for foreign investment. The declaration was issued by Marta
Lomas, Minister of Foreign Investment and Collaboration.

During
his speech of July 26, Interim President Gen. Raúl Castro
announced an increase in foreign investment, but without making the
same old mistakes.

Authorities
in the island have identified those mistakes as, for instance, the
presence of investing partners reluctant to substantiate their
collaboration in terms of technology or markets.

"We
are studying what we can do with investments," Lomas declared as
she defined those investments as complementary to the country’s
development.

In
this respect, AFP informed that MINVEC "will be presenting for
the consideration of entrepreneurs several proposals at the beginning
of 2008."

There
are currently 236 joint ventures operating on the island.

Agreement
on Cuban debt

Last
week, during a work visit, the Hispano-Cuban Entrepreneurial
Cooperation Comitee reached
an agreement, together with Cuban authorities, on the amount of the
debt Cuba has with Spanish entrepreneurs.

According
to the Spanish side, the debt was reconciled 1.4 billion dollars.
This step will enable Cuba to gain access to lines of commercial
credit, a possibility that had been denied to the island since 2001.

Optimism
in oppositionist ranks

Several
groups among the ranks of the so-called Cuban dissidence have shown
certain optimism as to the follow-up of a dialogue between Cuban and
Spanish authorities.

Manuel
Cuesta Morúa, leader of Arco
Progresista,
a coalition
of different groups of social-democratic tendencies, signed a
communiqué whereby he transmits their general "satisfaction
for the current progress in dialogue. Only dialogue, agreement and
unprejudiced communication between political and diplomatic mediators
are adequate instruments to solve complex situations and conflicts in
all areas."

Made
public through Internet, the communiqué coincides with the
announcement of the next bilateral Cuba-Spain meeting, to be held in
Madrid in November.

According
to the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel
Moratinos, this meeting aspires to "strengthen, maintain and
widen" the existing "cooperation in terms of human rights."

The
Spanish and Cuban governments last April signed a series of
agreements paving the way towards cooperation in different areas,
including, among others, the human rights issue.

With
such agreements Spain divorced itself from the European Union
official line.