JAMAICA: CUBAN LEADER FIDEL CASTRO BEGINS SIX DAY CARIBBEAN TOUR

Описание: (30 Jul 1998) Natural Sound

Cuban President Fidel Castro began a historic Caribbean tour in Jamaica highlighting a campaign by the region's leaders to end the three-decade U-S embargo of Cuba.

Castro arrived in Montego Bay on Wednesday and for six days he will tour Jamaica, Barbados and Grenada.

Fidel Castro arrived in Jamaica on Wednesday at the beginning of a six-day Caribbean tour which will also take him to Barbados and Grenada.

Castro is hoping that regional leaders will support him in a campaign to put an end to the 30 U-S embargo on Cuba.

Jamaica is leading the movement and has urged Washington to increase its contacts with Havana.

But relations between the two countries were not always that good.

The Cuban Embassy in Jamaica was closed between 1980 and 1989 when Edward Seaga, a former prime minister, blamed Castro for Jamaica's 1970s experiment in socialism that bankrupted the country.

Seaga will meet with the 71-year-old Cuban leader on Thursday.

Relations with Cuba were restored when socialist leader Michael Manley, protector of the actual prime minister, J.P Patterson, was re-elected.

Jamaica has led a Caribbean movement to re-establish diplomatic and trade links with Cuba and now most Caribbean leaders argue that the time for isolating Cuba is over.

They say Cuba could eventually become a member of the Caribbean Community trade bloc --Caricom.

This would strengthen the bloc when it comes to trade negotiations with the U-S and Europe.

Cuban membership would swell Caricom's economic output from 30 (b) billion U-S dollars to 40 (b) billion.

Deep differences remain about Cuba's human rights record, but regional leaders say that engaging Cuba in regional trade is the way to improve the human rights situation in Cuba.

In August, Castro will join other Caribbean leaders at a summit in the Dominican Republic, which this year restored the diplomatic relations it severed 37 years ago.

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