The plaintiffs sought to base their claim on the alleged illegitimate exploitation of hotels in Cuba, built on land nationalized in accordance with Law 890 of 1960, after the triumph of the Cuban revolution in 1959, and managed by the Meliá group since the late 1980s and early 90s, Prensa Latina reports.

The order is direct and clear, stating that a Spanish court has no authority to determine whether the nationalization conducted by the Cuban state in 1960 was lawful or not.

According to PL, Lower Court No. 24 in Palma de Mallorca issued a ruling fully supporting the arguments presented by Meliá Hotels International, denying jurisdiction and international judicial competence to consider the lawsuit filed by the Santa Lucia sugar mill corporation against the hotel chain.

This U.S. based corporation asserts that, before the 1959 Cuban Revolution, it owned land on Esmeralda Beach, allegedly expropriated by the Cuban state after the approval of Law 890 of October 15, 1960.

The complaint is based on alleged illicit enrichment by Meliá which manages the Sol Río, Luna Mares, and Paradisus Río de Oro hotels, built much later on this beach.

Via this legal procedure, the lawsuit against Meliá was in fact intended to challenge the legitimacy of Cuban laws that established the framework for expropriation of lands, including those the plaintiffs claim to have owned.

In this sense, the court clearly perceived that the consideration of any such procedure required prior determination of the legality of the Cuban government’s nationalizations, concluding that a Spanish court cannot assess whether a nationalization conducted by a sovereign state was legal or not.

According to the court, the plaintiffs’ hypothetical right to compensation, based on the hotels’ earnings, could only be recognized if their property rights were recognized, which would imply conducting a trial and denying the Cuban state’s property rights.

Such a process would be beyond the Spanish court’s jurisdiction, as the ruling acknowledges.

Meliá Hotels Internacional expressed its total agreement with the ruling which, with absolute respect for applicable law, begins the necessary clarification of the real limits on such extraterritorial claims.

Source: Meliá

The agreements between Spain and Cuba stem from a deal reached in December 2015, with the Paris Club ad hoc group and bilateral negotiations between the two countries. This past February, Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, a Council of Ministers vice president recognized Spain’s efforts toward reaching a mutually beneficial debt agreement.

During his visit to Madrid, Cabrisas Ruiz noted that now is a good time to continue strengthening trade and expanding investment in accordance with the countries priorities. He noted that the creation of a counter-value fund established through the agreements signed today will enable Spanish businesses to make medium and long-term investments in the country in Cuban National Pesos (CUP).
Last February, Spain again made available medium and long-term credit insurance coverage for Cuban exports through the country’s Export Credit Agency CESCE.

The agreements restructuring Cuba’s debt were signed by Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, a Council of Ministers vice president, and Luis De Guindos Jurado, minister of Economy and Competitiveness; Emma Navarro Aguilera, director of the Official Credit Institute (ICO), a public bank affiliated with the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness; and Beatriz Reguero, CESCE Country Risk and Debt Management Department Manager, on behalf of Spain.

Also present at the signing were Spanish Secretary of State for Trade, Jaime García Legaz, together with Arnaldo Alayón Bazo, vice president of the Central Bank of Cuba, Amelia Morales Domínguez, deputy minister of Economy and Planning, and Eugenio Martínez Enríquez, Cuban ambassador to Spain, among other officials.

(Granma)

Yesterday Maduro urged the Spanish government to rectify its stance of aggressions and accused the Spanish authorities of being behind an international conspiracy to overthrow the legitimate government of Venezuela.

Venezuelan President reported that from the Spanish government receives relies terrorism of the extreme right of the South American country relies.

Speaking to reporters at the Congress of Deputies, García Margallo considered intolerable the adjectives used by the Venezuelan authorities, for which he proceeded to call the Spanish ambassador.

(Prensa Latina)

In this scenario is framed a new campaign led by Spanish newspapers close to Government, including “El Mundo” (4) and “ABC” (5) about the presence of ETA members in Cuba.

It all started with the recent visit to Havana of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spanish president. His visit, a private one, was framed in an international initiative that calls on governments to the definitive abolition of the death penalty. Cuba still remains in its Penal Code, although not applied since 12 years ago (6).

Cuban President Raul Castro personally serviced the request of Zapatero, who in turn supported Cuba in its claim to be removed from the “list of countries that support terrorism” prepared by the White House, which implies sanctions added to the block that already suffers the island (7).

Fact that Raul Castro had received Zapatero and had not received to the current Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo in November, irritated the Spanish Government and its nearest press (8).

The newspaper “El Mundo” even published in little more than a week up to 16 notes and articles justifying the tantrum of the Spanish Government (9).

The García- Margallo Minister criticized Zapatero with an argument that discovers how Spain is trying to obstruct the nascent Cuba-US dialogue: Madrid would be asking the White House to keep Cuba in that “terrorist list” while La Habana no extradite to Madrid two ETA members residing in Cuba (10).

In that way, Government and Spanish press took the opportunity to revive the myth of the Cuban government alleged collaboration with ETA.

Remember that these people were accepted in Cuba -as others in Panama , Uruguay , Nicaragua, Cape Verde, Sao Tome , Venezuela and the Dominican Republic- over 30 years ago and as a response to an express request of the Spanish government of Felipe González (11). The current request for the extradition of two of them would be based on their names supposedly appeared on the computer of the Colombian bushwhacker leader killed in 2008, Raúl Reyes (12), whose hard drives were (according to numerous human rights organizations) manipulated by Colombian Intelligence Services (13).

The extradition request also seems out of time: the FARC negotiated with the Colombian government for two years a definitive peace precisely in Havana (14); and ETA had definitely ceased fire for more than three years (15).

On February 28 , journalist of the newspaper ” El Mundo ” Angels Escrivá , in a text entitled ” Spain seeking extradition of two historic ETA to Cuba ” , exercised de facto spokesman of the Spanish Government ( 16). ` Havana gave no answer ( to the above request for extradition ) , he said, despite ( …) which is key for Spain would approve the claim ” of Cuba to be removed from the US list of partner countries with terrorism.

This arrogant and neocolonial blackmail played a trick on the journalist, who committed two anthology rabbits in the story.

At fist was affirmed that “the issue (extraditions) is a key for Spain to withdraw the Castro regime from the list of countries collaborating with terrorism”; confusing the authorship of the famous list and attributing that to Spain, not to the US government that is which really makes it. In other way, referring to two ETA members who allegedly live in Cuba, recognizing that “nobody of them have pending cases” with the Spanish Justice, added that “their deportation to Spain would demonstrate a good volition” from Cuba. The question is obvious: if these people have no pending cases, what is the judge to which should give them Cuba?

Summarizing, the Popular Party uses, once again, the “terrorism” theme to attract an electorate that is in mass escape; and the great Spanish press show, once again, its propagandist role. In this case, the propagandist role is not only for the Spanish government, but from the US policy positions that stay also at right of the White House (17).

(1) http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=175567

(2) http://www.huffingtonpost.es/2015/03/08/encuesta-metroscopia_n_6825502.html

(3) http://gara.naiz.eus/eta-anuncia-cese-definitivo-actividad-armada.php

(4) http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2015/02/28/54f19c98268e3e333d8b4573.html

(5) http://www.abc.es/espana/20150302/abci-margallo-zapatero-201503021054.html

(6) http://www.noticias24.com/internacionales/noticia/98762/raul-castro-recibio-en-cuba-al-expresidente-espanol-jose-luis-rodriguez-zapatero/

(7) http://noticias.terra.es/mundo/latinoamerica/zapatero-cierra-gira-a-cuba-que-causa-ira-del-gobierno-espanol,cd0ae7f51a7cb410VgnCLD200000b1bf46d0RCRD.html

(8) http://www.libertaddigital.com/espana/2015-02-26/margallo-muy-molesto-tilda-de-desleal-e-inoportuno-el-viaje-de-zapatero-y-moratinos-a-cuba-1276541747/

(9) http://www.elmundo.es/internacional/2015/02/27/54f0377be2704e240b8b4574.html

(10) http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2015/03/02/54f43ae7e2704e9b578b4576.html

(11) http://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/eta-venezuela-audiencia-nacional-20100324.html

(12) http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=191453

(13) http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=67521

(14) http://ecodiario.eleconomista.es/internacional/noticias/6507152/02/15/Negociaciones-de-paz-con-las-FARC-han-evitado-unas-5000-victimas-segun-un-informe.html#.Kku8X4RtayrP98C

(15) http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2014/09/27/eta-hace-llamado-para-aprovechar-contexto-favorable-para-independencia-vasca-video/#.VP9gb47SmCU

(16) http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2015/02/28/54f119f5e2704e5d128b4579.html

(17) http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/internacional/2015/02/26/senador-republicano-dice-kerry-cuba-refugio-eta-farc/00031424974297652793132.htm

(José Manzaneda,Cubainformación)

At the ceremony, the house of higher studies highlighted Leal work in the process of restoration and conservation of the historic area of Havana, combined with the economic and social development of his community.

The Historian of Havana thanked the distinction and stressed the historic ties between Spain and his country.

The solemn ceremony, which coincided with the official opening of the academic year 2011-2012 of the University of Alicante, was attended by Cuba’s ambassador in Spain, Alejandro Gonzalez.

The AU has a long tradition of collaboration with counterpart institutions in the Caribbean island.

In June this year the University hosted the X Bilateral Meeting of university rectors from Cuban and Spain.

(Prensa Latina)

As we know, while our species remains alive, everybody has the sacred duty to be optimistic. Ethically, any other behaviour wouldn’t be admissible. I remember well that one day, almost 20 years ago, I said that there was an endangered species: Man.

In front of a select group of bourgeois government leaders, flatterers of the empire, among them being the immense well-fed bulk of the German Helmut Kohl, and others like those forming the chorus of Bush Sr., less dismal and alienated than his own son, W. Bush, I couldn’t help but express that truth which I was seeing as being very real, even though it was more distant than it is today, with the greatest sincerity possible.

Turning on the television at about 12:15 at midday, because someone told me that Barack Obama was giving his announced speech on foreign policy, I paid attention to his words.

I don’t know why, despite the piles of dispatches and news I listen to on a daily basis, not one of them mentioned that the guy would be speaking at that time.  I can assure the readers that there are not a few stupidities and lies that, among the dramatic truths and facts of all kinds, I read, I hear or see in pictures every day. But this case was something special. What was the guy going to say at that time in this world overwhelmed with imperial crimes, massacres or unmanned planes dropping deadly bombs, that not even Obama, now master of some life and death decisions, was imagining when he was a student at Harvard just a few decades ago?

Of course nobody should suppose that Obama is master of the situation; he merely handles some important words that the old system in its origin granted the “Constitutional President” of the United States. At this point, 234 years after the Declaration of Independence, the Pentagon and the CIA still have the basic instruments of the imperial power created: technology capable of destroying the human race in a matter of minutes, and the means to penetrate those societies, dupe them and manipulate them shamelessly for as long as they need to do so, thinking that the power of the empire is boundless. They trust they are handling a docile world, without even a single disturbance, for all future time.

It is the absurd idea upon which they base tomorrow’s world, under “the kingdom of liberty, justice, equal opportunities and human rights”, incapable of seeing what is really happening with poverty, the lack of the basic services of education, health, jobs and something worse: meeting life’s needs such as food, drinking water, house and many others.

Strangely enough, can anyone wonder for example what would happen with the 10 thousand dead per year as a result of drug-related violence, basically in Mexico, to which we could add the countries of Central America and several of the most populated countries in the southern part of the continent?

I harbour absolutely no intention of offending those peoples; my purpose is just to point out what is happening to others almost on a daily basis.

There is one question that has to be asked almost immediately: what is going to happen in Spain where crowds are protesting in the country’s main cities against the unemployment of 40% of the young people, just to quote one of the causes of the demonstrations of that fighting people? Could it be perhaps that they are going to start bombing that NATO country?

Nevertheless, at this time, at 4:12 p.m., they still haven’t published the blessed official Spanish version of Obama’s speech.

I hope you will forgive me for this improvised reflection. I have other things to take care of.

Fidel Castro Ruz

May 19, 2011

4:16 p.m.