Castro welcomes Venezuela's Chavez, Cuba's energy lifeline

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

HAVANA, Cuba (AFP): Ailing Cuban President Fidel Castro has welcomed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, his only close ally in the Americas, whose government helps keep Cuba's energy-starved economy afloat with cut-rate oil.

Castro, 78, who broke a knee and an arm in a fall in October, rose from his wheelchair to welcome his leftist ally at Havana airport late Monday, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported Tuesday.

Chavez, greeted with flags along the avenue leading to the airport and a commemorative newspaper tabloid entitled My Venezuela, was to place a wreath at the monument to independence hero Jose Marti before sitting down to talks with Castro at the Palace of the Revolution.

Their agenda was not made public. Cuban authorities said only that they would have a "broad program of activities."

But Cuba is in desperate need of energy assistance.

Basic Industry Minister Marcos Portal Leon was fired on October 14, amid a paralyzing energy shortage and controversial decisions about the nickel industry.

The ministry is among the country's most important as it handles power generation, oil, nickel, rubber, and pharmaceuticals. Portal was replaced by Yadira Garcia.

A government statement criticized Portal for having rejected colleagues' advice and consequently making mistakes.

A breakdown in May at Cuba's main oil-fueled power plant in Matanzas province, took months to repair and blackouts have been rampant.

And amid breakdowns at other plants, power output plunged to about 50 percent of demand a few months back, officials said.

Led by Castro since 1959, Cuba has been in dire economic straits since the collapse of the former Soviet bloc which once provided subsidized food and fuel.

Havana has been unable to complete a Soviet-technology nuclear reactor that was planned for Juragua.

And with its oil-burning plants, Cuba relies on Venezuelan imports while its own crude, which is high in sulfur, requires costly cleaning to be used.

Venezuela, Latin America's only OPEC member, delivers 53,000 barrels of crude a day to Cuba.

Granma announced that a ceremony would be held at Karl Marx theatre on Tuesday to mark the 10th aniversary of Chavez's first visit to Cuba, before he was president.

Venezuelan students in Cuba will be on hand as will Venezuelan patients being treated in Cuba and members of Cuban pro-government youth and student organizations.

Cuba and Venezuela have close political, trade and social relations as set out in a 2000 cooperation agreement. Aside from the oil deal, Cuba sends doctors, teachers, and sports coaches to Venezuela.

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