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CUBA FOREIGN INITIATIVES IN HIGH GEAR WHILE WINDOW REMAINS OPEN.

Article Excerpt
Cuba's Foreign Ministry has in the past week announced an extraordinary number of foreign-policy initiatives with other nations, and particularly with island nations, from neighboring Saint Kitts and Nevis to the far-off Solomon Islands. The initiatives appear to aim at Cuba's sharing its experience in transforming its agricultural sector to reduce its vulnerability as a sugar-export economy and creating an atmosphere of solidarity in dealing with global warming. Island nations are very much endangered by the effects of climate change and rising tides, and many have already confronted severe damage as climate is altered by the effects of global use of energy, pollution, and the like.

The latest outreach to the Solomons actually began more than a year ago when the Solomon Star newspaper reported Cuba had invited the islands to revive discussions on providing Cuban doctors and training local doctors. Cuba already has about 400 doctors working in relatively nearby East Timor. The matter was first brought up in 2000 when Pattison Oti, then foreign minister, visited Cuba to discuss how Cuba could help the Solomons with its shortage of local doctors.

In 2006, a memorandum of understanding on the issue was signed, with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare acknowledging Cuba's doctor-to-population ratio of 1:180,...