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Raul Castro, Second Secretary of the Cuban
Communist Party, met on Sunday, August 27 with a
delegation from Syria headed by the Minister of
Information, Mohsen Bilal.
The Syrian minister traveled to Cuba as a
personal emissary of President Bachar Al Assad.
He carried a message to Raul Castro wishing
Cuban President Fidel Castro a speedy recovery
and reaffirmed his country’s solidarity with the
people, Communist Party and government of Cuba
at a time when it faces escalated threats and
aggressions from the Bush administration.
During the meeting, Bilal confirmed that
President Al Assad will participate at the
Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit set for
September 11-16 in Havana and gave the Syrian
government’s total support for Cuba as the next
president of the 116-member NAM.
The minister informed the Cubans on the
situation in the Middle East and his country
after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the
increased repression and massacres against the
Palestinian people and the intensified threats
against Syria.
Raul Castro expressed appreciation for the
message from President Bachar Al Assad and
reiterated Cuba’s support to the Syrian people
in the face of aggressions and hostilities from
Tel Aviv. He also confirmed the island’s support
of Syria’s efforts to recover the Golan Heights,
occupied by Israel since the 1967 invasion.
Raul Castro told the visitor that President
Fidel Castro was gradually and satisfactorily
recovering from his surgery. He noted the total
peace reigning in the country and the effort
being made by the Communist Party, government
and the people in general to carry out the tasks
entrusted to them by Fidel in his July 31
Proclamation, including the decision to
substantially raise the country’s combat
capacity and readiness.
He also said that Cuba is ready for the
Non-Aligned Summit and highlighted the numerous
displays of support received from around the
world.
Accompanying Raul Castro in his meeting with the
Syrian minister were Foreign Minister Felipe
Perez Roque and Fernando Remirez de Estonez,
member of the Communist Party Secretariat.
Granma 29-08-2005
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