5340 Cuba helping Haiti to modernize sugar mill (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: MKarshan@aol.com

Cuba helping Haiti to modernize sugar mill

HAVANA, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Cuba, a leading sugar exporter, is helping its 
impoverished Caribbean neighbor, Haiti, to upgrade its sugar industry by 
supplying engineers and equipment to modernize a Haitian sugar mill, Cuban 
officials said Monday. 

Details of the Cuban assistance project were given during a meeting in Havana 
of a joint Cuban-Haitian cooperation commission attended by Haitian President 
Rene Preval. 

Around 30 Cuban sugar industry specialists were currently in Haiti working on 
the Darbone Sugar Factory in Leogane. 

Communist-ruled Cuba had sent two containers of equipment and spare parts for 
the modernization of the Haitian sugar mill, which should re-open next year, 
the Cuban officials said. 

The project formed part of a growing program of Cuban technical assistance 
for Haiti, which also covered areas like fisheries, education and health. 

Around 40 Cuban specialists were assisting with Haitian fisheries projects, 
both salt-water and fresh-water. 

In addition, Cuba currently had several hundred doctors and health personnel 
working in Haiti and some Cuban teachers were taking part in a literacy 
campaign. 

At the same time, 250 Haitians were studying to be doctors at a university in 
eastern Cuba. 

Preval thanked Cuba for its assistance, saying the Cuban aid showed how 
developing countries could help each other. 

10-23-00 Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited.  All rights reserved.  Republication 
or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, 
is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.  
Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for 
any actions taken in reliance thereon.  All active hyperlinks have been 
inserted by AOL.