CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

CEREMONIAL FOR THE PRESENTATION OF THE LETTERS OF CREDENCE

1. CEREMONIAL FOR THE PRESENTATION OF CREDENTIALS.

Article 91 of the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba refers to the powers of the President of the Council of State and Head of Government and item F mention among them that of "receiving letters of credence from Heads of Foreign Diplomatic Missions. Such a function may be deputed to any Vice-president of the Council of State"

2. THE ARRIVAL OF THE AMBASSADOR.

The arrival of the Ambassador will be communicated through a Note Verbale; from his embassy in Havana. If there is no embassy, it can be done through a telex from the Ambassador's Foreign Ministry or Embassy where he may reside, addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba to whom the Ambassador will inform the date and way of arrival in Cuba.

Upon arriving the country, the Ambassador will be accorded all the facilities and courtesies entitled to his rank. He will be received by the Head of Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Council of State Protocol Lounge at the José Martí International Airport where his national flag will be displayed beside the Cuban flag.

After his arrival, the Ambassador will receive the information of the dates when he will be received by the Director of Protocol who will inform him about his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the President or Vice-president of the Council of State to whom he will present the Letters of Credence.

At the meeting with the Director of Protocol, the Ambassador will be informed of the use and customs of the Diplomatic Ceremonial in the Republic of Cuba. The Director of Protocol will also inform the Ambassador that he should use his own means of transportation for attending the meeting with the Foreign Minister at the Foreign Ministry and that the Protocol Division will provide an official car for his transportation to the Credentials Ceremonial.

3. CEREMONIAL FOR THE PRESENTATION OF THE COPIES TO THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN     AFFAIRS.

The presentation of the copies will take place at the Protocol Lounge of the Foreign Ministry, the Ambassador and the Embassy official accompanying him, will be received by the Chief Ceremonial Officer, who will escort them to the room where the accrediting Ambassador's flag will be displayed beside the Cuban flag. The Ambassador will meet the Cuban Foreign Minister accompanied by the Foreign Ministry official who is in charge of the matters related to the country that the accrediting Ambassador represents.

The Ambassador will greet the Foreign Minister and the Ministry official, then he will hand the copies f his Credentials and those Letters of Recall of his predecessor, if that were the case. Subsequently, the Ambassador will introduce his collaborator to the Minister and the Cuban official.

The Ceremony will be covered by the Foreign Ministry's official photographer.

4. CEREMONIAL OF PRESENTATION OF LETTERS OF CREDENCE BY AN AMBASSADOR TO THE     PRESIDENT OR VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE.

On the date and hour scheduled for the Ceremony, the Deputy Introducer of Ambassadors or the Chief Ceremonial Officer, or an appointed Protocol Representative, will go to the Ambassador's residence accompanied by a military ceremonial officer from the Military House of the Palace of the Revolution.

The Ambassador's suit may consist of up to five Mission officials appointed by him.

On departing from the Ambassador's residence, the Ambassador will occupy the rear right seat in the first vehicle; the Deputy Introducer of Ambassadors or the Chief Ceremonial Officer or the Protocol Representative appointed to accompany him, will sit on his left side. And the Ceremonial Officer from the Military House of the Palace of the Revolution will sit on the front seat.

The Embassy officials in the suite will travel in the rear seat of the second vehicle, that should be guaranteed by the Embassy, accompanied by a Protocol Official who will sit on the front seat. If there is only one Embassy official, he or she will sit on the rear right seat and the Protocol Official will be on the left seat.

If a third vehicle is needed, it should also guaranteed by the Embassy and its officials will sit in the rear seat. If a second Protocol representative is appointed to accompany them, he or she will sit in the front seat.

The vehicles will be escorted throughout the route by motorcyclists dressed in ceremonial uniforms from the Ceremonial Platoon of the National Revolutionary Police.

On arriving in the Palace of the Revolution, the Ambassador and his suite will be received by the Introducer of Ambassadors. The Ceremonial Company and the music band of the Armed Revolutionary Forces will be in formation escorting the Cuban flag and the accrediting Ambassador's national flag.

The suite will get off the vehicles and walk up to the second landing of the stairs where they will stand facing the Ceremonial Company in the following manner: On the first landing, facing the flags, the Ambassador will stand in the center; the Introducer of Ambassador will be to his right and the Ceremonial Officer of the Military House will stand to his left. The Embassy official of highest will stand on the first step in the center, right behind the Ambassador; the Embassy official next in rank will stand to his left, i.e. behind the Ceremonial Officer of the Military House and Deputy Introducer of Ambassadors or the Chief Ceremonial Officer or the appointed Protocol Representative will stand to the right, behind the Introducer of Ambassadors.

If there are some other Embassy officials, they would stand on the second step.

Once they have taken up their positions, the Ceremonial Company will perform the salute riguer and the music band play the National Anthem of the Republic of Cuba.

Following the Cuban National Anthem, the Embassy and Protocol officials will move to both sides to let the Ambassador pass by. The Ambassador escorted by the introducer of ambassadors and the ceremonial Officer of the Military House will enter the Palace of the Revolution followed by the suite. At the entrance, in the main door, the Ambassador will be met by the guards of the Presidential Guard Ceremonial Company who will pay their military honors and from there, the suite will enter the waiting room.

The Introducer of Ambassadors will communicate the Ambassador's presence to the President or Vice-president of the Council o State and, subsequently, will escort the Ambassador and his suite, in the same formation as they arrived to the Palace, into the Credential Hall, where the President or the Vice-president of the Council of State and the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be waiting.

When the Ambassador and his suite enter the credential Hall, they will stand in the same position as they entered the Palace, and will stand at a distance of two meters, facing the President or Vice-president of the Council of State. He will say a few words and hand the envelop with the Letters of Credence and the Letters of Recall of his predecessor. After delivering the Letters of Credence, the Ambassador will pay his respect to the President or Vice-president of the Council of State and to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Ambassador will introduce the members of his suite.

On concluding the greetings, the President or the Vice-president of the Council of State and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will invite the Ambassador to sit separately to talk about issues of common interest. The Ambassador's suite will sit at the other end of the hall in the company of the Introducer of Ambassadors and other Cuban Protocol officials.

Once the audience is over, the length of which will be decided by the President or Vice-president of the Council of State, the Ambassador and his suite shall take leave and depart from the hall in the same formation as they entered the palace. They descend the stairway up to the second landing where they will stand in the same formation.

Once they are standing in front of the Ceremonial Company, the Company pays military honors again and the music band plays the National Anthem of the Accredited Ambassador's country. After the Anthem, they will board the vehicles in the same manner as they arrived and they will proceed to José Martí Monument in the Revolution Square.

At the monument to the National Hero of Cuba, the Ambassador-if he so decides it- will play a wreath of flowers which he will dedicate to José Martí.

On his arrival, the Ambassador will stand in the center facing the Monument, the Protocol officer to his right and the officer of the Military House to his left. The suite will take the same formation and stand three meters behind the wreath.

The wreath will be escorted by two officers of the Ceremonial Company and as he passes in front of the Ambassador, the latter accompanied by the Protocol Representative and the Ceremonial officer of the Military House will walk towards the Monument. They will stand two meters away from the place where the wreath will be laid. Following the commanding voices given by the Ceremonial Officer heading the ceremony, the Ambassador will arrange the ribbon and can take a picture together with the participants of the Ceremony.

The wreath will be ordered and costed by the Diplomatic Mission and should be at José Martí Monument, in the Revolution Square, an hour before the Ceremony takes place.

If the Ambassador so desires, he can visit the base of the Monument devoted to José Martí which keeps an overview of his life and work, as well as the history of the place.

Later, the suite will depart for the Ambassador's Residence in the vehicles escorted by the motorcyclists in the same formation and seating arrangement. If the Ambassador so desires, he may offer a toast with participation of the guests he decides.

On the same day that the Ambassador presents his Letters of credence, the National Television News Service will report on the Ceremony and the Official Press Organ will publish an informative note next day.

Also, the Protocol Division will send him a free set of photographs taken during the ceremony.

The official dress for the Presentation of the Credential and the copies, will be a dark lounge suit or the National Dress of the country which the Ambassador represents. Should the services of an interpreter be require, the interpreter will be provided by the Protocol Division.

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