CUBA, December 19, 2007.- Cuba's First Vice President Raul Castro will head the island's delegation to the PetroCaribe Summit to begin on Friday in the city of Cienfuegos. The 4th PetroCaribe Summit will be held in Cienfuegos with the presence of the Heads of State or Governments members of the integration institution. During a press conference on Tuesday in Havana, Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Alejandro Gonzalez said that 12 Heads of States or Governments have already confirmed their participation as well as guest delegations from Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago and for the first time, Guatemala and Honduras. The Summit will coincide with the re-inauguration of the Camilo Cienfuegos oil refinery which is currently a Cuban-Venezuelan joint enterprise and in its first stage will process 65 000 barrels of oil a day. The Foreign Ministry official pointed out that three regional institutions will also be on hand: the Caribbean Community, the Association of Caribbean States and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. PetroCaribe was created during the first energy meeting of the Heads of State or Government of the Caribbean held in Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela as part of an initiative of that South American Country. The main results of the first three meetings have been the PetroCaribe Energy Cooperation Agreement, the Political Declaration of the Heads of State and Government and the Energy Security Treaty, said the Cuban official.
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