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• All heads of state and government of the bloc’s member countries have confirmed their attendance Cuba, December 2, 2008.- On Monday, December 8, the 3rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of Cuba and the 14 independent nations that comprise the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) takes place in Santiago de Cuba, "the heroic city." The theme is "Cooperation for greater Caribbean integration." The agenda includes discussions on the financial, energy, food and environmental crises and their impact on the region; items proposed for the upcoming Integration and Development Summit in Brazil, and cooperation between Cuba and CARICOM members. Deputy Foreign Minister Alejandro González said at a press conference on Tuesday that all heads of state or government from the bloc’s 14 member states and top representatives of Caribbean institutions have confirmed their attendance. "This summit expresses the firm determination of our country to maintain profound ties of friendship and cooperation with the Caribbean. These are nations with great dignity, and the United States has not been able to drag them into following its anti-Cuba policy," González said. As an example of that, he noted that since 1961, Cuba had helped train 2,813 professionals from those countries, 815 of them in medicine. Another 3,141 young people from the region are currently enrolled in school in Cuba, and 1,607 of them are studying to be doctors. Currently, 1,362 Cuban internationalists are working in CARICOM nations, 81.7% of them in health care. (Cubaminrex- Granma International ) |