Brazilian Hurricane Relief Arrives in Cuba CUBA, September 13th, 2008. The first Brazilian airplane with humanitarian aid arrived Friday night to Havana, carrying 14.7 tons of food products for the victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The donation was the initial show of solidarity from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed in a recent telephone conversation with Cuban President Raul Castro. The items in the shipment are designed to meet the basics for a family of five persons for two weeks time. Ramon Rippoll, first vice minister for Economic Investment and Economic Collaboration (MINVEC), welcomed the flight crew and assured that the food will be distributed among the neediest victims. Rice, beans, sugar, yucca flour, macaroni and milk powder are the products contained in this first shipment, organized under the supervision of an inter-ministerial group coordinated by interim Foreign Minister, Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes. Bernardo Pericas, Brazil’s ambassador to Cuba, said the consignment is a prelimiaary effort and expressed the willingness of his government to collaborate further with Cuba and Haiti, another Caribbean country also seriously affected by storms, where the Brazilian Air Force plane also delivered a similar load before arriving to Havana. The ambassador said other shipments would be arriving from Brazil, including 100 tons of rice coming on Navy boat, for the two neighboring countries. (Cubaminrex- Granma) |