Government ministers from Jamaica and Cuba signed a historic cooperation agreement at the Sheraton Kingston Hotel, marking the culmination of a week-long meeting between the two nations. Conceived during a meeting between Prime Minister Michael Manley and Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro in Havana last July, the Joint Commission meeting covered diverse economic and social activities. Under the agreement, Cuba will construct and equip a secondary school in Jamaica for 500 students, including boarding facilities, initiate the construction of micro-dams, and provide a mechanical cane-harvester for the sugar industry. Jamaica, in turn, will dispatch a health team to Cuba, offer expertise in tourist trade promotion, and use the Newport West trans-shipment port for Cuban authorities.

PUBLISHED TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1975

Jamaica-Cuba accord signed

To exchange know-how in social, Economic activities

AN ACCORD ON COOPERATION and exchanges between Jamaica and the neighbouring republic of Cuba, covering several fields of economic and social activities, was formally drawn up and signed by government ministers of both countries yesterday at the Sheraton Kingston Hotel.

The signing brought to a climax the week-long first meeting of the Cuba/Jamaica Joint Commission, agreed upon in Havana last July by Prime Minister Michael Manley and Prime Minister Fidel Castro, of Cuba.

Under terms of the agreement, on which action is forecast to start this week, Cuba is among other things to build and equip a secondary school in Jamaica to accommodate 500 students. Boarding accommodation for the students is to be part of the school establishment.

Harvester

Cuba is also to be the lead in building a number of micro-dams in Jamaica, and it is to provide and equip a mechanical cane-harvester for use in the local sugar industry.

A pre-fabrication plant, capable of turning out 400 housing units a year, is to arrive in the island within the next three weeks.

On the Jamaican side of the agreement, the Minister of Health and Environmental Control, the Hon Ken McNeill, is to proceed to Cuba this week with a team of doctors and health specialists, to identify areas in health and medicine where Jamaicans' expertise will help to further progress there.

Jamaican know-how in tourist trade promotion is to be made freely available to Cuba in the redevelopment of the industry there. The Jamaica trans-shipment port at Newport West is to be used by Cuban authorities. Plant varieties are to be exchanged between the two countries, and they are tojointly pursue a number of agricultural research projects.

Yesterday’s signing ceremony, executed in the “Colonial Ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel, saw Senator the Hon Dudley Thompson, minister of external affairs, affixing his signature to a memorandum of agreement coming out of the Joint Commission meeting, and Senor Levi Farah, Cuban minister of housing and social construction, doing similarly for his country.

Dr Gladstone Bonnick, director of the National Planning Agency, presided over the opening ceremony, and there was a representative attendance of members of both sides of the ocmmission.

Thompson and Senor Farah, each in a short address, stressed the spirit of cordiality and mutual helpfulness in which they declared the week-long deliberations of the Joint Commission had been conducted.

Said Thompson: “The past few days have revealed a process of collaboration between the participants of both countries rarely exhibited and never exceeded. The accomplishments have been many, real and substantial.”

In his address, Senor Farah said in substance that it had been a rewarding experience for himself and his colleagues to have been involved in these initial deliberations of the Joint Commission.

He expressed the hope that decisions reached and projects decided upon at this first meeting would be furthered and expanded when the second meeting takes place in Cuba next year, at a date and place to be decided.

A joint press release was issued by the Commission, following on the signing of the agreement. It read:

“The first session of the Joint Cuba/Jamaica Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation was convened at the Sheraton Kingston Hotel during the period 11th to 17th November, 1975, to discuss proposals for collaborative action in these fields.

“A number of projects were identified by the technical experts of the two countries, details of these projects have been discussed, and specific plans have been drawn up for collaboration in the fields of construction, agriculture, sugar industry, fishing trade and tourism, health and shipping.

Project

“With regard to construction, the Cubans have very generously offered to build and equip a 500-place Secondary School with boarding facilities in Jamaica. They also agreed to analyse possibilities of cooperating in a project for the construction of houses in the rural areas, and another for a sports complex.

“The ongoing programme based on the construction agreement signed by both Governments in March 1975, were reviewed in detail.  Note was taken of the progress of the Jamaica work-brigades dispatched to Cuba and the contributions they are making to construction there. By the end of November, or early December, a pre-fabrication plant, with capacity for construction of 400 houses per annum, will arrive in this island from Cuba.

“In agriculture, 44 projects have been identified for implementation as soon as the proposals have been ratified by the two Governments.  Among these are

(i)                  a project for the building of micro-dams in Jamaica;

(ii)                a proposal for the provision of a harvester and attachments for use in the Jamaica sugar industry;

(iii)               a number of joint research projects; and

(iv)               the exchange of plant varieties suitable to our special conditions.

“In the field of Trade and Tourism, the experts are to continue seeking for the means of promoting trade between the two countries and investigating possible areas for an early commencement of two-way trade.

Bonds

“Conversations were held in a climate of friendship and mutual understanding and have contributed to strengthening the bonds that unite both peoples and Governments.

“In regard to Health, a team of experts, led by the Honourable Minister of Health, will visit Cuba during this week to identify fully the area for two-way technical assistance.

“In the field of Shipping, agreement has been reached in principle that Jamaica shall be used as a trans-shipment port for cargo to and from Cuba.

It is expected that the final details of this agreement will be worked out before the end of the year.

“As soon as these projects have been ratified by the Governments, which is expected within the next two weeks, it is anticipated that action to implement the projects will commence.

“A Memorandum of Understanding, which establishes the areas of cooperation for the next 12 months, has been drawn up.

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