Page 9 - Aruba Today
P. 9
WORLD NEWS 9
Tuesday 2 February 2016
France calls on U.S. to lift
economic embargo on Cuba
SYLVIE CORBET nomic, commercial and Paris agrees to convert 212 French president Francois Hollande, right, welcomes Cuban
Associated Press financial embargo from million euros ($230 million) President Raul Castro upon arrival for a state diner at the Elysee
PARIS (AP) — France called the United States against into a fund that will finance Palace, in Paris, France, Monday, Feb. 1, 2016.
on the U.S. to lift the eco- Cuba, which is the main French-Cuban projects on
nomic embargo against obstacle to the develop- the island. Associated Press
Cuba during a historic state ment of our country,” Cas- Another agreement allows
visit Monday by the Carib- tro said. France to open an office tion. The Cuban delegation especially in the tourism,
bean island’s president Cuba wants “to diver- of the French Agency of is also meeting French busi- transport, food and envi-
aimed at boosting eco- sify the bilateral rela- Development in Havana. ness leaders and the UNES- ronmental industries. The
nomic relations between tion with France in all The public financial insti- CO chief. number of French visiting
Havana and Paris. its dimensions: political, tution can make loans to French companies are Cuba in 2015 increased by
Raul Castro’s trip comes economic,business, finan- public and private bodies looking for business oppor- 30 percent compared with
after a breakthrough deal cial, academic and cul- to support development tunities to open up in Cuba, previous years.q
was reached in the French tural cooperation,” he said. projects.
capital in December to The Cuban president was On Tuesday, Castro will
lighten Cuba’s foreign to attend a state dinner in meet with French Prime
debt. his honor later Monday. Minister Manuel Valls and
French President Fran- Castro, 84, is on his first state Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo
cois Hollande, the former visit to Europe since taking and visit the Musee de
leader of France’s Social- over from his elder brother l’Homme, a museum fo-
ist party, greeted Castro Fidel in 2006. The Cuban cusing on human evolu-
on Monday with a warm president briefly stopped
hug in the courtyard of the in Rome last year to meet
Elysee presidential palace, with Pope Francis.
and then started the meet- Hollande was the first
ing saying “Vive Cuba!” French leader to visit Cuba
(“Long live Cuba!”) in a half-century when he
Both presidents vowed to went in May seeking to
develop economic, politi- boost trade.
cal and cultural ties during In December the Paris
a joint news appearance. Club of creditor coun-
The U.S. announced a nor- tries forgave $8.5 billion of
malization of relations with overdue Cuban interest
Cuba in December 2014, payments in exchange for
but it still maintains an eco- Cuba’s promise to pay off
nomic embargo on the is- $2.6 billion in loans from
land. developed countries over
Hollande told journalists the next year and a half.
that “President (Barack) France, to which Cuba
Obama ... must now fol- owed $4 billion in overdue
low through and allow this loans, led the creditors’ ne-
vestige of the Cold War to gotiations.
end.” France has called for A new bilateral deal regard-
the lifting of the U.S. embar- ing Cuba’s remaining debt
go since 1991. to France, which amounts
“We appreciate France’s to $390 million (360 million
traditional position in favor euros), was signed Mon-
of the lifting of the eco- day. With this agreement,
