Cuba , USA : past, present and FUTURE!!!!!
POLÍTICA | Medio siglo del embargo a la isla
Cuba y Estados Unidos: Conflicto en declive
- Raúl Castro planea grandes reformas económicas en los próximos cinco años
- El hecho de centrarse en el petróleo acerca posturas con Washington
El fantasma del embargo económico aplicado por Estados Unidos a Cuba, que cumple medio siglo, comienza a esfumarse. Cuba está en fase de mutación hacia el realismo. Ya se le pasó la edad de provocar rebeldías en otros países, como ocurrió en décadas pasadas. También se han evaporado los públicos diferendos políticos con países latinoamericanos y caribeños. Hasta la veterana confrontación con el gobierno de EEUU ya no tiene el retórico protagonismo público con el que convivieron tres generaciones de cubanos en décadas pasadas.
Ahora, en la agenda del gobierno de Raúl Castro, la economía es tarea prioritaria. Pero del programa de cambios económicos que se están ejecutando, uno de los más significativos es la recuperación de su identidad geográfica: 'Llave del Golfo de México', título otorgado a la isla en la era imperial española por su condición geoestratégica como plaza militar.
Ahora el fin es otro. Cuba pretende refundar el puerto de El Mariel, a 50 kilómetros al oeste de la capital, como un centro regional de logística de mercancías destinadas a puertos de la costa este y sureste de Estados Unidos, como Houston y Jacksonville; Veracruz y Puerto Progreso en México; y otros puntos en Centroamérica, el Caribe, Colombia y Venezuela.
Los cubanos conocieron la existencia de este macro proyecto, que incluye la construcción de carretera y vías ferrocarril, en un documental exhibido por el oficialista telediario nacional el último día de la reciente visita, la pasada semana, de la presidenta de Brasil, Dilma Rousseff. Al día siguiente, el tema de conversación de los cubanos de a pie era el de mudarse para El Mariel porque allí "va a correr el dinero".
Esta terminal, con un muelle de 2.000 metros y capacidad para recibir tres millones de contendores al año, , un año antes de que termine la ampliación del canal de Panamá destinada a favorecer el tránsito de buques de gran calado (13 a 15 metros).
El funcionamiento del puerto Mariel será dirigido por la operadora PSA, International Pte Ltd, de Singapur y su remodelación está a cargo de la empresa mixta Almacenes Universales –una dependencia de GAESA consorcio empresarial militar cubano– y la Compañía de Obras e Infraestructura de la corporación brasileña Odebrecht. El estatal Banco Nacional de Desarrollo Económico y Social de Brasil financia la mayor parte del presupuesto con unos 800 millones de dólares.
El retorno comercial de Cuba
Mariel, en el menú de reformas económicas que se ejecutarán en los próximos cinco años, es la primera de las llamadas 'Zonas Especiales de Desarrollo' en hacerse realidad. Además de la gestión portuaria, en el Mariel está previsto el asentamiento de industrias locales y foráneas que destinarán sus producciones para la exportación y el mercado local. Emboscarse en El Mariel a la espera de que EEUU levante el embargo económico a la isla es una opción elegida por algunas empresas brasileñas. El Mariel está a 150 kilómetros de La Florida, puerta de entrada a uno de los mayores mercado del mundo.
La puesta en marcha de este puerto representa también el retorno comercial de Cuba a su región geográfica después de medio siglo. La ley del embargo económico impuesta por Washington a la isla desde 1962 aceleró su ingreso en la órbita de la ex Unión Soviética. Cuba, desde la extinción de la Unión Soviética a inicios de los años 90, sólo ha logrado tener tres socios comerciales significativos en el continente americano; Venezuela, Canadá y Brasil.
El veterano puerto de La Habana, a su vez, se recicla como destino de embarcaciones turísticas. Su hondura, 11 metros, no se pueda agrandar por el túnel vial que atraviesa la bahía para enlazar los históricos barrios capitalinos y los nacidos al lado este de la ciudad. La capital, entonces, retornará a su origen de ciudad patrona del divertimento. El vecino Estados Unidos es un país con alrededor de tres millones de yatistas.
'Amistad' por el petróleo
El otro suceso económico que también debilitará la enemistad entre La Habana y Washington es el ingreso de Cuba a la nómina de países petroleros. Y ello puede ocurrir en las próximas semanas, cuando la perforación acometida el pasado día 4 por la plataforma Scarabeo 9, construida en China y Singapur y contratada por la empresa Repsol-YPF, asociada con la noruega Statoil y la india ONG Videsh, permita precisar el potencial de crudo que tiene Cuba en su territorio de aguas profundas de la Zona Económica Exclusiva (ZEE) del Golfo de México, donde comparte fronteras con México y EEUU.
La empresa Cuba Petróleo (CUPET) calcula las reservas de la zona en20.000 millones de barriles de crudo, mientras que el Servicio Geológico de EEUU las sitúa entre 5.000 y 9.000.
Pero la existencia de petróleo cubano a 90 millas de La Florida es un escenario muy estimulante para el sector petrolero estadounidense que tiene un poderoso cabildeo en Washington. La administración norteamericana, en los últimos meses, ha concedido licencias a más de una docena de aeropuertos estadounidenses para operar vuelos con destino a Cuba. La terminal de Washington estrenará su primer vuelo a territorio cubano durante la visita del Papa Benedicto XVI que se iniciará, el próximo 26 de marzo, en la ciudad de Santiago de Cuba. Y después dicen que los milagros no existen.
POLITICS | Half a century of embargo on the islandCuba and the United States: Conflict in declineA woman walks around Havana. | ReutersRaul Castro plans to major economic reforms over the next five yearsThe focus on oil positions with Washington aboutAngel Tomas Gonzalez | HavanaUpdated Tuesday 07/02/2012 13:02 hoursDecrease text sizeIncrease text sizeThe specter of economic embargo applied by the United States to Cuba, meeting half a century, begins to fade. Cuba is in the process of mutation toward realism.Already passed the age of provoking rebellions in other countries, as in decades past. We also have evaporated the public political disputes and Caribbean countries. To veteran confrontation with the U.S. government no longer has the rhetorical role public that three generations of Cubans lived in past decades.
Now on the agenda of the government of Raul Castro, the economy is a priority. But the program of economic changes that are running, one of the most significant is the recovery of their geographical identity, 'Key to the Gulf of Mexico', title given to the island in the Spanish imperial era for geostrategic status as a military stronghold.
Now the end is another. Cuba aims to reestablish the port of Mariel, 50 miles west of the capital, as a regional logistics center for goods to ports on the East Coast and southeastern U.S., including Houston and Jacksonville, Veracruz and Puerto Progreso in Mexico , and other points in Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia and Venezuela.
The Cubans knew the existence of this macro project, including construction of road and rail routes, in a documentary exhibited by the official national news the last day of the recent visit, last week, the president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff. The next day, the talk of the Cubans was to move to El Mariel because there "is going to take the money."
The terminal, with a quay of 2,000 meters and a capacity to receive three million containers a year, a year before the end of the Panama Canal expansion aimed at promoting the transit of large vessels (13 to 15 meters).
The operation will be led by Mariel port operator PSA International Pte Ltd of Singapore and its remodeling is in charge of the joint venture Universal Stores, a unit of business consortium GAESA Cuban military and the Society of Works and Infrastructure Corporation Brazil's Odebrecht. The National Bank of Economic and Social Development of Brazil finances the bulk of the budget with about $ 800 million.
The commercial return from Cuba
Mariel, on the economic reforms to be implemented over the next five years, is the first of the so-called "Special Development Zone 'to materialize. In addition to the management port at Mariel planned settlement of local industries and foreign productions that go for export and local market. Ambush in El Mariel waiting for the U.S. to lift the economic embargo on the island is a choice made by some Brazilian companies. The Mariel is located 150 kilometers from La Florida, gateway to one of the biggest market in the world.
The implementation of this port is also the commercial return of Cuba to your geographic region for half a century. The law of the economic embargo imposed by Washington on the island since 1962 accelerated its entry into the orbit of the former Soviet Union. Cuba, since the demise of the Soviet Union in the early 90's, has only managed to have three significant trading partners in the Americas, Venezuela, Canada and Brazil.
Veteran port of Havana, in turn, is recycled as a destination for tourist boats. Its depth, 11 meters, can not enlarge the tunnel road that crosses the bay to link the capital's historic neighborhoods and those born on the east side of town. The capital, then return to its home city's patron enjoyment. The neighboring United States is a country with about three million yachtsmen.
'Friendship' for oil
The other event which will also weaken the enmity between Havana and Washington is the admission of Cuba to the list of oil producing countries. And this can happen in the coming weeks, when the drilling rush past day 4 by the platform Scarabeo 9, built in China and Singapore, the company contracted by Repsol-YPF, in partnership with Norway's Statoil and India's Videsh NGOs, allow precise the potential of oil that Cuba has in its territory of deep waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Gulf of Mexico, which shares borders with Mexico and the U.S..
Cuba Oil Company (CUPET) estimates the reserves of the area at 20,000 million barrels of oil, while the U.S. Geological Survey is between 5,000 and 9,000.
But the existence of Cuban oil 90 miles from Florida is a very challenging scenario for the U.S. oil industry has a powerful lobby in Washington. The U.S. administration in recent months, has licensed more than a dozen U.S. airports to operate flights to Cuba. Washington terminal will debut its first flight to Cuban territory during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI will begin, on 26 March in the city of Santiago de Cuba. And they say that miracles do not exist.
Now on the agenda of the government of Raul Castro, the economy is a priority. But the program of economic changes that are running, one of the most significant is the recovery of their geographical identity, 'Key to the Gulf of Mexico', title given to the island in the Spanish imperial era for geostrategic status as a military stronghold.
Now the end is another. Cuba aims to reestablish the port of Mariel, 50 miles west of the capital, as a regional logistics center for goods to ports on the East Coast and southeastern U.S., including Houston and Jacksonville, Veracruz and Puerto Progreso in Mexico , and other points in Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia and Venezuela.
The Cubans knew the existence of this macro project, including construction of road and rail routes, in a documentary exhibited by the official national news the last day of the recent visit, last week, the president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff. The next day, the talk of the Cubans was to move to El Mariel because there "is going to take the money."
The terminal, with a quay of 2,000 meters and a capacity to receive three million containers a year, a year before the end of the Panama Canal expansion aimed at promoting the transit of large vessels (13 to 15 meters).
The operation will be led by Mariel port operator PSA International Pte Ltd of Singapore and its remodeling is in charge of the joint venture Universal Stores, a unit of business consortium GAESA Cuban military and the Society of Works and Infrastructure Corporation Brazil's Odebrecht. The National Bank of Economic and Social Development of Brazil finances the bulk of the budget with about $ 800 million.
The commercial return from Cuba
Mariel, on the economic reforms to be implemented over the next five years, is the first of the so-called "Special Development Zone 'to materialize. In addition to the management port at Mariel planned settlement of local industries and foreign productions that go for export and local market. Ambush in El Mariel waiting for the U.S. to lift the economic embargo on the island is a choice made by some Brazilian companies. The Mariel is located 150 kilometers from La Florida, gateway to one of the biggest market in the world.
The implementation of this port is also the commercial return of Cuba to your geographic region for half a century. The law of the economic embargo imposed by Washington on the island since 1962 accelerated its entry into the orbit of the former Soviet Union. Cuba, since the demise of the Soviet Union in the early 90's, has only managed to have three significant trading partners in the Americas, Venezuela, Canada and Brazil.
Veteran port of Havana, in turn, is recycled as a destination for tourist boats. Its depth, 11 meters, can not enlarge the tunnel road that crosses the bay to link the capital's historic neighborhoods and those born on the east side of town. The capital, then return to its home city's patron enjoyment. The neighboring United States is a country with about three million yachtsmen.
'Friendship' for oil
The other event which will also weaken the enmity between Havana and Washington is the admission of Cuba to the list of oil producing countries. And this can happen in the coming weeks, when the drilling rush past day 4 by the platform Scarabeo 9, built in China and Singapore, the company contracted by Repsol-YPF, in partnership with Norway's Statoil and India's Videsh NGOs, allow precise the potential of oil that Cuba has in its territory of deep waters of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Gulf of Mexico, which shares borders with Mexico and the U.S..
Cuba Oil Company (CUPET) estimates the reserves of the area at 20,000 million barrels of oil, while the U.S. Geological Survey is between 5,000 and 9,000.
But the existence of Cuban oil 90 miles from Florida is a very challenging scenario for the U.S. oil industry has a powerful lobby in Washington. The U.S. administration in recent months, has licensed more than a dozen U.S. airports to operate flights to Cuba. Washington terminal will debut its first flight to Cuban territory during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI will begin, on 26 March in the city of Santiago de Cuba. And they say that miracles do not exist.
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