Min. Farrakhan leads delegation on successful and much anticipated Cuba visit
By FinalCall.com News


Updated Mar 29, 2006, 02:00 pm Email this article
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* FCN Webcast: Havana, Cuba Press Conference (FCN, 03-27-2006)
* We should normalize relations with Cuba (FCN, 06-14-2004)
* Cuba challenges America and Europe (FCN, 04-21-2004)
* Black journalists get close-up view of Cuba (FCN, 06-11-2002)

Minister Farrakhan and delegation meet with President Fidel Castro of Cuba.
(FinalCall.com) - On March 19, 2006, Min. Louis Farrakhan led a twenty-three member delegation to Havana, Cuba to study disaster relief preparedness. Min. Louis Farrakhan and the delegation embarked on the nine-day fact-finding mission in the wake of the horrifying and abysmal response of the U.S. government to the devastation and despair caused by Hurricane Katrina. The slow response and lack of preparation of the U.S. government contributed to the unnecessary deaths of over 3,000 Louisiana residents.

Min. Farrakhan expressed outrage and disappointment upon learning that the U.S. government rejected Cuba’s offer to provide over 1,600 doctors to aid in the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. The delegation learned how the Cuban government implements life-saving, rapid-response strategies in the face of impending disasters.

During an approximately one-hour-long press conference on March 27, 2006, in Havana, Cuba, Min. Farrakhan stated, “That’s why the whole world is turning against America. You need a new government. We need regime change in America. We need a better policy, a better domestic policy and a better foreign policy, so that the greatness of America can be felt by all her neighbors.”

During the mission, the Cuban government provided the delegation with unfettered access to the officials in various governmental departments to impart how the various agencies work together to minimize and/or eliminate human casualties during, and immediately after natural disasters.

The delegation learned methods and strategies of collecting vital information in advance of natural disasters that would provide for a more measured and precise evacuation plan. The Cuban government apprised the delegation of procedures it implemented which prevented the loss of any life during Hurricanes Wilma and Henry and a nominal loss of life during Hurricane Katrina.

The delegation, led by Min. Louis Farrakhan, intends to initiate disaster preparedness and relief pilot projects throughout the United States based on information learned from the Cuban government. The information will be tailored to meet the unique needs of those particular communities.

Of the over 12 millions Cubans on the island, 72,000 of them are medical doctors. In comparison of the over 40 million Blacks citizens in America, only 30,000 of them are medical doctors. In light of this disparity, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro offered nearly 1,000 full scholarships to medical school in Cuba for Blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans.

During the above-mentioned press conference, a reporter asked Min. Farrakhan why would American students seek to attend medical school in Cuba. Min. Farrakhan who is in no position to turn down life-saving support critically needed for Blacks and the poor, responded by citing the escalating costs of medical school education in the United States, which is beyond the reach of the most poor people, as well as many in the middle class.

Between 2004 and 2006, Cuba, through its “Operation Miracle” project, has conducted over 187,000 cataract removal surgeries in Latin American and the Caribbean. During an intimate meeting with Min. Farrakhan and a select number of delegates, Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro and the Cuban government offered, through its affiliates, 100,000 cataract-removal surgeries for the poor and uninsured citizens of America free of charge. The program is set to begin in the coming months.

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