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Tuesday, 03 November 2009 09:17
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 Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez received European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Karen De Gucht on Monday, who began an official visit to Cuba.
During the meeting with the European official at the Foreign Ministry, Rodriguez expressed his satisfaction for the presence on the island of a delegation from the European Union.
The Cuban FM explained Cuba's willingness to find a framework for bilateral relations to replace the common stance, which is unacceptable for Cuba.
After expressing his confidence in that the relations between Cuba and the European
Union "can normalize", De Gucht recalled that bilateral bonds "have taken a positive path since 2008"
I hope that over the next few days we can have fruitful exchanges for our cooperation,
pointed out De Gucht, and then praised the restoration program Cuba is carrying out at Old Havana's historical area, "something I could confirm last year."
Accompanying the EU Commissioner are Maud F.S. Arnould and John Edgard Clancy.
Belgium De Gucht recently replaced in his post his fellow countryman Louis Michel, who visited Cuba in March 7-9 2008, in what many international media outlets considered an attempt on the part of a sector of the EU to improve relations with the Caribbean island.
Since 1996, the European bloc, made up by 27 nations, adopted the "common stance", which consists in conditioning the Community's cooperation with Cuba to the carrying out of changes in the economic and political fields, something Cuba has rejected and considers inadmissible. (acn)
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