Cuban emissary holds talks with speaker

Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, son of Cuban President Fidel Castro, is in Lebanon to promote the sharing and development of expertise and knowledge in scientific and educational fields.
Castro, a nuclear physicist, visited Speaker Nabih Berri at his residence and discussed the special relations that bind Cuba and Lebanon.
Following a meeting with Education Minister Samir Jisr, Castro said: “The meeting was very important. We informed the minister of the purpose of our visit and we discussed education in general and various scientific fields like biotechnology, genetics and information systems.”
He added: “We have many agreements between our countries in relation to educational cooperation, but in the fields of science, we only have a basic understanding on certain points. It is our objective to materialize this cooperation especially since the level of education in Lebanon and in certain scientific domains is quite high.”
Castro also visited Foreign Affairs Minister Jean Obeid and the Lebanese University. He was accompanied by Cuba’s ambassador to Lebanon, Enrique Roman Hernandiaz, and a number of academics.
At the Lebanese University, Castro spoke of Cuba’s achievements and directions in science and said that “biotechnology is the primary focus of our research in addition to the field of medicine, covering research, equipment and vaccinations.”
Currently, Castro is scientific adviser to the president of the state council and is a full-time professor, senior researcher and academic at the Academy of Science of Cuba.
He has participated in several conferences and has published a number of articles on the Cuban nuclear program, in addition to publishing several books in Cuba and abroad.

(The Daily Star on line) 21/06/03