ALBA Heads of State in Cuba for Ebola Summit

Heads of State and Government of the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Trade Agreement of Peoples (ALBA-TCP) arrived in Havana for an Extraordinary Summit to join efforts in the international fight against Ebola.

Promoter of this initiative, Nicolas Maduro, president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, arrived in the José Martí International Airport in Havana, where he was received by Bruno Rodríguez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba.

On Sunday arrived in Cuba the Prime Ministers of Saint Lucia, Kenneth Anthony, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, as well as Earl Asim Martin, Deputy Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Other senior officials at Havana are Rafael Ramirez, vice president of Government and Foreign Minister of Venezuela; Bernardo Alvarez, Executive Secretary of the ALBA-TCP, and David Nabarro, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in the fight against Ebola.

Delegations of Grenada, Antigua and Barbuda, and the Commonwealth of Dominica also arrived on Sunday to the Cuban capital, where the arrival of Evo Morales, president of Bolivia, who is expected in the next few hours.

Carissa F. Etienne, Director General of the Pan American Health Organization, thanked ALBA-TCP on Saturday for this the Special Summit which aims at developing strategies to prevent and fight Ebola in the region.

Before the press corps covering the event, the distinguished visitors praised Cuba´s quick contribution towards mitigating the greatest health emergency today has humanity since the emergence of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, which has killed over four thousand 500 people in West and Central Africa.

A brigade of 165 Cuban health professionals is already working in Sierra Leone and Liberia, following a through preparation in the Island.

“Medical personnel will fly to any point to save lives, even at the risk of his own, is the greatest example of solidarity humans can offer, especially when you are not moved by any material interest,” said Fidel Castro, historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, in his article Time of Duty, published Saturday.