Humala Sees Cuba-Peru Exchanges

Ollanta Humala. Photo: IPS/Cuba

HAVANA TIMES, July 20 — Peru’s president-elect Ollanta Humala met in Havana with Cuban President Raul Castro and former leader Fidel Castro on Tuesday afternoon saying the talks were “very positive,” reported Granma newspaper.

Before leaving Cuba, Humala said he hopes to see strengthened economic and cultural relations with island.  He showed special interest in applying Cuba’s “Yo Si Puedo” (Yes I Can) literacy program in his country, noting “that it has shown great success in Venezuela, Bolivia and other nations.”

The press report also notes that Humala held a phone conversation with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is in Cuba for chemotherapy treatment after having a cancerous tumor removed a month ago.

Humala said Chavez sounded “very lively and with a lot of desire to return to governing in Caracas.”

The Peruvian president-elect has repeatedly opposed the US blockade on Cuba. In Havana he called the policy of 11 consecutive US governments to be “an embarrassment” still existing well into the 21st Century.

Humala takes office on July 28th.