BY MARELYS VALENCIA / PHOTOS: AHMED VELAZQUEZ (Granma
                   International staff writer)

                   FOR the 140 delegates attending the U.S.-Cuba Sister City
                   Association conference, the meeting with leader Fidel Castro during
                   the closing session was "totally unexpected and a great honor,"
                   according to the association’s president, Lisa Valanti.

                   During a three-hour speech at the Social
                   Workers’ Training College, given to
                   numerous students and U.S. delegates
                   from 36 cities in 17 states, Fidel
                   explained the emergence of initiatives for
                   70 educational programs in the country,
                   originally conceived for young people
                   who are neither working or going to
                   school.

                   Many people participate in this effort,
                   especially young university and social
                   work students, which he referred to as
                   the connection between the state and
                   the family, in order to help resolve an
                   infinite number of problems. The country
                   is planning for 40,000 social work
                   students to graduate from that program.

                   The audience expressed appreciation
                   when Fidel commented that in Cuba
                   maternity leave has been extended to
                   one year. He also mentioned the
                   concern about eliminating the causes
                   leading young people to commit crimes and go to prison.

                   In his opinion, the strategy of achieving an integral cultural knowledge
                   has led to a major increase in the Revolution’s social efforts, such as
                   the audiovisual program; the rapid training of new elementary school
                   teachers, computer instructors and programmers; publishing; local
                   libraries; education and public health. This effort is aimed at the
                   massive development of talent and equal opportunities for personal
                   development, he indicated.

                   Fidel highlighted his conviction that in a rational society there should
                   not be an overabundance of people, nor should there be
                   unemployment. He added that most jobs are now in the service
                   sector, rather than industry or agriculture. Similarly, he asserted that
                   Cuba is advancing toward a superior society that will not depend only
                   on material development.

                   Previously, Lisa Valanti discussed the results of the conference, aimed
                   at strengthening ties of friendship between the two peoples and
                   defeating Washington’s official policy of isolating Cuba.

                   Valanti reported on the possibilities for establishing other sister city
                   ties, for example, between the U.S. states of Illinois, California and
                   New Mexico with municipalities and regions of the island.

                   During the first day’s debates, it was announced that the city council
                   of Madison, Wisconsin, had approved a resolution demanding the
                   establishment of economic and diplomatic relations with the island,
                   and the elimination of Cuba from the list of countries that allegedly
                   support terrorism. The resolution was signed by Mayor Susan
                   Bauman and sent to President Bush.

                   Another surprise at the meeting was the presence of U.S. filmmaker
                   Oliver Stone, who arrived in Havana on February 13 with plans to
                   film a documentary about Cuba which will include the days of the
                   Sierra Maestra, sources revealed.

                   Stone has visited the country on several occasions. In 1987 he
                   presented Salvador, one of his first films, and had the chance to
                   meet with the Cuban leader, something he was able to repeat on this
                   visit.

                   The U.S. delegates received two special lectures by National
                   Assembly President Ricardo Alarcón: a panorama of the island’s
                   economy, and the current situation of bilateral relations. Alarcón
                   voiced optimism when speaking about initiatives carried out by U.S.
                   personalities and sectors in favor of normalization, like sister-city
                   relations, because they point "the way to the future."

                   AT THE LATIN AMERICAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

                   The agenda also included a visit to the Latin American School of
                   Medicine, where delegates learned about the efforts made by Cuba in
                   favor of the Third World’s public health, based on a humanist
                   philosophy.

                   Dr. José Miyar Barrueco, secretary of the Council of State, explained
                   that the school was founded three years ago and teaches that
                   "illness cannot be seen as a commodity, nor the patient a source of
                   profit."

                   The school’s director, Juan Carrizo, clarified that it emerged out of an
                   idea of Fidel Castro and marked a new way of collaborating with
                   Latin America, Asia and Africa, which came to be known as the
                   Integral Health Program. The school’s mission is to train future
                   doctors to replace those who will join Cuba’s medical brigades
                   offering their services, free of charge, in 18 Third World nations.

                   He noted that students from 19 Latin American and Caribbean
                   countries are currently enrolled at the medical school, along with four
                   from Africa. Another 30 students come from minority and
                   low-income communities and groups in the United States and will
                   soon be joined by another 13 students from that country.

                   CURRENT ACTIVITIES CAN POINT THE WAY AHEAD

                   Ricardo Alarcón, president of Cuba’s National Assembly, shared his
                   confidence that initiatives by U.S. public figures and sectors favoring
                   the normalization of bilateral relations indicate "the way ahead" and
                   are multiplying.

                   Speaking before the 135 representatives of 31 U.S. localities
                   attending the Sister City Association conference, which promotes
                   goodwill between municipalities and cities in both nations, the leader
                   affirmed that the majority now believes such a normalization is
                   needed, at least in the context of making the situation steadily more
                   rational.

                   In the House of Representatives as well as the Senate, Alarcón
                   stated, there are evident attempts to eliminate restrictions "lacking
                   legal and political sense," even though the Bush administration wants
                   to continue existing policy.

                   Meanwhile, U.S. citizens are showing an interest in traveling to Cuba.
                   "I don’t recall another moment in history in which we’ve received so
                   many U.S. citizens. Not one day has gone by this year when we
                   haven’t talked with some visitor from that neighboring country, so
                   near and yet so far."

                   Far from these positions is that of the Florida minority which,
                   "desperate due to those attempts at rapprochement, are becoming
                   more dangerous every day, as history is demonstrating," he stated.

                   Alarcón used the example of the infamous trial in a Miami court of
                   five Cubans charged with espionage, without solid evidence
                   (documented or oral) against them. Similarly, he labeled that city’s
                   media campaign regarding the trial as hysterical.

                   He also indicated that while U.S. society repudiates acts of terrorism,
                   Miami is a world apart. He recalled that on December 12, 2001,
                   Orlando Bosch, who masterminded the explosion of a Cubana
                   passenger plane in mid-flight in 1976, gave an interview to a Miami
                   newspaper in which he made reference to his past and the need to
                   continue combating the revolutionary government by all means.

                   Alarcón commented that government protection of such individuals
                   undermines the basis of the U.S. anti-terrorist position.

                   Given the encouragement given to the Miami ultra-right wing and the
                   appointment of certain cold war agents to top positions in some
                   departments of the Bush administration, Alarcón stated: "I don’t
                   think they’ll go as far as to hold its Cuba policy hostage." In his
                   opinion, the day U.S. policy toward the island responds to the
                   interests of that nation, the issue of bilateral relations will be solved.

                   Regarding the steps Cuba has taken to improve relations with its
                   neighbor, Alarcón mentioned the government’s official statement
                   that it would cooperate with the U.S. authorities regarding the
                   housing of Afghan prisoners of war at the Guantánamo Naval Base;
                   the adoption of international agreements to combat terrorism; and a
                   rdiness to cooperate bilaterally to confront drug trafficking and
                   person smuggling.