Republic of Cuba Medalla "De la Amistad"

[Stogieman]

Medalla "De la Amistad"

Again, what is this one for?

[Stogieman]

Example of the medal:

[Ulsterman]

" Amistad"= "Friendship" ("Amity"):

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=e...cial%26hs%3Dlla

[Ulsterman]

I note that an American, one John Gilman, head of the Peace and Justice network in Wisconsin (and a WW2 vet as well) has just been awarded this medal for his anti-war and "let Cuba live" work. I sent him an email as to whether he has a document with the medal.

In April,1998 several BRITISH customs officers received this medal as well.

Think of Gilman and the Customs officers medal bars!

here's a picture from the link above of the Iranian Ambassador receiving his Amistad medal:

Edited July 5, 2007 by Ulsterman

[Ed_Haynes]

Belgian Friend of Cuba Receives Medal of Friendship

Havana, August 1 (acn) The Medal of Friendship, granted by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba, was conferred on Tuesday to Belgian Katrien Demuynck.

Cuban News Agency

The medal was presented to the visitor by the president of the Cuban Friendship Institute (ICAP), Sergio Corrieri, during a ceremony held at the ICAP headquarters in Havana.

During the ceremony, Elio G?mez, vice president of the organization, praised the solidarity and the work of the Belgian friend of Cuba to spread the truth about the island's reality and against the US financial, commercial and economic blockade against the Cuban people.

He also commended her work in favor of the release of Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonz?lez, Gerardo Hern?ndez, Ram?n Laba?ino and Ren? Gonz?lez, the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters who unjustly remain in US prisons.

After recalling that Demuynck also received the F?lix Elmuza distinction, granted by the Cuban Union of Journalists, G?mez said that she has been a faithful and courageous friend, who has spared no effort in her fight for the Cuban cause.

For her part, Demuynck thanked Cuba for the distinction and recalled that 20 years have gone by since she had the first contact with the Cuban Revolution through the island's internationalist doctors in Nicaragua.

"Cuba is not a perfect society but it is a star in a world of injustice and exploitation. It is a small socialist island that shows us that a better and moir? humane world is possible," she stressed.

Katrien Demuynck founded the Belgian solidarity group Socialist Cuba Initiative in 1997 and is the current president of the group.

Present during the ceremony was Fernando Rem?rez de Estenoz, head of the International Relations Department at the Central Committee of Cuba's Communist Party, among other personalities.

http://www.cubanews.ain.cu/2007/0108otorganmedalla.htm

[Ed_Haynes]

Medal of Friendship for two South African ministers

Granma Internacional, Havana. January 8, 2003

NKOSAZANA C. Dlamini Zuma, the South African minister of foreign relations, has received in Havana the Medal of Friendship for his ?innumerable acts of solidarity towards Cuba.?

A decoration was also awarded to Ronnie Kasrils, minister of hydraulic and forestry resources of that African nation, coinciding with the 91st anniversary of the founding of the African National Congress (ANC).

Jos? Ram?n Balaguer, member of the Political Bureau of the Cuban Communist Party, decorated both distinguished ministers.

In a speech at the ceremony, Sergio Corrieri, president of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples, highlighted the South African struggle for independence and that nation?s friendship with Cuba.

He recalled that both South African officials were forced to live in exile for defending their nation?s rights and fighting against the segregationist regime of apartheid.

POSSIBLE JOINT PRODUCTION OF VACCINES

The South African foreign minister has concluded a visit to Cuba that included talks with high-ranking officials and tours of places of socio-economic and cultural interest. Moments before departing, he informed the Prensa Latina news agency that the high point of his stay on the island was the signing of agreements within the Intergovernmental Joint Commission.

He stated that agreements were signed in distinctive areas of cooperation, such as health, education and agriculture, and the possibility of joint cooperation on the production of vaccines and in hydraulic resources. He added that there are already 10 engineers in that specialty in South Africa.

The foreign minister announced the expansion of current projects in housing construction to various provinces of his country.

There are also possibilities of cooperation in mining and energy that include joint exploration of hydrocarbons, he noted.

Dlamini Zuma had talks with Cuban Government Minister Ricardo Cabrisas, with whom he discussed issues related to the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) and Havana-Pretoria relations.

Dlamini Zuma also met with his Cuban counterpart Felipe P?rez Roque. During official talks at the Foreign Ministry, the diplomatic leaders of both nations discussed the results of the 2nd session of the Intergovernmental Joint Commission of last December.

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/enero03/mier8/1condec-i.html

[Ed_Haynes]

Burkina-Cuba : Salif N?bi? d?cor? de la M?daille de l?Amiti?

lefaso.net, jeudi 26 juillet 2007

L?ambassadeur du Burkina Faso ? Cuba, S.E.M. Salif N?bi?, a ?t? d?cor? le 24 juillet de la M?daille de l?Amiti?, une des plus hautes distinctions cubaines.

Dans une allocution path?tique, M. Ivan MORA, Directeur Afrique Subsaharienne du Minist?re des Relations Ext?rieures (MINREX) a rappel? les m?rites et qualit?s exceptionnels du r?cipiendaire qui a travaill? avec abn?gation 12 ann?es durant au rapprochement des hommes et des peuples et au renforcement des relations entre le Burkina Faso et Cuba. Le diplomate cubain a f?licit? l?ambassadeur N?bi? pour son leadership au sein du Groupe Africain et du Corps diplomatique. Un hommage m?rit? a ?t? rendu ? Mme Lalia N?bi?, ?pouse de l?ambassadeur.

Au nom du pr?sident Fidel Castro Ruz et du Conseil d?Etat, S.E.M. Felipe Perez Roque, ministre des Relations Ext?rieures a d?cor? le Doyen Salif N?bi? en pr?sence d??minentes personnalit?s du Bureau Politique du Comit? Central, du Minist?re des Relations Ext?rieures, du Minist?re des Investissements Etrangers et de la Coop?ration Economique (MINVEC), d?autres Minist?res et Institutions cubaines ainsi que du Corps diplomatique accr?dit? ? Cuba.

Beaucoup d?autres invit?s ont pris part ? la c?r?monie qui a eu lieu dans les enceintes du Minist?re des Relations Ext?rieures.

Rappelons que l?Ambassade du Burkina Faso ? Cuba a juridiction sur Cuba, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, la Jama?que, Ha?ti et R?publique Dominicaine.

Ambassade du Burkina Faso ? Cuba

http://www.lefaso.net/spip.php?article22421

[Ed_Haynes]

Cuba honours Gordimer for defence work

Zenzile Khoisan

IOL, April 28 2004 at 10:30AM - originally in Cape Argus, 28 April 2004

Cuba has awarded one of its most prestigious medals to celebrated South African writer and Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer.

The award-winning novelist was presented with the Medal of Friendship in Pretoria on Monday at an official ceremony officiated by Ricardo Alarcon, Speaker of the Cuban National Assembly.

Gordimer was honoured alongside Dr Carmen Baez, deputy secretary-general of the Friendship Association with Cuba in South Africa.

The award was given to Gordimer for her work in defence of five Cuban nationals who were jailed five years ago by the United States government after alerting the Federal Bureau of Investigation of terror plans being hatched against Cuba on US soil.

Accepting the award, Gordimer told the gathering of diplomats, state officials and members of the Friends of Cuba Society "now I feel like an honorary Cuban". Reiterating her position on the double standards of the Bush administration, the Nobel laureate said it was an outrage that the US government had imprisoned Cuban patriots who had exposed an extensive anti-Cuba terror network, based in Miami, Florida.

Commenting on the Cuban Council of State's decision to present the awards to Gordimer and Baez, Cuban ambassador Ester Amenteros said it was done "because of their long-standing friendship with Cuba and because of their outstanding contribution".

During more than five decades in which she has penned almost two dozen novels, short story collections and works of fiction, Gordimer has always been regarded as a relentless crusader against repression and injustice.

During apartheid, she was one of the voices at the forefront of the fight for democracy and served on the executive of the Congress of South African Writers. She was also elected and served as vice-president of the international writers body, Pen International.

Monday's event, held at the official residence of the Cuban ambassador to South Africa, was also attended by Brian Williams, author of One Renaissance, Many Revolutions.

"The occasion was a tremendous celebration of Cuba's efforts in support of global justice and peace. It is indeed fitting and proper that two exceptional people of the calibre of Nadine Gordimer and Carmen Baez, who have been at the forefront of exposing the injustice against the Cuban five (the men imprisoned in the US), are honoured in this way," Williams said.

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=6&...54&set_id=1

[Taz]

Medalla "De la Amistad"