Fidel Castro to receive Caricom award

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro will receive a special Caricom award for his contributions to the Caribbean region and the world.  "There is a strong feeling that we should recognize the old man [Castro] for his outstanding contribution to the region and we are trying to forge a mechanism to that end," the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretary General Edwin Carrington said on Friday.  Castro should be honored for aiding south African nations, like Namibia, Angola and South Africa in their fight against apartheid and colonialism, and for offering medical training to Caribbean countries, Carrington added.  Thousands of the people in the region are treated by medics who have been trained in Cuba. Cuban eye surgeons still offer free treatments for thousands across the region.  Fidel Castro, 82, will receive the award after a Caricom meeting in December. Leaders of the 15-nation community are also expected to call on US President-elect Barack Obama to normalize ties with Cuba and enter talks with Fidel's successor, Raul.
Caricom nations will meet on December 8 in Santiago de Cuba for the 3rd Caricom-Cuba summit to discuss trade, economic and technical cooperation.  RB/MMN. Original source at PressTV

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), is an organization of Caribbean nations and dependencies. Caricom's main purposes are to promote economic integration and cooperation among its members, to ensure that the benefits of integration are equitably shared, and to coordinate foreign policy. Its major activities involve coordinating economic policies and development planning; devising and instituting special projects for the less-developed countries within its jurisdiction; operating as a regional common market for many of its members (Caricom Single Market); operating the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), which serves as the final court of appeal for many Caricom members; and handling regional trade disputes