The Dominican government will send 500 tons of food and construction materials to Cuba, worth 17 million pesos, as a gesture of solidarity to alleviate the damage suffered by this island nation following last week’s devastating hurricane, Ike.

The Dominican government will send 500 tons of food and construction materials to Cuba, worth 17 million pesos...

This information was released by the President’s Administrative Minister Luis Manuel Bonetti during a press conference in the Orlando Martínez Hall of the National Palace where the head of state also named a commission that will be in charge of taking the humanitarian aid and a letter of solidarity to the Cuban government, according to the President’s Office of Information, Press and Publicity.

Mr. Bonetti explained that the government´s donation to Cuba will include 2,750 quintals of rice, 1,000 of beans, 204,400 feet of wood and 22,857 zinc roofing sheets. The aid is scheduled to be dispatched on Tuesday morning by sea.

“Beginning today, all of the materials are being loaded onto the ship in the Port of Santo Domingo,” said the Presidential Administrative Minister

He added that before the Dominican government decided on what type of aid to send to Cuba, it had consulted with Cuban authorities about their needs. The Cubans responded that these products and material were indeed a priority.

Bonetti announced that on Thursday, he himself will travel to Havana on a commission headed by the Insurance Superintendant, Euclides Gutiérrez. The commission will include Health Minister Bautista Rojas Gómez and Secretary of State without a portfolio Rafael Pérez Modesto who will deliver the letter of solidarity and a symbolic delivery of Dominican humanitarian cooperation to Cuba, in keeping with express instructions from President Fernández.

Dominican Government to Send Food and Building Materials to Cuba

Dominican Government to Send Food and Building Materials to Cuba .

Dominican Government to Send Food and Building Materials to Cuba