Several people walk to enter stores on Obispo Street, on Friday, January 28, 2022, in Havana, Cuba. Yander Zamora
On Monday, the Cuban government reaccredited all the journalists from the Spanish agency Efe whose work permits had been withdrawn on the island on the eve of the frustrated demonstration on November 15.
The authorities will allow the entry of the agency's new correspondent in Havana, who had been waiting months for permission from Cuba.
On November 13, without publicly explaining the reasons, the Cuban authorities withdrew the accreditation of two editors, two photographers and a television cameraman who worked in the Havana delegation, but, after high-level efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Spain, the next day they returned two of them (an editor and a photographer) so that they could continue reporting from Cuba.
Since then, the media, the Spanish diplomacy and those responsible for the International Press Center (CPI) of Cuba have been negotiating a solution to the conflict, which took place this Monday, in the midst of a visit to Cuba by representatives of the Spanish agency.
The director of Press, Communication and Image of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Juan Antonio Fernández Palacios, published on his Twitter account that he had held "frank, transparent and respectful conversations" with members of a delegation headed by the information director of Efe , José Sanz, and moments later the CPI announced the news.
"Today's afternoon, the credentials have been delivered to all the correspondents in Havana and in the next few days the designated chief correspondent, Juan Palop, will be granted a visa so that he can assume his duties," he published on his Twitter account. Twitter the CPI.
In the message, the CPI reported that "both parties reaffirmed the importance of the accredited press carrying out its informative work with freedom and mutual respect, in accordance with the principles of truthfulness, impartiality and non-bias."
Spanish diplomatic sources in Havana considered the return to normalcy of Efe in Cuba as "good news and that all journalists can return to work and the delegation be at full capacity," noting that during the last two months Spanish diplomacy has worked discreetly to get this "positive step" to take place.
Efe pointed out - in a news item signed from Havana - that the Cuban authorities restored the accreditations and indicated that "in the next few days the press visa of the new delegate of the office will be processed," which had been requested in September.
In addition, they indicated that they will approve the credentials of the new newsroom coordinator as soon as the agency provides the necessary information.
"When these two press visas are delivered, Efe will recover the informative capacity it had at the beginning of last year, with seven active journalists (delegate, three editors, two photographers and a cameraman)," said the agency, which opened its representation in Cuba almost half a century ago.
"The recovery of the accreditations comes at a time of great informative interest on the island, which is carrying out an unprecedented process of popular consultation of its Family Code, a legislative reform that includes, among other novelties, the recognition of same-sex marriage" , Efe pointed out and also stressed that the island is going through difficult times due to the economic crisis "aggravated by the tightening of US economic sanctions, the pandemic and the poor results of macroeconomic management."
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