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• 02 / 18 / 2009

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Referring to the sculptural complex intended to decorate the Havana-based site, Colom said the initiative pays tribute to the collective memory of two nations linked by national symbols.

Its design by artist Andres Gonzalez perpetuates the memory of Cuban Jose Joaquin Palma and Guatemalan Rafael Alvarez Osvalle, who wrote and composed, respectively, the Guatemalan anthem.

Colom extolled the symbolic act of laying the first stone of the monument between a palm tree and a silk-cotton tree, the national trees of Cuba and Guatemala.

In remarks to journalists, he joined the Latin American condemnation of the US economic, financial and commercial blockade against Cuba.

Cuba is an admirable Island for its achievements and development in all fields, despite US restrictions and hostility, he said.

Colom also recognized Venezuela's victory in the Sunday referendum which, in his opinion, sows that all countries in the region are building models very adapted to their needs and demands.

Venezuela has achieved advances for its people because it was the people themselves who decided their fate, he stressed.

At the end of the ceremony, Colom met with members of the Union of Guatemalans residents in Cuba and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Havana.

(PL)