Information on the Tecnoimport company is scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

The address of Tecnoimport, a Cuban company that imports and exports technical products, is Edif. de la Marina, Avda del Puerto, in Havana; its director is Lieutenant Colonel Adel Izquierdo Rodríguez (Giraldilla.com, n.d.).

The Spanish Embassy in Cuba Website states that Tecnoimport was created to supply the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces with agricultural imports, as well as other kinds of imports (n.d.).

Radio Prague reported on 19 March 1998 that Tecnoimport was interested in importing agricultural implements and machinery from the Czech Republic. The Moscow Times reported that the company was responsible for maintaining a listening post, which was used by both Russian and Cuban authorities for spying on the US (20 July 1999). The listening post was funded by Russian oil exports (The Moscow Times 20 July 1999).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Embajada de España en Cuba Oficina Económica y Comercial. n.d. Gregorio Dávila Díaz. "Isumos Agrícolas-Mercado de Oportunidad: Cuba." http://www.exportapymes.com/documentos/productos/Ie1143_insumosagricolascuba.pdf [Accessed 4 Apr. 2003]

Giraldilla.com. n.d. "Trade Organizations in Cuba." http://www.giraldilla.com/Cuban%20Tradeorg.htm [Accessed 4 Apr. 2003]

The Moscow Times. 20 July 1999. Eduard Gismatullin. "Oil-for-Sugar Deal with Cuba Loses Sweetness." (NEXIS)

Radio Prague. 19 March 1998. "Cuba-comercio." http://archiv.radio.cz/news/ES/1998/19.03.html [Accessed 4 Apr. 2003]

Additional Sources Consulted

IRB Databases

World News Connection (WNC)

Internet sites including:

Amnesty International

Canadian Foundation on the Americas (FOCAL)

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

The Cuban-American Military Council

Cuba Free Press

Federation of American Scientists (FAS)

Human Rights Watch

The Miami Herald. Search engine

Nueva Prensa Cubana

El Nuevo Herald. Search engine

United Nations

Search engines:

Alltheweb.com

Google