Cuban Parliament Assesses Economic Growth
After hearing a heartening report that the national economy grew 11.8 percent in 2005, the Cuban Parliament continues Friday its sixth ordinary period of sessions assessing results of the year´s social-economic programs and the 2006 budget.

Thursday´s session, headed by President Fidel Castro, analyzed reports on the Island´s GDP of 11.8 percent, the highest since the Revolution.

For this year Cuba applied a new method to calculate the GDP, which reduces the disadvantage of the usual system based on a capitalist economy, in which market transactions increase that indicator.

The Cuban head of state affirmed the nation is moving toward economic invulnerability despite the US blockade and attempts to discredit the Revolution.

Regarding energy saving efforts to provide the nation with efficient electric-energy and low fuel consumption, the president explained this year it will allow a saving of a billion dollars, which could be two billion in 2006.

About Washington´s latest warnings, Fidel Castro pointed out that the truth about the Cuban process was gaining international importance, contrasted with emerging information on torture centers kept by the US government at the illegal Guantanamo naval base and in European countries.

During this session President Castro praised the work of Cuban physicians around the world and the Island´s ability to send health workers to wherever they are needed, such as in Pakistan, where they have cared for more than 80,000 children since the October earthquake.

He also extolled the results of Operation Miracle, which allows Latin American and Caribbean patients to obtain free eye operations in Cuba.