Russia, Cuba to sign cooperation pact

HAVANA, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Russian Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu was in Havana Wednesday to discuss cooperation opportunities between the two countries, officials said.

Shoigu and Cuban leaders were expected to sign a cooperation plan that included "information exchange and information" for Cuban specialists, the Russian news agency Novosti reported.

"We would draft new projects and implement them," he said during a news conference.

Shoigu traveled to Cuba Tuesday from Nicaragua, where he implemented a mine-clearing project.

"The Russian government has resolved to allocate a substantial sum to buy equipment and to train Nicaragua specialists to remove mines," Shoigu said.

The program's timeline indicates Nicaraguan specialists would finish clearing the country's territory by 2010, he said. Of the approximately 179,000 mines laid in northern and central Nicaragua in 1980s, about 175,000 have been cleared.

The Russian delegation was scheduled to go to Venezuela Friday.