| Cuban dissidents criticise Spain
Cuban dissidents have criticised Spain after it signed agreements with Havana to discuss human rights and reinstate Spanish aid. The deals came on the second day of a visit by Miguel Angel Moratinos, Spain's foreign minister, whose government has led efforts to revive EU-Cuban relations hurt by Havana's jailing of 75 dissidents four years ago. Marta Beatriz Roque, leader of the illegal Assembly for the Promotion of Civil Society, said: "I do not believe at all in the deal, or in the good will of the Spanish government." Vladimiro Roca, a former political prisoner, said: "We will have to wait for the results." "Zapatero [Spain's prime minister] has ignored all opposition requests to respect human rights," he said. Moratinos "came to ensure Spain's investments in Cuba". Felipe Perez Roque, the Cuban foreign minister, said the talks had not touched on the subject of Cuban political prisoners. "This is not a matter we discuss with other countries," he said, and he said that Moratinos had not brought it up. Perez Roque agreed to talks with Spain, he adamantly opposed discussions with the rest of Europe until it lifted EU sanctions "definitively." "We cannot talk with anyone imposing sanctions on us," he said.
Marcos Madrid total concentration in Brazil
Marcos Madrid underlined the progress that he has made in the past twelve months but it was not sufficient to stave off defeat for Mexico in the quarter-finals of the Mens Team event at the Latin American Championships in So Paulo on the morning of Saturday 24th March 2007.
Playing against Brazil, he beat former Latin American champion, Thiago Monteiro in four games to bring the match score level after Hugo Hoyama had overpowered Guillermo Muez.
A fine performance by the quietly spoken Mexican but it was the only reverse that Brail suffered. Top seeds in the Mens Team event they went two-one ahead with Hugo Hoyama and Gustavo Tsuboi beating Rafael Mendez and Marcos Madrid and they duly brought matters to a conclusion as Thiago Monteiro, stung by his earlier defeat, overcame Rafael Mendez in straight games.
Indurain feels 'sorry' for Ullrich
MADRID, Spain (Reuters) -- Five-times Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain has lamented the manner in which Jan Ullrich retired from competitive cycling on Monday. The 33-year-old German, who won the Tour de France in 1997, was withdrawn from the T-Mobile team before last year's race after being linked with the Operation Puerto doping investigation in Spain. He was suspended and then dropped by T-Mobile and had been without a professional team since then, although he continued to protest his innocence and had not been charged with a doping offence. Ullrich said he was fed up with the criticism. "Although at 33 he didn't have much cycling left in his legs, it is a shame he has had to retire in this manner," Indurain wrote in sports daily Marca on Tuesday.
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