HAVANA, Cuba.- Ana Maria Mari Machado, Vice-President of the National Assembly of People´s Power, exchanged in the Capitol of Havana with Leila Khaled, member of the Political Bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

During the meeting, Mari Machado updated the visitor on the composition of Parliament in its ninth legislature, and highlighted the presence of women, which represent 53, 22 percent of Deputies.

The Vice-President of the National Assembly referred to the popular debate taking place in the island on the draft Constitution, and remarked the democratic and participatory nature of the meetings.

Mari Machado said that it is also working on the improvement of the system of People´s Power in Cuba, which, among other aspects, seeks to get closer to the population.

Cuba Reiterates Support for Palestine

Palestinian officer Leila Khaled told the Vice-President of the Cuban Parliament about the current situation in her country and, referring to the more than six million Palestinians outside the national territory, said that no nation can achieve self-determination under those conditions.

Khaled condemned the blockade imposed on them by the US and Israeli governments, despite the fact that the Palestinians’ right to return and self-determination was recognized in the United Nations.

She also denounced the pressure exerted against the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, which she described as the largest prison in the world, since no one can enter or leave that territory.

Ana Maria Mari Machado said that they will always have the voice of Cuba to defend their cause, and thanked the support of the sister nation in the fight against the blockade.