Published Thursday, April 2, 1998, in the Miami Herald

Cuba finally getting Spain envoy

MADRID, Spain -- (AFP) -- Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on Wednesday told parliament that he was appointing a new ambassador to Cuba, a post which has remained empty for the past 16 months.

Aznar gave no name, but official sources said it was likely to be Eduardo Junco, who has served in the former Zaire and in Ukraine.

Cuba withdrew accreditation to then Spanish envoy Jose Coderch in December 1996 after he made statements to the press that Spanish embassies would be open to Cuban dissidents.

After the incident, Cuba accused Spain of meddling in its domestic affairs but relations between the two countries had begun to sour immediately after Aznar took power in May 1996.

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