Felipe Pérez Roque
Encyclopedia
Felipe Ramón Pérez Roque (born 28 March 1965 in Havana
) was the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Cuba
from 1999 to 2009. At his appointment, he was not only the youngest member of the Cuban cabinet but also the only one to be born after the Cuban Revolution
in 1959.
Pérez Roque was formerly an electronics engineer and leader of student organizations who has served as Fidel Castro
's chief of staff for a decade prior to his ministry. As well as being a prominent member of the Cuban Council of Ministers, Pérez Roque was also a member of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of Cuba
and served on the Council of State
. He was replaced as Foreign Minister by former United Nations Ambassador Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla
in March 2009 after allegations of expressing scornful words against Fidel Castro's rule and the positions of other senior communist party leaders obtained from covert recording bugs, he was deposed from all his party and state positions.
gatherings, criticizing the role of the United States and requesting that US troops be withdrawn from Iraq. At the gatherings, he also petitioned for the security council to include Third World countries, that all nations cooperate in the fight against terrorism, and that it is the responsibility of developed countries to ensure general and complete disarmament including nuclear disarmament.
Pérez Roque was also responsible for the deepening of trade relations between Cuba and the People's Republic of China
, and has made a number of high profile trips to the country signing a key military agreement between the two nations.
Pérez Roque was dismissed as Foreign Minister on 2 March 2009. Fidel Castro then criticized him for love of power in a statement on 3 March, and Pérez Roque announced his resignation from all his party and state positions—membership on the Communist Party's Central Committee and Political Bureau, membership on the Council of State, and his role as a parliamentary deputy—in a letter published on 5 March. In that letter, he also accepted Castro's criticism and agreed that he had committed errors.
See 2009 dismissals by Raúl Castro.
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
) was the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
from 1999 to 2009. At his appointment, he was not only the youngest member of the Cuban cabinet but also the only one to be born after the Cuban Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
in 1959.
Pérez Roque was formerly an electronics engineer and leader of student organizations who has served as Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
's chief of staff for a decade prior to his ministry. As well as being a prominent member of the Cuban Council of Ministers, Pérez Roque was also a member of the Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of the Communist Party of Cuba
Communist Party of Cuba
The Communist Party of Cuba is the governing political party in Cuba. It is a communist party of the Marxist-Leninist model. The Cuban constitution ascribes the role of the Party to be the "leading force of society and of the state"...
and served on the Council of State
Council of State of Cuba
The Council of State of Cuba is a 31-member body of the government of Cuba, elected by the National Assembly of People’s Power. It has the authority to exercise most legislative power between sessions of the National Assembly of People’s Power, subject to its approval, and to call the National...
. He was replaced as Foreign Minister by former United Nations Ambassador Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla
Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla
Bruno Eduardo Rodríguez Parrilla is a Cuban diplomat and politician. He is presently the Foreign Minister of Cuba. He was his country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1995 to 2003. Rodríguez Parrilla was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs on March 2, 2009, replacing...
in March 2009 after allegations of expressing scornful words against Fidel Castro's rule and the positions of other senior communist party leaders obtained from covert recording bugs, he was deposed from all his party and state positions.
Role as Foreign Minister
Pérez Roque's role as foreign minister was defined by statements opposing the foreign policies of the United States, in regard to both the status of Cuba and in regard to wider US foreign policy. He described Cuba as a "country under siege" as a result of the US embargo against Cuba but he also was seen as politician open to negotiating an end to it . Pérez Roque made a series of speeches at the annual United Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
gatherings, criticizing the role of the United States and requesting that US troops be withdrawn from Iraq. At the gatherings, he also petitioned for the security council to include Third World countries, that all nations cooperate in the fight against terrorism, and that it is the responsibility of developed countries to ensure general and complete disarmament including nuclear disarmament.
Pérez Roque was also responsible for the deepening of trade relations between Cuba and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, and has made a number of high profile trips to the country signing a key military agreement between the two nations.
Pérez Roque was dismissed as Foreign Minister on 2 March 2009. Fidel Castro then criticized him for love of power in a statement on 3 March, and Pérez Roque announced his resignation from all his party and state positions—membership on the Communist Party's Central Committee and Political Bureau, membership on the Council of State, and his role as a parliamentary deputy—in a letter published on 5 March. In that letter, he also accepted Castro's criticism and agreed that he had committed errors.
See 2009 dismissals by Raúl Castro.
Personal life
He is married to Tania Crombet, Jaime Crombet's daughter (Crombet is the Vice President of the National Assembly of People’s Power) with two children.External links
- Official Biography Cuban Foreign Ministry
- Statement before the 59th Session of the United Nations General Assembly 24 September 2004 Granma InternationalGranma (newspaper)Granma is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party.Its name comes from the yacht Granma that carried Fidel Castro and 81 other rebels to Cuba's shores in 1956 launching the Cuban Revolution.-Editions:...
- Archive of speeches made by Pérez Roque