Lage, reelected by parliament one week ago as a vice president in Cuba's council of state, announced in the Juventud Rebelde (Rebel Youth) newspaper that the country would initiate "a stimulous plan in strategic economic sectors."

The announcement came a week after the National Assembly chose Raul Castro as president, succeeding his 81-year-old brother Fidel Castro who stepped down as head of state for health reasons after nearly five decades in power.

Lage, 56, a pediatrician by training who for the past several years has been the operational head of the government and one of the most visible Cuban leaders, helped Cuba edge out of a deep crisis in the 1990s caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union, then its main financial backer.

Lage, a member of parliament since 1976 and a longtime member of the Communist party's central committee, also underscored the need to step up Cuba's production capacity and reduce its level of imports.

(www.javno.com)