(6 Feb 2009) SHOTLIST
1. Wide exterior of Consulate of Spain in Havana
2. Close of Spanish flag waving on top of Consulate
3. People on line in front of Consulate
4. Close of plaque reading: (Spanish) “Spanish General Consulate”
5. Women in front of consulate filling out paperwork
6. Norberto Luis Diaz Reyes shaking hands with Spanish Consul Pablo Barrios while getting passport
7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Norberto Luis Diaz, First Cuban to get Spanish passport under new law:
“Everyday is special, and today is the most important day of my life because it’s the first day of the rest of my life, that’s all. ”
8. Tilt up from Diaz hand showing passport to him looking at it
9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Pablo Barrios, Spanish Consul in Havana:
“We welcome you because we support dual nationality. You’re a Cuban who we accept as a Cuban among Spaniards, I think this is a great moment for Cuba and for Spain.”
10. Wide of media around Norberto Luis Diaz and Spanish embassy staff
11. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Norberto Luis Diaz, First Cuban to get Spanish passport under new law:
“This is not a one way trip, no trip is one way, of course I’ll come back to Cuba. Cuba is my motherland. Cuba gave me my body and Spain my spirit, but this is my homeland, this is where my family is and I love Cuba very much.”
12. Close up of Diaz hands holding his brand new Spanish passport
13. Wide of news conference
14. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Pablo Barrios, Spanish Consul in Havana:
“The Embassy assessment is that this won’t mean a exodus of Cubans to live permanently in Spain or anywhere else, of course people will go to live for certain periods of time.”
15. Close of Diaz hands holding passport and opening it to show it to the media
16. Tilt down from Diaz face to passport
STORYLINE
The first Cuban citizen to benefit from a recent law under which grandchildren of Spaniards or descendants of people exiled during Spain’s civil war can obtain that country’s citizenship, received his new passport on Thursday in Havana.
The 38 year old Norberto Luis Diaz officially became a dual Spanish-Cuban citizen during a ceremony led by Spain’s consul to the island, Pablo Barrios.
Diaz was the first person to sign his request on December 29th of 2008, when the so called “grandchildren’s law” went into effect.
Diaz, whose grandfather arrived to Cuba in 1906 and never returned to his native Spain, said he would be relocating to the European country.
“Today is the most important day of my life because it’s the first day of the rest of my life,” Diaz told journalists after receiving his Spanish passport.
Though he will be leaving Cuba, Diaz said the move would not be forever.
The law, which was announced in December 2007, allows for grandchildren of Spaniards to be eligible for their ancestor’s citizenship.
Descendants of Spanish citizens that exiled to Cuba during Spain’s civil war and the Francisco Franco dictatorship years, are also eligible to apply.
Applicants have two years, from December 2008, to complete their applications for citizenship, though it is possible for the Spanish government to prolong that time if it so chooses.
Approximately 150-thousand Cubans are expected to apply for citizenship over the course of the 24 month period.
According to Barrios 25-thousand requests have already been submitted via internet, in a country where access to the world wide web is quite difficult to attain.
He said, however, the law is not expected to generate a massive emigration of Cubans to Spain.

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