From mail.infocom.etecsa.cu!radiohc@mail.infocom.etecsa.cu Tue Apr 15 17:33:28 1997 Return-Path: mail.infocom.etecsa.cu!radiohc@mail.infocom.etecsa.cu Received: from dns2.infocom.etecsa.cu ([169.158.64.1]) by nyxfer.blythe.org (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id RAA20642 for ; Tue, 15 Apr 1997 17:33:12 -0400 Received: by dns2.infocom.etecsa.cu (Smail3.1.28.1 #3) id m0wHFq9-0001tjC; Tue, 15 Apr 97 17:32 EDT Received: from manati.in.etecsa.cu by dns2.infocom.etecsa.cu with SMTP id XXXXXXXX-Xa17050; Tue, 15 Apr 97 17:32 EDT Received: by manati.in.etecsa.cu (Smail3.1.28.1 #3) id m0wHFq8-0000eVC; Tue, 15 Apr 97 17:32 EDT Message-Id: Subject: Radio Havana Cuba stories, April 15, 1997 To: reg.cuba@conf.igc.apc.org Date: Tue, 15 Apr 1997 17:32:35 -0400 (EDT) From: "Lic. Jorge L. Ruiz" Cc: nyt@blythe.org, cubaseccion@igc.apc.org X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL13] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Length: 7680 Status: RO CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA Tuesday, April 15, 1997 The following items are taken from RADIO HAVANA CUBA's International Shortwave Service in English for Tuesday, April 15, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN COMMUNIST PARTY ISSUES CALL FOR FIFTH PARTY CONGRESS 2.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA ARRIVES IN THAILAND 3.- GRENADIAN PRIME MINISTER WILL VISIT CUBA NEXT WEEK 4.- MINIMUM ACCESS SURGERY EXTENDS THROUGHOUT THE ISLAND 5.- OIL TANKER SINKS OFF HAVANA'S NORTHERN COAST 6.- CUBA AND SOUTH AFRICA BOOST COMMERCIAL COOPERATION 7.- WOMEN CREATORS MEET IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL CUBAN COMMUNIST PARTY ISSUES CALL FOR FIFTH PARTY CONGRESS Havana, April 15(RHC)-- Cuba's Communist Party has called its 5th Party Congress. The announcement was made Monday at the 6th Plenary Meeting of the Central Committee of the Cuban political party. The call will be made public Wednesday, during the ceremony for the 36th anniversary of the proclamation of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution at the Ernesto Che Guevara Square in the central city of Santa Clara. At the plenary meeting, Cuban leader Fidel Castro pointed to the importance of the congress at a time when Cubans are struggling to maintain their sovereignty and the achievements of socialism. CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA ARRIVES IN THAILAND Bangkok, April 15(RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina arrived today in Thailand -- the fifth stop of his Asia tour, which has included Singapore, India, Malaysia and Brunei. During his two-day visit to the Thai capital of Bangkok, the Cuban foreign minister will meet with high- ranking government representatives as well as members of the private business sector. Last night, before leaving for Bangkok, Robaina met with the Sultan of Brunei Paduka Seri Baginda as well as the ministers of health, culture and sports. The Brunei head of state expressed his satisfaction over the recent establishment of diplomatic relations between the small Asian country and Cuba. The Cuban foreign minister is expected to arrive in Tokyo on Thursday for a two-day official visit to Japan. GRENADIAN PRIME MINISTER WILL VISIT CUBA NEXT WEEK Havana, April 15(RHC)-- The Prime Minister of Grenada, Keith Mitchell, will begin an official visit to Cuba next Monday, the 21st. Leading a 13-member government delegation, the Grenadian prime minister will discuss issues of bilateral interest with Cuban authorities. In the Grenadian capital of St. Georges, the President of the Maurice Bishop Patriotic Movement, Terrace Merryshow, expressed his pleasure at the news, affirming that the upcoming visit will help to further improve relations between the two countries. This will be the first visit of a high-ranking government delegation from Grenada since the U.S. invasion of that Caribbean island in October 1983. MINIMUM-ACCESS SURGERY EXTENDS THROUGHOUT THE ISLAND Havana, April 15(RHC)-- More than 5000 Cubans have been operated on with endoscopic or minimum-access surgery over the past six years. The revolutionary, less invasive surgical technique has now been extended to eight of the island's 14 provinces. After minimum access surgery, patients can leave the hospital in 24 hours. The surgical procedure began in France in 1987 and was introduced in Cuba in 1991. OIL TANKER SINKS OFF HAVANA'S NORTHERN COAST Havana, April 15(RHC)-- An oil tanker exploded and sank Monday afternoon off Havana's northern coast. According to witnesses, after the explosion, the Pampero Oil Tanker went down in less than seven minutes. One person was killed and six are reportedly missing, three of them Cubans. Forensic experts are attempting to determine the identities of the dead. The Cuban Coast Guard rescued 18 crew members. Three were hospitalized. The oil tanker was reportedly heading to Havana's Nico Lopez oil refinery from the eastern city of Matanzas -- some 90 kilometers from the capital. Cuba's Navy is searching the area of the accident searching for survivors. CUBA AND SOUTH AFRICA BOOST COMMERCIAL COOPERATION Havana, April 15(RHC)-- South Africa's Trade and Industry Minister, Alec Erwing, has paid a two-day working visit to Havana. Erwing headed a business delegation from that African nation's most important economic sectors. Current commercial cooperation talks are aimed at exploring bilateral interests in the fields of mining, communications, sugar, chemicals, transportation and technological exchange. Cuban Foreign Trade Minister Ricardo Cabrisas, who received the South African delegation on Monday, said that ongoing commercial contacts are a sign of excellent bilateral, diplomatic and trade relations between Pretoria and Havana. Members of the South African delegation agreed that Cuba's privileged geographical position and its opening to foreign investment make it an interesting scenario for South Africa's commercial relations with Latin America. The South African delegation, which departed Tuesday for Mexico, held talks with top Cuban government officials in the ministries of transportation, foreign affairs, economy and planning among others. Twenty business representatives participated in tbe South African delegation, the largest that has visited the island in the past two years. A delegation from the South African province of Gauteng came to Havana in 1996. Various other South African political leaders and representatives of social organizations have also strengthened bilateral ties with Cuba. WOMEN CREATORS MEET IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, April 15(RHC)-- Some 300 women from all walks of life representing 14 nations are participating in the 2nd International Encounter of Women Creators. Hosted by the National Association of Inventors and Innovators, the Federation of Cuban Women and the United Nations Women's Development Fund, the event is aimed at finding alternatives or technical solutions to solve problems or ways to alleviate them. On the encounter's agenda are issues such as women in the search of alternative solutions for sustainable food production, renewable energy and the environment and women's contribution to development. Participating in the opening ceremony was Vilma Espin, President of the Federation of Cuban Women; Jaime Salgado, President of the Cuban Association of Inventors and Innovators and head of the event's organizing committee; Soledad Diaz, Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment; Maria de los Angeles Garcia from the Cuban Communist Party's Political Bureau; and a representative of the United Nations Women's Development Fund. For the complete RADIO HAVANA CUBA NEWSCAST and other features, please write for our daily broadcast schedule. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Postal Address: Radio Havana Cuba, P.O. Box 6240 Havana, Cuba Telephone: (53) (7) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007