From mail.infocom.etecsa.cu!radiohc@mail.infocom.etecsa.cu Mon Apr 21 16:46:38 1997 Return-Path: mail.infocom.etecsa.cu!radiohc@mail.infocom.etecsa.cu Received: from dns2.infocom.etecsa.cu (infocom.etecsa.cu [169.158.64.1]) by nyxfer.blythe.org (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id QAA16291 for ; Mon, 21 Apr 1997 16:46:19 -0400 Received: by dns2.infocom.etecsa.cu (Smail3.1.28.1 #3) id m0wJPyF-0002ARC; Mon, 21 Apr 97 16:45 EDT Received: from manati.in.etecsa.cu by dns2.infocom.etecsa.cu with SMTP id XXXXXXXX-Xa19609; Mon, 21 Apr 97 16:45 EDT Received: by manati.in.etecsa.cu (Smail3.1.28.1 #3) id m0wJPyD-0001z0C; Mon, 21 Apr 97 16:45 EDT Message-Id: Subject: Radio Havana Cuba, April 21st, 1997 To: reg.cuba@conf.igc.org Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 16:45:52 -0400 (EDT) From: "Lic. Jorge L. Ruiz" Cc: cubaseccion@igc.apc.org, nyt@blythe.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: 8704 Status: RO CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA Monday, April 21, 1997 The following items are taken from RADIO HAVANA CUBA's International Shortwave Service in English for Monday, April 21, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO MEETS WITH GRENADA'S PRIME MINISTER KEITH MITCHELL IN HAVANA 2.- CUBA AND SINGAPORE ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS 3.- FORMER U.S. OFFICIALS ADMIT THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS 4.- NATIONAL DAY OF DEFENSE CELEBRATED WITH MILITARY MANEUVERS 5.- LATEST MEDICAL, PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS ON DISPLAY IN HAVANA 6.- GERMAN ENTREPRENEURS WANT TO EXPAND BUSINESS IN CUBA 7.- ITALY AND SWEDEN EXTEND FINANCIAL AID TO CUBA FOR DAIRY PROJECT CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO MEETS WITH GRENADA'S PRIME MINISTER KEITH MITCHELL IN HAVANA Havana, April 21(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro met with visiting Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell today in Havana. The two leaders discussed issues of bilateral interest. Grenada's prime minister arrived in Havana on Saturday. Over the weekend, Mitchell and the delegation accompanying him visited the Juragua nuclear power plant in central Cienfuegos as well as the Varadero resort in the province of Matanzas. During his visit to the island, which is scheduled to end Wednesday, the Grenadian leader will meet with Tourism Minister Osmani Cienfuegos, the Minister of Foreign Trade Ricardo Cabrisas, Health Minister Carlos Dortres and Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina. The Cuban foreign minister returned to Havana this weekend from a successful Asia tour -- during which he visited Singapore, India, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and Japan. Robaina is scheduled to meet with Grenada's prime minister before his departure on Wednesday. This is the highest-ranking Grenadian delegation to visit Cuba since the U.S. invasion of that Caribbean island in October 1983. CUBA AND SINGAPORE ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS New York, April 21(RHC)-- With the exchange of documents at the United Nations, Cuba and Singapore established diplomatic relations over the weekend. The two countries' respective U.N. diplomats, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla and Bilahari Kausikan, expressed their government's desires to develop and strengthen closer ties. Last April 5th, Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina paid an official visit to Singapore, the first leg of an Asia tour that also took him to India, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and Japan. FORMER U.S. OFFICIALS ADMIT THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS Guadalajara, April 21(RHC)-- Two former U.S. government officials closely tied to Washington's policies regarding Cuba have admitted that their country's methods have failed. Richard Nuccio, former Special Advisor on Cuba to U.S. President Bill Clinton, stated that poor advice from those surrounding Clinton led to his signing into law of the Helms- Burton legislation. Addressing a conference of the Latin American Studies Association in Guadalajara, Mexico, Nuccio said the law's main objective was to provoke social and political upheaval on the island. The former White House official pointed out that not only has Helms-Burton failed to produce the desired results, but that no thought was given in Washington to the disastrous consequences of such turmoil. Another former Washington insider, Richard Feinberg, stated that Clinton recently had to admit that U.S. policies have failed with respect to Cuba. Feinberg, a former member of the National Security Council, said that what is even more surprising is that the U.S. president -- after acknowledging that the economic blockade of Cuba has completely failed -- has done nothing to alter Washington's course. NATIONAL DAY OF DEFENSE CELEBRATED WITH MILITARY MANEUVERS Havana, April 21(RHC)-- Cities and rural areas became the theater of operations Sunday as thousands of Cubans participated in military maneuvers conducted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces. The military exercises -- on the occasion of "The Day of Defense" -- were aimed at preparing the population for combat readiness. Cuba's defense strategy includes all the people -- grouped into popular militias, the army reserves, production brigades and the Armed Forces. LATEST MEDICAL, PHARMACEUTICAL AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS ON DISPLAY IN HAVANA Havana, April 21(RHC)-- A Cuban vaccine prototype against AIDS -- currently undergoing clinical testing -- is one of the most popular attractions at the 3rd Health For All International Fair underway in Havana. The latest Cuban and international pharmaceutical, biotechnological and medical discoveries will be on display through Friday. More than 300 firms from 29 nations have chosen Cuba as a country in which to exhibit their goods to the world -- given the island's high level of professionalism and technical expertise. Since 1983, the Health For All Fair has represented a unique opportunity for the world's pharmaceutical and medical equipment manufacturing companies to sign new contracts, make business contacts, coordinate investment projects and consolidate existing trade relations. GERMAN ENTREPRENEURS WANT TO EXPAND BUSINESS IN CUBA Bonn, April 21(RHC)-- German business representatives have set their sights on Cuba to expand investments. Cuba's Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Minister Ibrahim Ferradaz stated in Bonn that bilateral exchange between Germany and Cuba amounted to 140 million dollars last year and some 80,000 Germans spent their vacations on the island. As part of his tour of Germany, Ferradaz will meet with the German Economic Cooperation Minister Karl Diter and businesspeople from the cities of Cologne and Frankfurt. In related news, over 130 German tour operators are meeting at Havana's Cohiba Hotel for the 5th Congress of the German Association of Travel Agencies. Among the issues being discussed are bilateral economic links between Bonn and Havana, the importance of tourism for the island, Cuba's tourist attractions and marketing strategies. The association groups together some 5500 members and is the world's third most important tour agency of its type. German Travel Agencies handle up to 75 per cent of national and international tourism in Germany. Estimates by Cuba's Tourism Ministry put the number of German visitors for this year at nearly 100,000. Cuba's CUBANACAN corporation and Germany's LTU airline company will join efforts to bring the visitors to the island. The German LTU International Airways, Condor, Lufthansa and Cuba's Cubana de Aviacion air companies will fly ten times a week to five Cuban airports this winter. In addition, LTU International Airways operates four hotels in Cuba through its LTI hotel company. Germany is among the five nations sending the most tourists to the island. CUBA'S LATEST OFFICE BOX HIT "GUANTANAMERA" COMPETES IN WASHINGTON'S 11th INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Havana, April 21(RHC)-- The Cuban film "Guantanamera" will be competing in Washington's 11th International Film Festival. "Guantanamera," by famed Cuban-duo Juan Carlos Tabio and the late film-maker Tomas Gutierrez Alea, was overwhelmingly acclaimed by the audience at the recently concluded Chicago Film Festival who granted it the popularity prize. "Guantanamera" -- a black comedy -- tells the hilarious adventures of driving the corpse of an old lady from one part of the island to the other. Iberoamerica will also be represented by Mexico's "The Alley of Miracles," Argentina's "Wake Up Love," Spain's "Flamenco" and Brazil's "Sweet Powers." ITALY AND SWEDEN EXTEND FINANCIAL AID TO CUBA FOR DAIRY PROJECT Havana, April 21(RHC)-- The Italian government contributed 150,000 dollars to developing a dairy project in the eastern province of Las Tunas last year. The Director of the World Food Program in Cuba, German Valdivia, said that in 1995, Sweden contributed more than 13,000 dollars to the project. These funds have allowed for the distribution of tools and materials to individuals and cooperatives in Las Tunas -- one of the island's most important cattle raising areas. 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