CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA August 29, 1997 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from RADIO HAVANA CUBA's International Shortwave Service in English for Friday, August 29, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- OFFICIAL CUBAN DELEGATION VISITS WITH PRESIDENT OF DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO LAURENT KABILA 2.- MASSIVE SOLIDARITY DEMONSTRATION HELD IN BRITISH CAPITAL 3.- LEGAL EXPERTS DEBATE ANTI-CUBA HELMS-BURTON LAW IN ECUADOR 4.- EVERYTHING POINTS TO SUCCESSFUL ELECTORAL PROCESS IN CUBA 5.- ELECTRICAL POWER PLANTS TO UNDERGO MAINTENANCE 6.- CUBAN AND CHILEAN ARTISTS HONOR ASSASSINATED SINGER/SONG- WRITER VICTOR JARA OFFICIAL CUBAN DELEGATION VISITS WITH PRESIDENT OF DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO LAURENT KABILA Kinshasa, August 29(RHC)-- The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Laurent Kabila, received an official Cuban delegation late Thursday at the invitation of the Congolese government. During the 90-minute gathering, President Kabila spoke of his government's willingness to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations -- particularly in the areas of education, health, social works, technological assistance and professional training. Both Cuba and the Democratic Republic of Congo agreed to open embassies in their respective capitals as soon as possible. Relations between Cuba and the former Zaire had been scaled down by deposed dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. MASSIVE SOLIDARITY DEMONSTRATION HELD IN BRITISH CAPITAL London, August 29(RHC)-- More than 15,000 people poured into a downtown park in London to show support for Cuba, in what observers are = calling the largest Cuba solidarity demonstration to ever be held in Grea= t Britain. One of the rally's speakers, Jen Gill -- the President of Britain's Cuba = Solidarity Campaign -- pointed to the resistance of the Cuban people in defending = their sovereignty and independence. Others spoke at the solidarity rally, incl= uding Mayor Rupert Perry of Islington and Jeremy Golby, a member of the British Parliament. Organizers with the Cuba Solidarity Campaign also announced the shipment of three containers filled with material aid for the island. In other news, Sergio Corrieri -- the President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) -- briefed African diplomats accredited in Havana on details of an upcoming solidarity meeting in Ghana. The Second Africa-Cuba Solidarity Encounter will take place from September 17th through the 20th in Cape Coast. Corrieri announced the participation of international celebrities from more than 15 African nations. ICAP's president said the event's organizers have also invited a U.S. delegation. LEGAL EXPERTS DEBATE ANTI-CUBA HELMS-BURTON LAW IN ECUADOR Quito, August 29(RHC)-- A group of prestigious Ecuadoran jurists and intellectuals are discussing the legal implications of the Helms-Burton Law -- U.S. legislation designed to tighten Washington's blockade against Cuba. The two-day meeting, taking place at the University of Guayaquil, is being attended by former Ecuadoran President Carlos Julio Arosemena as well as the deans of several universities and law schools in Ecuador. During the first session, held on Thursday, participants debated legal questions surrounding the extraterritorial nature of the U.S. law. The General Secretary of the Latin American Association of Economists, Fidel Marquez, is the keynote speaker at the final session, which is being held this evening in Guayaquil. Participants at the sessions agreed that the Helms-Burton Law was in direct violation of international law, attacking not only Cuba, but also other countries that have diplomatic and commercial relations with the island. Regarding the extraterritorial nature of the legislation, experts said that Washington's Helms-Burton Law assaults the sovereignty of other countries and goes against the principles of free trade -- which the United States is so fond of protecting. EVERYTHING POINTS TO SUCCESSFUL ELECTORAL PROCESS IN CUBA Havana, August 29(RHC)-- Election experts are working hard to make sure the upcoming municipal elections will run smoothly. The President of the Cuban Electoral Commission and Cuban Minister of Justice, Roberto Diaz Sotolongo, said in Havana that everything points to a successful procedure in the nomination of candidates to municipal posts. Diaz Sotolongo said that over 36,000 public nomination meetings will be held across the island beginning September 3rd. During these meetings, nominees will be proposed; the candidates that receive the most votes win the nomination. Then on election day -- October 19th -- voters will cast secret ballots for one candidate -- chosen from a list of up to eight, nominated in each neighborhood. The winners will serve as delegates to the Municipal Assembly of People's Power. The Minister of Justice pointed out that because the number of voters increased since the last elections in 1995, the electoral commission has set up more polling stations. It is estimated that nearly 7.5 million voters will cast their ballots on October 19th. ELECTRICAL POWER PLANTS TO UNDERGO MAINTENANCE Havana, August 29(RHC)-- There will be more scheduled blackouts as Cuba's Electrical Enterprise has announced maintenance operations on all the island's power plants. Blackouts have been a part of Cuba's everyday life since the early 1990's, when the island entered the hardest economic crisis in its history -- a result of the collapse of socialism in Europe and the tightening of Washington's blockade against Cuba. The Director of the Cuban Electrical Enterprise, Alfredo Lopez, told the Cuban daily Granma that the State earmarks nearly one million dollars a day to generate electricity. During July and August -- the hottest months of the summer -- there has been an extra effort by the government not to affect electrical service to the population. Lopez said that for that reason, power plants are in urgent need of maintenance. The director of the Electrical Enterprise said that although there will be minor interruptions, blackouts will probably not affect the weekends and will certainly not be as long as they were just a few years ago. Cuban authorities have approved the financing of a 250- megawatt and 50-megawatt power plant that will use natural gas from an oil field in Varadero, Matanzas. There is also an education campaign underway to save energy -- urging people to be conscious of their use of electricity. CUBAN AND CHILEAN ARTISTS HONOR ASSASSINATED SINGER SONG-WRITER VICTOR JARA Havana, August 29(RHC)-- Cuba -- the revolutionary island Victor Jara so greatly loved -- will be the venue next month of numerous concerts to honor the Chilean singer/songwriter. The special concerts will mark the 24th anniversary of his execution by the Chilean military dictatorship. >From September 15th through the 21st, Cuban and Chilean artists will gather in Havana for a musical festival dedicated to Victor Jara. Workshops on cultural relations between Cuba and Chile will run parallel to the concerts. Victor Jara was apprehended shortly after the bloody military coup in September 1973 that overthrew the constitutionally- elected government of President Salvador Allende. The singer was taken to Santiago's National Stadium, which served as a huge concentration camp following the coup. When soldiers recognized him, he was ordered to play his guitar and sing. According to eye-witnesses who survived, the soldiers cut-off Victor Jara's hands and later machine-gunned him to death. [c] 1997. Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. This prohibition includes the distribution of this material via Usenet News, "bulletin board" services, e-mail lists, print media, radio and television. For the complete RADIO HAVANA CUBA NEWSCAST and other features, please write for our daily broadcast schedule. We welcome your comments and suggestions. 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