CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA December 23, 1997 rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Tuesday, December 23, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO CONGRATULATES EDUCATORS 2.- FORMER FRENCH PRIME MINISTER VISITS CUBAN CAPITAL 3.- CUBA AND TURKEY SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENTS 4.- ANDORRA'S FOREIGN MINISTER SCHEDULED TO VISIT IN FEBRUARY 5.- MORE OXEN FOR THE ISLAND'S SUGAR CANE CULTIVATION 6.- NEW CLINIC OPENS IN EASTERN HOLGUIN TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH PRODUCTS BASED ON HUMAN PLACENTA CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO CONGRATULATES EDUCATORS Havana, December 23(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro sent a letter congratulating Cuban educators on their day. In the letter published by the daily Granma, the Cuban leader said that December 22nd marked the end of the Literacy Campaign and the declaration of Cuba as "Territory Free of Illiteracy." Fidel Castro said the 1961 Literacy Campaign "laid the groundwork for the amazing gains the island has achieved in the fields of science, technology and culture." He said that the campaign to teach campesinos how to read and write was "an effort of all the Cuban people including students, workers as well as the island's teachers." The Cuban president recalled that the people's resistance during these years of economic difficulties, referred to as "The Special Period," has been possible thanks to their firmness and consciousness and to the education they have received. President Fidel Castro stressed that the Cuban government continues making efforts to ensure that no school closes its doors due to economic considerations and that students have teachers and the necessary school supplies and textbooks. The Cuban leader's letter concluded that the Revolution counts on the island's educators as "a vanguard contingent in the struggle to resist the enemy's aggressions," stressing that "education is decisive to forge youth in the spirit of justice, equality, patriotism, national independence and sovereignty." FORMER FRENCH PRIME MINISTER VISITS CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, December 23(RHC)-- Former French Socialist Prime Minister Michel Rocard met Tuesday in Havana with Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina. Rocard, who is currently visiting the island, is a member of Parliament and President of the European Parliament's Development and Cooperation Commission. Upon arriving in Cuba, Rocard said that the current moment is ideal to evaluate relations between the European Union and Cuba. The former French socialist prime minister was invited to visit the island by the President of the Cuban National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcon. During his stay, Rocard will meet with Minister of Foreign Investment Ibrahim Ferradaz and Minister of Foreign Trade Ricardo Cabrisas. CUBA AND TURKEY SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENTS Havana, December 23(RHC)-- Cuba and Turkey signed an investment promotion and protection agreement and an economic industrial and commercial cooperation protocol in Havana Monday. The signing took place at the end of the First Session of the Mixed Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation between Turkey and Cuba. The bilateral accords were signed by Turkey's Government Minister Eyup Asik and Cuban Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Minister Ibrahim Ferradaz. During the talks, both delegations dealt with issues such as agriculture -- primarily tobacco and sugar -- as well as health, tourism and construction. Representatives of businesses from the two countries also signed a letter of intent to set up a joint venture in Turkey. The mixed commission met in Havana under an economic, industrial and trade cooperation accord signed by the two governments in August 1996. ANDORRA'S FOREIGN MINISTER SCHEDULED TO VISIT IN FEBRUARY Havana, December 23(RHC)-- The Foreign Minister of Andorra, Albert Pintat, will visit Cuba in February to strengthen relations between his country and the Caribbean island. According to Cuba's Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, Rosario Navas, during his tour of the island, the Andorran foreign minister will be accompanied by the head of that country's Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Service, Jordi Marquet. The Andoran diplomat's visit is aimed at promoting economic and trade links between the two nations. Andorra is a small, European state located between Spain and France with some 30,000 inhabitants. Its economy is based on timber production, cattle raising and tourism. MORE OXEN FOR THE ISLAND'S SUGAR CANE CULTIVATION Havana, December 23(RHC)-- Cuba's sugar industry is counting on more animal traction to help get its harvest back up to previous levels. Sugar Industry Minister General Ulisis Rosales del Toro recently told the Cuban National Assembly that the industry must ensure more efficient cultivation by using oxen. Animal traction, the use of which increased with the onset of the island's economic crisis, has been shown to have many advantages in soil preservation and care of the environment. The Cuban sugar minister included the use of animal traction in a series of measures that should be applied in the production of sugarcane -- thus saving machinery and lowering costs. Noting that it is impossible to completely substitute these methods for modern techniques, he said that it is possible to use them as an alternative where there is lack of fuel and serious limitations in obtaining spare parts, tires and batteries for tractors. Cuban agriculture expert Ramon Castro Ruz said that "when each sugarcane cooperative has a pair of oxen for each hectare of land, the country will be on the right track" and he urged farmers to make an effort to raise and properly train the `beasts of burden' for the job of cultivating sugarcane. NEW CLINIC OPENS IN EASTERN HOLGUIN TO TREAT PATIENTS WITH PRODUCTS BASED ON HUMAN PLACENTA Holguin, December 23(RHC)-- The second clinic designed to treat patients with products based on human placenta is currently operating in the city of Holguin. Since its inauguration in November, the clinic has been treating 500 patients of the eastern province with skin diseases like vitiligo, which causes a severe skin depigmentation, psoriasis and alopecia. According to dermatologist Dr. Teresa Calero, the clinic was set up to meet the needs of patients in a territory of one million inhabitants. That need, said Dr. Calero, was demonstrated by an office specialized in those treatments set up in Holguin's Lenin Hospital. But the office was not enough. The clinic was built with a minimal investment and has a staff that includes two dermatologists, a psychologist, two nurses and an assistant. [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. For further information, contact us at: Postal Address: Radio Havana Cuba P.O.Box 6240 Havana, Cuba Telephone: (53) (7) 814243 Fax: (53) (7) 812927 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org