CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA December 24, 1997 rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org From all of us in the English-language Department of Radio Havana Cuba: Best Holiday Wishes to our listeners and supporters! For a world without hunger and exploitation... and a New Year of peace and justice for all humanity! ------------------------------ The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Wednesday, December 24, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- CUBA OPENS CONSULAR OFFICE IN SANTO DOMINGO 2.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO SENDS LETTER CONGRATULATING TOBACCO AND CIGAR WORKERS 3.- FORMER FRENCH PRIME MINISTER MICHEL ROCARD MEETS WITH CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA 4.- CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT RAUL CASTRO MEETS WITH ITALY'S UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE CUBA OPENS CONSULAR OFFICE IN SANTO DOMINGO Havana, December 24(RHC)-- Cuba opened its consular office in Santo Domingo on Tuesday -- officially setting-up its embassy in the Dominican Republic, 33 years after relations between the two countries were broken. Miguel Perez Cruz, Cuba's Consul General in the Dominican Republic, headed the island's delegation to the inauguration of the office. Perez Cruz told reporters that with the opening of consular offices in Santo Domingo and Havana, commercial and cultural relations between the two Caribbean nations will grow. At the same news conference, Dominican Foreign Minister Eduardo Latorre said that his country's offices in Havana would be opened next month. Earlier in the day, the Cuban delegation visited the city of Bani, birthplace of Dominican-born, Cuban independence fighter Maximo Gomez. CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO SENDS LETTER CONGRATULATING TOBACCO AND CIGAR WORKERS Havana, December 24(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro congratulated the island's tobacco and cigar workers for their efforts to produce 100 million cigars this year. The island's cigar industry fulfilled the expected plan of hand-rolling 100 million cigars in 1997 on Tuesday -- ten days before the expected date. In the letter, the Cuban leader stressed that this year's production represented a 42 percent increase compared to last year and that the quality of the tobacco leaves harvested in 1997 was much higher. "The devotion of agricultural workers, cooperative members, campesinos, students and industrial workers has made this achievement possible." President Fidel Castro pointed out that tobacco is among the island's economic priorities and urged workers to continue working to increase production in coming years, maintaining and further increasing the quality of this product. This year's tobacco and cigar production will bring in 177 million dollars to the island's economy, part of which will be used to purchase supplies for next year's tobacco harvest and cigar industry. Another part of the revenues will be used to finance other crops like potatoes, bananas, vegetables, rice and others. The Cuban cigar industry is planning to hand-roll 160 million Havana cigars for export next year, with expected revenues worth 283 million dollars. FORMER FRENCH PRIME MINISTER MICHEL ROCARD MEETS WITH CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA Havana, December 24(RHC)-- Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard held talks in the Cuban capital Tuesday with Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina and Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon. During his talks with the island's foreign minister, Rocard, who is also President of the European Parliament's Development and Cooperation Commission, discussed cooperation between Cuba and the European Union. In his meeting with Robaina, the former French Prime Minister detailed preparations underway for the Lome Convention, scheduled to go into effect in the year 2000 - - aimed at linking European countries with nations from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Rocard explained that everything related to the convention will be finished by September 1998 and that the European Union will continue contacts with other countries, including Cuba. For his part, Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina highlighted the island's interest in its relations with the European Union, prioritizing bilateral contacts between the people of Europe and Cuba. Following talks with the Cuban Foreign Minister, Rocard met with the President of the National Assembly of Peoples Power, Ricardo Alarcon. The two parliamentarians discussed existing links between the Cuban and the European legislative bodies. The outstanding French Socialist legislator is scheduled to meet Wednesday with Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage and the Ministers of Foreign Investment and Foreign Trade Ibrahim Ferradaz and Ricardo Cabrisas, respectively. Rocard arrived in Cuba last Saturday for a five-day, official visit at the invitation of the island's Parliament. CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT RAUL CASTRO MEETS WITH ITALY'S UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE Havana, December 24(RHC)-- Cuba's First Vice President General Raul Castro met in Havana Tuesday with Italy's Undersecretary of State, Patrizia Toia. During the meeting, which took place shortly before she concluded her official visit to the island, the two discussed issues of mutual interest, stressing the importance of the Italian guest's visit. The Cuban and Italian government representatives evaluated important agreements signed between the two countries on tourism, culture, and air traffic as a step forward in the development of links between the two nations and peoples. They also evaluated as positive the efforts by the two sides to conclude as briefly as possible an agreement on the fight against drug trafficking, as well as the beginning of talks on treaties eliminating dual taxation, judicial assistance and other economic issues. The meeting between Raul Castro and Patrizia Toia was also attended by Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina and the ambassadors to the two countries -- Mario Rodriguez and Giovanni Ferrero. [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