CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA July 18, 1997 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org 1.- ALARCON REITERATES CHARGES ON HOTEL EXPLOSIONS IN HAVANA AND U.S. VIOLATIONS OF MIGRATORY ACCORDS 2.- U.S. DELEGATES TO THE 14TH WORLD FESTIVAL OF YOUTH AND STUDENTS DEFY WASHINGTON'S PROHIBITION TO TRAVEL TO CUBA 3.- LIVER, HEART AND KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS SIMULANEOUSLY PERFORMED IN A HAVANA HOSPITAL 4.- CUBA OFFERS BRASILIA A STATUE OF HEROIC GUERRILLA, ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA 5.- FIRST INDUSTRY OPERATED WITH FOREIGN CAPITAL BEGINS OPERATIONS IN HAVANA'S FREE TRADE ZONE 6.- JUNIOR PANAM TRACK AND FIELD TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF IN HAVANA ALARCON REITERATES CHARGES ON HOTEL EXPLOSIONS IN HAVANA AND U.S. VIOLATIONS OF MIGRATORY ACCORDS New York, July 18 (RHC)-- The President of the Cuban Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon has reiterated Cuba's charges concerning two bomb explosions in Havana hotels and Washington's violation of bilateral migratory agreements. In his first statements to the press in New York, following the conclusion there of the 7th round of Cuba-US migratory talks, Alarcon accused the US government of trying to pass itself off as an untouched virgen regarding terrorist acts against Cuba. He said that at this point it was ridiculous that Washington attempts to deny the existence of terrorist groups in the US, when those same groups openly announce their anti-Cuba plans. Alarcon said that it has also been proven that large sums of American taxpayers' money has been used to train those who have and continue attacking Cuba. The Cuban Parliament President also reiterated Cuba's insistence that evidence has been gathered linking to the United States the perpetrators of the terrorist bombs, and the materials with which they were made. He said that evidence will be made public at an opportune moment. Alarcon also blasted US State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns, who, he said, cleanses the US government of guilt without even investigating. After denying US involvement in the terrorist act, Burns recently called on Cuba to share its information on the crime. But Alarcon said that Cuba was tired of sharing evidence with the US government, stressing that it was useless -- in reference to the 3 Cuban hijackers acquitted this week in a Florida court. The Cuban official said that all of these concerns were expressed to the US delegation at the bilateral migratory talks. He refused, however, to reveal the US delegation's response. US DELEGATES TO THE 14TH WORLD FESTIVAL OF YOUTH AND STUDENTS DEFY WASHINGTON'S PROHIBITION TO TRAVEL TO CUBA Havana, July 18(RHC)-- Despite Washington's opposition, more than fifty young U.S. citizens are already on the island for the 14th World Festival of Youth and Students. In March this year, the U.S. Treasury Department denied travel licenses to hundreds of young people from the United States. The U.S. Coordinating Committee appealed the decision and earlier this week the final decision was handed down: "NO!" In response, some 600 young people plan to be in Cuba within the next few days for the 14th World Festival of Youth and Students. The first group of U.S. delegates -57 in all- is one of the largest delegations to date, following that of Belgium with 130 and Puerto Rico with 65. According to a news release by Prensa Latina News Agency, 35 countries have already sent delegates to Cuba, ten days before the opening of the youth event. In the last few days French, Colombian, Canadian and Italian young people -each nation with more than 35 representatives- were the most recent arrivals over the past few days. To date Denmark, Spain, Germany, Zambia, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Bolivia, Peru, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, Bulgaria and many others have sent representatives to the island. In addition, three young Cubans living abroad -invited by the Cuban coordinating committee- are on the island. In recent statements to journalists in Havana, the head of the local coordinating committee, Rogelio Polanco, said that a number of young Cubans living abroad will attend the Festival. LIVER, HEART AND KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS SIMULANEOUSLY PERFORMED IN A HAVANA HOSPITAL Havana, July 18(RHC)-- Havana's Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital was the site Wednesday of an unprecedented event: three transplant operations were performed simultaneously -- liver, heart and kidney. The organs belonged to one person, whose family voluntarily donated them to save the lives of three patients. At last report, medical authorities say the three patients are doing well following the transplant operations, performed by different surgical teams. This was the 14th liver transplant performed at the Ameijeiras Hospital. Liver transplants are considered to be more complex than that of the heart and kidney since the entire operation takes 12 hours. In a capitalist country, a liver transplant and the post-operatory treatment costs 240,000 dollars, while in Cuba, such operations and treatments are free of charge. This was the 94th heart transplant performed at the Ameijeira Hospital. Kidney transplants were first performed in Cuba in 1970. To date, the Ameijeiras Hospital staff has performed 342 kidney transplants, 90 of them with the donors alive. CUBA OFFERS BRASILIA A STATUE OF HEROIC GUERRILLA, ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA Havana, July 18(RHC)-- Cuba will be represented at Brasilia's World Celebrities Square with a statue of Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara. Cuban authorities have presented the Governor of Brazilia, Cristovao Buarque, with the statue of Che Guevara, which will be formally dedicated in early October -- marking the 30th anniversary of Che's death in Bolivia. The idea came up during a tour of Brasilia by Cuba's former Culture Minister Armando Hart in June this year. Brasilia's World Celebrities Square is graced with the statues of Venezuelan patriot Simon Bolivar and Cuban National Hero Jose Marti. FIRST INDUSTRY OPERATED WITH FOREIGN CAPITAL BEGINS OPERATIONS IN HAVANA'S FREE TRADE ZONE Havana, July 18(RHC)-- Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage has inaugurated the first industry operated with foreign capital in a free trade zone. A British plant producing instant soft drinks -- EUROLATINA -- has begun operations in the Havana locality of Wajay. EUROLATINA's Chief Executive officer, Andrew Gordon, said the plant was finished in record-time with the assistance of Italian experts. Seventy-five percent of EUROLINA'S production will go to the international market while the rest stays on the island for national consumption. JUNIOR PANAM TRACK AND FIELD TOURNAMENT KICKS OFF IN HAVANA Havana, July 18 (RHC)--With a record attendance of 500 athletes from 27 nations, the 9th edition of the Panamerican Track and Field Championship for junior athletes, opened in Havana today. The continental tournament for athletes under 20 years of age, group young figures who are not so well known in the international arena, but many jump to top places in a few years. That was the case for example of the US's Carl Lewis and Calvin Smith and Cubans Javier Sotomayor and Ivan Pedroso. Other important figures that have evolved from this continental junior championships are Ecuadoran Jefferson Perez, gold medal winner at the 1996 Atlanta games and Joaquim Cruz from Brazil, current panamerican champ in men's 800 meters. The United States is present with the largest delegation with 80 athletes, followed by the host nation, Cuba with 78. Jamaica is being represented by 43 while Mexico and Canada have 41 each. The smallest delegations are that of Surinam with just one athlete; Bolivia, Peru and Grananda with two each. The Panamerican Junior Track and field Championships were established in 1980 and the first city to host such an event was Sudbury in Canada. The United States athletes have managed to harvest the largest number of medals in the history of these games with a total of 369-- 151 of them gold. Cuba which missed two editions, accumulates 125 medals, 55 gold. The Havana event concludes on Sunday. [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. 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