CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA June 16th, 1997 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org The following items are taken from RADIO HAVANA CUBA's International Shortwave Service in English for Monday, June 16th, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY CALLS FOR RENEWED TIES WITH CUBA 2.- CUBA'S COUNCIL OF STATE CALLS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS FOR OCTOBER 3.- CUBA'S DIGITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE INTRODUCES MEDICAL EQUIPMENT ON THE LOCAL MARKET 4.- NEW CUBAN VACCINE TO BEGIN CLINICAL TESTS NEXT YEAR 5.- INTERNATIONAL EXPOCARIBE FAIR TO OPEN JUNE 23RD 6.- CUBA CREATES THE FOURTH REAL ESTATE JOINT VENTURE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY CALLS FOR RENEWED TIES WITH CUBA Georgetown, June 16(RHC)-- The foreign ministers of the Caribbean Community, CARICOM, began gathering today in Guyana with a call on the regional body to strengthen ties with Cuba. Upon inaugurating CARICOM's 23rd Annual Meeting, Guyana's Foreign Minister Clement Rohee asserted that the regional leadership in the Caribbean is in favor of closer relations with Cuba. The Guyanese foreign minister rejected predictions to the effect that CARICOM's strengthening of relations with Cuba will bring on strong pressures from Washington against the regional body, as expressed recently by Grenada's Attorney General Lloyd Noel. Trinidad and Tobago Foreign Minister Ralph Maraj also rejected the possibility of U.S. sanctions, saying that Cuba is part of the Western Hemisphere and is a country with which the Caribbean has diplomatic relations. CARICOM's fourteen member-nations are planning to meet with Cuban representatives next December as part of a CARICOM-Cuba Mixed Commission, although the site of the gathering has yet to be determined. The Guyana meeting comes on the heels of visits to Cuba by Jamaican Prime Minister Percival Patterson and Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell. Both Caribbean leaders said they were astonished at the levels of Cuba's social and economic achievements in spite of Washington's blockade and expressed their gratitude for the warmth and hospitality they received in Cuba during their visits. CUBA'S COUNCIL OF STATE CALLS MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS FOR OCTOBER Havana, June 16(RHC)-- Next October 19th, Cubans will cast their votes to elect delegates to the island's municipal assemblies. Sunday's edition of the Cuban weekly "Juventud Rebelde" published a front-page article with the official call by the Cuban Council of State. The article announces the setting up of the National Electoral Commission on Monday. Justice Minister Roberto Diaz will chair the 16-member electoral commission. The "Juventud Rebelde" article says that a run-off election will be held on October 26th in electoral districts where candidates fail to garner more than 50% of the votes. CUBA'S DIGITAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE INTRODUCES MEDICAL EQUIPMENT ON THE LOCAL MARKET Havana, June 16(RHC)-- Cuba's health care system has a new donor: the Central Digital Research Institute. With more than 500 medical machines, the institute fulfilled its production plan for 1996 and part of this year's goal with the total of more than 3500 machines to be finished by the end of 1998. According to the Central Digital Research Institute's Director, Fernando Rojas, the institute will provide the island's intensive care units, operating rooms and emergency rooms with a Cuban-made heart monitor, which can be directly used on the chest of the patient. The institute has already completed more than 1200 machines used to measure the quantity of oxygen in blood. For 1998, the institute plans to distribute around the island more than 640 intensive care monitors -- 300 used in working with paraplegics -- and 65 digital-EKGs. NEW CUBAN VACCINE TO BEGIN CLINICAL TESTS NEXT YEAR Havana, June 16(RHC)-- A new combined-vaccine against hepatitis B and meningitis B and C will be tested on humans in Cuba during 1998. The project is the result of combined efforts of the island's National Bioproducts Center, the Genetic and Biotechnology Engineering Center, the Finlay Institute and the Tropical Medicine Institute. The announcement was made by Doctor Claudio Rodriguez, Director of the National Bioproducts Center, who revealed the agenda of the 3rd National Workshop on Culture Media to be held this week in Havana. With the participation of more than 50 local scientific centers, universities and hospitals, the workshop is sponsored by institutions from Venezuela and Canada. Under discussion will be new techniques to diagnose the presence of micro-organisms and the epidemiology of diseases caused by bacteria. INTERNATIONAL EXPOCARIBE FAIR TO OPEN JUNE 23RD Havana, June 16(RHC)-- Everything is ready in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba to welcome representatives from more than 20 Caribbean, European and Asian nations to the 6th International Expocaribe Fair. From June 23rd through the 29th, the island will be promoting the economic potential of its five eastern provinces and looking to increase investment, export and links with the Caribbean region. The President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, Carlos Martinez Salsamendi, told Prensa Latina News Agency that this edition of Expocaribe is attracting more foreign participation than previous ones. According to statistics revealed by Salsamendi, trade exchange between Cuba and the Caribbean region increased 29-fold between 1991 and 1996. In 1996 alone, trade exchange with Caribbean nations grew by 13 percent. Venezuela, Mexico and the Dutch Antilles are among Cuba's most important trading partners in the region. CUBA CREATES THE FOURTH REAL ESTATE JOINT VENTURE Havana, June 16(RHC)-- With the official creation Monday of the Costa Habana Real Estate joint venture, Cuba now has four such joint business operations. The Spanish company -- Residencial Miramar S.A. -- and Cuba's Lares S.A. will head the new enterprise. The Costa Habana S.A. Real Estate joint venture will build a 175-apartment residential complex west of Havana. Residential Miramar S.A. and Lares S.A. will work together over the next ten years. 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 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org Telephone: (53) (7) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007 [c] 1997. 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