CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA June 20, 1997 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org The following items are taken from RADIO HAVANA CUBA's International Shortwave Service in English for Friday, June 20th, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- DOCUMENTED PROOF OF U.S. BIOLOGICAL WARFARE AGAINST CUBA 2.- VISITING GUYANESE FOREIGN MINISTER CLEMENT ROHEE THANKS CUBA FOR ITS CONTRIBUTION TO PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE REGION 3.- CUBA PRESIDES OVER SECOND MEETING OF ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES SPECIAL COMMITTEE IN BARBADOS 4.- INTERNATIONAL FINANCING COMMITTEE OF THE 14TH WORLD FESTIVAL OF YOUTH AND STUDENTS WILL FINANCE TRAVEL OF DELEGATES FROM AT LEAST 48 UNDERDEVELO 5.- CUBA AND SPANISH NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION SIGN AGREEMENT TO TRAIN TOURISM EXPERTS 6.- DEEP-SEA DIVING AND FILM MAKING AT SIMPOSUB '97 7.- NEW STAGE BEGINS IN CUBA-MEXICO BILATERAL EXCHANGE 8.- PRESIDENT OF THE SPANISH AUTONOMOUS BASQUE REGION IS EXPECTED SATURDAY IN HAVANA DOCUMENTED PROOF OF U.S. BIOLOGICAL WARFARE AGAINST CUBA Havana, June 20(RHC)-- Cuba's Granma newspaper this morning published two full pages of articles and interviews concerning Washington's latest act of biological warfare against the island. In one article, the Cuban daily interviews the pilot of a Cubana de Aviacion commercial flight who last October 21st saw and reported a U.S. State Department aircraft releasing a liquid substance over Cuba's Matanzas Province. The U.S. aircraft was flying from Florida to the Cayman Islands using a Cuban air corridor. Captain Erlan Romero Llush has 11 years of experience as a fumigator, after taking a 4-year course at Cuba's Fumigation School. Responding to questions from Granma correspondents, Captain Romero Llush asserted that the skies were completely clear and that the U.S. aircraft intermittently released what the Cuban pilot insisted was "a liquid." He said his observation was proven by the sun's action on the substance, "dissolving the liquid and making it iridescent." The Cuban pilot said that in all his years of flight experience, he has never seen an aircraft use a smoke generator to signal its position, as claimed by the U.S. government some two months after Cuba first denounced the biological attack in December. The Cuban daily also interviewed the two co-pilots of the Cubana commercial airliner: Captains Jesus Nazareno Jimenez Albear and Tomas Torralba. Captain Jimenez Albear pointed out that hundreds of airliners daily fly over Cuban air corridors, including 20 U.S. companies. He said none of those flights have ever had to use smoke generators and there have never been any complaints about dangerous, near-misses. The co-pilot explained that both his and the U.S. aircraft were flying under Instrumental Flight Rules, in which the separation of aircraft is the responsibility of the air traffic control tower in the region. Captain Jimenez Albear also said that what he and his crew members saw was NOT smoke, "but rather a substance that slowly dissipated and did not disperse like smoke." Captain Torralba, with 3700 flight-hours over nine years, agreed that the U.S. aircraft was flying "under radar control and the substance released was liquid." Cuba's Granma newspaper also ran an article today listing some of the most well-known cases of U.S. biological warfare against Cuba. The Cuban daily recalled that between 1961 and 1962, the CIA -- under orders from the White House -- organized Operation Mongoose, aimed at destroying the Cuban Revolution. The plan included the use of chemicals to incapacitate Cuban sugar workers and thus negatively affect the island's principal industry. In 1971, the Long Island daily "Newsday" revealed that U.S. agents operating inside Cuba received a virus from Fort Gulik, in the Panama Canal zone, transported by a fishing boat. "The Fish Is Red," a book published in the early 1980s, confirmed that CIA agents first introduced a swine fever virus into Cuba in 1972. Cuba had to sacrifice 500,000 pigs to fight the epidemic. Between 1979 and 1981, continues the Granma article, four plagues were introduced into Cuba that affected people and crops vital to the Cuban economy: hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, dengue, sugarcane mildew and tobacco mold. Dengue alone killed 158 Cubans, among them 101 children. During the first seven weeks, dengue affected 273,404 Cuban. In 1979, "The Washington Post" reported that the CIA had elaborated a program against Cuban agriculture and that since 1962, the Pentagon had been producing biological agents specifically for that purpose. Finally, Cuba's Granma newspaper recalled that in 1984, Cuban- American terrorist Eduardo Arocena admitted before a U.S. Grand Jury that he had participated in a biological warfare operation against Cuba and had introduced biological agents after infiltrating the island. The extensive Granma newspaper coverage of this incident follows Thursday's reiteration by the Cuban Foreign Ministry of Cuba's denunciation and of the strong evidence pointing to an act of U.S. biological warfare against the island. Foreign ministry spokesperson Miguel Alfonso, during his traditional Thursday news briefing, termed as "absurd" the fact that the U.S. pilot never communicated with Miami air traffic control following the close-call with a Cuban commercial flight, which allegedly led him to release a smoke signal. Alfonso also pointed out that in no specialized publications -- like "Aviation Week" and "Space and Technology" -- is a smoke generator listed as standard equipment for the S2R-T65 airplane flown by the U.S. pilot. He said no type of commercial flight -- whether small, medium-sized or large -- and no fumigation aircraft anywhere in the world have smoke generators, which are also not required by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The Cuban foreign ministry spokesperson also refuted Washington's claim that the State Department aircraft's herbicide tanks were full of fuel. Alfonso said that, on the one hand, if fuel was being transported, the flight request presented to Cuban authorities indicated that no cargo was aboard. "On the other hand," he added, "the aircraft in question is fully capable of making a Miami-Cayman Islands run with its normal fuel tanks and needs no extra fuel." VISITING GUYANESE FOREIGN MINISTER CLEMENT ROHEE THANKS CUBA FOR ITS CONTRIBUTION TO PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE REGION Havana, June 20(RHC)-- Visiting Guyanese Foreign Minister Clement Rohee praised Cuba's contribution to the development of public health in Latin America and the Caribbean. During the third day of his official visit to the island, the Guyanese foreign minister also applauded the international recognition received by the Cuban Revolution in the area of health care. Following a meeting with Cuban health authorities, Foreign Minister Rohee expressed appreciation for the assistance given to the people of Guyana by Cuba in the fight against preventable diseases. The visiting Guyanese official also met on Friday with his Cuban counterpart, Roberto Robaina. CUBA PRESIDES OVER SECOND MEETING OF ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES SPECIAL COMMITTEE IN BARBADOS Bridgetown, June 20(RHC)-- Cuba presided over the second meeting of the Special Committee of the Association of Caribbean States, underway in Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados. Participants are discussing Caribbean cooperation in the areas of science, technology, education, health, culture and sports. During the gathering, it was decided to hold the next meeting, scheduled for October, in Havana -- where a regional cooperation program in the area of technological education will be considered. INTERNATIONAL FINANCING COMMITTEE OF THE 14TH WORLD FESTIVAL OF YOUTH AND STUDENTS WILL FINANCE TRAVEL OF DELEGATES FROM AT LEAST 48 UNDERDEVELOPED NATIONS Havana, June 20(RHC)-- Young people from 48 nations will attend the 14th World Festival of Youth and Students, thanks to funds raised by the International Financing Committee of the Festival. The Third Meeting of the International Coordinating Committee of the youth event closed Friday in Havana with an analysis of a report submitted for discussion by the International Financing Committee. The report is based on the United Nations list of underdeveloped nations. The third and last preparatory meeting before the Festival gets underway also focused on the event's agenda and the transportation of delegates to Cuba. In this regard, Cuban representatives announced that the island's Cubana de Aviation Airline will carry more than half of the delegates to Cuba at a 70 percent discount of its regular fares. CUBA AND SPANISH NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION SIGN AGREEMENT TO TRAIN TOURISM EXPERTS Havana, June 20(RHC)-- The Spanish Foundation for the Social Development of the Canary Islands and the Cuban Tourism Experts Training System have agreed to jointly train experts in the sector. Financing for the project -- which also involves Havana University's Hotel and Tourism Management Group -- will be carried out by the Canary Island Job Institute. Executives from the two organizations say they hope to strengthen relations and expand cooperation. DEEP-SEA DIVING AND FILM MAKING AT SIMPOSUB '97 Havana, June 20(RHC)-- Twelve nations are sending experts to the First International Deep-Sea Diving and Underwater Film Making, Video and Photography Symposium that will meet in Havana from July 1st through the 4th. SIMPOSUB '97 will gather together international personalities interested in underwater medicine and archeology, diving, underwater rescue procedures and marine biology. SIMPOSUB '97 will also attract representatives from prestigious publications and sales representatives of underwater technology from Canada, the United States and Spain. NEW STAGE BEGINS IN CUBA-MEXICO BILATERAL EXCHANGE Havana, June 20(RHC)-- The General Director for Contamination and Prevention Control of Mexico's Secretariat for the Environment, Rodolfo Lacy, said in Havana that with the opening of cooperation in this sphere, a new stage in Mexico-Cuba bilateral exchange has begun. The Mexican official stressed that the program guarantees the training of specialists in Cuba, the donation of Mexican equipment to examine the quality of air and the carrying out of joint research on sources of contamination. Lacy also pointed out that air quality depends on society's level of tolerance. He stated that his visit to Cuba is aimed at increasing exchanges in the field of health. PRESIDENT OF THE SPANISH AUTONOMOUS BASQUE REGION IS EXPECTED SATURDAY IN HAVANA Havana, June 20(RHC)-- At the invitation of the Cuban government, the President of the Spanish autonomous Basque region, Jose Antonio Ardanza, is expected Saturday in Havana. The Basque Country government official and his delegation will remain on the island until Wednesday, the 25th. Meetings have been set with Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage, Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina and Havana's Mayor Conrado Martinez. Ardanza will visit sites where cooperation projects are being developed, sponsored by non-governmental organizations from the Basque Country. Also on his agenda is the inauguration of an underground electrical project financed by non- governmental organizations from the Basque Country. The visiting delegation will also meet with the Basque community in Cuba -- numbering more than 10,000 -- as well as Basque business people with offices on the island. According to Prensa Latina News Agency, dozens of Basque NGO's are sponsoring cooperation projects in various sectors, while 25 Basque enterprises are currently doing business in Cuba. [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) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org