CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA June 30, 1997 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org The following items are taken from RADIO HAVANA CUBA's International Shortwave Service in English for Monday, June 30th, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- BRITISH FLAG IS LOWERED FOR THE LAST TIME IN HONG KONG; CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO SENDS CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE 2.- CARICOM PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT GETS UNDERWAY IN JAMAICA WITH CUBA ON THE AGENDA 3.- FOREIGN MINISTER OF BELARUS BEGINS TALKS IN CUBAN CAPITAL 4.- SPANISH PERSONALITIES DEMAND THAT MADRID CHANGE HOSTILE POLICIES TOWARD CUBA 5.- SANTIAGO DE CUBA PREPARES TO HOST THE CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL 6.- MEXICAN ARTISTS CONTRIBUTE TO THE 14th WORLD FESTIVAL OF YOUTH AND STUDENTS 7.- "HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE" -- COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU! 8.- FASHION SHOWS IN HAVANA DURING 2nd INTERNATIONAL EXHIBIT 9.- CUBAN VOLLEYBALL TEAM SMASHES BRAZIL THREE SETS TO NONE BRITISH FLAG IS LOWERED FOR THE LAST TIME IN HONG KONG; CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO SENDS CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO CHINESE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE Beijing, June 30/July 1(RHC)--The British flag was lowered for the last time in Hong Kong, as the former colony was transferred to Chinese sovereignty -- bringing an end to 156 years of British colonial rule. The official ceremony took place at 12 midnight, local time, Tuesday. The last British Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, waved goodbye to some ten thousand invited guests in Port Victoria. In Beijing, the Chinese capital, massive celebrations got underway in Tiananmen Square, with the deafening sounds of exploding fireworks. Some 100,000 people crowded into the square, waving giant red flags and observing the official transfer of Hong Kong to Chinese jurisdiction. Observers say the celebrations in Beijing will last throughout the night and into tomorrow, when Chinese authorities will take their posts in the new administrative government of Hong Kong. Cuban President Fidel Castro sent a congratulatory message to his Chinese counterpart, Jiang Zemin. Applauding the transfer of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty, Fidel said the occasion was "historic and long-awaited by the Chinese people." The Cuban president also took the opportunity to express the desire to further strengthen the already excellent relations between Havana and Beijing, "reinforcing the fraternal bonds that exist between our two peoples, inspired in the ideals of socialism." CARICOM PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT GETS UNDERWAY IN JAMAICA WITH CUBA ON THE AGENDA Montego Bay, June 30(RHC)-- Leaders of the 14 nations which make up the Caribbean Community -- CARICOM -- began their annual summit today in Jamaica. Meeting in Montego Bay, the presidents and heads of state of CARICOM will discuss regional integration and ways to strengthen their growing ties with Cuba. The gathering comes at a time when a number of CARICOM member- states have increasingly grown closer to their Caribbean island neighbor, despite Washington's attempts to isolate Cuba from the Caribbean region. Observers point to the recent official visits to Havana of Jamaican Prime Minister Percival Patterson and Grenada's Prime Minister Keith Mitchell as evidence of ever expanding relations between Cuba and the Caribbean community. Over the weekend, Guyanese Foreign Minister Clement Rohee concluded an official, ten-day visit to the island. While in Havana, the Guyanese foreign minister signed several important bilateral cooperation agreements with the Cuban government. Also on the CARICOM agenda during the week-long meeting in Jamaica are the membership requests of Haiti and the U.S. Virgin Islands, future economic negotiations with the European Union and the beginning of talks next year aimed at creating a Free Trade Zone in the Americas. FOREIGN MINISTER OF BELARUS BEGINS TALKS IN CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, June 30(RHC)-- The Foreign Minister of Belarus, Ivan Ivanovich Antonovich, began official talks today in Havana with his Cuban counterpart, Roberto Robaina. Antonovich arrived in the Cuban capital on Sunday for an official, three- day visit to the island. The foreign minister of Belarus will also meet with Ricardo Alarcon, President of the Cuban Parliament, as well as the Cuban Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Ibrahim Ferradaz. The visit is being seen as a further step in re-establishing the ties that existed between Cuba and Belarus before the disintegration of the Soviet Union and eastern Europe in 1991. Belarus, along with Russia and the Ukraine, formed Cuba's largest trading partners before that year. Cuba and Belarus established diplomatic relations in 1992 and in May of last year, Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Rogaina visited Belarus visited Belarus on a tour that also included Russia and the Ukraine. During his stay in Cuba, the foreign minister of Belarus will tour places of social and economic interest. SPANISH PERSONALITIES DEMAND THAT MADRID CHANGE HOSTILE POLICIES TOWARD CUBA Madrid, June 30(RHC)-- More than 130 Spanish personalities have expressed their rejection of Washington's blockade against Cuba and called on the government of President Jose Maria Aznar to change its hostile policies toward the island. Spanish intellectuals, professionals and workers signed what is being called an important manifesto against the Helms-Burton Law. The document was announced at a huge solidarity rally in Madrid over the weekend. Condemning the unjust and illegal character of the U.S. blockade against Cuba, the manifesto urges Washington to end all aggressive measures against Cuba, especially the Helms-Burton Law. Signers of the document also demanded that the Spanish government stop being a mouthpiece for Washington's arrogance and change its antagonistic policies toward the island. Among the celebrities and personalities signing the manifesto were Judge Joaquin Navarro, well-known poet Rafael Alberti and flamenco dancer Antonio Gades. SANTIAGO DE CUBA PREPARES TO HOST THE CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL Havana, June 30(RHC)-- Santiago de Cuba will host the 17th Caribbean Festival from July 3rd through the 9th. This year, the festival will attract artists from 17 regional nations and most of the Cuban provinces. The 17th Caribbean Festival will be dedicated to Brazil and will emphasize the ties between that South American country and the Antilles. A colloquium entitled "The Caribbean That Unites Us" will study the connections between Caribbean nations and Brazil, which is not a part of the area geographically but is, nonetheless, historically and culturally tied to it. The festival will be the scenario of a number of actions conducted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. Among them will be the first meeting on the Slave Route to Brazil and a debate on social sciences in the Caribbean. Also on the agenda are poetry readings, musical presentations and discussions on social communication, oral narration and audio-visual workshops. MEXICAN ARTISTS CONTRIBUTE TO THE 14th WORLD FESTIVAL OF YOUTH AND STUDENTS Havana, June 30(RHC)-- Mexican artists have donated more than 300 works of art to help finance the 14th World Festival of Youth and Students. Valued at more than 200,000 dollars, the donation includes works of renowned artists Francisco Toledo, Manuel Felguerez and Marta Palau. The donation is part of a solidarity campaign by Mexico's "Va Por Cuba" organization, which is also paying tribute to Argentinean-born guerrilla fighter Ernesto Che Guevara on the 30th anniversary of his death in Bolivia. In other news, Paraguayan Cervantes Prize Winner, writer Augusto Roa Bastos, will be one of the guests of honor to the 14th World Festival of Youth and Students. Paraguay's General Consul in Cuba, Carlos Miguel Jimenez, told Prensa Latina News Agency that this will be the first time the 80-year-old writer has visited Cuba. The author of "Hijo de Hombre" and "Yo, El Supremo" is one of the most important writers of the so-called Latin American renaissance of the 1960's, together with Cuban Alejo Carpentier, Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Argentinean Julio Cortazar. "HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE" -- COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU! Buenos Aires, June 30(RHC)-- Cuba, Argentina and Spain are joining forces to produce a new film on Ernesto Che Guevara. Argentinean film-maker, Juan Carlos Desanzo -- the director of "Eva Peron" -- said the film "Ever Onward to Victory" ("Hasta la Victoria Siempre") is the story of the life of the legendary guerrilla leader. Desanzo told journalists in Buenos Aires that the film is based on anecdotes from the motorcycle-tour Che made throughout Latin America in the 1950's, his subsequent politicization in Guatemala and his transformation into a revolutionary in Mexico, where he joined Cuban guerrilla fighters led by Fidel Castro. FASHION SHOWS IN HAVANA DURING 2nd INTERNATIONAL FASHION Havana, June 30(RHC)-- Fashion models and designers will be in Havana this week for the 2nd International Fashion Exhibit, which opens its doors on July 3rd. Companies from Britain, Italy, Mexico, Venezuela, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic will be represented. As the host country, Cuba will display a comprehensive exhibit of fashions and designs during the international gathering. CUBAN VOLLEYBALL TEAM SMASHES BRAZIL THREE SETS TO NONE Moscow, June 30(RHC)-- Cuba's men's volleyball team defeated the Brazilian squad three sets to zero in the World League Volleyball Championship taking place in Moscow. The Cuban and Brazilian team played a tight game from the beginning, but the Cuban squad ended up defeating Brazil 15-11, 15-11, 15-9. Cuban blockers have been the key to the island's victory from the start of the preliminaries. Tomorrow, the Cuban team faces Bulgaria. Earlier today, the tough Olympic and defending World League Champions -- the Netherlands -- whipped Italy three sets to one. [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. 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