CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA November 3 , 1997 rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taking from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Monday, November 3, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO INAUGURATES HAVANA'S 15TH INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR 2.- CUBAN GOVERNMENT AUTHORIZES ARRIVAL OF CATHOLICS FROM THE UNITED STATES DURING VISIT OF POPE JOHN PAUL II 3.- MIAMI'S ULTRA RIGHT WING CUBAN AMERICAN NATIONAL FOUNDATION IMPLICATED IN POSSIBLE ASSASSINATION PLOT AGAINST CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO 4.- FOR THE FIRST TIME, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REPATRIATES ILLEGAL CUBAN IMMIGRANTS 5.- US DELEGATION OF RETIRED MILITARY OFFICERS, FORMER DIPLOMATS AND ACADEMICS WRAP UP PRIVATE VISIT TO CUBA 6.- MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLIES RENEWED 7.- CUBA RECEIVES EUROPEAN UNION GREEN LIGHT TO MARKET FISHERIES IN ITS TERRITORY 8.- CUBA'S CENTRAL BANK TO COMPLETE AUTOMATION CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO INAUGURATES HAVANA'S 15TH INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR Havana, November 3(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro inaugurated Sunday Havana's 15th International Trade Fair, gathering more than 1,800 business representatives from 61 countries. The opening speech of the event was delivered by Cuban Foreign Trade Minister Ricardo Cabrisas, who pointed out that Cuba has begun a process of economic recovery in the extremely difficult conditions imposed buy Washington's economic war against the island. But Cabrisas asserted that Cuba is convinced that the authors of laws like Helms-Burton are increasingly further away from achieving their anti-Cuba objectives due to the intelligence and capacity of the Cuban people and the ever-growing expressions of international solidarity with the island. At the International Trade Fair, Spain maintains its lead with the greatest representation, with 6 pavilions in 4 thousand square meters for the expositions of 600 Spanish firms. In Latin America, with 14 nations participating, Mexico is in the lead, while Cuba has a record representation of 442 firms. France, Canada and Italy also have significant trade representations. CUBAN GOVERNMENT AUTHORIZES ARRIVAL OF CATHOLICS FROM THE UNITED STATES DURING VISIT OF POPE JOHN PAUL II Havana, November 3(RHC)-- In Havana, the ecclesiastic commission preparing the upcoming visit to Cuba of Pope John Paul II announced over the weekend that the Cuban government has authorized the arrival of a cruise tourism ship bringing Catholics from Miami, Florida during the Vatican chief's stay. Local church authorities also said the Cuban government will permit the landing in Havana of direct flights from the United States. The Cuban government has also expressed its willingness to facilitate, in accordance with the island's material capabilities, transportation to Catholics from abroad wishing to travel to the different sites where the Pope will offer open air masses. Between January 21st and 25th, Pope John Paul II will preside over these masses in Santa Clara, Camaguey, Santiago de Cuba and Havana's Revolution Square. MIAMI'S ULTRA RIGHT WING CUBAN AMERICAN NATIONAL FOUNDATION IMPLICATED IN POSSIBLE ASSASSINATION PLOT AGAINST CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO Havana, November 3(RHC)-- A leading member of Miami's ultra right wing Cuban American National Foundation has been implicated in the possible assassination plot against Cuban President Fidel Castro during the upcoming Iberoamerican Summit in Venezuela. Over the weekend, the Venezuelan news daily El Nacional ran an extensive front page article on the possible involvement of business executive Juan Antonio Llama, member of the Cuban American National Foundation's board of directors in representation of Spain. Llama travelled to Puerto Rico over the weekend following revelations that the boat to be used to take the would-be assassins to Venezuela's Margarita Island is registered in his name. The US Coast Guard arrested 4 Cuban-Americans last Wednesday travelling in a vessel with two, high-powered, 50 caliber weapons capable of penetrating armored vehicles, and abundant ammunition. Meanwhile, authorities in Venezuela have stepped up security at Margarita Island, declaring the establish of an air and maritime security ring around the site of the Iberoamerican Summit. All those arriving at the island will be rigorously checked, and the airport will be closed as of Friday noon. FOR THE FIRST TIME, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REPATRIATES ILLEGAL CUBAN IMMIGRANTS Havana, November 3(RHC)-- Authorities in the Dominican Republic defended today their unprecedented decision to repatriate 23 illegal Cuban immigrants. Until now, illegal Cubans were given tourist visas in this neighboring Caribbean nation. But the general director of the Dominican Republic's Immigration Service, Danilo Diaz, said today that since the recent opening of a Dominican consular office in Havana, and the signing between the two countries of a protocol on migration, his country will no longer accept the illegals. The Cubans deported last Friday had arrived in the Dominican Republic between last August and October, claiming that they were politically persecuted. But Danilo Diaz refuted that claim, asserting that they were economic refugees. The Dominican immigration official said illegal Cuban are only using his country as a bridge to other nations, particularly the United States. He said that just last Saturday 3 Cubans and 2 Dominicans attempted to leave the country as stow aways inside a freight box in the Haine port, south of the capital Santo Domingo. US DELEGATION OF RETIRED MILITARY OFFICERS, FORMER DIPLOMATS AND ACADEMICS WRAP UP PRIVATE VISIT TO CUBA Havana, November 3(RHC)-- A US delegation of retired military officers, former diplomats and academics wrapped up over the weekend a private visit to Cuba. Shortly before leaving Havana, a press conference was offered by retired navy Admiral Eugene Caroll, of the Washington DC- based Center for Defense Information, and former US ambassador to El Salvador Robert White of the Center for International Policy, also based in the US capital. Responding to one of the questions, Caroll said that when he was in Cuba as a fleet commander 50 years ago, he recognized back then that the United States didn't need the Guantanamo naval base, while at the same time denying that Cuba poses a military threat to the US. He also said that in his opinion the majority of the American people are in favor of normal relations with Cuba, and that the problems was the US Congress, which he said blocks any efforts to better those relations. During the private visit, the US delegation again visited Cuba's Juragua nuclear power plant in central Cienfuegos Province. They toured the installation during their first visit in February, 1996. And besides visiting other sites of economic and military interest in Cuba, the members of the delegation exchanged opinions and points of view with students and officers at Cuban military academies. MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLIES RENEWED Havana, November 3(RHC)-- Cuba's 169 municipalities renewed their local governments Sunday with the swearing in of elected delegates. The setting up of the municipal assemblies, also included the election of their respective president and vice-presidents. The 14 533 officials that make up the municipal assemblies, were nominated at the grassroots level, and were elected with the participation of over 97% of the island's voters. According to information released by the country's national electoral commission, more than 2 thousand workers, 380 members of the Armed Forces, 624 retirees and 64 self-employed workers make up the leadership of the island's new local governments. CUBA RECEIVES EUROPEAN UNION GREEN LIGHT TO MARKET FISHERIES IN ITS TERRITORY Havana, November 3(RHC)-- The Cuban Fishing Industry will expand its markets to Europe. The European Union has granted the island a license to export 600 million dollars worth of sea products for a two year period, says the Cuban weekly Trabajadores in its Monday edition. According to the weekly, a European Union commission visited Cuba for 6 days to evaluate the local industry's production and service systems to verify that it complied with the regional block's standards. Cuban Fishing Industry Minister, Orlando Rodriguez Romay, told a Merchant Marine, Ports and Fishing Workers Union meeting over the week-end about the European Union's decision, after conducting a detailed query of the industry's resources. In the meeting, the official also announced that the year's forecasted catch on the island's insular platform has already been surpassed, and that fish and shrimp farming continues to increase. However, Rodriquez Romany did note that lobster catch has not been as high as expected , and that the industry will have to search for production alternatives to recuperate losses due to the low -lobster catch. CUBA'S CENTRAL BANK TO COMPLETE AUTOMATION Havana, November 3(RHC)-- Cuba's Central Bank has automated its main branches island wide, and soon the remainder of the bank's agencies will be wired to the banks' computer network. Speaking with the local press, Francisco Soberon, President of Cuba's Central Bank said that only 250 savings agencies are waiting for the connection, which is expected to be completed in 1998. According to the island's top banking official, by last August, already connected offices had conducted 285 thousand payment and money collecting operations in real time. To aid in the automation process,said Soberon, the Central Bank purchased parts for 7 thousand personal computers, assembled them in their own workshops and distributed them among its some 500 agencies. Automatic tellers are also being tested by the Central Bank, with 5 of them open 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the Cuban capital The technological changes, concluded Soberon, not only will provide better services to clients, but will also contribute to financial discipline. [c] 1997. Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. 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