CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA October 7 , 1997 rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from RADIO HAVANA CUBA's International Shortwave Service in English for Tuesday, October 7, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- ON THE EVE OF THE FIFTH CONGRESS OF THE CUBAN COMMUNIST PARTY, CUBA REITERATES SOCIALIST CHARACTER OF ECONOMY 2.- INTERNATIONAL TRIBUTES TO COMANDANTE ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA 3.- CIGAR PRODUCTION IS AMONG THE MOST ACTIVE SECTORS OF ECONOMY 4.- `ALL SYSTEMS GO' FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS 5.- CUBA APPOINTS NEW AMBASSADOR TO INDONESIA ON THE EVE OF THE FIFTH CONGRESS OF THE CUBAN COMMUNIST PARTY, CUBA REITERATES SOCIALIST CHARACTER OF ECONOMY Havana, October 7(RHC)-- As Cuba gears up for the Fifth Congress of the Cuban Communist Party -- slated to open tomorrow -- Economy Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez has stressed that the gathering will concentrate "on the continuity of the socialist economic model based on State-owned property." Rodriguez insisted that the island's process of economic transformations will continue, including the on-going expansion of foreign investment and the self-employment sector, but that emphasis will be placed on greater efficiency of the State sector. Cuba's economy minister said that the island's economic model will continue to be fundamentally socialist, not only in the sense that the State provides free public health care and education, but also in the State's fundamental role in the planning and guiding of the national economy. Rodriguez pointed to 1994 as the beginning of Cuba's economic recovery following the collapse of the Soviet Union, recalling that 1996 saw a 7.8 percent growth rate. He said that the growth rate will not be as high this year, but that the economy will continue to expand in coming years -- despite Washington's Helms-Burton Law. Cuban Economy Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez also said that since 1993, government subsidies for State enterprises has seen a 75 percent reduction and that some State firms may have to be closed, "but the State sector is definitely going to be revitalized." He also pointed to the favorable results in foreign investment and expansion of sectors such as tourism, mining and oil exploration. Rodriguez insisted that Cuba will continue its process of economic transformations, but stressed that those transformations will remain subservient to socialism. INTERNATIONAL TRIBUTES TO COMANDANTE ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA Havana, October 7(RHC)-- Three decades after his murder in Bolivia, Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara is one of the most revered celebrities of this century. Never before in history have homages been so internationally widespread. In Cuba -- where Che Guevara arrived on board the Granma yacht as one of 82 expeditionaries in 1956 to fight the U.S.- supported Fulgencio Batista dictatorship -- tributes to his memory involve his four surviving children and widow. Ernesto Guevara March -- Che Guevara's youngest son -- told journalists in Havana that he admires his father because he was a creator of ideas. Ernesto Guevara Jr. visited his father's former stronghold in the Escambray Mountains in central Cuba. Aleida Guevara -- his eldest daughter -- appeared Tuesday on a special television talk show broadcast on TeleRebelde. Young Cubans are meeting in Havana for a colloquium on the life and work of the Heroic Guerrilla. The meeting began with a showing of the first biographical video on Che Guevara, produced by renowned Cuban film-maker Santiago Alvarez. The 19-minute documentary was made when President Fidel Castro confirmed the death of Che in Bolivia. In eastern Cuba, local scholars will be discussing the dimension of Che Guevara's thinking, the example he set as a revolutionary and the role of the Rebel Army in the final liberation of the island in 1959. As all this is taking place in Cuba, reports from Chile say that hundreds of people are taking part in a pilgrimage to Cuba, in order to get a closer look at the place where Che lived and reached international recognition. In Bolivia, the Simon Bolivar Caravan -- which has travelled through many Latin American countries -- is heading to the locality of La Higuera -- where Bolivian soldiers took Che's life on October 9th, 1967, after he had been apprehended the day before. The caravanistas will take part in a vigil, traditionally organized by area residents and political groups every year on this date. A leader of the caravan and representative of the Bolivian Confederation of University Students, Jose Luis Bedregal, told reporters that young people were "right-on-target" when they decided to organize such tributes to Comandate Che Guevara -- "because they are exposing a broad sector of the Latin American people to alternative positions, as opposed to having a political and economic model imposed upon them by Washington." Mexican activists are reporting on a planned protest in front of the U.S. embassy in Mexico City set for tomorrow, October 8th. The Autonomous University of Mexico has announced that a series of discussions on Che Guevara and Latin America will gather together scholars from Cuba, Uruguay, Bolivia and Panama. Homages to the Heroic Guerrilla have crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, where people will take to the streets of the principal cities of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. CIGAR PRODUCTION IS AMONG THE MOST ACTIVE SECTORS OF ECONOMY Havana, October 7(RHC)-- Cigar production is topping the list as one of the most active sectors of the domestic economy. Cuba has already produced 75 million hand-rolled cigars this year for export. The production plan is to roll-up more than one hundred million cigars this year. There are currently 13 cigar factories on the island and plans to open another thirteen. Some fifty joint ventures are handling sales transactions abroad. `ALL SYSTEMS GO' FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS Havana, October 7(RHC)-- Everything is coming together for municipal elections in Cuba, which are to be held on Sunday, October 19th. A dress-rehearsal will take place this Sunday, the 12th, to test the organization of the electoral process. All candidates' biographies are posted in public places. Nearly seven million Cubans will cast their ballots on the 19th, in an island-wide election to chose among more than 31,000 candidates to the Municipal Assemblies of Peoples Power. CUBA APPOINTS NEW AMBASSADOR TO INDONESIA Jakarta, October 7(RHC)-- Cuba has appointed Carlos Castillo as the new Ambassador to Indonesia. The Cuban diplomat has presented his credentials to Indonesian President Sujarto, who noted good relations between Jakarta and Havana. The Indonesian president said he appreciated Cuban President Fidel Castro's message of condolence for the recent air tragedy that left more than two hundred people dead. [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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