CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA October 9 , 1997 rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from RADIO HAVANA CUBA's International Shortwave Service in English for Thursday, October 9, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- FIFTH CONGRESS OF THE CUBAN COMMUNIST PARTY CONTINUES 2.- OFFICIAL MOURNING PERIOD FOR ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA 3.- TRIBUTES TO COMANDANTE CHE GUEVARA CONTINUE 4.- BRAZILIANS PROTEST WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA FIFTH CONGRESS OF THE CUBAN COMMUNIST PARTY CONTINUES Havana, October 9(RHC)-- Cuba's economic recovery trend was the center of attention during today's session of the 5th Congress of the Cuban Communist Party. Some 1500 delegates devoted their time to discussing issues related to the Resolution on the Economy. Political Bureau member and Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage was responsible for introducing the Resolution, which was enriched by discussions in provinces prior to the Congress. The Resolution evaluates the economic situation reported in the country since the previous Congress in 1991, the policy the country will follow during the recovery stage and perspectives for the island's economy. In presenting the Resolution, Carlos Lage pointed out that the document sets no specific dates for the fulfillment of the guidelines, because of the U.S. economic war against the island -- but he stressed that nonetheless, the country should work hard to achieve these goals before the next Congress. One of the island's top economic strategists, Lage noted the immense effort being conducted by the Cuban people in the struggle for economic recovery. He said that although economic growth this year will not quite reach three percent, important growth will be reported in crucial sectors of the island's economy such as tourism, the tobacco industry, steel production and biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Lage said that this is reason for optimism. Following the presentation, coffee growers, citrus farmers, and sugar industry workers discussed the economic situation with Party leaders, working on strategies to achieve economic efficiency. During its first session yesterday, the Congress heard the Main Report by the Party's First Secretary Fidel Castro, approved a resolution on a political document entitled "The Party of the Unity, the Democracy and the Human Rights We Defend" and the Resolution on Party Rules. The new rules authorize the Central Committee, if need be, to increase its membership by ten percent between Congresses. The Fourth Party Congress -- held in October 1991 -- had already authorized the Political Bureau to do the same. On Wednesday, delegates approved the slate for the selection of a new leadership, which will be voted on by direct and secret ballot later Thursday evening. Presentation of the island's new political leadership will take place during the Congress' last session on Friday. That session will also hear more debates and approve the Resolution on the Economy. OFFICIAL MOURNING PERIOD FOR ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA Havana, October 9(RHC)-- The Cuban government announced today seven days of official mourning on the occasion of the funeral ceremonies for Ernesto Che Guevara and his comrades-in-arms, to be held from October 11th through the 17th. Cuban flags at public buildings and military units will be at half-mast beginning Saturday. Starting Saturday, the remains of Che and six of the internationalist guerrillas who accompanied him in Bolivia will lay in state for three-days at the Jose Marti Monument at the Plaza de la Revolucion in Havana. On Tuesday, the 14th, the remains will be taken to Santa Clara, following the same trail -- but in the opposite direction -- taken by Che's column after conquering Santa Clara and marching on Havana at the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. Once in Santa Clara, the remains will lay in state at the Jose Marti Library until final funeral ceremonies on October 17th. The coffins will then be deposited in a special mausoleum built for the occasion over the past months. Following a military ceremony, the sirens of all of Cuba's factories and work centers will sound off for 60 seconds in a final tribute to the island's Heroic Guerrilla. To be buried along with Che are Cubans Alberto Fernandez Montes De Oca, Rene Martinez Tamayo and Orlando Pantoja, Bolivians Simeon Cuba and Aniceto Reinaga and Peruvian Juan Pablo Chang-Navarro. The Bolivians and Peruvians will be buried in Cuba upon request from their family members. TRIBUTES TO COMANDANTE CHE GUEVARA CONTINUE Havana, October 9(RHC)-- Thousands of people have converged on the small Bolivian town of La Higuera where Bolivian soldiers murdered internationalist fighter Ernesto Che Guevara thirty years ago today. A rally followed the central ceremony in homage to Che, held in La Higuera yesterday, where participants unveiled a statue of the guerrilla fighter just ten-meters from the exact place where he was murdered in 1967. In Mexico City, hundreds gathered in front of the U.S. embassy, waving Cuban flags and shouting slogans against Washington's policy towards Latin America. In San Salvador, university students attended a ceremony held in honor of the Heroic Guerrilla. In Guatemala, chants and cheers echoed off the walls surrounding the University of San Carlos as a huge mural of Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara was unveiled. Similar ceremonies were held in the Colombian city of Cali, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in Chile, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Meanwhile in Argentina, an estimated 40,000 people enjoyed a concert in tribute to the legendary revolutionary. An all- star trio entertained the audience: celebrated singers and composers Silvio Rodriguez from Cuba, Uruguayan Daniel Viglietti and Chico Buarque from Brazil. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, homages were held in Spain with a public ceremony, a concert and photo and book exhibits. Reports from London are highlighting a photo exhibit in homage to Che Guevara as one of the main tributes to the Heroic Guerrilla in Great Britain. The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden also paid tribute to the Argentinean-born, Cuban guerrilla fighter. Swedish and Latin American youth took part in a 10-kilometer walk through the downtown streets of Stockholm. BRAZILIANS PROTEST WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA Rio de Janeiro, October 9(RHC)-- Brazilian Left parties and social organizations have come up with a strong protest against Washington's blockade against Cuba. A commission made up of members of three Left-oriented Brazilian organizations and political parties have presented the U.S. Consul in Rio de Janeiro, Robert Taylor, with a protest note signed by 200 political and intellectual personalities. Brazil's Workers Confederation, the Jose Marti Cultural Association, Brazil's Oil Workers Union, the Workers Party, the Brazilian Socialist Party and the Communist Party are the main organizers of the protest. Sources from Rio de Janeiro say the meeting lasted nearly 30 minutes, during which protesters stressed the importance of ending the U.S. blockade of Cuba. The President of the Brazilian Workers Confederation Souza Teixeira told journalists that the blockade is, in his words, "genocide against the Cuban people." While all this was happening inside Washington's consulate in Rio de Janeiro, protesters outside on the street were holding a huge poster demanding an end to the blockade and expressing their support for the Cuban people. [c] 1997. 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