CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA September 8 , 1997 rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from RADIO HAVANA CUBA's International Shortwave Service in English for Monday, September 8, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- ANOTHER TERRORIST BOMBING IN HAVANA; TARGET: LA BODEGUITA DEL MEDIO 2.- MINISTER OF DEFENSE RAUL CASTRO VOWS TO CAPTURE BOMBERS 3.- CUBANS LIVING IN U.S. ENRAGED BY TERRORIST BOMBINGS 4.- FATHER OF TERRORIST BOMB VICTIM SAYS HE WILL CONTINUE HIS SON'S WORK TO DEFEND THE CUBAN REVOLUTION 5.- THE WASHINGTON POST CONDEMNS TERRORIST ACTIONS IN CUBA 6.- PRESIDENT OF CUBAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES VISIT TO CHILE FOR IBEROAMERICAN PARLIAMENTARY MEETING 7.- YOUTH PLAN LATIN AMERICAN CARAVAN TO HONOR INTERNATIONALIST ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA 8.- ONE OUT OF SIX CUBAN WORKERS IS A UNIVERSITY GRADUATE 9.- U.S. PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES EXPLORE BUSINESS POSSIBILITIES ON THE ISLAND ANOTHER TERRORIST BOMBING IN HAVANA; TARGET: LA BODEGUITA DEL MEDIO Havana, September 8(RHC)-- Over the weekend, Cuba denounced another terrorist action against a popular restaurant in the capital. Late Thursday, September 4th, a small explosive device was set-off in La Bodeguita del Medio, located in Old Havana. The restaurant suffered light, material damage. In a note published in Saturday morning's edition of the daily Granma newspaper, the Cuban Ministry of the Interior reiterated that these latest bombings are organized and financed from the United States. The note added that these acts of terrorism are nothing new; that "for decades, U.S. authorities have encouraged terrorist actions against the Cuban Revolution," giving aid and comfort to the perpetrators of such cowardly attacks. The Interior Ministry note points out that with the news of the first fatality -- Favio di Celmo, an Italian citizen doing business in Cuba -- spokesmen from several terrorist groups in Miami said that although they regretted the death, they supported any actions against the Cuban Revolution. The 32-year-old man was killed by a bomb placed at the Copacabana Hotel on Thursday. The Interior Ministry note underscores the hypocritical nature of such statements by the Miami mafia, "who regularly incite subversion and terror." The note concludes with the commitment to "confront such brutal and despicable attacks with unyielding determination, integrity and intelligence." MINISTER OF DEFENSE RAUL CASTRO VOWS TO CAPTURE BOMBERS Havana, September 8(RHC)-- Raul Castro, Minister of Defense and of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba, affirmed that the perpetrators of recent terrorist bombings in Havana "are provoking the wrath of the people." Raul Castro declared that the individuals responsible for the actions will be tracked down, "just as the bands of counterrevolutionaries were crushed in the Escambray mountains during the 1960's." The head of Cuba's armed forces referred to small groups of armed terrorists -- organized and financed by the United States -- which operated in the mountainous regions of central Cuba shortly after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. He promised that those carrying out the recent attacks against tourist facilities in the Cuban capital will be found and brought to justice. In other news, Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina said that it wasn't enough for Washington to condemn the terrorist bombings, but that a full investigation must be carried out and concrete actions taken to rout-out those responsible. The Cuban foreign minister alluded to an official statement from the U.S. government, claiming that they were opposed to the use of terrorism and violence in overthrowing the Cuban government. In the same breath, Washington said it supports so-called "democratic means" to accomplish the same purpose. Roberto Robaina pointed to the U.S. blockade of Cuba, emphasizing that attempts to strangle the island's economy are totally consistent with attacks against tourist facilities. The Cuban foreign minister took aim at terrorist groups operating from U.S. territory -- a clear violation of international law and Washington's own Neutrality Act. CUBANS LIVING IN U.S. ENRAGED BY TERRORIST BOMBINGS Miami, September 8(RHC)-- Cuban-Americans are expressing their outrage at the recent series of terrorist bombings in Havana. The Antonio Maceo Brigade, composed of Cubans living in the United States, issued a statement demanding that U.S. authorities carry out a full investigation into terrorist organizations based in southern Florida that openly advocate violence and sabotage. The statement points a finger at those advocating such terrorist actions, calling them "the same groups that murdered Carlos Muniz in 1978" -- a Cuban immigrant living in Puerto Rico who worked to promote tourism between the two islands. The Antonio Maceo Brigade also condemned the U.S. blockade of Cuba, stressing that "as long as Washington maintains its official policies of aggression and genocide against the Cuban people, the terrorists will find sanctuary and protection from the government of the United States." FATHER OF TERRORIST BOMB VICTIM SAYS HE WILL CONTINUE HIS SON'S WORK TO DEFEND THE CUBAN REVOLUTION Havana, September 8(RHC)-- The father of the Italian entrepreneur who was killed last Thursday when a terrorist bomb exploded at a Havana hotel told Prensa Latina News Agency that his son loved Cuba and the Cuban Revolution. Justino di Celmo said that he came with his son to Cuba for the first time four years ago. Favio di Celmo was killed in an explosion last week while he visited his father at the Copacabana Hotel in the Cuban capital. During an interview with journalists over the weekend, the victim's brother, Livio di Celmo, said that both he and his father will continue to defend the Cuban Revolution, just as Favio did. The family of Favio di Celmo said the 32-year-old businessman -- an Italian citizen living in Montreal, Canada -- had been in Cuba for several months and was planning to open a small business here. THE WASHINGTON POST CONDEMNS TERRORIST ACTIONS IN CUBA Washington, September 8(RHC)-- The Sunday edition of the influential U.S. daily The Washington Post condemned the recent terrorist bombings against tourist installations in Cuba, insisting that these actions "must not go unpunished." A Washington Post editorial stated that those responsible "are doing the dirty work of those who want to scare tourists away from Cuba." The U.S. newspaper took note of the long history of U.S. intervention in Cuba both before and after the Cuban Revolution, asserting that authorities on the island are justified in charging that these terrorist activities are organized and financed from U.S. territory. PRESIDENT OF CUBAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY CONCLUDES VISIT TO CHILE FOR IBEROAMERICAN PARLIAMENTARY MEETING Santiago de Chile, September 8(RHC)-- The President of Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power, Ricardo Alarcon, wrapped-up his official visit to Chile on Sunday, after participating in an Iberoamerican Legislative Seminar, gathering the heads of parliaments from Latin America, Spain and Portugal. During his stay, Alarcon met with numerous high-ranking Chilean government officials, as well as with House Deputy Isabel Allende and her mother Hortensia Bussi, widow of assassinated Chilean President Salvador Allende. The Iberoamerican event was centered around an analysis of the tarnished image of many of the region's legislatures. Alarcon stated that Cuba's presence at the event was even more significant due to Spain's rejection of Cuba's participation during a similar gathering last May in Madrid. Spain only accepted Cuba's presence as an observer, saying that Cuba's Parliament was `not democratic' -- despite Cuba's full participation in numerous other such events. Cuba did not accept the observer status. YOUTH PLAN LATIN AMERICAN CARAVAN TO HONOR INTERNATIONALIST ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA Havana, September 8(RHC)-- Thousands of Latin American youth will take part in a caravan, traveling through several countries to mark the 30th anniversary of the death in combat of Heroic Guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara. The President of the Latin American Students Organization (OCLAE) Kenia Serrano, told Prensa Latina News Agency that some 30 representatives of OCLAE will depart from Mexico next Tuesday, September 16th, and tour ten Latin American nations. The caravan's itinerary includes Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and of course, Bolivia. According to OCLAE's president, caravanistas will leave the Bolivian capital of La Paz on October 6th, bound for Cochabamba and then on to Valle Grande. There they will pay tribute to the Argentinean-born, Cuban guerrilla comandante who was executed by Bolivian soldiers on October 8, 1967. Tributes to Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara also include an international seminar on Che's revolutionary thinking and action. The Argentinean city of Rosario -- Che's birthplace -- will be the site of the seminar, conducted by Brazilian theologian Frei Betto. Homages will also be celebrated in Chile, Venezuela, France and even the United States, where progressive organizations are organizing conferences, art exhibitions and concerts to pay tribute to the internationalist guerrilla fighter. ONE OUT OF SIX CUBAN WORKERS IS A UNIVERSITY GRADUATE Havana, September 8(RHC)-- The number of Cuban professionals and skilled workers continues to grow. In an interview with the weekly newspaper Trabajadores, Cuban Education Minister Fernando Vecino Alegret said that one out of every six workers has an university degree. He told Trabajadores that by the end of the current school year, a total of 600,000 students will have graduated from universities since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The minster of education emphasized that despite severe economic hardships affecting all sectors of the society, 19,000 new students registered this year at the island's 46 universities. And he stated that the future looks even more promising. He said that the Ministry of Education plans to increase university scholarships to 310,000 -- a figure that was reached in 1987, but then declined with the onset on economic problems. The Cuban minister of education also took special note of the fact that the State guarantees a job for every graduate. He said that 97 percent of the professionals who graduated last year are currently employed. U.S. PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES EXPLORE BUSINESS POSSIBILITIES ON THE ISLAND Washington, September 8(RHC)-- U.S. pharmaceutical companies are setting their sights on Cuba in an effort to expand their markets. According to the Journal of Commerce -- published in Washington, D.C -- several representatives from two major U.S pharmaceutical companies have just concluded a business tour of the island, complete with samples of their products. According to The Journal of Commerce, the Clinton Administration has authorized U.S. pharmaceutical companies to carry samples of their products to Cuba. Pending draft legislation in the U.S. Congress would allow for the licensing of the drug giants to sell medical equipment and pharmaceutical products to Cuba. The daily newspaper says sales could amount to millions of dollars a year, IF the bill is approved by the U.S. Congress and signed into law. The President of the U.S.-based Cuban-American Economic and Trade Council, John Kaluvich, told the Journal of Commerce that several U.S. pharmaceutical companies have plans to send representatives to Cuba in the near future. [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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