CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA September 16, 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, September 16, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN TELEVISION AIRS SPECIAL PROGRAM PROVIDING MORE DETAILS ON TERRORIST BOMBS AT HAVANA HOTELS 2.- CUBA HOSTS 1st INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT 3.- CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE INSPECTS HURRICANE RECOVERY EFFORTS 4.- SAO TOME'S PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH CUBAN DELEGATION 5.- CUBA AND ANGOLA MEET AT THE NINTH MEETING OF THE MIXED INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION 6.- SECOND AFRICAN MEETING OF SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA SET TO GET STARTED ON THURSDAY CUBAN TELEVISION AIRS SPECIAL PROGRAM PROVIDING MORE DETAILS ON TERRORIST BOMBS AT HAVANA HOTELS Havana, September 16(RHC)-- Cuba's Interior Ministry has reiterated charges that terrorist attacks against the island's tourist centers are planned, organized and financed by a network of criminals in El Salvador with ties to Miami's ultra right-wing Cuban-American National Foundation. During a special television program aired Monday evening, Interior Ministry Colonel Adalberto Rabeiro provided more details of the terrorist attacks, while at the same time presenting the Salvadoran mercenary arrested in connection with the bomb explosions: Raul Ernesto Cruz Leon. Cruz Leon admitted -- coldly and impassively -- to having entered Cuba on two occasions from Guatemala and Costa Rica and detonated bombs that exploded at the National and Capri Hotels on July 12th and those at the Copacabana, Chateaux and Triton Hotels -- and the Bodeguita del Medio Restaurant -- on September 4th. During the 60-minute, prime-time TV program, Colonel Rabeiro explained that the Salvadoran mercenary had carried in C-4 explosives and sophisticated electronic devices by hiding them in his shoes, a clock-radio and a television. The Cuban Interior Ministry official said that following his capture, Cruz Leon agreed to cooperate by calling those in El Salvador who had recruited him -- and that those conversations were recorded by Cuban State Security. He reiterated, however, that it still was not convenient to reveal to the enemy all that Cuban authorities know and exactly how the information was obtained. The Salvadoran mercenary said that he acted alone at all times and was instructed to refrain from making any contacts in Cuba. Colonel Rabeiro said the Salvadoran mercenary's modus operandi was similar to that used in the August 4th bomb explosion at Havana's Melia-Cohiba Hotel and in attacks against Cuban tourism offices in Mexico and the Bahamas. The Cuban official also pointed to the 1996 arrest in Cuba of a U.S. citizen -- Walter van der Veer -- currently on trial, accused of terrorism and subversion. CUBA HOSTS 1st INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT Havana, September 16(RHC)-- The state of the planet is being discussed at the First International Convention on Environment and Development which opened today at Havana's Convention Center. Cuba's Science, Technology and the Environment Minister Doctor Rosa Elena Simeon delivered the inaugural speech, welcoming the more than 800 delegates from 14 nations. Dr. Simeon said that solutions to the world's most pressing environmental problems not only depend on material resources and technology but on every country's political commitment and the mobilization of all the planet's resources. The Convention on the Environment is the largest ever held in Cuba and the first to be held since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Participants hope to reach agreements that will help find solutions to the continuing problems of the planet's environmental deterioration. Dr. Simeon stated that Washington's economic blockade against the island makes it extremely difficult to reach acceptable levels of environmental protection. The event's schedule includes seven congresses: Biodiversity, Conservation and Management; Environmental Policy and Law; Environmental Education for Sustainable Development; Environmental Quality Control and Monitoring; Sustainable Planning and Management; Environmental Sanitation and the Challenge of Sustainability; and Economy, Environment and Society. CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE INSPECTS HURRICANE RECOVERY EFFORTS Cienfuegos, September 16(RHC)-- Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage praised national recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Lili, which struck Cuba last October and caused great material and crop damage in eight provinces. Lage noted housing refurbishing is one of the key elements in re- building the damage caused by the natural phenomenon. In statements to journalists during his tour of the western province of Cienfuegos, Lage said that 85 percent of the 30,000 houses affected by the storm have been refurbished. He said an extra effort is needed to finish the remaining homes that were damaged or destroyed. Referring to agricultural recovery, the Cuban vice president said that banana production is expected to reach levels similar to those before Hurricane Lili. Lage said that the island's severe economic situation "will not be an obstacle for carrying on with recovery efforts." SAO TOME'S PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH CUBAN DELEGATION Sao Tome, September 16(RHC)-- Sao Tome's Prime Minister Raul Braganca has met with Cuba's Deputy Foreign Investment and Cooperation Minister Noemi Benitez. Benitez is heading the Cuban delegation to the 8th Session of the Mixed Intergovernmental Commission, held on this Caribbean island. During the meeting, Sao Tome's Prime Minister reaffirmed his country's solidarity and friendship ties with Cuba. Cuban and Sao Tome authorities signed an important bilateral economic and scientific cooperation agreement. Cooperation between Cuba and Sao Tome dates back to the 1970's and includes the sectors of health and education. New possibilities are now being opened in the areas of investment and the creation of free-trade zones. CUBA AND ANGOLA MEET AT THE NINTH MEETING OF THE MIXED INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION Luanda, September 16(RHC)-- Cuba-Angola bilateral cooperation is the main issue under discussion at the Ninth Meeting of the Mixed Intergovernmental Commission underway in Luanda, Angola. Cuban Education Minister Fernando Vecino Alegret is heading the island's delegation to the meeting. Upon his arrival in Luanda, Vecino Alegret said that participants at the meeting hope to "restructure the historical ties between the two nations in such areas as health, education and scientific cooperation." SECOND AFRICAN MEETING OF SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA SET TO GET STARTED ON THURSDAY Havana, September 16(RHC)-- The Second African Meeting of Solidarity with Cuba is set to be inaugurated on Thursday in the Ghanian city of Cape Coast. Representatives from more than a dozen African nations will discuss Washington's threats to their national sovereignty. Under the slogan "International Trade and National Sovereignty," political observers say the African delegates are poised to blast what they are calling the brutal and illegal U.S blockade against Cuba and its extraterritorial dimensions. [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. For further information, contact us at: Postal Address: Radio Havana Cuba P.O.Box 6240 Havana, Cuba Telephone: (53) (7) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org