CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA September 30 , 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 30, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA MEETS WITH U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS BILL RICHARDSON 2.- VISITING LAWMAKERS FROM TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO CALL FOR CLOSER TIES BETWEEN CUBA AND THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY 3.- FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO CONDEMNS BLOCKADE OF CUBA AND QUESTIONS FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN THE UNITED STATES 4.- ROCKEFELLER BLASTS U.S. HELMS-BURTON LAW 5.- TRIBUTES TO COMANDANTE ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA ABOUND THROUGHOUT LATIN AMERICA AND THE WORLD 6.- CUBANS PREPARE FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS NEXT MONTH 7.- HAVANA'S INTERNATIONAL THEATER FESTIVAL COMES TO A CLOSE CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA MEETS WITH U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS BILL RICHARDSON New York, September 30(RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina met on Tuesday with the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Bill Richardson, in what observers considered to be one of the highest-level meetings between diplomats of the two countries in recent years. While details of the meeting were not revealed, United Nations sources stated that the Cuban foreign minister met with the U.S. representative in Richardson's capacity as President of the UN Security Council. According to those same sources, Robaina has requested to speak before the Security Council during the current session of the United Nations. The head of Cuba's Foreign Ministry is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly tomorrow, Wednesday -- when he will introduce the sixth consecutive resolution condemning the U.S. blockade of Cuba. VISITING LAWMAKERS FROM TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO CALL FOR CLOSER TIES BETWEEN CUBA AND THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY Havana, September 30(RHC)-- A parliamentary delegation from Trinidad and Tobago, led by the Speaker of that country's Legislative Assembly Hector McClean, is currently visiting Cuba. The Trinidadian lawmakers arrived over the weekend and have already met with the President of Cuba's Parliament Ricardo Alarcon and with Cuban government officials, in addition to visiting places of economic and cultural interest. McClean told Radio Havana Cuba that this visit will contribute to efforts to promote regional integration in all spheres of social life. The Trinidadian lawmaker pointed to the decision by the Caribbean Community -- CARICOM -- to defend the crucial role played by Cuba in the development of the Caribbean region, "in the face of external pressures to exclude the largest Caribbean island from its natural economic and social context." The legislative delegation from Trinidad and Tobago will return home tomorrow morning. FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO CONDEMNS BLOCKADE OF CUBA AND QUESTIONS FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN THE UNITED STATES Los Angeles, September 30(RHC)-- A former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico has criticized Washington's blockade of Cuba and questioned the existence of freedom of the press in the United States. In statements Monday to Mexico's Notimex News Agency in Los Angeles, California, former U.S. Ambassador Julian Nava -- who served in Mexico between 1979 and 1981 -- said he would ask a Mexican television network to air a documentary on Cuba that he produced, but that has been boycotted by the U.S. media. Nava's Ambassador Productions, set up two years ago, produced a 45-minute documentary entitled "Voices from Cuba," which, he said, demonstrates the failure of the U.S. blockade and "reveals the undeniable achievements of the Cuban Revolution." Nava emphasized his perception of Cuba changed as he was filming the documentary between 1994 and 1996, during which Nava said he "moved freely about and interviewed a number of people" -- from housewives, church-goers, students, writers, musicians and members of the Cuban Communist Party's Political Bureau. The former U.S. ambassador termed the continued existence of the Cuban Revolution "a miracle" after four decades of a blockade which he called "shameful." Nava said Cuba has been able to become independent from the United States, "while the elites in power in the rest of Latin America have let their people down." ROCKEFELLER BLASTS U.S. HELMS-BURTON LAW Toronto, September 30(RHC)-- U.S. business tycoon David Rockefeller has blasted the Helms-Burton Law. Speaking yesterday at a seminar at the University of Toronto's International Studies Center, the 82-year-od businessman said he experienced "a sensation of horror" when U.S. President Bill Clinton signed the legislation into law. Rockefeller recalled that on that same day in March 1996, the U.S. officially entered the World Trade Organization -- emphasizing that Helms-Burton "contradicts the spirit and letter of the World Trade Organization." TRIBUTES TO COMANDANTE ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA ABOUND THROUGHOUT LATIN AMERICA AND THE WORLD Havana, September 30(RHC)-- Thirty years after his death in combat in Bolivia, the example of Ernesto Che Guevara is still a banner held aloft by progressive and revolutionary forces around the world. An estimated 70,000 Chileans cheered as Cuban singer and composer Silvio Rodriguez sang at the National Stadium in downtown Santiago de Chile. In the exact same place where General Augusto Pinochet's henchmen detained and tortured thousands of Chileans after the brutal military coup that overthrew constitutionally-elected President Salvador Allende in 1973, new generations of Chileans from all walks of life attended the huge concert to commemorate the life of the Heroic Guerrilla. The five-hour concert came to an end with more than thirty bands and musicians from Cuba, Chile, Spain and Uruguay singing the internationally-known song by Cuban folk composer and singer Carlos Puebla -- "Hasta Siempre, Comandante" (Ever Onward, Comandante). Chile's youth, student and political organizations were involved in preparations for the concert. Among the audience was Ernesto Che Guevara's fourth son, Camilo, and Che's personal friend, Alberto Granados. Granados and Che toured Latin America on a motorcycle after they both graduated as physicians in the 1950's. In an interview with the Chilean newspaper "La Nacion," Granados said his friend "was a true and complete revolutionary." In Cuba, the Young Communist League -- the UJC -- is organizing simultaneous chess matches in all of the island's fourteen provinces for next Saturday. The reason speaks for itself: the Argentinean-born Cuban revolutionary was fond of chess and one of the main promoters of the strategic game on the island. Meanwhile, the Latin American Simon Bolivar Caravan -- on tour of several Latin American nations as part of tributes to Comandante Che Guevara -- has arrived in Quito, Ecuador. The next leg of the tour is Colombia and then it's on to Bolivia, where they will arrive on October 8th to take part in the main ceremony in the locality of Valle Grande. There, a group of Cuban, Argentinean and Bolivian anthropologists found the remains of Ernesto Che Guevara and several of his guerrilla fighters in July of this year. And Havana will be the site next year of an international seminar on the life and work of Ernesto Che Guevara. Slated for June 14th, 1998, the event will mark the 70th birthday anniversary of the heroic guerrilla. CUBANS PREPARE FOR MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS NEXT MONTH Havana, September 30(RHC)-- As the election date draws near, biographies of candidates for the Municipal Assemblies of People's Power have been posted in public places. Cubans are becoming more acquainted with the candidates, who are also their neighbors. Some seven million Cubans of voting age are now deciding on who they will vote for in the elections, set for Sunday, October 19th. Over the past few weeks, Cubans met at public nomination meetings where they picked from two to eight candidates representing each precinct. More than 31,000 candidates were selected and will be running for office. HAVANA'S INTERNATIONAL THEATER FESTIVAL COMES TO A CLOSE Havana, September 30(RHC)-- The curtains have now closed on Havana's 8th International Theater Festival. According to critics, the ten-day event succeeded in giving the public an attractive and diverse festival. Special mention has been made of the participation by several dance ensembles which extraordinarily added to the annual festival. Theater troupes from Europe and Latin America participated in the festival. This year, the 8th International Theater Festival was dedicated to the renowned Cuban contemporary playwright, Virgilio Pinera, on the occasion of his 85th birthday. [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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