CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Friday, April 17, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO DELIVERS CLOSING SPEECH AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SOLIDARITY AMONG WOMEN 2.- CUBA BECOMES FIRST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO TOTALLY ELIMINATE GERMAN MEASLES 3.- 37th ANNIVERSARY OF MERCENARY ATTACK AT THE BAY OF PIGS 4.- THOUSANDS OF HAVANA RESIDENTS COMMEMORATE PROCLAMATION OF THE REVOLUTION'S SOCIALIST CHARACTER 5.- INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FEDERATION CONDEMNS WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO DELIVERS CLOSING SPEECH AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SOLIDARITY AMONG WOMEN Havana, April 17(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro delivered the closing speech at the International Conference of Solidarity Among Women late Thursday evening. The Cuban leader delivered an almost five-hour speech before some 3000 women from 79 nations, amid constant applause and chants of "Cuba Si, Bloqueo No" -- Cuba Yes, Blockade No. President Castro opened his speech by recalling that hundreds of millions of people do not know how to read or think, noting that others are thinking for them -- stressing that this is not a situation of the past. He said that "never before have the powerful and those who want to dominate been in possession of so many tools and means to impose their culture and ideology." "The agents of imperialism and neoliberalism," said the leader of the Cuban Revolution, "are devouring the spirits of millions in order to enrich themselves from the blood, sweat, natural resources and exploitation of their victims." Fidel Castro made reference to the millions of children who die from curable diseases, comparing this to the rates of life expectancy in rich nations. He said that if industrialized nations can enjoy life expectancy rates of between 75 and 80 years, "then it has been demonstrated that with social justice, so too can other nations" -- in reference to Cuba, where life expectancy is on a par with wealthy countries. President Castro pointed to Russia -- the most developed nation forming part of the former Soviet Union -- "where, with the application of free market formulas, life expectancy has dropped to 20 years less than that of the population of this blockaded island in the Caribbean." Addressing the closing session of Havana's International Conference of Solidarity Among Women, Fidel Castro also made reference to what he called the horrifying statistics of women who die every year as a result of illegal abortions, pregnancies and births due to a lack of medical care. And he pointed to the AIDS epidemic, a disease that costs between 10 to 12 thousand dollars a year for each patient. "Who in the Third World -- where 90 percent of AIDS cases are concentrated -- can afford this cost?" The neoliberal system, said the Cuban leader -- which he called "the most advanced form of capitalism" -- prevents scientific and technological advances among the world's poor. In another important moment of his speech, President Fidel Castro pointed to the tribunals set up to bring to justice war criminals in Yugoslavia -- a federation, he said, that Washington helped to destroy. While recognizing the existence of these crimes, the Cuban leader said they are not comparable to the four million Vietnamese who were slaughtered. Those responsible for this crime, he insisted, should also be tried as war criminals. He said those who executed, armed, aided and trained the Guatemalan agents responsible for the forced disappearances of 100,000 people, and the Argentinean agents, responsible for the forced disappearances of 30,000, should also be put on trial. The Cuban leader recalled that while Washington did not blockade apartheid South Africa, Cuban troops fought for 15 years for the independence of former African colonies like Angola. In Angola, he said, Cuban troops fought and defeated the troops of apartheid Pretoria, while at the same time witnessing the atrocities committed by the UNITA rebels, who were armed by the United States. President Castro said that nearly 500,000 Cuban soldiers, doctors and teachers have defended justice around the world on internationalist missions. He asked how many of its citizens can the much larger United States say have served in so-called peace missions? Finally, President Fidel Castro -- speaking at the closing session of Havana's International Conference of Solidarity Among Women -- blasted Washington's recent lifting of restrictions on the sale of sophisticated weapons to Latin America, charging that this policy is another effort to impede regional unity. He said that unity is, nevertheless, indispensable in facing today's realities. President Castro called for the unity of workers, professionals and campesinos "as the only way to bring about the much needed changes in this globalized and neoliberalized world." The nearly 3000 women from 79 countries who participated in the international solidarity conference unanimously adopted a final declaration, condemning the blockade of Cuba and demanding that it be lifted. The conference called on all participants to begin actions in their respective countries to pressure for the lifting of the blockade and proposed that March 8th -- International Women's Day -- next year be a day of International Solidarity with Cuban Women. CUBA BECOMES FIRST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO TOTALLY ELIMINATE GERMAN MEASLES Havana, April 17(RHC)-- Cuba has become the first country in the world to totally eliminate German measles, according to the head of the Cuban Health Ministry's National Vaccination Program, Miguel Angel Galindo. At a news conference in Havana, Galindo pointed out that only 78 of the 214 nations belonging to the World Health Organization have vaccination programs, but none have set the elimination of German measles as a goal. German measles is an infectious and contagious disease of viral origin that is most common among children. Its symptoms are fever, skin lesions and an increase in the size of several ganglions. Galindo said that the last case of German measles in Cuba was reported on April 8th, 1995. The announcement comes after more than three years of an uninterrupted lack of transmission of this disease, following intense vigilance as demanded by the World Health Organization. The head of the Cuban Health Ministry's national immunization program said that between 1959 and 1995, some 209,000 Cubans were affected by German measles. He added that vaccination programs against the disease continue among children under 15 years of age. According to the Cuban Health Ministry, to date, polio has been eliminated (1962) neo-natal tetanus (1972), diphtheria (1979), measles (1993), and now German measles in 1995. 37th ANNIVERSARY OF MERCENARY ATTACK AT THE BAY OF PIGS Havana, April 17(RHC)-- 37 years ago today, mercenaries of Cuban-origin, trained and financed by Washington, invaded the Bay of Pigs on the island's south central coast. The mercenary brigade launched the attack in an attempt to destroy the Cuban Revolution. Under a shower of artillery and mortar-fire and the non-stop defensive maneuvers of the Cuban militia under the personal command of Fidel Castro, the invaders were pushed back. Shortly after their retreat, the frightened and shocked mercenaries began to surrender. Almost all of them were taken prisoner in less than 72 hours after beginning their attack. Cuba later exchanged the prisoners for food to feed Cuban children, who were already suffering from the U.S.- imposed blockade against the island. THOUSANDS OF HAVANA RESIDENTS COMMEMORATE PROCLAMATION OF THE REVOLUTION'S SOCIALIST CHARACTER Havana, April 17(RHC)-- Thousands of Havana residents participated in an activity on Thursday to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the proclamation of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution. On April 16, 1961, Cuban leader Fidel Castro vowed to defend the island's socialist revolution during a speech following the funeral services of those killed in mercenary air raids the previous day. The activity, which took place on one of Havana's famous corners, 23rd and 12th Streets -- site of the historic speech 37 years ago --was presided over by the First Secretary of the Communist Party in Havana, Esteban Lazo. Captain Rene Correa Perez expressed his appreciation on behalf of those officers promoted during the ceremony. He recalled that those dressed in army fatigues almost four decades ago gathered at that same spot to proclaim the socialist character of the Revolution and defend the country with their own blood. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FEDERATION CONDEMNS WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA Geneva, April 17(RHC)-- The International Women's Federation has characterized Washington's blockade against Cuba as "an act of violence against women, children and the family." On behalf of the Women's Federation, Yamila Gonzalez demanded respect for the self-determination of the Cuban people while speaking before the 54th Session of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva. Gonzalez stressed that despite Washington's economic blockade, Cuba has maintained its social achievements in the areas of health and education. In Cuba, said Yamila Gonzalez, women make up 52 percent of the workforce and constitute 65 percent of the technicians and professionals. Women also make up 59 percent of the island's university graduates. [c] 1998, 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