CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's English language service for Thursday, April 23, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- PRESIDENT OF UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, SOUTH AFRICAN JACOB SELIBI, TERMS AS POSITIVE DEFEAT OF WASHINGTON'S ANTI-CUBA RESOLUTION 2.- ARGENTINEAN SENATOR EDUARDO MENEM CRITICIZES HIS GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-CUBA VOTE AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, ACCORDING TO LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS 3.- CUBAN SALSA GROUP PERFORMS AT NEW YORK'S COPACABANA NIGHTCLUB 4.- CUBA EXPRESSES INTEREST IN BECOMING PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE LATIN AMERICAN INTEGRATION ASSOCIATION, ALADI. PRESIDENT OF UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, SOUTH AFRICAN JACOB SELIBI, TERMS AS POSITIVE DEFEAT OF WASHINGTON'S ANTI-CUBA RESOLUTION Havana, April 23,(RHC) -- In an exclusive interview in Geneva with Havana's Prensa Latina news agency, the president of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, South African Jacob Selibi, termed as positive the defeat of Washington's anti-Cuba resolution. Ambassador Selibi said the resolution's defeat is proof that a small nation can pull itself up by its own boot straps and successfully face off with a superpower. Selibi said the event will positively contribute to the refocusing of the Human Rights Commission on matters of priority and real importance that need to be resolved among the international community. Among those matters, said the president of UN Human Rights Commission, are the situations of poverty among children, health care, equal access to development, women, education, food and housing. Selibi told Prensa Latina that in his discussions with diplomats following the vote last Tuesday, he perceived that the majority of the 53 members of the UN agency agreed that the vote was historic and will represent change. The South African ambassador recalled that through internal rules considered just and impartial by the members of the UN Commission, he frustrated Washington's efforts to put off the vote for another 24 hours in the US's efforts to apply more pressure against weaker nations. And in statements to France's AFP news agency today, Selibi criticized what he called Washington's bilateral ritual which should not be included on the international community's agenda. South African ambassador Jacob Selibi said that in the name of South Africa -- and not of the head of the Human Rights Commission -- he and his country believes that Washington's anti-Cuba resolution is the continuation and politization of a bilateral problem that does not have an international dimension. ARGENTINEAN SENATOR EDUARDO MENEM CRITICIZES HIS GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-CUBA VOTE AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, ACCORDING TO LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS Buenos Aires, April 23 (RHC) -- The interim president of the Senate -- and brother of President Carlos Menem --Eduardo Menem, has privately expressed his disgust over Argentina's support of Washington's anti- Cuba resolution in the UN Human Rights Commission. According to the Argentinean dailies Clarin and La Nacion -- the most important in this South American nation --Eduardo Menem feels betrayed by Argentina's Foreign Minister, Guido Di Tella. These two prominent news dailies asserted today that Di Tella had promised Menem that Argentina would abstain the vote -- as did the overwhelming majority of Latin American nations represented in this UN agency. Senator Eduardo Menem -- president of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- sponsored a congressional resolution condemning Washington's Helms-Burton Law, and is considered one of the members of the ruling party faction who supports closer ties with Cuba and the negotiation of Cuba's approximately 300 million dollar debt to Argentina. Other members of this faction, according to Clarin and La Nacion, are Senator Antonio Cafiero and the Governor of Pampa Province, Ruben Marin. According to these news dailies, Senator Menem is willing to publically criticize Di Tella, and withdraw his support for the Argentinean Foreign Minister if the government does not moderate its extremism with respect to Cuba. CUBAN SALSA GROUP PERFORMS AT NEW YORK'S COPACABANA NIGHTCLUB Havana, April 23 (RHC)-- Cuban salsa group Charanga Habanera preformed in New York's Copacabana nightclub on Monday. Copacabana, where many renowned salsa stars like, Ruben Blades, Tito Puente, and Eddie Palmieri have performed, was packed with New Yorkers eager to hear the popular cuban musicians. Meanwhile, Miami's Nuevo Herald newspaper reportedly dedicated four pages to the Cuban delegation including film actors, the Charanga Habanera band and Issac Delgado and his group, one of the island's most popular salsa groups who performed at Miami Beach's Onyx Club early this week. The Cuban group played until 2 in the morning with the participation of Cuban jazz star Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Nicaraguan singer Luis Enrique. Over 1 500 spectators went to see what was characterized as a historic concert, since ultra right wing Cuban Americans in Miami were unable to stop the show. The Nuevo Herald ended an editorial on the performance of Isaac Delgado and his band by saying that the concert deserved to be repeated. CUBA EXPRESSES INTEREST IN BECOMING PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE LATIN AMERICAN INTEGRATION ASSOCIATION, ALADI. Havana, April 23 (RHC)-- Cuba's ambassador in Uruguay, Manuel Aguilera has asked the Latin American Integration Association, ALADI, consider Cuba's membership as a permanent member. Aguilera expressed Cuba's interest in becoming a member of ALADI, which would permit the issue of Cuba to be included on the agenda of the next Ministerial summit to be held in November. The Cuban diplomat said that the island has been an example of an integrationist policy, as it is a founding member of the Latin American Economic System, the Association of Caribbean States and has shown interest in signing the Southern Common Market, or MERCOSUR. For 12 years, Cuba has been an active observer of ALADI. [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