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 Monday, April 27, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO AND VISITING CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER JEAN CHRETIEN BEGIN OFFICIAL TALKS IN HAVANA 2.- CUBA OFFERS MEDICAL BRIGADE TO AID FLOOD VICTIMS IN ARGENTINA 3.- UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS VOTE IN GENEVA IS A DIPLOMATIC AND INTERNATIONAL VICTORY 4.- GUATEMALAN VICE PRESIDENT SCHEDULED TO VISIT CUBA 5.- SERBIA'S HEALTH MINISTER GETS A FIRST-HAND LOOK AT CUBA'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM 6.- ITALY-CUBA FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION VISITS EASTERN GUANTANAMO PROVINCE 7.- NUMBER OF PARTICIPATES AT EXPO-CARIBE INTERNATIONAL FAIR EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS YEAR CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO AND VISITING CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER JEAN CHRETIEN BEGIN OFFICIAL TALKS IN HAVANA Havana, April 27(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro and visiting Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien began official talks today in Havana. President Castro welcomed Prime Minister Chretien on Sunday at the Jose Marti International Airport. Upon receiving the visiting dignitary, the Cuban leader spoke of the airport's new terminal, inaugurated by Chretien shortly after his arrival. President Castro pointed out that the new air terminal can receive three million passengers every year and had a cost equivalent to 93 million dollars, of which Canada provided 29 million with a credit to be paid in seven years -- with a two year grace period -- at a 10 percent interest rate. The rest of the financing, said the Cuban leader -- equivalent to 64 million dollars both in foreign and national currency -- was provided by Cuba, while materials and equipment came primarily from Canada. President Fidel Castro said the project was completed on schedule, the air terminal is already functioning and the Canadian credit will be paid on time. The leader of the Cuban Revolution said this project demonstrates what can be done when there is respect, cooperation and peace among peoples. In contrast, President Castro took the opportunity to again condemn Washington's blockade of the island, insisting that "no government has the right to kill another people through hunger and disease." This, he said, is genocide -- "it is equivalent to converting another nation into a ghetto and is yet another version of the holocaust." President Castro said the perpetrators should be tried as war criminals. The existence of sovereignty, continued the Cuban leader, denies another country the right to impose a political and social system different from that which a given people choose. The concept of sovereignty, he said, will disappear when the peoples of the Earth become on large family, and when total globalization -- towards which the planet is moving at an inevitable and accelerated pace -- becomes total justice for the planet's inhabitants. President Fidel Castro called for an end to hypocrisy, to the double standards practiced in the international political arena and an end to the vile maneuvers and slander campaigns orchestrated by a hegemonic power in the United Nations Human Rights Commission. The Cuban leader then went on to highlight Cuba's just struggles for the dignity of human beings both on the island and abroad. He made reference to the tens of thousands of students from poor countries who have graduated from Cuban universities and "the 500,000 Cubans who freely and generously volunteered in other countries in an effort to plant the seeds of education and health, cultivate intelligence, save lives or struggle against apartheid in the defense of the independence and integrity of a sister nation." The Cuban President asked how many among those countries who condemn Cuba can point to a similar record of solidarity. He said the peoples of the Third World, whose just causes Cuba has always defended, will never forget this solidarity. Upon receiving visiting Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, President Fidel Castro thanked the dignitary for Canada's cooperation. He said Canada has never been a colonial metropolis or an imperialist power and has never supported the longest, most unjust and brutal blockade in history. The Cuban leader thanked the Canadian leader for the honor of his visit. For his part, the Canadian Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction for being in Cuba, the first visit of a Canadian prime minister, he said, in over 20 years. The Canadian leader said the visit is taking place "during a promising moment for both Cuba and Canada, as we are on the threshold of the next millennium, as winds of change are blowing and all countries must make efforts to adapt." Visiting Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien recalled the words of Pope John Paul II during his recent visit to Cuba, when the Pontiff called on Cuba to open up to the world, and the world to open up to Cuba. He said this has always been Canada's position. For that reason, said Prime Minister Chretien, ties between Cuba and Canada date back to the last century, while since 1945, there have been uninterrupted diplomatic relations between the two countries. Chretien said his country is proud of having maintained these relations. He said Canada recently entered into a stage of relations with Cuba that he calls "constructive engagement," and whose framework is the joint declaration of the two governments issued last year. "This declaration," said the Canadian Prime Minister, "promotes debate on a wide range of issues, including respect for universal human rights." He said "Canada is completely committed to the 14 points of the universal declaration and looks forward to discussing this issue with Cuba." Above all, said the Canadian Prime Minister, Canada's aim is to build bridges of understanding and dialogue. For this reason, he said, it is particularly appropriate that the first act of his visit is the inauguration of the new terminal at the Jose Marti International Airport, which, he said, constitutes one of those bridges. Prime Minister Chretien recalled that last year 163,000 Canadians visited Cuba and he thanked the Cuban people for the warm welcome given to the Canadian visitors. He said the number of those visitors will grow in the coming months and years. More than anything else, said the Canadian leader, "the air terminal is an expression of confidence in Cuba's increasing openness to a broader world, to a global village increasingly interrelated, to a more dynamic, prosperous and democratic hemisphere that is becoming one family with common aims, values, hopes and dreams." He said Canadians are rediscovering their connections with the family of the Americas, and have committed themselves to working for more social, economic and political justice throughout the region. As the Canadian Prime Minister, he said, he has visited Latin America and the Caribbean on three occasions, adding that his visit to Cuba was long overdue. Prime Minister Jean Chretien said that both in good and bad times, "Cuba and Canada have always chosen the path of dialogue instead of confrontation, contacts instead of isolation, exchange instead of the breaking down of relations" -- and always, he added, in an atmosphere of mutual respect for each nation's sovereignty and independence. Visiting Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien wrapped up his speech by saying that he felt proud of the example Canada has given to the world. At a moment when Cuba and Canada -- and the entire world -- prepare for a new century of change and opportunity, this focus, he said, is more important than ever. CUBA OFFERS MEDICAL BRIGADE TO AID FLOOD VICTIMS IN ARGENTINA Havana, April 27(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro sent a letter to his Argentinean counterpart, Carlos Menem, expressing his support and solidarity to those affected by floods in the northeastern part of the South American nation. The Cuban president offered to send a Cuban medical brigade to Argentina to work in the region affected by El Nino. UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS VOTE IN GENEVA IS A DIPLOMATIC AND INTERNATIONAL VICTORY Havana, April 27(RHC)-- The Minister of Cuba's Armed Forces General Raul Castro said that the UN Human Rights Commission vote in favor of Cuba is a diplomatic and international victory. Raul Castro, who is also Cuba's First Vice President, spoke at a session of the National Committee of Cuba's Workers Confederation, pointing out that the Revolution continues to exist thanks to the unity of the Cuban people and its armed forces. During the session, participants discussed preparations for May Day activities, the sugar harvest and other topics. In addition to the participation of Armed Forces Minister Raul Castro, also present were the General Secretary of the CTC, Pedro Ross Leal, and Political Bureau Member Jose Ramon Machado Ventura. GUATEMALAN VICE PRESIDENT SCHEDULED TO VISIT CUBA Havana, April 27(RHC)-- Guatemalan Vice President Luis Flores Asturias is scheduled to visit Cuba next June. The Guatemalan official will head a governmental and business delegation with the objective of strengthening economic ties with the island. In statements to Notimex News Agency, Flores Asturias said that his country hopes for greater interaction with the island. The Guatemalan vice president said that the Central American nation is looking forward to opening its diplomatic office in Havana. Guatemala and Cuba resumed diplomatic relations last January. SERBIA'S HEALTH MINISTER GETS A FIRST-HAND LOOK AT CUBA'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM Havana, April 27(RHC)-- Serbia's Health Minister Leposava Milicevich is in Havana to get a first-hand look at the island's health care system. The Serbian health minister is expected to meet with his Cuban counterpart, Dr. Carlos Dotres, and Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration Minister Ibrahim Ferradaz. The Serbian health delegation will also meet with other government officials and visit scientific institutions, hospitals, polyclinics and family doctor offices. ITALY-CUBA FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION VISITS EASTERN GUANTANAMO PROVINCE Havana, April 27(RHC)-- A delegation of the Italy-Cuba Friendship Association is on a three-day official visit to the eastern province of Guantanamo. The delegation -- which is from the Friuli-Venice-Yulia region -- will visit hospitals, cooperatives, educational and artistic institutions, among others. Since 1996, various mayoral offices from Italy have collaborated with Cuba in an environmental project that has benefitted nearly 33,000 people in 21 communities in eastern Guantanamo. NUMBER OF PARTICIPATES AT EXPO-CARIBE INTERNATIONAL FAIR EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS YEAR Havana, April 27(RHC)-- The Seventh Expo-Caribe International Fair, which will take place in eastern Santiago de Cuba province next June 21st through the 27th, will gather representatives from 40 nations. According to the President of Cuba's Chamber of Commerce, Carlos Martinez Salsamendi, the number of participants this year is expected to increase compared to the previous fair, in which some 500 firms from 39 countries participated. Expo-Caribe '98 will include issues on Cuba's business opportunities and capital investments. [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