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, August 10, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- YET ANOTHER PLOT TO ASSASSINATE CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO 2.- RELATIONS BETWEEN HAVANA AND BOGOTA CONTINUE TO IMPROVE 3.- NO CASES OF MUMPS IN CUBA FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS 4.- CUBA AND CHINA SIGN MEMO OF UNDERSTANDING IN PUBLIC HEALTH 5.- YOUTH MEETING IN PORTUGAL WAS A COMPLETE SUCCESS YET ANOTHER PLOT TO ASSASSINATE CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO Miami, August 10(RHC)-- The U.S. news daily The Miami Herald has revealed another plot to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro, masterminded by Cuban-American terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. An article in the Herald's Sunday edition, by staff writer Juan O. Tamayo, asserted that -- according to three unidentified Miami exiles and two unidentified law enforcement officials -- Posada and a group of Miami- based terrorists met last month at the Holiday Inn in Guatemala City to discuss how to smuggle guns and explosives into Santo Domingo during President Castro's upcoming visit to the Dominican Republic. According to the article, last month FBI agents searched a shipping complex owned by Enrique Bassas, one of the Cuban-Americans who met with Posada in Guatemala. The Herald reported that an affidavit filed in support of the search warrant said an informant had tipped-off the FBI that guns and explosives were hidden aboard a boat there. Bomb- sniffing dogs found nothing, continued the Sunday article, and Bassas was not detained. But police did seize a wooden boat of the type common among Cuban shrimpers in Miami, except for one thing: a new racing motor estimated to cost 20,000 dollars. Holiday Inn records shown to The Herald prove that Bassas and two others were registered there between July 10th and 12th. One of the three, Ramon Font, is a CIA-trained explosives expert and a former military commander of the Miami-based terrorist organization Commandos L. The Miami Herald asserted that a week earlier, the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic issued what it called "an unusually public warning" about possible terrorist threats against airliners flying between Santo Domingo and Cuba. Dominican security officials reportedly went on alert and urged two Cuban exiles living there -- both close friends of Posada -- to leave the country during President Castro's visit. A Herald report last November identified Posada as the mastermind of a dozen bombings in Havana tourist centers last Summer that killed an Italian visitor. A second Herald report in June linked him to other plots in Guatemala, Colombia and Honduras. And last July 12th, a New York Times article quoted Posada as saying that the late leader of the Miami- based Cuban-American National Foundation, Jorge Mas Canosa, personally supervised the financing of his terrorist activities. RELATIONS BETWEEN HAVANA AND BOGOTA WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE Havana, August 10(RHC)-- Upon his return to Havana from Bogota, Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage said that relations between Cuba and Colombia will continue to improve. Lage, who headed the Cuban delegation to Friday's swearing-in ceremony of President Andres Pastrana, added that the new Colombian president has clearly expressed his willingness to maintain and develop ties with Cuba. The Cuban official also told reporters in Havana that the change of administration in Colombia takes place at a very special moment in the life of that country, where important efforts are being made to find peace and to solve its serious economic problems. NO CASES OF MUMPS IN CUBA FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS Havana, August 10(RHC)-- Despite difficulties in the health care sector due to the U.S. blockade and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba has made enormous strides in combatting diseases. According to the Deputy Minister of Hygiene and Epidemiology Dr. Raul Perez Gonzalez, there have been no cases of mumps in Cuba since August 1995. Dr. Gonzalez stated that while there has been a slight increase in respiratory illnesses over the past several months, German measles was eradicated in April this year and there have been significant decreases in hepatitis, diarrhea and other digestive ailments. The deputy health minister pointed to the implementation of Sanitary Control Brigades which he said have played an important role in improving the health care situation in the country. Created one year ago -- in August 1997 -- the National Sanitary Control Brigades have helped to stop the deteriorating conditions in health care due to the economic crisis, known as the Special Period. The brigades have been instrumental in promoting proper sanitation in the communities, actually improving health indicators throughout the island. One of the priorities of the Sanitary Control Brigades has been fumigation operations to kill mosquitoes which can transmit dengue or other deadly diseases. According to Dr. Raul Perez Gonzalez of the Cuban Health Ministry, the brigades have successfully reduced mosquito infestation. Using comparative figures from Santiago de Cuba, Dr. Gonzalez reported that there has been an 80 percent reduction in mosquito population over the past year. The Deputy Minister of Hygiene and Epidemiology also announced that inspection brigades are being formed in all of the municipalities of Havana and that by the end of the year or the first part of 1999, sanitary inspection teams will be organized in every provincial capital, including the Isle of Youth. CUBA AND CHINA SIGN MEMO OF UNDERSTANDING IN PUBLIC HEALTH Havana, August 10(RHC)-- Cuba's Deputy Health Minister Abelardo Ramirez and his Chinese counterpart Ron Gui Cao have signed a memorandum of understanding in the field of sanitation and medical sciences. The document, which foresees a wide exchange in these areas, includes aspects related to bio-technological research, medical education and community health services. It establishes the exchange of information and delegations and the joint organization of symposiums and academic conferences. During the signing ceremony, Ramirez said that natural and traditional Chinese medicine may contribute to alleviate problems faced by the island due to the unavailability of certain drugs, while the Chinese visitor stressed the achievements obtained by Cuba in health care over the years. YOUTH MEETING IN PORTUGAL WAS A COMPLETE SUCCESS Lisbon, August 10(RHC)-- The International Relations Secretary of the Cuban Young Communist League Sergio Vigoa told journalists that the Iberoamerican Conference of Youth Ministers, recently held in Portugal, was a complete success. The meeting ended in Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, over the weekend. Delegates from 21 countries approved a declaration that calls for a greater participation of young people in public affairs. The document also calls for a definition of young people's rights in the fields of culture, freedom of expression, employment, housing and education. In an exclusive interview with Radio Havana Cuba, Vigoa said that the role played by Cuba at the Lisbon conference was very important, because it insisted not only on talking about young people but actually working with them. [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