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 Tuesday, August 11, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ANNOUNCES SECURITY MEASURES FOR UPCOMING VISIT OF CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO 2.- UNITED NATIONS APPROVES CUBAN RESOLUTION ON PUERTO RICO'S RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION AND INDEPENDENCE 3.- CUBAN MINISTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH VISITS SOUTH AFRICA 4.- HAVANA WILL HOST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON RETINOSIS PIGMENTOSA IN NOVEMBER 5.- FIRST JOINT VENTURE IN FORESTRY CONTRIBUTES TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 6.- CUBA RECEIVES DONATION FROM SPANISH GRUPO GESTION CARIBE S.A. 7.- HAVANA'S BIOCEN INSTITUTE CELEBRATES ITS SIXTH ANNIVERSARY DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ANNOUNCES SECURITY MEASURES FOR UPCOMING VISIT OF CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO Santo Domingo, August 11(RHC)-- The government of the Dominican Republic has announced that all the country's security and intelligence services are on maximum alert to guarantee the safety of Cuban President Fidel Castro during his upcoming visit to that Caribbean nation. The announcement follows revelations over the weekend by The Miami Herald concerning another assassination plot against the Cuban leader, masterminded by Cuban-American terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. Sigfrido Pared Perez, Director of the Dominican Republic's National Department of Investigations -- the country's most important security agency -- told journalists in Santo Domingo that authorities there have taken very seriously any revelations concerning a plot against President Castro. He said his agency has been closely following the activities of Cuban-Americans visiting the country and that some have been invited to leave -- confirming affirmations by The Miami Herald. Similar statements have been made by Dominican Deputy Foreign Minister Minou Tavarez Mirabal and by Immigration Director Danilo Diaz, who insisted that Dominican immigration authorities have full control over the Cuban-Americans entering national territory. The Cuban leader is expected to arrive in the Dominican Republic on August 20th, to participate in a two-day Caribbean summit with some ten regional heads of state and government. Afterwards, he will remain in the neighboring country until the 25th for an official visit. UNITED NATIONS APPROVES CUBAN RESOLUTION ON PUERTO RICO'S RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION AND INDEPENDENCE New York, August 11(RHC)-- The United Nations Special Commission on Decolonialization approved a resolution today, sponsored by Cuba, that reaffirms Puerto Rico's right to self-determination and independence. Following two days of debates, the resolution passed with ten votes in favor, none against and six abstentions. The Cuban-sponsored resolution states that Puerto Rico is a Latin American and Caribbean nation with its own unmistakable national identity. The resolution expresses the hope that the United States government will assume its responsibility in promoting a process that will allow the Puerto Rican people to exercise their right to self- determination. Over the past two days, Puerto Rican Socialist leader Juan Mari Bras pointed out that this special UN commission has approved 16 similar resolutions since it was founded in 1961, adding that since that time, more than 60 territories comprising of more than 80 million people have achieved their independence. He said it was immoral that the case of Puerto Rico is not judged with the same seriousness as other cases of colonialism. Resolutions passed by the United Nations Special Commission on Decolonialization are non-binding on the UN General Assembly. CUBAN MINISTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH VISITS SOUTH AFRICA Johannesburg, August 11(RHC)-- Cuban Minister of Public Health Dr. Carlos Dotres is heading a delegation that arrived in South Africa on Monday. The visit is aimed at analyzing the progress of bilateral agreements signed between the two countries regarding Cuban doctors serving in South Africa. Four hundred Cuban physicians are currently offering their services in the most remote regions of South Africa, the nation heading a list of countries that receive Cuban health care cooperation. The Cuban official arrived in South Africa from Brazil, where he told reporters that the political will, community support and professionalism of Cuban medical personnel "are the pillars of the island's health care system." HAVANA WILL HOST INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON RETINOSIS PIGMENTOSA IN NOVEMBER Havana, August 11(RHC)-- Nearly one hundred foreign specialists have already confirmed their participation in the 2nd International Symposium on Retinosis Pigmentosa, which will open its doors on November 25th in Varadero, central Cuba. According to the organizing committee, one hundred Cuban ophthalmologists will also participate in the three-day event. The President of the Cuban Society of Retinosis Pigmentosa, Dr. Orfilio Pelaez, will offer a conference on Cuba's experience in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of patients suffering from that disease. Cuba occupies a vanguard position in the world regarding results in this field. FIRST JOINT VENTURE IN FORESTRY CONTRIBUTES TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Havana, August 11(RHC)-- The first joint venture in Cuban forestry -- Cubaparquet S.A. -- has just been officially formed. The new company will benefit the island's reforestation and will add more value to wood products. The owner of 50 percent of the shares, Cuba's Agroindustrial Forest Group, has made an association with Italy's Agroconsultants S.A. to build parquet-resistant, processed wood for floors -- which will be sold in that European nation. The parquetry will be assembled in central Villa Clara province, with raw material from that area. Cubaparquet S.A. will provide financing for the sustainable development of 700 hectares of teak and for growing another 2500 of that kind of wood. Thus, far from diminishing, forest areas will increase. During the signing of the agreement, Cubaparquet S.A. President Raffaele Visconti stated that he was interested in carrying out other initiatives that could be beneficial for the two nations. The president of Cuba's Agroindustrial Group said that this accord takes place at a time when Cuba has just approved a new Forest Law -- and that this project follows the principles for the sustainable development of Cuban resources. The agreement is part of the island's efforts to foster a sustainable development program for the growth of forests until the year 2015, for which financing sources are required. CUBA RECEIVES DONATION FROM SPANISH GRUPO GESTION CARIBE S.A. Havana, August 11(RHC)-- A donation amounting over 700,000 dollars worth of medicines and hospital equipment has been delivered to Cuba by the Grupo Gestion Caribe S.A. from Spain. The donation will be given to the Paquito Gonzalez and Juan Manuel Marquez pediatric hospitals located in Cienfuegos and Marianao, respectively, and to Havana's Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery Institute. HAVANA'S BIOCEN INSTITUTE CELEBRATES ITS SIXTH ANNIVERSARY Havana, August 11(RHC)-- Cuba's National Center for Bio-formulas -- BIOCEN-- is marking its sixth anniversary with excellent results in product research and quality. The Center continues to provide the country with recombinant anti-Hepatitis B vaccines, both for use in the island's national immunization campaigns and for export. Since its creation in 1992, BIOCEN workers developed more than a dozen important and useful products for the Cuban biopharmaceutical industry. Another 20 new BIOCEN products will appear on the market this year, which will be used by the Ministry of Public Health in microbiological tests, industrial processes and water and food control. [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