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 31, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- NON-ALIGNED FOREIGN MINISTERS GATHER IN SOUTH AFRICA 2.- CUBAN AVIATION EXPERTS ARRIVE IN ECUADOR TO INVESTIGATE TRAGIC ACCIDENT OF CUBAN CIVILIAN AIRLINER 3.- U.S. POLICY TOWARDS CUBA ENTERS "THE GERITOL PHASE" 4.- NEW SCHOOL YEAR STARTS TOMORROW ACROSS THE ISLAND 5.- CUBA PROTECTS ITS SENIOR CITIZENS 6.- NEARLY ONE MILLION TOURISTS VISIT CUBA SO FAR THIS YEAR 7.- CUBAN ARTISTS AND WRITERS PREPARE FOR THEIR CONGRESS NON-ALIGNED FOREIGN MINISTERS GATHER IN SOUTH AFRICA Durban, August 31(RHC)-- Foreign ministers of non-aligned nations gathered today in Durban to pave the way for the 12th Non-Aligned Summit, to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday. During today's gathering, Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina blasted neo-liberal free market policies and the proliferation of economic sanctions against poor nations. Robaina said the free-play of savage market forces is another, more efficient way to penetrate the economies of developing nations and make them more dependent. The foreign ministers today discussed the details of the Summit's final document, which could include a condemnation of Washington's missile attack against a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan. Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Usman Ismail stated today that if the United States admits that it was a mistake to launch the attack, then his country would forget the matter. The Non-Aligned Summit may call for an independent investigation into U.S. allegations that the factory was producing chemical weapons. The Summit is also expected to comment on the U.S. and British offer to try in Holland two Libyans accused of placing a bomb aboard a Pan-Am airliner that exploded over the rural town of Lockerbie, Scotland, and the need to reform the United Nations to give developing nations a greater voice in the world body. No agreement is expected concerning nuclear disarmament due to the confrontation between India and Pakistan. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is also expected to cast a shadow over the Non-Aligned Summit, with several African nations issuing mutual accusations and denunciations. Meanwhile, Cuban President Fidel Castro made a stop-over today in the Brazilian city of Salvador, in the northeastern state of Bahia, en route to South Africa. Following the Non-Aligned Summit, President Castro will begin an official visit to South Africa. CUBAN AVIATION EXPERTS ARRIVE IN ECUADOR TO INVESTIGATE TRAGIC ACCIDENT OF CUBAN CIVILIAN AIRLINER Quito, August 31(RHC)-- Cuban aviation experts have arrived in Ecuador to investigate the tragic crash of a Cuban civilian airliner in the capital, Quito. A Cubana de Aviacion airliner with 76 passengers and 14 crew members crashed Saturday afternoon during takeoff. As many as 82 people were killed, including Ecuadoran citizens on the ground, a passenger from Italy, one from Spain, another from Jamaica and one Argentinean -- as well as all of the Cuban crew. There were 21 survivors. Cuba's ambassador in Ecuador, Sergio Castro, said it was still too early to determine the causes of the accident. He said the plane was given a green light for take-off and the crew was comprised of experienced pilots who were capable of detecting any technical failure. The Cuban ambassador to Ecuador said the plane's black boxes will be sent to Havana for analysis. The Cuban diplomat also announced the arrival in Quito of a team of doctors to help provide attention to the injured. U.S. POLICY TOWARDS CUBA ENTERS "THE GERITOL PHASE" Chicago, August 31(RHC)-- The United States should put an end to it's "senile policy" towards Cuba. According to today's editorial pages of the U.S. news daily The Chicago Tribune, the hostility between the United States and Cuba has entered "the Geritol phase." Geritol is a well-known medicine in the U.S. for the elderly. The editorial is in response to the recent indictment of seven Cuban-Americans, charged by a federal grand jury in Puerto Rico with conspiring to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro. One of the accused is a member of the Executive Board of the ultra right-wing, Miami-based Cuban-American National Foundation -- while several others have close ties to this organization. The Chicago Tribune stated today that the charges against these Cuban exiles are proof of the excesses not only of the Foundation, but also of ultra right-wing Senator Jesse Helms. The editorial insisted that even if the trial against the seven Cuban-Americans does not go forward, this is an opportune moment for U.S. political leaders -- including Jesse Helms -- to listen to voices within the Cuban exile community that are younger and calmer. The normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States, according to The Chicago Tribune, could persuade the Cuban-American National Foundation -- and other old-time conspirators -- to retire and reminisce about `the good old days' of the Cold War. NEW SCHOOL YEAR STARTS TOMORROW ACROSS THE ISLAND Havana, August 31(RHC)-- Thousands of Cuban students are ready to begin the new school year tomorrow, September 1st. In order to make sure that everything is in place for the new year, the island's Education Ministry allocated resources to meet the needs of the students. Due to the fact that high school enrollment increased this year, the Ministry reopened 35 schools and technical centers. As part of preparations, 30,000 mattresses, school desks and furniture and a large number of uniforms and shoes were manufactured for the pupils as well as 60 editions of new textbooks, 22 types of work books, 23 million notebooks and pencils. CUBA PROTECTS ITS SENIOR CITIZENS Havana, August 31(RHC)-- In line with the Cuban policy to increase its social security budget, the island's Labor and Social Security Ministry has designated special programs to take care of the needs of Cuba's elderly. These programs include aid to unprotected senior citizens who have never worked, do not receive a pension or have no one to help them. In such cases, the elderly receive financial aid, services or material items. The monetary aid includes assistance to help repair household appliances or make repairs on the house itself. Concerning services, the unprotected senior citizens receive meals at government cafeterias in every municipality free of charge or for a very low price, as well as other services such as washing, house cleaning, free medicine, access to barber shops or beauty parlors. They also receive cloth, shoes, sheets, mattresses or other needed items. In addition, senior citizens without relatives receive special attention in homes where they get food, medical attention, entertainment and services. Other institutions that guarantee the Cuban government's attention to its elderly citizens are the Houses of Grandparents where people who work can leave their relatives in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. The senior citizens have breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner. NEARLY ONE MILLION TOURISTS VISIT CUBA SO FAR THIS YEAR Havana, August 31(RHC)-- Cuba has welcomed nearly one million international tourists so far this year. According to Cuban Deputy Tourism Minister Miguel Brugueras, some 936,400 tourists have traveled to the island, compared to 688,892 during the same period last year. Plans for 1998 are to receive 1 million 430,000 visitors. The high-ranking official added that tourism is now registering a steady and sustained growth, something which authorities are planning to maintain to benefit the island's economy. Canada is the country that has sent the most visitors this year with a total so far of 143,817, followed by Italy, Germany, Spain and France. The number of Portuguese tourists grew by 38 percent during the first six months of 1998. Tourism is considered the Cuban economy's fastest growing area and, over the past few years, has replaced the sugar industry as the country's most important hard currency earner. Cuba brought in 1.5 million dollars in gross revenues from tourism and received one million 170,000 visitors in 1997. The island currently has a lodging capacity of more than 28,000 rooms in 179 hotels nationwide. By the year 2000, almost twice as many rooms will be built to welcome two million tourists. CUBAN ARTISTS AND WRITERS PREPARE FOR THEIR CONGRESS Havana, August 31(RHC)-- The organizing process leading up to the 6th Congress of the Union of Cuban Artists and Writers (UNEAC) has concluded. In Monday's edition of the weekly newspaper Trabajadores, the chairperson of the organizing committee for the congress, poet Carlos Marti, said that preparatory meetings of the organization's chapters in the island's 14 provinces, counted on the support of local cultural organizations and institutions. Issues like the challenge that globalization poses to cultural identity, creativity and cultural production, ties between culture and the economy and the improvement of working conditions for artists were discussed by participants. UNEAC is the organization that represents the island's artists and writers and contributes to the dissemination of Cuban art on the island and abroad. [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. 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