SPECIAL REPORT FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA

                    E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org
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REGIONAL ORGANIZATION CARIFORUM WRAPS UP SUMMIT, ACCEPTING CUBA 
AS FULL-FLEDGED MEMBER

Havana, August 22, RHC -- In the Dominican Republic, the regional organization
CARIFORUM wrapped up its summit today accepting Cuba as a full-fledged member.  The
16 Caribbean nations participating in the gathering adopted a final document
entitled "Testimony from the Dominican Republic", which highlighted what it called
Cuba's significant participation as a member of the Caribbean family, and came out
in favor of Cuba's eventual participation in the post-Lome IV accords -- to be
hammered out next September with the European Union. 

The three previous Lome accords dealt with the trade preferences that Europe grants
to its former colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.  CARIFORUM agreed
to participate in the Lome talks in which Cuba will be an observer --with a united
position concerning the region's problems. 

The Testimony from the Dominican Republic also took special note of the threats and
challenges posed by globalization in a region with small and vulnerable economies,
expressing concern over the lack of an equitable distribution of the benefits of
free trade.  The document expressed the Caribbean's profound disappointment over
Washington's failure to pass legislation guaranteeing Caribbean products parity with
respect to the North American Free Trade Agreement -- as the US government had
promised. 

The 16 Caribbean nations demanded a transition period, in terms of their
incorporation into the process of globalization, that would allow them to enhance
the competitiveness of their economies.  They also expressed concern over how the
foreign debt limits their development capacity and prevents the necessary social
investment to guarantee peace and stability. 

And the final document said many of these concerns are shared in the countries of
Central America, reiterating the Caribbean's intention to strengthen ties with
Central America in the search of common objectives. 

With the closing of the CARIFORUM Summit, Cuban President Fidel Castro began today
an official 3 day visit to the Dominican Republic.  The Cuban leader was slated to
begin official talks with his Dominican counterpart Leonel Fernandez, after which --
later this evening -- both were to present each other with their respective
countrys' highest award.  On Sunday, President Castro is scheduled to visit the city
of Bani, birthplace of 19th century Cuban independence leader Maximo Gomez, whose
home has been converted into a museum. 

           [c] 1998, Radio Habana Cuba
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