CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA February 4, 1998 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Wednesday, February 4, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- VISITING ECUADORAN FOREIGN MINISTER JOSE AYALA LASSO BEGINS OFFICIAL TALKS 2.- INFLUENTIAL NEWS DAILY IN SPAIN HIGHLIGHTS CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO'S RECENT CLARIFICATION CONCERNING STATEMENTS ON SPANISH COLONIAL EPOCH 3.- CUBA'S WESTERN REGION MOST AFFECTED BY TROPICAL STORM 4.- GERMAN CARDINAL SPEAKS ABOUT POPE'S VISIT TO CUBA 5.- NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER WELCOMES RELATIONS BETWEEN GUATEMALA AND CUBA 6.- HOTEL AND TOURISM WORKERS DONATE ONE MILLION DOLLARS OF THEIR TIPS FOR HEALTH CARE 7.- HAVANA'S INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR UNDERWAY 8.- CUBANA DE AVIACION OPENS REGULAR FLIGHT TO TURKEY VISITING ECUADORAN FOREIGN MINISTER JOSE AYALA LASSO BEGINS OFFICIAL TALKS Havana, February 4(RHC)-- Visiting Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Jose Ayala Lasso began official talks today with his Cuban counterpart Roberto Robaina. During his four-day visit -- with an emphasis on economic themes -- Ayala Lasso is accompanied by 59 Ecuadoran business executives from all the country's economic sectors. Shortly after arriving in Havana Tuesday afternoon, the Ecuadoran foreign minister reiterated his country's condemnation of Washington's Helms-Burton Law and said that Cuba-Ecuador relations were on a good footing. He also termed as important the 3rd gathering last May in Quito, the Ecuadoran capital, of the Mixed Commission on Intergovernmental Coordination for Economic, Cultural, Technical and Scientific Cooperation. At that gathering, the two countries signed an accord on the promotion and protection of investments. INFLUENTIAL NEWS DAILY IN SPAIN HIGHLIGHTS CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO'S RECENT CLARIFICATION CONCERNING STATEMENTS ON SPANISH COLONIAL EPOCH Havana, February 4(RHC)-- Spain's influential news daily "El Pais" reported today reactions in that country to recent statements by Cuban President Fidel Castro concerning the horrors of Spanish colonialism. In a special TV appearance Monday evening -- during which the Cuban leader dedicated most of his comments to the success of Pope John Paul II's recent visit to Cuba -- President Castro said his words concerning Spanish colonialism and the suffering it caused in Cuba and Latin America were not intended to offend the people of Spain. During his welcoming speech upon the Pope's arrival last January 21st, President Castro recalled that the Spanish conquistadores -- introducing the gospel on the point of a sword -- had enslaved 70 million Indians and 12 million Africans. The Cuban leader also referred to the concentration camps set up by Spain's colonial army during Cuba's independence wars -- which claimed the lives of 300,000 Cubans, mostly women, children and the elderly. The speech sparked disgust among Spanish government circles, particularly Spanish Foreign Minister Abel Matutes. But according to "El Pais," Matutes termed as conciliatory and appropriate President Castro's words Monday evening. The leader of the Cuban Revolution said Cuba blamed the colonial system, but never the people of a nation. At the same time, the Madrid news daily reported the reaction of the leader of Spain's United Left Coalition, Julio Anguita, who said that President Castro's words concerning Spanish colonialism were totally justified. Anguita said the Cuban leader only repeated denunciations made in the 16th century by Spanish priest Bartolome de las Casas -- an adamant defender of Cuba's indigenous population, which at the time was being exterminated. CUBA'S WESTERN REGION MOST AFFECTED BY TROPICAL STORM Havana, February 4(RHC)-- The western provinces of Pinar del Rio, Havana and Matanzas are the most affected by a tropical storm that has been hitting Cuba over the past few days. Five people have been killed due to storm-related accidents and the constant rain and high winds have caused material damage. In Havana, 109 houses were damaged by the storm, which caused damage to 50 houses in Matanzas and 402 in Camaguey. Civil Defense in Granma province reported numerous electrical outages. Tobacco and banana plantations have been affected by the storm in several provinces, as has the sugar harvest. Wednesday morning saw clear skies over Havana with a temperature of 18 degrees centigrade. But strong winds continued into the day -- which had reached gusts of up to 114 kilometers per hour on Tuesday. Giant waves measuring as high as three meters crashed against the Malecon, forcing authorities to close the capital's seaside drive. Local flash-flooding was reported in several low-lying areas of Havana. GERMAN CARDINAL SPEAKS ABOUT POPE'S VISIT TO CUBA Pamplona, February 4(RHC)-- German Cardinal Josep Ratzinger said that with his recent visit to Cuba, Pope John Paul II wanted to demonstrate that Christian doctrine is not opposed to any political system. During a news conference in the Spanish city of Pamplona, Cardinal Ratzinger -- who was in Cuba during the Pope's visit -- said U.S. bishops vowed to do all they can to abide by the Pontiff's call to put an end to the blockade against the island. NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER WELCOMES RELATIONS BETWEEN GUATEMALA AND CUBA Guatemala City, February 4 (RHC)-- Guatemalan indigenous leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu termed the resumption of relations between Guatemala and Cuba as "an act that strengthens Guatemala's sovereignty." In a statement released by the Rigoberta Menchu Foundation, the indigenous leader stated that the Guatemalan government's decision is a contribution to world peace and an important step toward more respectful relations. HOTEL AND TOURISM WORKERS DONATE ONE MILLION DOLLARS OF THEIR TIPS FOR HEALTH CARE Havana, February 4(RHC)-- The Cuban Hotel and Tourism Workers Union donated one million dollars from tips for the island's health care system. This is part of the union's "My Contribution to Life" program, aimed at making donations to health care, primarily to cancer treatment for children. In 1996, workers donated 882,000 dollars to the program. In a recent interview, the head of the Cancer Pediatrics Services at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology, Dr. Jesus Reno, stated that there are nearly 300 new cases of cancer reported every year in Cuba -- 70 to 80 percent of which are treated in his institution. Dr. Reno said that worker's donations and the Cuban government's contributions have helped increase the survival rate of children suffering from cancer. He added that tourism workers are going above and beyond the call of duty, since there's another contribution they make to maintain clean wards as well as to organize collective birthdays among hospitalized children. HAVANA'S INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR UNDERWAY Havana, February 4(RHC)-- More than 400 publishing houses from 30 countries are participating in Havana's Eighth International Book Fair that kicked off in the Cuban capital Wednesday. According to the event's organizers, some 300 thousand books from Cuban and foreign publishing houses will be on sale at the fair, held in Pabexpo Exhibit Halls. The Organizing Committee has announced an Encounter of University Publishing Houses on Thursday in Havana University's Master Lecture Hall as well as a workshop on the historic significance of 1898 for the Hispanic world. Several lectures by foreign guests and book launchings are also scheduled for Thursday. CUBANA DE AVIACION OPENS REGULAR FLIGHT TO TURKEY Havana, February 4(RHC)-- Cubana de Aviacion Airlines inaugurated a regular flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Havana. With this new flight, Cubana de Aviacion increased its international destinations to more than forty. The weekly flight covers the Istanbul-Lisbon-Havana route. Cubana executive Wilfredo Riveron said the flight will be covered by a Il-62 plane, leaving each Sunday from Turkey and arriving in Havana on Tuesdays. [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) 814243 Fax: (53) (7) 812927 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org