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 Wednesday, February 11, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ATTENDS CLOSING OF 8th INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL 2.- RELIGIOUS DELEGATION MEETS WITH CUBAN PRESIDENT IN HAVANA 3.- CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE TRAVELS TO CANADA TO REVISE BILATERAL COOPERATION ACCORDS 4.- CUBA-U.S. PEDAGOGICAL ENCOUNTER UNDERWAY IN CIENFUEGOS 5.- MEXICAN ORGANIZATION DONATES NOTEBOOKS TO CUBAN CHILDREN 6.- COMMUNITY WORK: A PRIORITY FOR CUBAN MINISTRY OF CULTURE CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ATTENDS CLOSING OF 8th INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, February 11(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro attended the closing of the 8th International Book Fair Tuesday evening. The Cuban leader listened intently during the presentation of a new book -- "The Reconcentration: 1897 to 1897" -- a history of the strategic hamlets established in Cuba by Spanish colonial troops, in which several hundred thousand mostly Cuban women, children and the elderly perished from hunger and disease. During an informal encounter with local and foreign journalists attending the book fair, President Fidel Castro said "this episode of history made Cuba the Vietnam of the 19th century, an example of heroism in the face of Europe's strongest military power at that time." Fidel said Washington's blockade of Cuba is attempting to re- write that episode by denying the Cuban people food and medicine. "But this country has learned from the spirit of national consciousness and resistance of its ancestors." The leader of the Cuban Revolution also took note of the recognition of the damage caused by the blockade, in what he called "the deceitful action by U.S. Senator Jesse Helms and his mafia friends in Miami, who are now calling for `humanitarian aid' to Cuba." The Cuban leader pointed to the heroic efforts of the people, specifically referring to the health sector. Fidel said that Cuba has 60,000 doctors trained by the Revolution, as well as 20 schools of medicine, research centers and scientific laboratories. RELIGIOUS DELEGATION MEETS WITH CUBAN PRESIDENT IN HAVANA Havana, February 11(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro met with a delegation of bishops and religious leaders of the United Methodist Church visiting Cuba. At the meeting, the Cuban president and the Methodist leaders dealt with issues such as neoliberal economic policies currently applied in the world, the deterioration of the environment and the need to globalize solidarity among peoples. The delegation was headed by the Secretary General of the Board of Global Ministries of the U.S. Methodist Church, Reverend Randolph Wyatt Nugent; the President of the Council of Latin American and Caribbean Evangelical Methodist Churches, Elias Galvan; the Vice President of the Argentinean Bishops College, Aldo Manuel Etchegoyen; and Ezra Earl Jones, General Secretary of the Student Board of the Methodist Church. During their stay in Cuba, the visitors met with religious leaders, as well as government and Communist Party officials. They also visited seminaries and sites of economic and historic interest. Following their meeting with the Cuban president, the Methodist leaders said their visit was fruitful and pledged to renew their efforts to struggle against the U.S. blockade of the island. CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE TRAVELS TO CANADA TO REVISE BILATERAL COOPERATION ACCORDS Ottawa, February 11(RHC)-- The Vice President of Cuba's Council of State, Carlos Lage, began a three-day visit to Canada today. During his stay, Lage will meet with Canadian authorities to revise the 14 areas of bilateral cooperation between the two countries -- specifically focussing on the progress of the Canada-Cuba Joint Declaration signed in January 1997. The areas of cooperation involve economic, social and political themes, including cooperation in the area of human rights and among the two countries' political, financial and legal institutions. Cuban Foreign Ministry officials in Havana stated that the mutual respect and frankness in the on-going dialogue between the two countries have allowed for unbroken bilateral relations for the past 53 years. The office of Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy issued a statement today, pointing to the productive and constructive dialogue between Canada and Cuba. Canada is a major investor in numerous sectors of the Cuban economy. CUBA-U.S. PEDAGOGICAL ENCOUNTER UNDERWAY IN CIENFUEGOS Cienfuegos, February 11(RHC)-- The 5th Cuba-U.S. Pedagogical Seminar got underway at the Pasacaballo Hotel in the south central Cuban city of Cienfuegos. The international scientific gathering is being attended by some 100 educators, including nearly 50 U.S. teachers and professors. Addressing participants at the opening session, Ligia Turner, President of the island's Teachers Association, stressed the importance of scientific exchange among educators from around the world. During the first session, the U.S. and Cuban educators met with the Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party in Cienfuegos province, Manuel Menendez Castellanos. Work sessions are scheduled to deal with the quality of teaching in the two countries and will include two round tables called "Teaching in the United States" and "Technology and Education in Cuba." U.S. educators attending the bilateral seminar said that this scientific gathering helps strengthen mutual understanding among U.S. and Cuban educators and reinforces the values of the two educational systems. The 5th Cuba-U.S. Pedagogical Seminar is set to wind up this Friday. MEXICAN ORGANIZATION DONATES NOTEBOOKS TO CUBAN CHILDREN Havana, February 11(RHC)-- The National Commission of Free Text Books from Mexico has donated 500,000 notebooks to Cuban children. According to the organization's President, Antonio Mesa, the group donated some 200,000 text books to the island's educational system last year and hopes to resume that supply during 1998. Mesa, who attended Havana's International Book Fair, said that the donation is an expression of Mexican solidarity with the Cuban people. Mesa added that his organization is preparing a cooperation program with Cuba for the next two years as part of a broad, bilateral cooperation plan that includes scientific, cultural, educational and cultural areas. The lack of school supplies and text books is another consequence of Washington's criminal blockade against the island. COMMUNITY WORK: A PRIORITY FOR CUBAN MINISTRY OF CULTURE Bayamo, February 11(RHC)-- Community work, the protection of the island's cultural heritage, the promotion of reading and the recovery of the country's publishing industry are the priorities of the Cuban Ministry of Culture for 1998 and for years to come. The statement was made by Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto in the eastern city of Bayamo. Prieto highlighted the importance of the recently concluded International Book Fair, whose volumes will be distributed in libraries and bookstores. The Cuban minister of culture also said that the ministry will prioritize the permanent and constant dialogue between Cuban cultural institutions and the island's creators and intellectuals. Abel Prieto also stressed the need to fight against commercial distortions in culture and, at the same time, called on the managers of cultural institutions to be more efficient. [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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