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 Friday, February 13, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTRY ISSUES STATEMENT CONCERNING AMNESTY FOR PRISONERS REQUESTED BY THE VATICAN 2.- CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE VISITS CANADA; INTERNATIONAL NEWS AGENCIES COMMENT ON SHARP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OTTAWA AND WASHINGTON CONCERNING CUBA 3.- WASHINGTON'S INSOMNIA HAS CAUSED THE TOTAL LOSS OF TIME 4.- EFFICIENCY: A PRIORITY FOR THE CUBAN CONSTRUCTION MINISTRY FOR 1998 5.- GAS POWER PLANT SCHEDULED TO OPEN THIS YEAR 6.- SEX EDUCATION CONGRESS IN FULL SWING IN HAVANA 7.- CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION OFFICE OPENS IN HAVANA 8.- WOMENS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR HAVANA NEXT WEEK CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTRY ISSUES STATEMENT CONCERNING AMNESTY FOR PRISONERS REQUESTED BY THE VATICAN Havana, February 13(RHC)-- Cuba's Foreign Ministry issued an official statement Friday with more details concerning the amnesty for prisoners requested by the Vatican. Published in this morning's edition of the Cuban news daily Granma, the Foreign Ministry took note of its news conference offered on Thursday -- which Radio Havana Cuba reported in its Thursday newscast -- and of the Vatican's reaction to the announcement of amnesty for inmates in Cuban prisons. To further clarify the Vatican's petition and Cuba's response, the Foreign Ministry said that of a list of a little more than 270 prisoners given to Cuban authorities, some 20 are still under study, while approximately 70 have been excluded from the amnesty. At the same time, the official note made it clear that another 224 prisoners who were not on the list also benefitted from an amnesty based on humanitarian reasons -- whether they had been convicted of common crimes or crimes motivated by political factors. In relation to the 70 prisoners excluded from the amnesty, Cuba's Foreign Ministry said this decision was based on the dangerous and serious nature of the crimes committed. As an example, the communique pointed to the Cubans who killed several border guards on a beach east of Havana while attempting to hijack a boat. Also excluded from the amnesty are the Miami-based, Cuban-American counterrevolutionaries who smuggled weapons into Cuba several years ago, and the terrorist mercenary from El Salvador who last year placed several bombs in Havana hotels -- killing one foreign visitor and placing in jeopardy the lives of many others. In relation to the 224 prisoners who benefitted from an amnesty without being on the list drawn up by the Vatican, the Foreign Ministry said it wasn't difficult for Cuban authorities to release them based on humanitarian considerations like age and health. The Foreign Ministry pointed out that since the triumph of the Revolution, thousands of people serving time in Cuba have been released before serving their full prison terms -- both those incarcerated for common crimes and for crimes with political motivations. At the end of the statement, the Granma newspaper added its own note, stressing that "the Revolution is generous, but also firm," and that there can be no impunity for enemies who want to destroy the Revolution. "The first duty of Cuban patriots," wrote the Cuban daily, "is to defend the people, the country's independence, the Revolution, the economy, the nation's security and Cuba's social achievements." CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE VISITS CANADA; INTERNATIONAL NEWS AGENCIES COMMENT ON SHARP DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OTTAWA AND WASHINGTON CONCERNING CUBA Ottawa, February 13(RHC)-- During Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage's official visit to Canada, international news agencies are commenting on the sharp differences in the Cuba policies of Ottawa and Washington. According to the EFE News Agency, the United States "is extremely concerned that its principal ally maintains excellent relations, an important amount of reciprocal trade and a respectful and all-encompassing dialogue with Cuba." On Thursday, Lage met with Canadian Prime Minster Jean Chretien and Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy, signing an important accord on airline flights between the two countries. The agreement doubles the number of Cubana de Aviacion flights to Canada; from two-a-week to Montreal, another two were added to Toronto. The Canadian airlines Transat added to its two regular flights a week to Havana and Varadero, another flight to Cienfuegos. The Canadian foreign minister said the increase in flights between the two countries was essential for on-going enhancement of trade and tourism between Havana and Ottawa. Cuba is one of the preferred destinations for Canadian vacationers. More than 168,000 Canadians visited the island last year. WASHINGTON'S INSOMNIA HAS CAUSED THE TOTAL LOSS OF TIME Havana, February 13(RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina criticized Washington's inability to tolerate different political, economic and social models -- other than the ones the U.S. wants to impose on the rest of the world. In statements to Prensa Latina News Agency, the Cuban foreign minister responded to declarations by U.S. Secretary of State Madelaine Albright, who testified before the U.S. Senate that Cuba does not have elections. Robaina stated that "to hear someone who should be informed say such nonsense, one must either conclude that she is misinformed or totally illiterate politically." The Cuban foreign minister pointed out that just because the U.S. does not like the way things are carried out in another country doesn't give Washington the right to arrogantly demand conditions. Responding to the U.S. secretary of state's comment that she will not rest until political changes in Cuba are brought about, Robaina stated that Madelaine Albright "will probably not be able to sleep much" -- adding that U.S. policy toward Cuba for nearly 40 years "has caused so much insomnia that Washington has lost all sense of time." EFFICIENCY: A PRIORITY FOR THE CUBAN CONSTRUCTION MINISTRY FOR 1998 Havana, February 13(RHC)-- The Cuban Construction Ministry pledges to work with more efficiency during 1998, according to the Cuban daily Granma. The Ministry and its enterprises are planning to construct some 4500 rooms for international tourism -- working at the rate of 2.7 rooms a day over a period ranging from 14 to 19 months. The Construction Ministry also plans to build 8000 houses, continue or initiate investments for the Civil Aeronautics Institute, repair roads and highways and continue investments in hospitals and corporations such as CIMEX, CUBALSE and ETECSA. According to Granma newspaper, efficiency will also be translated into better conservation of building materials. For this year, the Ministry plans to use only 294 kilos of cement and 27 kilos of steel for every cubic meter of mortar and hopes to prolong the useful life of wood used in the laying of mortar. The Cuban Construction Ministry will also work on hydraulic projects including dams and artificial shrimp raising farms, nickel plants, mining, energy, biotechnological, pharmaceutical and cold storage facilities. GAS POWER PLANT SCHEDULED TO OPEN THIS YEAR Varadero, February 13(RHC)-- An electrical plant that will use the accompanying gas of oil wells in Varadero will open late this year. The gas power plant should save the country around 350 thousand tons of imported crude oil. The industrial facility, which will generate electricity with three turbines and one boiler, will also produce tons of liquified gas, solvents and sulphur. With this 175-megawatt power plant, western Matanzas province --where the facility is located -- will generate nearly 1500 megawatts with less fuel and more efficiency. The project is known as Energas, a joint venture between Cuba and Canada's Sherrit International in which Cuba holds two-thirds of the stocks. It is estimated that given the amount of liquified gas that the plant will produce, the need for cooking gas among residents in the province could be partly met by this facility. This investment will significantly contribute to preventing environmental contamination in Varadero -- the island's most important tourist resort. SEX EDUCATION CONGRESS IN FULL SWING IN HAVANA Havana, February 13(RHC)-- The island's successful treatments of sexual dysfunctions and its work to prevent AIDS were high on Thursday's agenda at the Second Cuban Congress and Iberoamerican Workshop on Education, Orientation and Sexual Therapy, underway in the Cuban capital. The Deputy Director of Havana's Tropical Medicine Institute and National Coordinator of Cuba's AIDS Program, Professor Jorge Perez, delivered a lecture, briefing participants on the island's AIDS prevention program and the treatment of patients suffering that disease. He said that the number of AIDS cases registered a slight increase last year. Perez pointed out that the Cuban sexual education program has been enhanced with the cooperation of the Federation of Cuban Women in coordination with the Ministries of Public Health and Education. More than 15 million AIDS tests have been conducted on the island over the past ten years, revealing that some 1800 people are infected with the disease. Nearly 500 AIDS patients have died over the past decade. CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION OFFICE OPENS IN HAVANA Havana, February 13(RHC)-- The Civil Aviation Organization's Trainer Program Office was opened in the Cuban capital Thursday with the support of the Cuban Civil Aeronautics Institute and the Spanish International Cooperation Agency. The office will promote training in the most up-to-date management and operational techniques to the island's civil aeronautics staff. WOMENS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR HAVANA NEXT WEEK Havana, February 13(RHC)-- Nearly 80 academics, writers and scholars from several Latin American countries have confirmed their attendance at the 5th International Colloquium "Latin American Women on the Threshold of the Next Millennium." The conference, which begins in the Cuban capital on Monday, the 16th, is sponsored by Havana's Casa de las Americas Cultural Institution. During the colloquium, participants will deal with the theory, criticism and history of womens. literature. 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