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 Tuesday, February 17, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN FORENSIC EXPERTS IN BOLIVIA DISCOVER REMAINS OF INTERNATIONALISTS WHO FOUGHT WITH CHE GUEVARA 2.- MIAMI MAYOR XAVIER SUAREZ ATTEMPTS TO DIVERT ATTENTION FROM CORRUPTION SCANDAL 3.- CUBAN SAVINGS BANK UNDERGOES MAJOR MODERNIZATION PROGRAM 4.- UKRAINE PLEDGES TO EXPAND BILATERAL ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL TIES WITH CUBA 5.- FIRST NATURAL AND TRADITIONAL MEDICAL HOSPITAL OF CUBA OPENS IN HOLGUIN PROVINCE 6.- INFORMATICA '98 OPENS IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL CUBAN FORENSIC EXPERTS IN BOLIVIA DISCOVER REMAINS OF INTERNATIONALISTS WHO FOUGHT WITH CHE GUEVARA La Paz, February 17(RHC)-- Cuban forensic experts in Bolivia, who last year discovered the remains of legendary guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara, have identified the skeletal remains of another three guerrillas. Cuban forensic Doctor Jorge Gonzalez announced Tuesday the identification of Cuban Miguel "Manolo" Hernandez, and Bolivians Mario "Julio" Gutierrez and Roberto "Coco" Peredo. All three fell in an ambush set up by the Bolivian army on September 26th, 1967 near the southeastern town of Vallegrande -- the same region where Che and another six internationalist fighters were discovered and later identified. Gonzalez said the skeletal remains of another person discovered in the collective grave does not belong to the legendary Argentinean-German guerrilla fighter Tamara Bunker -- popularly known as Tania -- also killed in 1967. It is believed that Tania's body is located in a grave near the region of Vado Del Yeso, where on August 31st, 1967, she was killed in an ambush along with Commander "Joaquin" Vitalio Acuna, who fought alongside Fidel Castro in Cuba's Sierra Maestra Mountains. The discovery of the remains of Che and six other Cuban, Bolivian and Peruvian combatants represented an historic and emotion-packed event for the Cuban nation, which last year commemorated the 30th anniversary of Che's death in combat. Those remains were repatriated to Cuba and buried with full military honors, along with moving ceremonies in which millions of Cubans paid their final respects. MIAMI MAYOR XAVIER SUAREZ ATTEMPTS TO DIVERT ATTENTION FROM CORRUPTION SCANDAL Havana, February 17(RHC)-- Cuba's Granma news daily published an article Tuesday concerning Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez' efforts to divert attention from a current electoral scandal by making preparations for what he claims is the imminent demise of the Cuban Revolution. In an article entitled "A Madman Loose in Miami," the news daily made reference to the mayor's recent announcement of the setting up of committees to control the street parties that would erupt in his city with the fall of the Cuban government. The Miami Grand Jury ruling concerning fraud in Suarez's campaign was issued last February 2nd. The illegal use of absentee ballots, wrote the Granma, indicates that the Miami mayor has an obsession with things that don't exist -- like the imminent fall of the Cuban government and his presumption that the majority of Miami's population believes in this eventuality. CUBAN SAVINGS BANK UNDERGOES MAJOR MODERNIZATION PROGRAM Havana, February 17(RHC)-- In tune with economic transformations taking place on the island, the Cuban Savings Bank -- known by its Spanish acronym of BPA -- is involved in an ambitious upgrading and modernization program. According to BPA President Marisela Ferreyra, the most significant result of the program so far is having achieved full automation and computer interconnection among 300 of the 503 offices the bank has island-wide. She said they plan to have the remaining 203 offices also fully automated before the end of this year. Ferreyra said computerization is not only helping the Cuban Savings Bank to meet international standards but is also assisting in providing faster services, and streamlining the whole of their operations. BPA President Marisela Ferreyra explained that 43 per cent of all Cubans --4.6 million-- have savings accounts, amounting to a national savings rate of 502 pesos per inhabitant. Ferreyra said that in 1997, the Cuban Savings Bank obtained a license from the Central Bank of Cuba allowing it to carry out all kinds of banking operations, including lending money to enterprises and conducting international transactions. She said the BPA has working relations with 29 foreign banks. In 1997, the BPA handled more than 8000 money remittances from Cubans living abroad, for a total of 2.6 million dollars. The Cuban Savings Bank was established 15 years ago. Seventy-four percent of its workers are women. UKRAINE PLEDGES TO EXPAND BILATERAL ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL TIES WITH CUBA Havana, February 17(RHC)--The Ukraine has pledged to expand bilateral economic and commercial relations with Cuba. Following a round of official talks in Havana Tuesday evening, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Guennadi Udovenko said there are a number of fields in which the exchanges could be expanded, after what he termed "a certain depression" in economic and commercial relations in recent years. Udovenko expressed the Ukrainian government's determination to take those relations to "the highest possible levels." He thanked Cuba for the medical care provided to more than 14,000 Ukrainian children -- victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. FIRST NATURAL AND TRADITIONAL MEDICAL HOSPITAL OF CUBA OPENS IN HOLGUIN PROVINCE Holguin, February 17(RHC)-- The first hospital using natural and traditional medicine in Cuba opened in eastern Holguin province this weekend. The Tomas Roig University Hospital has 50 beds for general admissions, ten beds for rehabilitation of those with physical disabilities and additional capacity for 20 others. The new, natural and traditional hospital in Holguin is located on the premises of an old high school. Remodeling of the facility and medical installations were conducted with local funding. The hospital will offer services in the specialties of acupuncture, cupping, moxa therapy and massage. Also neural therapy, homeopathy, chromatotherapy, music therapy, and rehabilitation and nerve block, as well as treatments for alcoholism and to stop smoking. Designed as a referral, teaching and research institution, the Holguin natural and traditional medicine hospital has a staff of 85 workers, among them seven doctors, three dentists and 34 nurses and technicians. INFORMATICA '98 OPENS IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, February 17(RHC)-- Cuba has a defined, integrated action plan to informatize society. Cuban engineer Ignacio Gonzalez Plana, Minister of the island's Steel, Metal and Electronics industry, made the statement Monday at the opening of the Informatica '98 Conference in Havana. The minister stressed that the new plan is based on the strengthening of informatics nationally, especially in software. According to Ignacio Gonzalez Plana, Cuba must take decisive steps toward modernizing in an area that has great impact not only economically but also socially, ethically and politically. One of the premises upon which Cuba's informatics plan is based, said the steel and electronics minister, is how to use new technologies for development, because the transference of technology alone is not enough; new technologies must also be put to use. [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) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org