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 18, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO MEETS WITH VISITING CHINESE DELEGATION 2.- VISITING U.S. AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADER LOUIS FARRAKHAN CALLS FOR AN END TO WASHINGTONS' BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA 3.- CUBAN MEDICAL PERSONNEL VACCINATED AGAINST HEPATITIS B 4.- FRIENDSHIP MEDAL AWARDED TO JAPANESE RESIDENT OF CUBA 5.- CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS WRAPS UP MEETING IN CUBAN CAPITAL 6.- SPANISH GOVERNMENT DONATES POWDERED MILK AND VEGETABLE OIL 7.- FIRST INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON HABANO CIGARS UNDERWAY IN HAVANA CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO MEETS WITH VISITING CHINESE DELEGATION Havana, February 18(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro met Monday night with a visiting government delegation from China headed by the deputy chairperson of that country's National Economic Restructuring Commission, Professor Wu Jie. During their stay on the island, the Chinese visitors toured centers of economic, scientific and cultural interest and exchanged views with Cuban experts and officials. The head of the visiting Chinese government mission spoke highly of Cuba's efforts to develop economically within the difficulties imposed by the U.S. blockade. He wished the Cuban people, on behalf of his delegation, well-being and great success in their work. The meeting between Professor Wu Jie, deputy chairman of the Chinese National Economic Restructuring Commission and President Fidel Castro was also attended by Cuban Vice Presidents Raul Castro and Carlos Lage. VISITING U.S. AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADER LOUIS FARRAKHAN CALLS FOR AN END TO WASHINGTONS' BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA Havana, February 18(RHC)-- The leader of the U.S. African- American organization "Nation of Islam," Louis Farrakhan, condemned Wednesday the U.S. blockade against Cuba. Farrakhan is on the island as part of an international tour that has taken him to several nations of the world. He arrived Monday in eastern Santiago de Cuba, where he visited places of historic interest and delivered a lecture at the city's university. The U.S. Black Muslim leader traveled to Havana Tuesday evening, and met with Cuban President Fidel Castro for three and a half hours that same night. During a news conference in Havana Wednesday morning, Farrakhan said he had written letters to both President Sadam Hussein and President Bill Clinton, urging them to find a diplomatic solution to the Iraqi conflict. Farrakhan expressed opposition to the U.S. blockade against Cuba and said Americans would change their perceptions regarding the island if they could knew the truth about its situation. "From Havana, Cuba," said Farrakhan, "a country that is suffering under a blockade that His Holiness the Pope has called immoral and unethical, I appeal to the people of America who are moral and ethical that we must prevail upon President Clinton and the Government of the United States to find a diplomatic solution to end the horrendous blockade of this beautiful nation." The leader of the U.S. African American organization "Nation of Islam", Louis Ferrakhan, termed his trip to Cuba "a friendly visit." Farrakhan regretted that the sex scandal around U.S. President Bill Clinton could have cast a cloud over the visit Pope John Paul II paid to Cuba late last month. He called the Pope's trip to Cuba "one of the most important events of the century," and said the papal visit has had positive results for U.S.-Cuba relations. Further commenting on the sex scandal in the United States, African American leader Louis Ferrakhan said the gossips and slander associated with it depicted the moral decay existing in the United States. He did not discard that the scandal could also be part of a conspiracy against the U.S. president. CUBAN MEDICAL PERSONNEL VACCINATED AGAINST HEPATITIS B Havana, February 18(RHC)-- Some 30,000 family doctors and nurses throughout the island will be vaccinated against hepatitis B. This national campaign that will run until next October. Over 70,000 workers from the health sector that have contact with the disease have already received the vaccine -- among them dentists, personnel from blood banks, hospital operating rooms, technicians, microbiology personnel as well as medical students. The head of the Cuban Health Ministry's Hepatitis Program, Dr. Graciela Delgado, told Granma newspaper that at the end of this year some 2 million Cubans will have been vaccinated against hepatitis B, a disease that affects millions of people around the world each year. FRIENDSHIP MEDAL AWARDED TO JAPANESE RESIDENT OF CUBA Havana, February 18(RHC)-- Cuba's Friendship Medal was given to Mosaku Harada Tokunaga for his contribution in strengthening Japanese-Cuban ties. The 93-year-old Japanese campesino has lived on the Isle of Youth since the beginning of the century and for decades has presided over the only Japanese colony on the island. During the presentation ceremony, his love for Cuba and the Revolution were outlined by Eva Seoane, Vice President of Cuba's Institute of Friendship for the Peoples -- ICAP. The Cuban official added that awarding the medal marks the beginning of activities commemorating the 100th anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants in Cuba. CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS WRAPS UP MEETING IN CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, February 18(RHC)-- The latest meeting of the Caribbean International Red Cross has wound up in Havana. Representatives from Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba as well as Holland, Norway, Spain, Germany and Canada proposed ways to strengthen cooperation ties in the region's health sector. The Haitian delegation proposed a safe blood donation program and preparation in case of natural disasters, while the Dominican Republic presented a plan related to repatriation and projects related to AIDS. Cuba suggested a project to confront cases of disasters and environmental protection. SPANISH GOVERNMENT DONATES POWDERED MILK AND VEGETABLE OIL Havana, February 18(RHC)-- The Spanish government has donated over 250 tons of powdered milk and another 425 tons of vegetable oil to the Cuban people. According to Granma newspaper, this donation will mainly go to diabetics, in the provinces of Havana, Las Tunas, Holguin, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo. This gesture is an example of the strong, friendly ties between the Cuban and Spanish peoples. FIRST INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON HABANO CIGARS UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, February 18(RHC)-- The first International Seminar on Habano cigars was inaugurated on Wednesday in Havana. During the event, nearly 300 personalities from some 50 countries were on hand to discuss issues such as the sale of the Allende cigar, the Cuban borders and the program to produce 200 million cigars by the year 2000. One of Cuba's main objectives is to place itself among the world's major tobacco exporters in the international market during the next coming years. Cuba currently produces 103.5 million cigars and is in third place, coming in behind the Dominican Republic with 250 million and Honduras with 120 million cigars. 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