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 Thursday, February 19, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTRY ANNOUNCES THAT 299 PRISONERS HAVE BEEN AMNESTIED FOLLOWING VATICAN'S REQUEST 2.- CUBAN FORENSIC EXPERTS IN BOLIVIA IDENTIFY MORE REMAINS OF INTERNATIONALISTS WHO FOUGHT WITH CHE GUEVARA 3.- CUBA-RUSSIA INTERGOVERNMENTAL MIXED COMMISSION BEGINS ROUNDS OF TALKS 4.- FIRST DELEGATION OF LEGISLATORS FROM SPAIN'S RULING PARTY ARRIVES IN HAVANA 5.- NEW SPECIALIZED INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OPENS IN CUBA 6.- CUBA PROMOTES STRENGTHENING OF EDUCATIONAL LINKS WITH MEXICO 7.- PUERTO RICAN CATHOLIC CHURCH WILL SEND HUMANITARIAN AID 8.- INTERNATIONAL TOBACCO ENCOUNTER UNDERWAY IN HAVANA 9.- CONFERENCE ON 150th ANNIVERSARY OF COMMUNIST MANIFESTO CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTRY ANNOUNCES THAT 299 PRISONERS HAVE BEEN AMNESTIED FOLLOWING VATICAN'S REQUEST Havana, February 19(RHC)-- Cuba's Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that a total of 299 prisoners have benefitted from an amnesty requested by the Vatican. At a press conference in Havana, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alejandro Gonzalez said the 299 former prisoners were released within a period of 24 hours -- between Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th -- and not gradually and in small groups as some international media outlets have been reporting. Gonzalez said that of the Vatican's original list of names, 20 were repeated, five were unidentifiable and 106 had already been released. Of the rest, 20 cases are still being studied, while between 60 and 70 have been excluded from a pardon due to the serious and dangerous nature of their crimes. The 20 cases under study, said the Foreign Ministry spokesman, will require the establishment of certain conditions, since Cuban authorities believe that these individuals could once again involve themselves in criminal activities. Included in those released, he added, were 224 cases whose names were not on the Vatican's list but were pardoned for humanitarian reasons. Gonzalez said the Vatican has been informed in detail of each and every step that has been taken since the list of prisoners was turned over to Cuban authorities and has also received documents explaining with precision the analysis carried out concerning the list and the decisions taken. CUBAN FORENSIC EXPERTS IN BOLIVIA IDENTIFY MORE REMAINS OF INTERNATIONALISTS WHO FOUGHT WITH CHE GUEVARA La Paz, February 19(RHC)-- Cuban forensic experts in Bolivia have identified more remains of the internationalist guerrillas who fought with Ernesto Che Guevara. On Thursday, Cuban Doctor Jorge Gonzalez -- the director of the island's Institute of Legal Medicine -- announced the identification of the remains of Cuban Octavio De La Concepcion, Peruvian Lucio Galvan and Bolivian Francisco Huanca. This announcement follows Tuesday's identification of Cuban Miguel Hernandez, and Bolivians Julio Gutierrez and Roberto Peredo. These three internationalists fell in combat one month before Che's capture and subsequent assassination, while the latter three fell in the final combats in November of 1967 following Che's death. Gonzalez said his team of experts will continue the search near Vallegrande -- some 900 kilometers south of the capital, La Paz. Thus far, the remains of only 17 of the 55 internationalist guerrillas have been identified. CUBA-RUSSIA INTERGOVERNMENTAL MIXED COMMISSION BEGINS ROUNDS OF TALKS Havana, February 19(RHC)-- Cuba and Russia began talks Thursday in the Cuban capital in the framework of the two countries' intergovernmental bilateral mixed commission. The head of the Russian delegation, Civil Defense Minister Serguei Shoigu, stated that Russia hopes to advance the formation of a mixed enterprise to complete the construction of Cuba's Juragua nuclear power plant, located in central Cienfuegos Province. Shoigu said that some of the obstacles in this endeavor have been overcome, but others remain. One billion dollars have already been spent on the project whose construction began in 1982 but was suspended ten years later. It is estimated that another 700 million dollars are needed to complete the works, which will provide a considerable portion of the electricity generated in Cuba and will substitute hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil. The Russian Civil Defense Minister also made reference to the sectors of the production of sugar derivatives and citric juice in Cuba as economic sectors in which his country is interested, as well as the refining of oil and nickel production. Shoigu said Cuba-Russia economic relations were gradually returning to the levels of 1990 to 1991. FIRST DELEGATION OF LEGISLATORS FROM SPAIN'S RULING PARTY ARRIVES IN HAVANA Havana, February 19(RHC)-- The first delegation of legislators from Spain's ruling Popular Party, the PP, arrived in Havana on Thursday. The legislators are all prominent members of commissions of the European Parliament charged with strengthening relations with Latin American countries. They brought with them an important cargo of medical humanitarian aid and will reportedly attempt to bolster cooperation between Cuba and the European Union. Before departing from Madrid, the members of the delegation told the foreign press that the Spanish government could name a new ambassador to Havana in the coming weeks. Relations between Spain and Cuba were strained following Cuba's rejection last year of Madrid's designation of Jose Coderch as its ambassador in Havana. Coderch had publicly stated that his diplomatic priority on the island would be attention to Cuba's so-called dissidents. Members of the Spanish delegation said that the recent visit to Cuba of Pope John Paul II had opened -- in their words -- "margins within Cuba's political scenario." This is the first PP delegation to visit Cuba since last May's electoral victory of President Jose Maria Aznar. NEW SPECIALIZED INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OPENS IN CUBA Holguin, February 19(RHC)-- An intensive cardiolung surveillance unit has been inaugurated in the eastern Cuban province of Holguin, built and equipped in cooperation with the Italian Episcopal Conference. Attending the dedication ceremony for the unit -- located at the Vladimir Ilich Lenin Hospital -- were Cuban Minister of Public Health Carlos Dotres, and Monsignor Hector Luis Pena, Bishop of the Holguin-Las Tunas Diocese. The new cardiolung intensive surveillance room has 42 beds for coronary intensive care, intermediate care and other emergencies. CUBA PROMOTES STRENGTHENING OF EDUCATIONAL LINKS WITH MEXICO Guadalajara, February 19(RHC)-- Cuba's Minister of Higher Education, Fernando Vecino Alegret, is promoting greater academic exchanges between Cuba and Mexico. After concluding a meeting in Guadalajara with the governor of that Mexican State, Alberto Cardenas, the Cuban official told journalists that he was encouraged by the prospects of future collaboration. During his stay in Mexico, the Cuban education minister will also meet with officials from the University of Guadalajara. Cuba has an exchange program set up with the university; last year, 60 professors travelled to Havana for a summer course. PUERTO RICAN CATHOLIC CHURCH WILL SEND HUMANITARIAN AID San Juan, February 19(RHC)-- Inspired by reactions to the recent visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba, leaders of the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico have initiated a campaign to collect medicines and clothing to send to Cuba. Spokespersons for Cardinal Luis Ponte Martinez told reporters in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan that the religious leader fully supports the humanitarian effort to help the Cuban people, despite the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba. According to the Cardinal's office, the idea arose after the Pope's call for the world to open to Cuba. The humanitarian aid will be sent to Havana through the Puerto Rican Catholic Church and other non-governmental organizations. INTERNATIONAL TOBACCO ENCOUNTER UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, February 19(RHC)-- Cuba will launch new cigar brands on the international market, to the satisfaction of the world's most demanding smokers. One of them, the "Trinidad" -- named after the colonial city in central Matanzas province, also famous for the quality of its tobacco -- will be officially launched there tomorrow, Friday. The announcement was made by Habanos S.A. Vice President Manuel Garcia during the opening in Havana of the First International Seminar on Tobacco. According to the Cuban official, tobacco production on the island has increased and this year will reach 160 million cigars. Habanos S.A. President Francisco Linares told journalists that Cuba will soon issue a new seal of guarantee, in order to certify the Cuban cigars' genuine, original quality to millions of consumers from around the world. CONFERENCE ON 150th ANNIVERSARY OF COMMUNIST MANIFESTO IN HAVANA Havana, February 19(RHC)-- Richard Levins, a professor at Harvard University in the U.S., said in Havana that "there are universal themes, such as the capitalist phenomenon, that cannot be studied without appealing to historical materialism." Addressing participants at the International Conference on Social Emancipation -- 150 Years After the Communist Manifesto, Levins discussed the current contradictions in capitalism. Among topics debated at this encounter -- marking the 150th anniversary of the work of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels -- are contemporary issues granting validity to the Communist Manifesto, as well as its current impact on the Third World. [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