CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA January 9, 1998 rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Friday, January 9, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN CIVIL AVIATION PLANS TO RAISE EFFICIENCY 2.- SOUTHERN CROSS BRIGADE WRAPS UP ACTIVITIES IN CUBA 3.- DOMINICAN OFFICIAL VISITS HAVANA TO LOCATE DIPLOMATIC SITE 4.- PARLIAMENT LEADER FROM MALAWI ARRIVES SUNDAY 5.- IBEROAMERICAN UNIVERSITY LEADERS CONDEMN U.S. BLOCKADE 6.- ANTI-POLIO VACCINATION DRIVE SCHEDULED TO BEGIN SHORTLY 7.- JEAN MICHEL JARRE SCHEDULED TO HOLD CONCERT ON ANNIVERSARY OF CUBAN REVOLUTION CUBAN CIVIL AVIATION PLANS TO RAISE EFFICIENCY Havana, January 9(RHC)-- Cuban civil aviation workers pledged to raise efficiency during 1998 at a meeting held in Havana Wednesday. At the meeting, attended by Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage, the National Civil Aviation Institute -- the IACC -- pledged to contribute 67 million dollars to the island's balance of payments this year, twice as much as its contributions for 1997. Vice President Lage said that the institute's plan for this year demonstrates its willingness to continue seeking efficiency in the sector by generating more revenues with less expenditures. Lage added that the IACC's strategic objective is to contribute to the growth of tourism, which he considers the sector with the best prospects in the country, since its most important effect is the boost it provides to the economy. The Cuban vice president said that "tourism creates opportunities for foreign investment, reactivates and develops industries and generates jobs, and without efficient work of the island's civil aviation system, the development of tourism cannot be guaranteed." The workers concluded that efficiency in the sector cannot only be gauged by economic efficiency but also has to be measured by absolute safety, punctuality, attention to passengers in the airports, the quality of services on board, hygiene and others. SOUTHERN CROSS BRIGADE WRAPS UP ACTIVITIES IN CUBA Havana, January 9(RHC)-- Members of the 15th contingent of the Cuba Solidarity Southern Cross Brigade laid a wreath at the Jose Marti Monument in Havana's Central Park. The Southern Cross Brigade is made of 22 professionals, workers and students from Australia and New Zealand. The brigade arrived in Cuba on December 29th and is scheduled to leave on Monday, January 15th. While on the island, the brigadistas have been lending a hand in agriculture as well as visiting sites of historic, social and cultural interest. Some eleven Cuba Friendship Societies and three Cuba solidarity groups are currently operating in Australia to provide political and material support to the Cuban people. DOMINICAN OFFICIAL VISITS HAVANA TO LOCATE DIPLOMATIC SITE Havana, January 9(RHC)-- The head of the Consular Department of the Dominican Republic's Foreign Ministry, Juan Jose Martinez said his visit to Cuba was "exceptional." Martinez travelled to Havana for issues related to the upcoming opening of the Dominican Republic's consulate in the Cuban capital. Dominican General Consul Grecia Fiordaliza Pichardo accompanied the Foreign Ministry official. While on the island, the two Dominican diplomats explored the possibilities to locate the Dominican diplomatic residence in Havana, as agreed upon by an accord signed between the two Caribbean countries last June. PARLIAMENT LEADER FROM MALAWI ARRIVES SUNDAY Havana, January 9(RHC)-- The President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Malawi, Rodwell Munyendembe, will arrive in Havana Sunday for a five-day official visit. The President of the Malawi National Assembly will meet with his Cuban counterpart, Ricardo Alarcon, Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina, and with the Ministers of Foreign Trade and Public Health, Ricardo Cabrisas and Carlos Dotres, respectively. IBEROAMERICAN UNIVERSITY LEADERS CONDEMN U.S. BLOCKADE OF CUBA Havana, January 9(RHC)-- Delegations from 18 Iberoamerican universities condemned the U.S. blockade against Cuba and expressed their solidarity with the scientific and educational accomplishments by the University of Havana. The representatives from the Iberoamerican universities are attending celebrations marking the 270th anniversary of the University of Havana. The university representatives said that despite the difficult conditions imposed by Washington's blockade, the University of Havana continues to graduate highly-qualified professionals. The representatives stated that they would promote exchanges between their educational centers and the University of Havana and work for greater participation in joint scientific research and personnel training. ANTI-POLIO VACCINATION DRIVE SCHEDULED TO BEGIN SHORTLY Havana, January 9(RHC)-- Nearly 500,000 Cuban children under three years of age will be vaccinated shortly. The effort is part of the first stage of the 37th anti-polio vaccination campaign that gets underway January 23rd through the 29th. In March, children will receive the vaccine's second dose against the disease which claimed the lives of many infants for many years. Polio was completely eradicated in Cuba in l962. Since that time, health authorities have organized annual immunization drives with the close cooperation of the neighborhood Committees for the Defense of the Revolution -- the CDR's -- the island's largest grassroots organization. JEAN MICHEL JARRE SCHEDULED TO HOLD CONCERT ON ANNIVERSARY OF CUBAN REVOLUTION Havana, January 9(RHC)-- Renowned French musician Jean Michel Jarre will hold a special concert in Havana December 31st, 1998 to mark the 40th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. The special show is included in an agreement between Cuba's Culture Ministry and France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The French musician, well-known for his electro-acoustic music, held a concert in Moscow last September to commemorate that city's 850th anniversary. Jarre has also organized other shows at the Eiffel Tower and at La Place de La Concorde et de La Defense. [c] 1997. 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. 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