CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA January 16 , 1998 rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's English language service for Friday, January 16, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- CUBA SAYS WASHINGTON'S CLAIM THAT 1 BILLION DOLLARS IN US HUMANITARIAN AID HAS BEEN SENT TO THE ISLAND IS AN IMMENSE EXAGGERATION 2.- MORE AMERICAN BUSINESSES JOIN VOICES TO OPEN LETTER CALLING ON US GOVERNMENT TO CHANGE ITS CUBA POLICY 3.- US PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON WAVES TITLE III OF HELMS BURTON FOR THE 4TH TIME 4.- COLLEGE OF CARDINALS VICE DEAN SAYS THE POPE HAS A GREAT ESTEEM FOR THE CUBAN PEOPLE 5.- GENERAL ELECTIONS RESULTS: UNEQUIVOCAL PROOF OF NATION'S UNITY, SAYS FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA 6.- CASA DE LAS AMERICAS 1998 LITERARY AWARD ANNOUNCED 7.- CUBAN RECORDING ARTISTS TRAVEL TO FRANCE 8.- ELGUEA HOTEL AND SPA REOPENED CUBA SAYS WASHINGTON'S CLAIM THAT 1 BILLION DOLLARS IN US HUMANITARIAN AID HAS BEEN SENT TO THE ISLAND IS AN IMMENSE EXAGGERATION Havana, Jan. 16, RHC -- Cuba termed today an immense exaggeration Washington's suggestion that the island has received as much a 1 billion dollars in aid from US sources since 1992. In Washington Wednesday, State Department spokesman James Foley said the US government had licensed donations of more than 227 million dollars in medicines and medical supplies since 1992 and more than 1 billion dollars worth of donations of all types of humanitarian assistance. But the director of the US section for the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, said today in a press conference in Havana that the total aid received by Cuba between 1993 and 1996 --from all over the world -- did not reach 244 million dollars. Of that, said the Cuban official, the United States contributed 13.6 million, which is only 4.6 percent of that aid and a figure very far away from the 1 billion dollars being claimed by Washington. Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, of the University of South Florida, has for some time now called on Washington to make public the documentation backing its claims concerning US humanitarian aid to Cuba, but has thus far received no response. MORE AMERICAN BUSINESSES JOIN VOICES TO OPEN LETTER CALLING ON US GOVERNMENT TO CHANGE ITS CUBA POLICY Havana, Jan. 16, (RHC) -- More American business and agricultural communities have joined USA- ENGAGE in sending President Bill Clinton, House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Majority leader Trent Lott an open letter calling for a change in US policy towards Cuba. In anticipation of Pope John Paul II's historic trip to Cuba, the letter -- published today as an advertisement in The Wall Street Journal -- calls for a public commitment in Clinton's State of the Union Address and the Republican response to end the ban on the export of US food and medical supplies to Cuba as a first step toward engagement. Though USA-ENGAGE is also calling for political reforms in Cuba --rejected by the Cuban government -- observers have taken note that the open letter is another manifestation of the unprecedented clamor for a drastic change in Washington's Cuba policy. Just this week a broad-based coalition was announced in the US capital, calling itself Americans For Humanitarian Trade With Cuba. USA-ENGAGE is a coalition of 660 small and large businesses, agriculture groups and trade associations working to seek alternatives to the proliferation of unilateral US foreign policy sanctions and to promote the benefits of US engagement abroad. Next week, some 140 US religious and humanitarian organizations are planning to publish similar advertisements in the local media, stressing that the Pope's visit offers new opportunities to rebuild the ties between the American and Cuban peoples. US PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON WAVES TITLE III OF HELMS BURTON FOR THE 4TH TIME Washington, January 16(RHC)-- As predicted, U.S. President Bill Clinton suspended Title III of the Helms-Burton Law for another six months on Friday -- the fourth time since the legislation was signed into law nearly two years ago. By freezing this section of the law, Clinton has put on ice any attempts by U.S. citizens to sue foreign companies doing business on the island with properties nationalized by the Cuban Revolution. White House spokesmen said that the 6-month suspension of Title III had nothing to do with the upcoming visit to the island of Pope John Paul II. By law, the U.S. president must advise the Congress every six months if that section of legislation is to be suspended. Title III is perhaps the most controversial part of Helms-Burton due to the extraterritorial nature of its provision -- and has been totally rejected by the international community. COLLEGE OF CARDINALS VICE DEAN SAYS THE POPE HAS A GREAT ESTEEM FOR THE CUBAN PEOPLE Havana, January 16(RHC)-- Pope John Paul II has a great esteem for the Cuban people, according to Italian Cardinal Agostino Casaroli. In an interview published in Friday's edition of Granma newspaper, Cardinal Casaroli said that the Pontiff is keenly interested in seeing Cuba's situation evolve positively. The Cardinal told Cuban journalist Luis Baez that the U.S. blockade against Cuba should end, because gallant people like the Cuban people would rather suffer than lose their dignity. 83-year-old Cardinal Casaroli is currently the Vice Dean of the College of Cardinals and has long devoted himself to the attention of socially-misbehaved youngsters. GENERAL ELECTIONS RESULTS: UNEQUIVOCAL PROOF OF NATION'S UNITY, SAYS FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA Havana, January 16(RHC)--Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina described Sunday's General Elections in Cuba as unequivocal proof of the Cuban people's unity and support of the Revolution. Speaking with the national and international journalists in Havana, the Cuban official pointed to the fact that 98 percent of eligible voters turned out and that 94.34 percent of the ballots cast were for the full slate of 601 candidates of deputies to the nation's parliament and 1192 delegates to provincial governments. Another message resulting from the polling, Robaina said, was that both Cuban President Fidel Castro and Vice President Raul Castro were re-elected with more than 99 percent of the votes. CASA DE LAS AMERICAS 1998 LITERARY AWARD ANNOUNCED Havana, January 16(RHC)-- Cuban writers emerged with the most prizes at the awards ceremony of the 1998 edition of the Casa de las Americas Literary Contest. Four Cuban authors: Reina Maria Rodriguez, Jesus del Castillo Rodriguez, Oscar Zetti, and Lourdes Tomas Fernandez -- who resides in the United States -- received the coveted prizes in the categories of poetry, play, monograph and essay, respectively. During the awards ceremony, attended by Minister of Culture Abel Prieto, it was also reported that renowned Barbadian author Edward Brathwaite was the recipient of the Caribbean Literature in English Award, with his book "M.R.", a book relatyed to magic realism. CUBAN RECORDING ARTISTS TRAVEL TO FRANCE Havana, January 16(RHC)-- Representatives of Cuba's top dance bands will be traveling to Cannes, France to attend the record industry event MIDEM, that will run January 18th through the 22nd. During the previous edition of MIDEM, held in Miami, Cuban artists and record labels were not allowed to participate by organizers in Miami, a decision that sparked international rejection. On this occasion, the Cuban delegation to the Record and Mechanical Editing International Market --MIDEM-- is made up of Chucho Valdes and Irakere, representing Egrem Studios; Manolin, the Salsa Doctor, representing the Caribe Production label; the Charanga Habanera will represent Magic Music and Klimax will participate on behalf of the Eurotropical label. According to Ciro Benemelis, an executive of the Cuban recording industry, in Cannes, Midem will issue the call for CUBADISCO '98, Cuba's International Record Fair, that will take place in April in Havana. ELGUEA HOTEL AND SPA REOPENED Havana, January 16(RHC)-- The three-star Elguea Hotel and Spa located in Corralillo, central Villa Clara province, 220 kilometers east of Havana, reopened its doors to national and international visitors Friday. The hotel and spa, owned and run by Cuba's economy class Horizontes hotel chain, underwent renovation which included the construction of a new thermal station for treatments with thermal and mineral waters and muds. Elguea Hotel and spa has 99 rooms including four suites, one room for disabled people, 18 bridal suites and 76 doubles. Elguea provides treatments for patients suffering from bone- related, respiratory, neurological and skin diseases as well as anti-stress and cosmetic treatments. Elguea's waters have a high percentage of minerals including sulphur and brome and their temperature range from 36 to 48 centigrades. The facility was renovated at a cost of more than four and a half million pesos. [c] 1997. Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. 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