CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA January 26, 1998 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Monday, January 26, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- INTERNATIONAL MEDIA COMMENTS ON POPE JOHN PAUL II'S VISIT 2.- CUBA AND HONDURAS TO REESTABLISH CONSULAR RELATIONS 3.- YOUTH WILL HONOR CUBAN NATIONAL HERO JOSE MARTI 4.- JESUS MENENDEZ HONORED 50 YEARS AFTER HIS MURDER 5.- ECUADORAN FOREIGN MINISTER SCHEDULED TO VISIT CUBA 6.- BOOK ON U.S. BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA PUBLISHED IN PORTUGAL 7.- HAVANA'S BOOK FAIR SET TO OPEN NEXT WEEK INTERNATIONAL MEDIA COMMENTS ON POPE JOHN PAUL II'S VISIT Havana, January 26(RHC)-- International media outlets commented today on the visit to Cuba of Pope John Paul II. Although many focused on the Pope's criticisms of Cuba's political system, many also highlighted the Pontiff's unmitigated condemnation of Washington's blockade of Cuba and neoliberal capitalism. Mexico's news daily "La Jornada" reported that the Catholic Church delivered a stinging blow to the blockade and that the principal loser in the Pope's visit was intolerance -- particularly the intolerance of U.S. political sectors that maintain the economic blockade and other aggressions aimed at undermining Cuba's self-determination. Similar editorial positions were assumed by most of the major media outlets in Mexico, including "Novedades," "La Cronica" and "El National." The Argentinean daily "El Cronista" reported today that the Pope's visit further underscored Washington's isolation and the divisions within the Cuban-American community. The United Left coalition in Spain commented today that Pope John Paul II's visit to Cuba ridiculed the policy of confrontation with Cuba adopted by Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar, also insisting that the other big losers were the extremist Cuban-Americans in Miami and Senator Jesse Helms and his followers. Also in Spain, in statements to Madrid's EFE news agency, UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor Zaragoza praised the Pope's clear and strong condemnation of the blockade, recalling that Cuba has the highest school enrollment and the most advanced research centers in Latin America. Cuba's weekly "Trabajadores" newspaper reiterated the many ideas and aspirations that identify the Pope with Cuba, highlighting the Pontiff's messages concerning progress, well- being, love, solidarity and dialogue. Following Pope John Paul II's departure from Havana Sunday evening, Cuban President Fidel Castro met with cardinals and bishops from Latin America, the United States and Europe. Among them were Cardinals Bernard Francis Law, John Joseph O'Conner and Anthony Joseph Devilacqua of the United States; Cardinal Jean Claude Zurcotte of Canada; Cardinal Lucas Moreira Nevas of Brazil; Archbishop Elias Yanez Alvarez of Spain; Archbishop Egerton Roland Clark of Jamaica and many others. CUBA AND HONDURAS TO REESTABLISH CONSULAR RELATIONS Tegucigalpa, January 26(RHC)-- Cuba and Honduras will establish consular relations in March. According to the head of Cuba's Interests Section in Tegucigalpa, Ruben Chavez, the step will be taken prior to the renewal of diplomatic relations. The new President of Honduras, Carlos Flores -- who officially assumes office on Tuesday -- expressed during his electoral campaign a willingness to enhance economic and trade ties with Havana. According to some observers, the closer ties between Havana and Tegucigalpa during the out-going Carlos Reina administration has angered Washington. The U.S. government is sending an extremely low-level delegation to the presidential swearing-in ceremony in Honduras, which has sparked disgruntled among government officials and the media. Honduras broke relations with Cuba in 1961 at the request of the Organization of American States, virtually controlled by Washington at that time. In Central America, Cuba has diplomatic relations with Nicaragua and Panama, while Costa Rica has an interests section in Spain's embassy in Havana. YOUTH WILL HONOR CUBAN NATIONAL HERO JOSE MARTI Havana, January 26(RHC)-- Cuban youth will pay tribute to Cuba's National Hero Jose Marti this Wednesday with an annual torchlight parade. This year's march takes place on the occasion of the 145th anniversary of his birth. Traditionally held in the Cuban capital, the torchlight parade will take place this time in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba. Shortly before the march, Otto Rivero, the First Secretary of the Young Communist League (UJC), will read the call for that youth organization's Seventh Congress scheduled for late December this year. Meanwhile, the Cuban weekly Trabajadores published an editorial Monday highlighting Jose Marti's significance. The editorial stressed that Marti is "an inexhaustible source of wisdom and political culture." Trabajadores noted that Marti "is immortal because he has become synonymous with the Cuban homeland, anti-imperialism, independence, party, people, politics and revolution." The Cuban weekly recalled that our National Hero not only condemned the state of the world and preached about how it should be, but also talked about how it can be transformed. Trabajadores concluded that the Cuban people are learning about Marti's teachings and the legacy of his political realism today. JESUS MENENDEZ HONORED 50 YEARS AFTER HIS MURDER Manzanillo, January 26(RHC)-- The eastern Cuban city of Manzanillo will be the venue of the main rally to pay tribute to Cuban sugar workers leader, Jesus Menendez. Murdered 50 years ago, Menendez earned the prestige of sugar workers and the hatred of plantation owners for his struggles during the 1940's. Among the activities recalling the life and work of Jesus Menendez will be a ceremony at the Bartolome Maso sugar mill in eastern Granma province -- site of the last worker's meeting he chaired before being assassinated. In Havana, relatives of Jesus Menendez, Sugar Minister General Ulises Rosales del Toro and Cuban Workers Confederation General Secretary Pedro Ross laid a wreath at Menendez' grave in the capital's Colon Cemetery over the weekend. ECUADORAN FOREIGN MINISTER SCHEDULED TO VISIT CUBA Quito, January 26(RHC)-- Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Jose Ayala Lasso will visit Cuba from February 4th through the 8th to analyze the possibilities of increasing bilateral trade, among other issues. According to Cuba's Ambassador to Ecuador, Rene Castro, Ayala Lasso will be accompanied by a group of business executives. Speaking to journalists on a local radio station, the Cuban ambassador stated that the two countries have bilateral agreements that will facilitate an increase in trade. Cuba and Ecuador have signed an investment protection agreement and an accord that allows for the exchange of some 100 products with little or no tariffs. BOOK ON U.S. BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA PUBLISHED IN PORTUGAL Lisbon, January 26(RHC)-- A Cuba Solidarity Commission set up by Portuguese intellectuals, athletes and politicians launched a book Sunday on the effects of Washington's more than 35 year blockade against Cuba. The publication includes statements by prestigious Portuguese public figures and by Ernesto Che Guevara's daughter, Aleida Guevara. Stressing that the U.S. blockade against the island violates United Nations resolutions, the book points out that the blockade causes serious difficulties for the Cuban people. HAVANA'S BOOK FAIR SET TO OPEN NEXT WEEK Havana, January 26(RHC)-- Cuban and foreign book-lovers alike will be delighted when Havana's 8th International Book Fair opens to the public from February 4th through the 10th. According to organizers, the fair will be the largest ever -- both in the amount of books for sale, numbering in the thousands, and in estimated attendance, calculated to be around 60 thousand participants. Some 27 institutions from the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe have confirmed their attendance at the cultural gathering including UNESCO, the FAO and UNICEF. Havana's Pabexpo Exhibit Halls will be the venue of this fair which will also have other sites such as the Segundo Cabo Palace, the Jose Marti National Library, the University of Havana, the Casa de las Americas cultural institution and others. As part of the fair, 25 libraries throughout Havana's municipalities will be selling some 800 titles, 597 of which have been published before. The important book gathering also includes workshops on scientific publications, university publishing houses, a colloquium on publishers, printers and paper manufacturers, and a conference on electronic editing and multimedia. During the fair, numerous important national prizes will be awarded including a prize for the best literary, technical and scientific works published last year, the 1997 Raul Martinez Graphic Design Award, the 1996 Social Sciences Award and the Cuban Writers and Artists Union's Literature Prize for 1997. According to Cuban Book Institute President Omar Gonzalez, this year's fair will still be modest, since there are not yet enough books to meet the needs of Cuban readers. [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. 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