CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA January 27, 1998 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Tuesday, January 27, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- WASHINGTON'S CUBA POLICY AFFECTS MEDICAL SHIPMENTS TO CUBA 2.- ACTIVITIES PAY TRIBUTE TO CUBAN NATIONAL HERO JOSE MARTI 3.- FRENCH COMMUNIST PARTY LEADER CONDEMNS U.S. BLOCKADE 4.- CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE SAYS THE ISLAND'S FOOD INDUSTRY GREW ENORMOUSLY DURING 1997 5.- CUBAN PRIMA BALLERINA ALICIA ALONSO RECEIVES HONORS IN THE UNITED STATES WASHINGTON'S CUBA POLICY AFFECTS MEDICAL SHIPMENTS TO CUBA Havana, January 27(RHC)-- Tuesday morning's edition of the U.S. news daily "The Tampa Tribune" reports that restrictions on medical exports to Cuba "might be harsher than acknowledged by the State Department." Tampa Tribune staff writer Phil Willon stated that federal law allows U.S. companies to sell medicine and health care supplies to Cuba, but the U.S. government has allowed "only a handful of companies to do so since 1992." The article takes note of the fact that neither the Treasury nor Commerce Departments have published any regulations explaining what a U.S. company must do to adhere to the tight restrictions. The process of applying for an export license, according to the article, is considered so adverse that some of the largest U.S. pharmaceutical companies and medical equipment manufacturers consider it pointless. "The Tampa Tribune" refers to the St. Jude Medical firm in Minnesota, one of the world's largest manufacturers of pacemakers for heart patients. St. Jude considered exporting pacemakers to Cuba in 1994, "but abandoned the idea because of the onerous U.S. licensing process" and due to fears of possible reprisals by the federal government. Officials in Washington recently claimed that 36 of 39 export licenses to Cuba have been approved since 1992, a figure which was refuted by many. According to "The Tampa Tribune," five of the 36 licenses were only approved to allow medical company executives to travel to Cuba to explore possible sales and that to actually sell their products, the companies must apply for another license. Three licenses were submitted before the 1992 restrictions went into effect, while the article also points to the fact that the Treasury Department requires a separate license for each shipment of medicine. The Tampa Tribune points to a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson in Belgium, which was required to apply for a separate license for each sale of the anesthesia Thalamonal. Separate licenses, according to the U.S. news daily, are also required for each clinic, hospital or organization in Cuba buying medicine. Another example referred to by the article is the IRIS Medical Instruments Inc., based in San Jose, California. In 1993, IRIS applied for an export license to sell an optical laser instrument to an eye clinic in Havana for the treatment of glaucoma. The Commerce Department rejected the application because the sale would be -- in its words -- "detrimental to U.S. foreign policy interests." "The Tampa Tribune" quotes Williard Workman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is sponsoring a broad-based coalition recently formed in the U.S. to end restrictions on the sale of food and medicine to Cuba. Workman stated that on a number of occasions, companies with licenses were unable to find a way to transport their medical supplies because under U.S. law, any ship that docks in Cuba is banned from U.S. ports for 180 days. The article also quotes Representative Esteban Torres, a Democrat from California, who termed as "deliberate" the complete lack of federal regulations explaining the licensing process and the documentation needed to meet all the verification requirements demanded by Washington. ACTIVITIES PAY TRIBUTE TO CUBAN NATIONAL HERO JOSE MARTI Havana, January 27(RHC)-- Havana's Revolution Square will be the site of one of Wednesday's activities that will commemorate the 145th anniversary of Cuban National Hero Jose Marti's birth. Over 20,000 Pioneer children are expected to take part in the Cuban capital. Each student will carry a flower to honor of the island's most important independence leader. During the commemoration activity, 145 Cubans that participated in the Literacy Campaign in 1961 -- in which hundreds of thousands of campesinos were taught how to read and write -- will receive a medal for their contribution in making Cuba free of illiteracy. FRENCH COMMUNIST PARTY LEADER CONDEMNS U.S. BLOCKADE Havana, January 27(RHC)-- The General Secretary of the French Communist Party, Robert Hue, condemned the U.S. blockade against Cuba and expressed his interest in taking a closer look at the island's socio-economic and political situation. Hue made the statement upon his arrival in the Cuban capital for a three-day visit at the invitation of Cuban President Fidel Castro. Hue said that the Cuban Communist Party and its French counterpart have always maintained historic relations of friendship, respect and honesty. Hue is also a deputy of the French National Assembly and a member of its Foreign Affairs Commission. The French Communist leader met with Cuban Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon, and visited the Jose Marti Memorial in Revolution Square on Tuesday. He will later meet with Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage and Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina and Minister of Culture Abel Prieto. CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE SAYS THE ISLAND'S FOOD INDUSTRY GREW ENORMOUSLY DURING 1997 Havana, January 27(RHC)-- Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage said that the Cuban food industry fulfilled its production plan for 1997 by 104 percent. He made the statement at a plenary meeting of the island's food industry, analyzing the results of 1997 and prospects for 1998. At the plenary, the Cuban vice president highlighted the industry's most important task -- to produce with quality and efficiency. Last year, light industry exports brought in gross revenues worth more than 15 million dollars -- 15 percent more than in 1996. CUBAN PRIMA BALLERINA ALICIA ALONSO RECEIVES HONORS IN THE UNITED STATES Los Angeles, January 27(RHC)-- The Director of the Cuban National Ballet Company, prima ballerina Alicia Alonso, received recognition in the U.S. city of Los Angeles for her contribution to artistic excellence and efforts to build bridges of communication and respect between the peoples of Cuba and the United States. In a public ceremony, the State of California and Los Angeles County presented two diplomas of honor to the renowned Cuban dancer for her contribution to the arts and culture as a ballerina, choreographer and Director of the Cuban National Ballet Company. Alonso thanked California authorities for the recognition, pointing out that the Cuban ballet company takes a message of peace and friendship wherever it goes. [c] 1998, 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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