CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA

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The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news
service for Wednesday, July 8, 1998.  Today's stories:


1.- PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL

2.- CHINESE DELEGATION WINDS UP VISIT TO CUBA

3.- EUROPEAN BRIGADES ARRIVE IN CUBA FOR VOLUNTARY WORK

4.- CUBAN CULTURE MINISTER ABEL PRIETO CALLS ON CUBAN          
    ARTISTS TO FACE GLOBALIZATION CHALLENGES

5.- THE EURO AND CUBA: MAIN FOCUS OF A SEMINAR IN HAVANA


PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL

Havana, July 8(RHC)-- Portuguese Foreign Minister Jaime Jose Matos de
Gama arrived in Havana Tuesday evening to begin a three-day official
visit -- his first to the island and the first for a foreign minister
from that country.  He was met at Havana's Jose Marti International
Airport by Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina.

Upon his arrival, Matos de Gama said that while his delegation visits
the island, Cuba and Portugal will sign bilateral cooperation accords
for investment promotion and protection.

The Portuguese official told reporters that among the objectives of
his visit is to improve ties between the two nations.  During his
stay, Matos de Gama will meet with Cuban authorities and discuss
issues regarding the upcoming Iberoamerican Summit, slated for the
Portuguese city of Oporto in October.

Late last night, Matos de Gama met with Cuban Parliament President
Ricardo Alarcon and Vice President Carlos Lage.  On Wednesday, the
Portuguese foreign minister toured Old Havana, declared a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO -- the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization.

CHINESE DELEGATION WINDS UP VISIT TO CUBA

Havana, July 8(RHC)-- A delegation from China, headed by Tian Song,
Deputy Mayor of the Chinese city of San Sung, has concluded a
six-day visit to Cuba, during which they signed important commercial
agreements.  The delegation was invited by Cuba's Ministry of
Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation.

Among the accords signed was an agreement in the field of
biotechnology, through which Cuban products will be sold in China,
another agreement concerning agriculture and cultivating corn in Cuba
with Chinese technology and a third accord on plant protection.

During their stay, the Chinese delegation met with Cuban Vice
President Carlos Lage and other high-ranking Cuban government
authorities.

EUROPEAN BRIGADES ARRIVE IN CUBA FOR VOLUNTARY WORK

Havana, July 8(RHC)-- Some 250 Europeans from 14 countries are in
Cuba to show their solidarity with the island.

On Tuesday, the Nordic Brigade and the Jose Marti Brigade began a
voluntary work program in Caimito municipality, located on the
outskirts of Havana.

Members of the two European brigades will participate in the island's
celebrations for the 26th of July, marking the 45th anniversary of
the attack on the Moncada Garrison, one of the actions that sparked
the Cuban Revolution.

CUBAN CULTURE MINISTER ABEL PRIETO CALLS ON CUBAN ARTISTS TO FACE
GLOBALIZATION CHALLENGES

Santiago de Cuba, July 8(RHC)-- Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto
called on intellectuals and artists to strengthen their solidarity,
inviting them to promote the values of the Cuban Revolution in order
to face the challenges of neoliberal globalization.   Prieto spoke
with participants at the 18th Caribbean Festival, which will wind up
tomorrow, Thursday, in Santiago de Cuba.

The eighteenth annual Caribbean Festival is being attended by
delegates from over a dozen countries in Europe, Africa, and the
Americas.

Participants have agreed on the need of organizing similar
encounters, to evaluate actions to be taken in the new millennium,
which should include political and social experiences of Caribbean
nations.

THE EURO AND CUBA: MAIN FOCUS OF A SEMINAR IN HAVANA

Havana, July 8(RHC)-- A seminar on the Euro and Cuba will be held in
Havana from July 20th to the 22nd, sponsored by the Spanish Zulueta
Foundation and the Nueva Banca S.A. Investment Bank.

The event's program includes debates on the basic aspects of the EURO
and its relation to Cuban entities, repercussions in the public
sector and on the island's education and health care systems.

Other issues on the agenda will be the use of the new European
currency in banking operations with Cuba's Central Bank and the rest
of the island's financial institutions.

Conferences will be delivered by attorney Jose Ignacio Rodrigo;
Rafael de la Cruz, a specialist in Public Finances from the
International Monetary Fund; and the head of the Foreign Operations
office of the Spanish Bank, Javier Alonso. 


           [c] 1998, Radio Habana Cuba
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