CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Friday, July 10, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO AWARDS JOSE MARTI ORDER TO VISITING MALIAN PRESIDENT ALPHA OUMAR KONARE 2.- WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY 3.- PASTORS FOR PEACE HOLDS DRIVE-BY DEMONSTRATION AT U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT 4.- CUBA PARTICIPATES IN IBEROAMERICAN EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN PORTUGAL 5.- UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAM COMMISSION VISITS CUBA 6.- RECENT ECONOMIC CONFERENCE TERMED SUCCESSFUL 7.- SEMINAR ON BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN CUBA TO BE HELD IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 8.- HIGH-RANKING MEXICAN OFFICIALS WILL VISIT CUBA NEXT WEEK CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO AWARDS JOSE MARTI ORDER TO VISITING MALIAN PRESIDENT ALPHA OUMAR KONARE Havana, July 10(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro awarded the visiting President of Mali, Alpha Oumar Konare, with the Jose Marti Order -- Cuba's highest civilian distinction. During the official ceremony, held at the Palace of the Revolution Thursday night, the Malian president also granted his Cuban counterpart with the National Order of Mali. President Alpha Oumar Konare thanked the Cuban people for their constant solidarity with Mali and with all of Africa, stating that the example of Fidel Castro was one that should be followed by the youth of his country. For his part, Cuban President Fidel Castro said he was honored to receive the National Order of Mali, accepting it on behalf of the Cuban people. During his remarks at the ceremony last night, the Cuban leader referred to the growing threat of neo-liberal globalization and the need for countries to maintain their independence and freedom in the face of increasing economic and political pressures. Cuban President Fidel Castro made special note of his admiration for the peoples of the African continent, who have long fought against slavery and exploitation. He said that Africa and all of the Third World deserves development, health care and education -- adding that they have achieved their rightful place in the world through constant struggles. WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY Rome, July 10(RHC)-- Washington's economic blockade of Cuba, imposed on the island nearly 40 years ago, constitutes a crime against humanity. According to Jose Peraza, head of the Cuban delegation at on-going discussions concerning the creation of an International Criminal Court, such actions taken against a country with which one is at peace should be judged by the future court. Jose Peraza, who is also the head of Judicial Affairs of the Cuban Foreign Ministry, told delegates at the meeting in Rome that the U.S. blockade is a unilateral measure taken against Cuba for political reasons. He stressed that such actions and policies are a violation of international law and run counter to the principles of the United Nations Charter. One of the issues being discussed during debates on the creation of an International Criminal Court is the crime of aggression. Cuba has expressed its conviction that Washington's economic blockade of the island falls within the definition of aggression and should therefore be condemned and punished under international law. PASTORS FOR PEACE HOLDS DRIVE-BY DEMONSTRATION AT U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT Washington, July 10(RHC)-- The U.S. religious/solidarity organization Pastors for Peace held a demonstration in front of the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington on Thursday, showing up with two ambulances and mobile libraries that will be delivered to Cuba later this month. Protestors said they intend to take the vehicles and other material aid to Cuba without a license from the Treasury Department, as required by U.S. law. According to Ellen Bernstein, a spokesperson for Pastors for Peace and one of the organizers of the protest, the idea of Thursday's demonstration was to express the group's repudiation of the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba and show the world what they intend to take with them to Cuba. As a matter of principle, Pastors for Peace refuses to request a government license for the aid, believing that to do so would be to acknowledge the legitimacy of the blockade. The U.S. religious/solidarity group is currently on the road with trucks, school busses, ambulances and mobile libraries, travelling south to Texas. They plan to cross the border into Mexico on July 20th and will ship the material aid to Cuba from the port of Tampico. Previous caravans sponsored by Pastors for Peace have met with arrests and the confiscation of aid, but eventually -- sometimes following hunger strikes and international protests -- all aid has reached its final destination in Cuba. CUBA PARTICIPATES IN IBEROAMERICAN EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN PORTUGAL Sintra, July 10(RHC)-- Cuba is participating in the 8th Iberoamerican Conference on Education, underway in the Portuguese city of Sintra since Thursday. Globalization, information and education, are some of the issues on the agenda for the event. Cuba, represented by Education Minister Luis Ignacio Gomez, was unanimously elected as the conference's vice president. Addressing participants, Gomez focused on Cuba's position on the issue, referring to globalization as "inevitable," while emphasizing the need for it to be "mutually supportive, equitable and fair." At the end of the gathering, the education ministers will approve the Sintra Declaration, a document that will be presented at the Iberoamerican Summit of Heads of State, scheduled for the Portuguese city of Oporto in October. UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAM COMMISSION VISITS CUBA Las Tunas, July 10(RHC)-- A commission of the World Food Program is now touring Cuba's eastern provinces to evaluate possible international aid for the area, affected by an intense drought. With 35 years of experience in supplying food aid to countries of all continents, the UN World Food Program is in charge of coordinating that cooperation. It will consist mainly of food, due to the severe drop in agricultural production caused by drought in the area. Cuba's agricultural production during the first half of 1998 has been below target as a result of a very unfavorable climatic situation caused by the El Nino phenomenon. RECENT ECONOMIC CONFERENCE TERMED SUCCESSFUL Havana, July 10(RHC)-- The Permanent Secretary of the Latin American Economic System (SELA), Carlos Moneta, told the Cuban daily newspaper Granma that "Economy '98" -- a conference recently held in Havana -- "was an excellent meeting, characterized by productive debates," adding that Cuban President Fidel Castro's participation gave it "a very special dynamic." Before returning to Caracas, Venezuela -- SELA's headquarters -- Moneta told reporters that the encounter "contributed to the creation of a network so that economists in the region can exchange experiences and reactivate Latin America's economic thinking." Regarding globalization, Moneta stressed that the issue is a constant topic for SELA. He said the recently-held conference "Economy '98" was very timely, since "it made possible a critical analysis of the concept of globalization and its evolution and impact in all aspects of life." SEMINAR ON BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN CUBA TO BE HELD IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Santo Domingo, July 10(RHC)-- A seminar on business opportunities in Cuba will be held in Santo Domingo on Tuesday, the 14th, hosted by the Dominican Republic's Chamber of Commerce. The encounter will include guest speaker Ramon Coto from the Puerto Rican Consultores MacConell-Valdes Company. Coto will focus on Cuban laws regarding foreign investment, industrial parks and free trade zones, as well as the U.S. Helms-Burton Law, aimed at tightening Washington's blockade against Cuba. HIGH-RANKING MEXICAN OFFICIALS WILL VISIT CUBA NEXT WEEK Havana, July 10(RHC)-- High-ranking Mexican officials will visit Cuba next week to review bilateral agreements in the fields of tourism, migration and investment. The meetings with Cuban authorities follow agreements signed during the visit of Mexican Foreign Minister Rosario Green to Cuba last month, and the celebration in Havana of the 8th Meeting of the Mexico-Cuba Intergovernmental Commission. [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. For further information, contact us at: Postal Address: Radio Havana Cuba P.O.Box 6240 Havana, Cuba Telephone: (53) (7) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org