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 Tuesday, July 14, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES' BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING OPENS IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL 2.- JAMAICAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH CUBAN OFFICIALS 3.- MEMORIES OF A TERRORIST PUBLISHED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES 4.- CUBA SPONSORS UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTION ON THE INDEPENDENCE OF PUERTO RICO 5.- GRANMA PROVINCE IN STATE OF ALERT DUE TO SEVERE DROUGHT 6.- YEMEN AND CUBA SIGN PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION PROTOCOL 7.- MIGRATION ISSUES EXAMINED BY CUBA AND MEXICO 8.- GERMAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION CONTINUES VISIT TO CUBA 9.- HAVANA HISTORIAN INAUGURATES INTERNATIONAL EVENT ON BUILDING RENOVATION ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES' BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING OPENS IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, July 14(RHC)-- Guatemalan Foreign Minister Eduardo Stein opened the fifth meeting of the Board of Directors of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) in the Cuban capital on Tuesday. Among the topics discussed were administrative and budgetary issues, as well as an analysis of reports on regional tourism, transportation and trade. The Guatemalan foreign minister serves as President of the Council of Ministers of the Association of Caribbean States. The General Secretary of the Association of Caribbean States, Simon Molina, also addressed the Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, stressing the advances that have been made since the last ministerial meeting, held in Colombia last November. Molina said that ACS member-states have achieved progress in the areas of tourism and transportation, which he called "two of the most vital sectors for the region." The Association of Caribbean States was established in July 1994 and is composed of 25 nations with a combined population of 200 million inhabitants. Commercial trade among ACS member-states amounts to 100 billion dollars annually. JAMAICAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH CUBAN OFFICIALS Havana, July 14(RHC)-- The visiting Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica, Seymour Edward Mullings, met in Havana Tuesday with the heads of the Cuban Ministries of Education and Foreign Trade and Investment. Mullings, who also serves as Jamaican Foreign Minister and Minister of Foreign Trade, is in the Cuban capital on a four-day official visit to the island. During his stay, the Jamaican deputy prime minister is also taking part in sessions of the Association of Caribbean States, being held at Havana's Convention Center. Mullings will meet tomorrow with Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina and sign important bilateral accords between the two Caribbean islands. MEMORIES OF A TERRORIST PUBLISHED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES New York, July 14(RHC)-- In a two-part article published by The New York Times, a CIA-trained terrorist revealed some of his darkest secrets in the war carried out against the Cuban Revolution. The article, which appeared on the front-pages of Sunday's and Monday's editions, was written by Ann Louise Bardach and Larry Rohter. The interviewee -- Luis Posada Carriles -- admitted that he was the mastermind of numerous assassination and bombing attempts and that his activities were paid for by the Miami-based Cuban-American National Foundation. Posada Carriles, who was schooled in demolition and guerrilla warfare by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in the 1960's, said he organized a number of bombings in Cuba last year at hotels and tourist facilities, with the hope that it would discourage visitors to the island. He acknowledged that one of the bombs he supplied to an Salvadoran mercenary killed an Italian tourist, showing no remorse for his actions. In a series of tape-recorded interviews for the influential U.S daily, the 70-year-old terrorist said he received an estimated $200,000 over the years from Jorge Mas Canosa, leader of the Cuban-American National Foundation. Luis Posada Carriles has a long history of terrorist actions against Cuba. Trained by the U.S. for the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, he went on to take part in numerous attempts on the life of leaders of the Cuban Revolution, including Fidel Castro. In 1976, he was the mastermind of a bomb attack on a Cubana civilian airliner, which exploded in mid-air and killed all 73 people on board. Convicted and jailed in Venezuela, Luis Posada Carriles escaped from prison in 1985 and resurfaced in El Salvador, where he became directly involved in the effort to supply arms to Nicaraguan contras fighting against the Sandinista administration. His comrades-in-arms: then U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Lt. Colonel Oliver North. He told reporters that Jorge Mas Canosa helped organize his escape from prison in 1985 and then gave him money to get settled in El Salvador. Reportedly laughing on the tape-recorded interview for The New York Times story, the Cuban-American terrorist boasted that U.S. authorities knew of his activities but left him alone. Posada Carriles acknowledged that he has at least four passports, all in different names. He regards himself as a Venezuelan citizen, but has a Salvadoran passport bearing the name Ramon Medina Rodriguez and a Guatemalan passport issued in the name of Juan Jose Rivas Lopez. The terrorist also admitted to having a U.S. passport, but refused to discuss how he had obtained it or disclose his false name on the passport. CUBA SPONSORS UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTION ON THE INDEPENDENCE OF PUERTO RICO Havana, July 14(RHC)-- Cuba will sponsor a resolution to be presented before the United Nations next month, in favor of Puerto Rico's self-determination and independence. The debates coincide with the 100th anniversary of U.S. colonialist intervention in Puerto Rico and the intensification of the people's struggle in defense of their nationality and against the neo-liberal and pro-statehood position of Governor Pedro Rosello. In Washington on Tuesday, the U.S. Congress discussed the political situation of Puerto Rico, which currently has the status of a commonwealth -- essentially a colony of the United States. GRANMA PROVINCE IN STATE OF ALERT DUE TO SEVERE DROUGHT Havana, July 14(RHC)-- Cuba's Civil Defense authorities have declared eastern Granma province in a state of alert due to the severe drought affecting the area. The President of the Provincial Assembly of People's Power, Jose Antonio Leyva, pointed out that measures are being taken for the use of what little water there is -- estimated at only 26 percent of reserves. He said this includes 11 reservoirs with a capacity of one million cubic meters. The Cuban official stressed that most of the agricultural areas have been affected by the lack of rain and that crops with short growing-cycles are being planted, such as sweet potatoes and corn. Leyva said that the areas of Bayamo and the Cauto River are easier to irrigate from nearby reservoirs located in Cauto el Paso and Cautillo. It is estimated that there are 84 thousand people that are in critical need of water in Granma province. Local authorities say they are doing all they can to bring in drinking water by truck. A ministerial commission headed by the Vice President of the Council of Ministers, Pedro Miret, evaluated the main socio- economic programs in Granma province -- pointing out that one million liters of milk have not been produced, the coffee harvest will be reduced and the region's agriculture has been severely affected, including rice and other important crops. YEMEN AND CUBA SIGN PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION PROTOCOL Havana, July 14(RHC)-- Yemen's Parliament President Abdullah Ben Hussein Al-Ahmar and his Cuban counterpart Ricardo Alarcon have signed a Parliamentary Cooperation Protocol. The text of the document points out that the protocol agreement strengthens the friendship ties between Cuba and Yemen. Both sides agreed to create the Cuba-Yemen Parliamentary Friendship Group, with the objective of increasing inter- parliamentary cooperation in different areas. The newly- formed group will consult on issues of mutual interest, especially in the fields of culture, economy, trade and scientific-technical collaboration. MIGRATION ISSUES EXAMINED BY CUBA AND MEXICO Havana, July 14(RHC)-- Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Maria de los Angeles Flores said that the recent meeting on migration issues between Cuban and Mexican officials was very successful. The Cuban official added that the Third Meeting of the Working Group on Migration and Consular Issues was centered on measures to facilitate travel between the two countries and issues related with consular protection. Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Maria de los Angeles Flores headed the Cuban delegation and Mexico was represented by the Director of the National Migration Institute, Alejandro Carrillo. GERMAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION CONTINUES VISIT TO CUBA Havana, July 14(RHC)-- During the third-day of a German parliamentary delegation's visit to Cuba, Vice President Ulrich Irmer met with Deputy Foreign Minister Isabel Allende. The German legislators received a wide range of information on the current situation in Cuba and examined issues of mutual interest aimed at strengthening bilateral relations. Before wrapping up their visit to the island, the members of the parliamentary delegation are scheduled to meet with German business representatives with investments in Cuba. HAVANA HISTORIAN INAUGURATES INTERNATIONAL EVENT ON BUILDING RENOVATION Havana, July 14(RHC)-- Havana Historian Eusebio Leal inaugurated the Fourth International Congress on Architecture, Construction and Rehabilitation. During his opening speech, Leal stressed the efforts being made to rehabilitate Old Havana. The international forum, with the participation of over 500 experts from some 25 nations, will include issues related to construction methods, the conservation of historical and architectural sites and restoration techniques. [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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