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 Thursday, July 23, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBA IS THE HOPE FOR ALL PEOPLES OF THE WORLD WHO ARE SEARCHING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE 2.- EIGHTH PASTORS FOR PEACE CARAVAN ARRIVES IN HAVANA 3.- DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF CHINA ARRIVES IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL 4.- SAO PAULO FORUM EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH LATIN AMERICA 5.- JULY 26th ACTIVITY TO TAKE PLACE AT FORMER MONCADA GARRISON THIS SUNDAY IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA 6.- SEMINAR ON THE EURO CONCLUDES AT HAVANA'S HOTEL NACIONAL 7.- GOVERNOR OF ST. PETERSBURG AND CUBAN CONSUL MEET 8.- U.S. AGRICULTURAL GROUPS AND CATTLE RAISERS URGE WASHINGTON TO LIFT BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA CUBA IS THE HOPE FOR ALL PEOPLES OF THE WORLD WHO ARE SEARCHING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE Havana, July 23(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro affirmed that Cuba is the hope for all peoples of the world who are searching for peace and justice. Speaking during the final period of the First Ordinary Session of the Fifth Legislature of the Cuban National Parliament, the Cuban leader emphasized that the island is mounting an economic comeback without privatizations or other neo-liberal formulas -- constantly defending the social achievements of the Revolution. The Cuban president recalled that with the demise of the Eastern European socialist countries and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the island lost nearly 35 percent of its Gross Domestic Product. He said that while there is still much to be done to recover from the economic crisis, the miracle is that Cuba has survived, utilizing what few material resources it has to resolve immediate problems. During another intervention before deputies to the Cuban National Parliament, President Fidel Castro said that there is an ideological war being carried out against Cuba, designed to hide the achievements of socialism on the island. The Cuban leader said the foreign press deliberately ignores the fact that the island has an infant mortality rate of 7.2 for every one thousand live births. Instead, they point to countries where the infant mortality rate is 80 or more, holding them up as models of democracy, freedom and human rights. The Cuban Parliament's First Ordinary Session of the Fifth Legislature concluded late Wednesday night following two days of meetings at Havana's International Convention Center. Wrapping up the final gathering, Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon congratulated Cuban lawmakers for the seriousness with which they had discussed and analyzed the country's problems. EIGHTH PASTORS FOR PEACE CARAVAN ARRIVES IN HAVANA Havana, July 23(RHC)-- Some 160 members of the 8th Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba arrived in Havana Thursday afternoon on a special flight from Tampico, Mexico. The caravanistas include activists from Canada, Mexico and several European countries. Challenging Washington's economic blockade of the island, the group successfully crossed the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this week, carrying with them nearly 500 tons of material aid for Cuba. Pastors for Peace refuses to request a license from the U.S. government to deliver aid to Cuba, as required by law. On past occasions, U.S. customs and police have confiscated computers and other material aid and have arrested participants of the caravan as they try to cross the border. This time, however, U.S. authorities allowed the aid to cross into Mexico without incident -- an action that many observers believe was designed to deny the group publicity. Once in the Mexican port city of Tampico, members of the Pastors for Peace caravan loaded a Cuban ship with the help of the Mexican stevedores union, who agreed to work free-of- charge as an expression of solidarity with the Cuban people. The group then boarded a special charter flight from Tampico to the Cuban capital. During their stay on the island, members of the 8th Pastors for Peace caravan will take part in the First U.S.-Cuba Friendship Conference from the 28th through the 30th of this month, as well as visit churches, schools and places of historic and cultural interest. DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF CHINA ARRIVES IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, July 23(RHC)-- The Deputy Prime Minister of China, Qian Quichen, arrives in Havana Thursday afternoon at the invitation of the Cuban government. Accompanied by a high- ranking delegation, the Chinese deputy prime minister will meet with Cuban officials and visit places of historic and political interest. The visit to Cuba by the Chinese delegation is part of a broad exchange between the two governments and will help to further develop the already excellent bilateral relations between Cuba and China. SAO PAULO FORUM EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH LATIN AMERICA Managua, July 23(RHC)-- The working commission of the Sao Paulo Forum -- which groups together Left and progressive parties of Latin America -- has expressed its solidarity with the Cuban Revolution, the National Revolutionary Unity of Guatemala and the workers of Puerto Rico. During an extraordinary session in Managua, the Nicaraguan capital, representatives of eleven Latin American political parties offered their support to the URNG of Guatemala in its struggle to secure real and lasting peace. The Sao Paulo Forum urged the Guatemalan government to carry out promised constitutional reforms and benefits to campesinos. Participants at the meeting in Nicaragua also called for expressions of solidarity with the workers of the Puerto Rican Telephone Company, who have been on strike for the past month, protesting government privatization plans. Among those attending the recently concluded two-day meeting were representatives of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front of El Salvador, the Broad Front of Uruguay, Mexico's Democratic Revolutionary Party, the Worker's Party of Brazil and the Cuban Communist Party. JULY 26th ACTIVITY TO TAKE PLACE AT FORMER MONCADA GARRISON THIS SUNDAY IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA Santiago de Cuba, July 23(RHC)-- The main activity commemorating the National Day of Rebellion will take place on Sunday, July 26th at the former Moncada Garrison -- presently the July 26th School. The event, which commemorates the 45th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Garrisons, will be attended by some 10,000 Santiagueros as well as representatives from political, social and grass roots organizations. National heroes and outstanding workers, foreign delegations, Party representatives, solidarity with Cuba groups and the diplomatic corps accredited in Cuba will also attend Sunday's festivities in eastern Santiago de Cuba. SEMINAR ON THE EURO CONCLUDES AT HAVANA'S HOTEL NACIONAL Havana, July 23(RHC)-- Spain's Finance Secretary, Juan Acosta Climber, closed a three-day seminar on the EURO, held at Havana's Hotel Nacional. The seminar allowed Cuban specialists and Spanish experts to exchange ideas on the importance and future perspectives of the new currency. During the gathering, Acosta said that the EURO is a currency that everyone will soon be using for commercial transactions and as a reserve. The Spanish finance minister pointed out the importance of the new currency for Latin America and Cuba. In Cuba's case, he stated, Europe is one of the island's main trading partners. While he did not deny that big economic changes are always a challenge, Acosta said that the risks also include unique opportunities. The three-day seminar on the EURO was sponsored by the Investment Bank, S.A. and the Zulueta Foundation. GOVERNOR OF ST. PETERSBURG AND THE CUBAN CONSUL MEET St. Petersburg, July 23(RHC)-- The Governor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Yakoylev, called for closer ties with Cuba and analyzed the prospects of bilateral collaboration during a meeting with the Cuban Consul to that Russian city, Felix Leon. The Russian official said he intends to visit Cuba in the coming months. Yakovley added that all conditions are in place to increase bilateral relations. St. Petersburg is the main Russian port where most merchandise is shipped to Cuba. U.S. AGRICULTURAL GROUPS AND CATTLE RAISERS URGE WASHINGTON TO LIFT BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA Havana, July 23(RHC)-- Representatives of agricultural groups and cattle raisers in the United States have urged Washington to lift its economic blockade against Cuba. In a meeting before the Agricultural Committee of the House of Representatives, the Vice President of the National Grain Council, Daniel Dye, asserted that unilateral economic sanctions as an instrument of foreign policy never achieve their purpose. The agricultural leader stated that Washington's anti-Cuba policy significantly affects the U.S. and called for ways to achieve peace and prosperity while contributing to the world food supply. He called for dialogue with countries that have differences with the United States, pointing out that there is no real reason Washington cannot sit down and talk with Havana. 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