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 30, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO CONTINUES OFFICIAL VISIT TO JAMAICA 2.- FIRST U.S.-CUBA FRIENDSHIP CONFERENCE CONCLUDES IN HAVANA 3.- PERU'S HEALTH MINISTER IN HAVANA TO PURCHASE CUBAN VACCINES 4.- VARADERO BEACH RESORT WILL BE SITE OF ISLA DE AZUCAR FESTIVAL 5.- AS MANY AS FIVE CRUISE SHIPS A WEEK EXPECTED IN HAVANA BAY BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER 6.- TOURISM CONTINUES TO INCREASE IN MATANZAS PROVINCE 7.- FORMER ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER VISITS CUBA CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO CONTINUES OFFICIAL VISIT TO JAMAICA Kingston, July 30(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro began his second day of an official visit to Jamaica on Thursday by holding meetings with local politicians. His program started with a courtesy visit to Edward Seaga, leader of the conservative Jamaican Labor Party. The Cuban leader was welcomed yesterday afternoon in Montego Bay by Jamaican Prime Minister Percival Patterson, who took the opportunity to reject Washington's blockade of Cuba -- calling it "immoral and in violation of the essence of international law." Patterson said "the shadows of the Cold War continue falling over us." President Castro spoke Wednesday afternoon before some 10,000 people gathered at Montego Bay's Sam Sharp Square. He reviewed the history of relations between Jamaica and Cuba and the perspectives for even greater bilateral cooperation -- particularly in education and tourism. The Cuban leader called for cooperation, not competition in the tourism industry, proposing a sister-city program between Montego Bay and Cuba's Varadero Beach. Tourism is Jamaica's principal source of foreign income -- amounting to nearly one billion dollars and one million tourists annually -- similar to the figures in Cuba. At one point, Prime Minister Patterson said that he was pleased to see that President Castro was in good health -- in an implicit allusion to rumors to the contrary by the foreign press. Thursday evening, the leader of the Cuban Revolution took part in a public activity at the recently refurbished Nelson Mandela Park in Kingston, where both he and the Jamaican prime minister spoke to a huge and enthusiastic crowd. FIRST U.S.-CUBA FRIENDSHIP CONFERENCE CONCLUDES IN HAVANA Havana, July 30(RHC)-- The First U.S.-Cuba Friendship Conference -- "Building a New Future" -- ended Thursday afternoon with the reading of a joint resolution, proposals for future work and the words of Reverend Lucius Walker, head of the U.S. religious/solidarity organization Pastors for Peace. The joint declaration of participants -- which included the U.S. Venceremos Brigade, the Antonio Maceo Brigade, the National Network on Cuba and several progressive Cuban- American groups -- stressed their commitment to use the inspiration of the Cuban project to renew strategies for solidarity work, while striving at the same time for justice within the United States. The U.S.-Cuba Friendship Conference proposals included working directly to urge Washington to change its hostile policies toward Cuba, to oppose anti-Cuba legislation such as the Helms-Burton Law, to counter misinformation about Cuba, to engage in civil disobedience to that end and urge people to visit Cuba. Pastors for Peace leader Reverend Lucius Walker gave a rousing speech, calling for unity among all U.S. groups working for Cuba and urging them to work for social justice within the United States. He issued a challenge to the participants, whom he called "a rainbow of people." The challenge was to seek to forge unity, not only working for Cuba, but in work worldwide. Reverend Walker said that despite U.S. prohibitions on travel to the island, he will proudly announce to U.S. Customs officials upon his return that he has travelled to Cuba. Winding up his speech and referring to the three-day solidarity conference, Reverend Walker said: "This is not the end, my friends. This is a new beginning." For his part, Cuban Communist Party Political Bureau member Jose Ramon Balaguer addressed the solidarity activists, echoing Rev. Walker's pleas for unity. He pointed to the conference's list of final proposals, saying that in fact it was a detailed work plan. The Cuban Communist Party leader said that "three things are required in a socialist society: social justice, economic development and human solidarity." And Balaguer stressed that "human solidarity was being offered by these U.S. residents." He reiterated the words spoken by Cuban President Fidel Castro on July 26th, when he proclaimed that "fighting for Cuba means fighting for the world." Finally, Jose Ramon Balaguer thanked all of the participants of the U.S.-Cuba Friendship Conference, assuring them that when they return to their homes, they will take with them the hearts of the Cuban people. PERU'S HEALTH MINISTER IN HAVANA TO PURCHASE CUBAN VACCINES Havana, July 30(RHC)-- Peruvian Health Minister Marino Costa Bauer is in Havana to purchase Cuban vaccines against yellow fever. He told reporters that the Cuban vaccines were of excellent quality. The Peruvian official pointed out that the Cuban vaccines cost less than those produced in the United States and added that they have been successful in the South American nation. The Cuban vaccine is being distributed by France's Pasteur Laboratory. During his stay in Cuba, the Peruvian health minister met with Cuban health authorities and discussed the possibility of having Peru offer information on the modernization of its services. VARADERO BEACH RESORT WILL BE SITE OF ISLA DE AZUCAR FESTIVAL Havana, July 30(RHC)-- Cuba will host the Isla de Azucar or Sugar Island Festival next month at the Varadero Beach Resort with the participation of 110 national and 17 foreign firms. Sponsored by the Matanzas Chamber of Commerce and the Plaza America Convention, this event hopes to revive the traditional trade fairs in this eastern province and promote the potential of the Cuban economy. Included among the 60 exhibitions from Matanzas are those from the steel industry, aluminum products and the Nevada ice cream factory. AS MANY AS FIVE CRUISE SHIPS A WEEK EXPECTED IN HAVANA BAY BEGINNING IN NOVEMBER Havana, July 30(RHC)-- Between three to five cruise ships a week are expected to dock at the Port of Havana beginning next November, allowing vacationers to tour Old Havana. According to Cuba's Transportation Minister Alvaro Perez, the increase in cruise tourism will help the island's economy. The topic was analyzed and discussed during a working session for the decontamination, conservation and development of Havana Bay -- with the objective of coordinating an action plan aimed at saving the region's ecosystem. TOURISM CONTINUES TO INCREASE IN MATANZAS PROVINCE Havana, July 30(RHC)-- Varadero Beach Resort, located in Matanzas province, will have more than 10,000 rooms ready destined for international vacationers this year. According to Fermin Trujillo, Tourism Director of Matanzas, the province has brought in some 70 million dollars. Trujillo added that during the first six months of 1998, tourism in Matanzas province has increased significantly due to important foreign investment in the sector. FORMER ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER VISITS CUBA Havana, July 30(RHC)-- Former Italian Prime Minister Julio Andreotti is visiting Cuba at the invitation of the Cuban government. The former Italian official said that relations between his country and the island are good and continue to improve. The former prime minister stated that he met with Cuban President Fidel Castro shortly before the Cuban leader left for Jamaica on Wednesday and expressed his admiration for the Cuban president. Andreotti emphasized that he favors a dialogue between the United States and Cuba and condemned the Helms-Burton Law, saying that with the current trends toward globalization, it is absurd to place obstacles in the way of relations and trade among nations. 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