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, June 5, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO TOURS A VISITING TRAINING VESSEL OF SPAIN'S NAVY 2.- WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY ACTIVITIES IN CUBA'S MATANZAS PROVINCE 3.- RESIDENT COORDINATOR OF THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM SAYS CUBA IS VERY SERIOUS ABOUT PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT 4.- CUBA TAKES PART IN EXPO '98 IN PORTUGAL 5.- MORE CUBANS DECIDE TO RETURN TO THE COUNTRYSIDE 6.- CUBAN AUTHORITIES HAVE CONFISCATED MORE THAN 14,000 KILOGRAMS OF DRUGS OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS 7.- VIETNAM'S INTERIOR MINISTER WILL VISIT CUBA NEXT WEEK CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO TOURS A VISITING TRAINING VESSEL OF SPAIN'S NAVY Havana, June 5(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro toured late Thursday the visiting training ship of the Spanish Navy -- the Juan Sebastian de Elcano -- anchored in Havana Bay since last Tuesday. The Cuban leader was received by Spain's ambassador in Havana, Eduardo Junco Bonet, and the ship's commander, Captain Teodoro de Leste Contreras. An honor guard welcomed President Castro as a military band played the national anthems of Cuba and Spain. The training ship is named after the first Spaniard to sail around the world in 1522. The Cuban leader and members of the crew talked about Navy Admiral Pascual Cervera Topete who, in 1896, perished in a battle with the United States Navy in the Spanish-Cuban-American War. On Thursday, some 3000 Cubans visited the ship, carrying 21 officers, 40 marine guards and 220 crew members. This four-masted brigantine is considered the oldest of its type in the world. Since lifting anchor last January 10th in Spain, the ship has made stopovers in Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires; the Chilean cities of Punta Arenas and Valparaiso; El Callao, in Peru; Cartagena de Indias, Colombia; La Guajira, Venezuela and Santo Domingo. WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY ACTIVITIES IN CUBA'S MATANZAS PROVINCE Matanzas, June 5(RHC)-- The main activity commemorating World Environment Day took place Friday in western Matanzas province. Matanzas was selected for the honor due to the region's achievements in the protection of the environment. Cuba's Science, Technology and Environment Minister Rosa Elena Simeon praised the province for reducing contamination levels. She pointed out that any investment in Matanzas must obtain a clean environmental bill of health. The Cuban official also announced that the island's Oceanography Institute proposes to dump one million cubic meters of sand at Varadero and create artificial beaches around the Oasis Hotel, also in Matanzas province. RESIDENT COORDINATOR OF THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM SAYS CUBA IS VERY SERIOUS ABOUT PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT Havana, June 5(RHC)-- As part of World Environment Day activities in Cuba, the resident representative of the UN Development Program, Ariel Francais, told Radio Havana Cuba that the island is doing all it can to protect the environment: "I have always said that Cuba is a pioneer in the implementation of the strategies and policies to protect the environment and Cuba has taken on this task very seriously. This deserves to be underscored. In this context, the United Nations and the UNDP in particular are supporting all the efforts of the government in all areas. I can mention the area of forestry, also the protection of the coastal eco-systems and the efforts to decontaminate Havana Bay. So the activities of the United Nations [in Cuba] are very broad." CUBA TAKES PART IN EXPO '98 IN PORTUGAL Lisbon, June 5(RHC)-- An important exhibit on Cuba's advances in the field of scientific sea research is on display at the EXPO '98 Fair taking place in Portugal. The director of Cuba's exhibition stand, Gladys Garcia, told journalists that specialists, ecologists and biologists are briefing visitors on the work being done in Cuba to protect its waters. EXPO '98 is dedicated to the protection of the oceans against environmental contamination and the indiscriminate use of marine resources. The exhibition opened on May 21st and will run through next September. MORE CUBANS DECIDE TO RETURN TO THE COUNTRYSIDE Havana, June 5(RHC)-- In what is good news for Cuban agriculture, thousands of city residents are voluntarily returning to the countryside, especially to mountainous regions. Over the last several years, Cuba had witnessed an increasing number of people migrating to larger cities, looking for employment or to go to school. In response, the Cuban government has tried to improve living conditions of those residing in the countryside, but Havana, the capital, has always been an attraction, especially for young people. During the recently held meeting of leaders of cooperative credits and services, where private farmers participated, Cuban leaders praised those who have decided to return to the countryside. According to official statistics, some 10,000 people became members of the National Association of Private Farmers last year after returning to the countryside. CUBAN AUTHORITIES HAVE CONFISCATED MORE THAN 14,000 KILOGRAMS OF DRUGS OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS Havana, June 5(RHC)-- Cuban authorities confiscated over 14 thousand kilograms of drugs between 1994 and 1997. According to experts at a special seminar in the Cuban capital, the street value of the confiscated cocaine would be nearly 380 million dollars in the U.S., the world's largest consumer of drugs. The seminar -- sponsored by the Cuban Association of the United Nations -- is being held in preparation for the UN's Extraordinary General Assembly on the fight against drug trafficking, which begins next week in New York. The resident coordinator of the UN Development Program, Ariel Francais, recognized that drug abuse in Cuba is not a social problem, but pointed out that the island's geographical location and the development of tourism makes Cuba a target for drug smugglers who try to use the island as a springboard from Latin America into the United States. VIETNAM'S INTERIOR MINISTER WILL VISIT CUBA NEXT WEEK Havana, June 5(RHC)-- Vietnam's Interior Minister, Division General Le Minh Houng, will head a delegation to Cuba arriving on June 10th. Also a member of the Political Bureau of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Le Minh Houng is responding to an invitation by Cuba's Interior Minister Abelardo Colome Ibarra. During their stay on the island, the Vietnamese delegation will meet with Cuban government officials and visit places of interest. [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