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, June 23, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROSARIO GREEN ARRIVES IN HAVANA; HOLDS EXTENSIVE MEETING WITH CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO 2.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO MEETS WITH VISITING FRENCH TRANSPORTATION MINISTER; CUBA AND FRANCE SIGN IMPORTANT AGREEMENTS 3.- COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT ERNESTO SAMPER SCHEDULED TO INAUGURATE MINISTERIAL MEETING OF NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT IN HAVANA 4.- EXPOCARIBE '98 TRADE FAIR CONTINUES IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA 5.- CONSTRUCTION OF RESIDENTIAL PROJECT IN HAVANA'S MIRAMAR NEIGHBORHOOD UNDERWAY 6.- RENOWNED U.S. ACTOR JACK NICHOLSON ARRIVES IN CUBA MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROSARIO GREEN ARRIVES IN HAVANA; HOLDS EXTENSIVE MEETING WITH CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO Havana, June 23(RHC)-- Mexican Foreign Minister Rosario Green held an extensive encounter with Cuban President Fidel Castro following her arrival in Havana late Monday evening. The six- hour meeting reportedly lasted into the early morning hours Tuesday. Upon her arrival at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, the Mexican foreign minister said her two-day official visit is aimed at reviewing Mexico-Cuba relations in numerous areas. She said that the two countries have travelled down a "long road of extraordinary friendship." In reference to her extended encounter with the Cuban leader, Foreign Minister Green told journalists today that among the topics discussed was the recent Organization of American States gathering in Venezuela, where Mexico proposed a specific mechanism to examine Cuba's readmittance into the regional body. But Mexico's top diplomat said the Cuban president stated he was not particularly interested in rejoining the OAS. The Mexican foreign minister also had words of praise for the Cuban leader, calling him "a man of great personal stature, a universal man with extensive knowledge." She said she discovered that the Cuban president has "a mathematical mind," due to what she called the "ease with which he cites statistics during a normal conversation." On Tuesday, Green presided over the 10th Session of the Task Force on Bilateral Economic and Industrial Cooperation and the 8th Meeting of the Mexico-Cuba Intergovernmental Mixed Commission. She also delivered a lecture on Mexican foreign policy at the University of Havana, among other numerous official activities. Mexican Foreign Minister Rosario Green is expected to hold a final news conference before her departure from Cuba on Wednesday. CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO MEETS WITH VISITING FRENCH TRANSPORTATION MINISTER; CUBA AND FRANCE SIGN IMPORTANT AGREEMENTS Havana, June 23(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro met with French Transportation Minister Jean Claude Gayssot, who arrived in Havana on Sunday for a four-day official visit. Following the meeting, Gayssot told reporters that his five- hour conversation with the Cuban leader covered a wide range of topics, including the island's struggle to maintain its sovereignty and dignity. The French official is heading a delegation of legislators and business representatives and arrived in the Cuban capital on the inaugural flight of regular air service between Paris and Havana by Air France. On Monday, Cuba and France signed eight agreements in the areas of transportation, tourism and port services. The agreements include the sale of 150 French-built Renault busses for public transportation, the purchase of 30 railroad cars with equipment and spare parts and the refurbishing of 13 lighthouses. The French official expressed his country's willingness to provide specialists in the development of a project to improve passenger and cargo transportation in Cuba. On Tuesday, the French transportation minister met with Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage and toured the main railroad station, where a locomotive engine purchased by Cuba was delivered. France has also agreed to oversee the repair of the tunnel which runs under Havana Bay. The huge tunnel, which connects East Havana with Old Havana, was constructed during the 1950's by a French company. COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT ERNESTO SAMPER SCHEDULED TO INAUGURATE MINISTERIAL MEETING OF NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT IN HAVANA Havana, June 23(RHC)-- Out-going Colombian President Ernesto Samper will arrive in Cuba tomorrow, Wednesday, to inaugurate the 23rd Meeting of Health Ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement, at the invitation of Cuban President Fidel Castro. Samper, the first Colombian president to visit Cuba, will inaugurate the gathering in his capacity as head of the Non- Aligned Movement -- which, in the coming months, will be turned over to South African President Nelson Mandela. Cuban health authorities have announced that the gathering, to be held Thursday and Friday, the 25th and 26th, will see the participation of delegations from more than 60 countries, with nearly 40 health ministers leading those delegations. Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres recalled that Cuba has health cooperation accords with 126 countries -- more than 50 from the Non-Aligned Movement. Dotres said that on the gathering's agenda are objectives that Cuba achieved long ago: equitable and universal medical care and prevention as the fundamental way to preserve health. The out-going Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima, has also been invited to the event. While in Cuba, President Samper will also visit the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, the site of the EXPOCARIBE '98 Trade Fair. The Colombian president will be accompanied by several of his ministers. EXPOCARIBE '98 TRADE FAIR CONTINUES IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA Santiago de Cuba, June 23(RHC)-- The EXPOCARIBE '98 Trade Fair continues today in Santiago de Cuba with the participation of 493 Cuban firms and 265 international companies from 34 countries. The President of Cuba's Chamber of Commerce, Carlos Martinez Salsamendi, noted that there are more exhibitors at this year's EXPOCARIBE, but said that the most important improvements at the trade fair are the contacts that are being made and the content of the exhibits and displays. Considering that trade in the Caribbean Basin amounts to more than 500 million dollars annually, Salsamendi said that the contacts and exchanges at the trade fair could have a positive economic impact on the eastern part of the island, strengthening the area's links with the rest of the Caribbean. Cuban Foreign Trade Minister Ricardo Cabrisas, speaking with reporters in Santiago, said that the Cuban government is pleased with the island's growing friendship with CARICOM. The Cuban official emphasized the efforts by Havana to strengthen relations with the Caribbean and initiatives by Caribbean countries to promote Cuba's integration into the region. For his part, Juan Carlos Robinson, member of the Political Bureau of Cuba's Communist Party and First Secretary of Santiago de Cuba, said he was pleased with the growing character of the event and increased participation at the trade fair by firms from Santiago de Cuba. CONSTRUCTION OF RESIDENTIAL PROJECT IN HAVANA'S MIRAMAR NEIGHBORHOOD UNDERWAY Havana, June 23(RHC)-- Construction of the 5th Avenue Gardens, which includes 175 apartments in Havana's Miramar neighborhood, is underway. The Cuban-Spanish joint venture Costa Habana S.A. plans to finish this residential project by December 1999 with an initial investment of some 15 million dollars. Officials from Costa Habana told reporters that the new project involves an area located at 5th Avenue and 114th Street in Miramar, located in western Havana. The residential complex will include natural gardens, equipped with an automatic irrigation system, surrounding the apartments. In addition, the new complex will include a shopping center, an underground parking lot, swimming pool and air conditioning system. RENOWNED U.S. ACTOR JACK NICHOLSON ARRIVES IN CUBA Havana, June 23(RHC)-- Renowned U.S. actor Jack Nicholson is in Havana at the invitation of the Cuban Film Institute. The award-winning actor said he was "very happy to be in Cuba," a nation which he "respects and admires." The President of Cuba's Film Institute, Alfredo Guevara, said that the objective of Nicholson's visit is to discuss the New Latin American Film Festival which is held annually in Cuba. Guevara added that the invitation to Jack Nicholson will help to improve relations between Cuban and U.S. actors. [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