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 Wednesday, March 18, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- FURTHER DECLASSIFIED CIA DOCUMENTS SHED NEW LIGHT ON BAY OF PIGS INVASION OF CUBA BY THE UNITED STATES 2.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA WILL TRAVEL TO GENEVA AND THEN TO RUSSIA FOR OFFICIAL VISIT 3.- CUBA'S FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION MINISTER VISITS BRAZIL 4.- CUBAN-SPANISH FIRM OPENS BUSINESS FOR PRINTING SERVICES 5.- CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN MAYORS MEET IN HAVANA 6.- NEW AIR TERMINAL AT HAVANA'S JOSE MARTI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT READY TO BEGIN SERVICES FURTHER DECLASSIFIED CIA DOCUMENTS SHED NEW LIGHT ON BAY OF PIGS INVASION OF CUBA BY THE UNITED STATES Washington, March 18(RHC)-- The United States government and the Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA, have admitted the existence of a U.S. pilot who participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion 37 years ago. Until now, Thomas "Pete" Ray -- a member of the Alabama National Guard whose B-26 bomber was downed by Cuban anti-aircraft fire in 1961 -- never existed according to the CIA. For Washington, he simply disappeared into thin air and for his family, it was the beginning of a long nightmare. The Cuban government, in its efforts to prove direct U.S. military involvement in the Bay of Pigs invasion, kept Ray's body on ice until 1979. With the help of U.S. congressional representatives and the cooperation of Cuba, his family was able to recover the body and give him a decent burial. But even after this episode, the CIA continued claiming no knowledge of the victim's existence. The declassified CIA documents also demonstrate that Ray was ordered to fly over Cuba when the CIA knew that the invasion had failed -- what is being interpreted as an act of desperation following late President John F. Kennedy's refusal to continue the operation in order to cover-up Washington's disaster. The Central Intelligence Agency created an anonymous society that for years paid a pension to Ray's widow and orphaned children. Today, the late pilot's family received two medals of honor. CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA WILL TRAVEL TO GENEVA AND THEN TO RUSSIA FOR OFFICIAL VISIT Havana, March 18(RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina is scheduled to address the 54th meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva on Friday. The U.N. annual session was inaugurated Monday by Secretary General Kofi Annan. >From Geneva, the Cuban foreign minister travels to Russia where he will begin a three-day official visit on Monday, the 23rd. The upcoming visit was announced by the Cuban Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, confirming that during his stay in Moscow, Robaina will meet with his Russian counterpart, Evguenni Primakov. Roberto Robaina will also hold meetings with parliamentary leaders and other Russian officials. According to Prensa Latina News Agency in Havana, the Cuban foreign minister's visit to Russia reaffirms the interests of both countries to continue their close relations. Despite the fact that ties between Cuba and Russia were notably reduced after the collapse of the former Soviet Union, Russia continues to be the island's main trading partner -- with annual commerce amounting to over 800 million dollars. CUBA'S FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION MINISTER VISITS BRAZIL Rio de Janeiro, March 18(RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Minister Ibrahim Ferradaz is in Brazil to participate in a conference sponsored by the Latin American Economic System, SELA. At the request of the Brazilian Industrial Confederation, Ferradaz will take part in a seminar on business and investment development in Cuba which will take place in Rio de Janeiro. During his visit to this South American nation, the Cuban official will also meet with Brazilian business representatives. Following his stay in Brazil, Ibrahim Ferradaz will travel to Argentina. CUBAN-SPANISH FIRM OPENS BUSINESS FOR PRINTING SERVICES Havana, March 18(RHC)-- The joint Cuban-Spanish firm Durero Caribe S.A. will open a print shop on Friday that will offer good quality printing services. The new Durero Caribe S.A. facility will be a good option for business firms on the island and can respond to the requests of other firms located in the region. Among some of the firm's most important clients are: ERON Laboratories, Biotechnology and Suchel. The Cuban-Spanish firm has also received requests from the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica. CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN MAYORS MEET IN HAVANA Havana, March 18(RHC)-- The 12th meeting of Central American and Caribbean Mayors is underway in Havana. The region's mayors will analyze the financial state of the Union of Iberoamerican Capital Cities, known as the UCCI. Representatives of the mayoral offices in San Salvador, Managua, Guatemala City, Mexico City, San Jose, Madrid and Havana will analyze a cooperation project between the members of the UCCI which was founded in 1982. NEW AIR TERMINAL AT HAVANA'S JOSE MARTI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT READY TO BEGIN SERVICES Havana, March 18(RHC)-- A new air terminal at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport will be ready to open in the coming weeks. This third air terminal was constructed at a cost of 38 million pesos and 55 million dollars. A number of tourists have complained of the slow customs and immigration process as well as delays in getting their luggage. But with this new and modern terminal, Cuban authorities are attempting to speed-up the process for vacationers that visit the island. Cuba welcomed over one million tourists last year and more than two million vacationers are expected to arrive annually on the Caribbean island by the year 2000. 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