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, March 19, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION CONDEMNS MERCENARY ATTACKS AGAINST CUBA 2.- CUBA SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH PROMINENT JAPANESE FIRMS TO RESCHEDULE 750 MILLION DOLLAR COMMERCIAL DEBT 3.- U.S. AND CUBAN ACADEMICS DISCUSS AGRICULTURE NEXT WEEK 4.- INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON VETERINARY MEDICINE UNDERWAY IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL 5.- CUBA'S BIOLOGICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL LABORATORIES GAIN PRESTIGE 6.- CUBAN SINGER/SONGWRITER SILVIO RODRIGUEZ PERFORMS IN MEXICO CITY UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION CONDEMNS MERCENARY ATTACKS AGAINST CUBA Geneva, March 19(RHC)-- A report presented late Wednesday at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva has recognized and condemned the use of mercenaries to launch attacks against Cuba. The UN's special rapporteur on the use of mercenaries in human rights violations, Enrique Bernales, made reference to the series of bomb attacks last year against tourist installations in Havana, in which an Italian citizen was killed. Bernales also took note of the fact that a Salvadoran citizen was arrested in Havana and charged with the terrorist attacks, and that the accused admitted to being a mercenary and to having received 4 thousand 500 dollars for each bomb he placed. Cuban authorities have stated that their investigations revealed that the Salvadoran mercenary was financed by extremist Cuban-American organizations based in Miami. The UN rapporteur said that before concluding his report, the United States government sent him a message, claiming that it was willing to investigate the participation of such organizations in these types of actions against Cuba. A member of Cuba's delegation to the UN Human Rights Commission, Juan Antonio Fernandez Palacios, presented a report in Geneva today, charging that Cuba has been subjected to U.S.-financed terrorism for over 30 years. Bernales said that African countries are most affected by mercenary aggressions, which, he said, are now being promoted by transnational security firms. CUBA SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH PROMINENT JAPANESE FIRMS TO RESCHEDULE 750 MILLION DOLLAR COMMERCIAL DEBT Tokyo, March 19(RHC)-- Cuba and a group of prominent Japanese companies have reached an agreement to reschedule the island's 750 million dollar commercial debt -- a significant portion of Cuba's total debt to Japan. The debt is owed to 26 Japanese firms and, under this new agreement, will be fully repaid by the year 2028. Cuba was forced to stop its debt payments in 1986, but since then has reached several bilateral agreements to reschedule those payments. The agreement was signed in Tokyo by the President of Cuba's Central Bank, Francisco Soberon, and Takejiko Suchiya, who presides over the Japan-Cuba Economic Conference. The accord is expected to allow for the intensification of bilateral trade between the two nations and of Japanese investment on the island. It is also seen as another act of defiance against Washington's Helms-Burton Law. At the same time, Tokyo's embassy in Havana has announced a program of humanitarian aid to Cuba in the health sphere. Japan will donate some 75,000 dollars to Cuban children and adolescents suffering from diabetes, and to support programs for the treatment of sexually-transmitted diseases. U.S. AND CUBAN ACADEMICS DISCUSS AGRICULTURE NEXT WEEK Havana, March 19(RHC)-- Cuban and U.S. academics are scheduled to meet next week in Florida to discuss issues related to agriculture. The Cuban delegation will be headed by the director of the Center for International Economic Research, Antonio Romero Gomez. Members of the delegation will first meet with agricultural experts from the University of Florida and later participate in the main conference in Washington, DC. The meetings are sponsored by the National Center for Agricultural and Food Policy, a non-governmental organization based in Washington and the Universities of Havana and Gainesville in the U.S. state of Florida. A previous academic exchange between the two universities took place in May last year. INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON VETERINARY MEDICINE UNDERWAY IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, March 19(RHC)-- The National Congress and International Symposium on Veterinary Medicine in Case of Disasters kicked off Wednesday with the participation of 12 countries. The General Director of the Veterinary Medicine Institute, Dr. Emerio Serrano, outlined ways to confront natural phenomena and the fight against diseases in animals. One of the main objectives is the control of veterinary diseases throughout the country. Serrano said that Cuba has eliminated 15 pathologies considered to be the most serious worldwide, has guaranteed good sanitary conditions for animals as well as good food and the preservation of its environment, which is key for a healthy life for both humans and animals. During the congress, Dr. Jose Rubiera, head of the Cuban Meteorological Institute, talked about the characteristics of the meteorological phenomena on the island, whose geographic location makes it vulnerable to hurricanes. CUBA'S BIOLOGICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL LABORATORIES GAIN PRESTIGE Havana, March 19(RHC)-- Cuba's Biological and Pharmaceutical Laboratories firm will widen their cooperation with Central America -- especially Honduras and Guatemala -- in an attempt to increase exports. According to the firm's director, Jose Antonio Fraga, production has increased due to the prestige the laboratory has gained abroad. He added that Cuba's Biological and Pharmaceutical Laboratories based in Havana is now working together with the Pan American Health Organization and has already received requests to offer its services in emergency cases in Africa and South America. CUBAN SINGER/SONGWRITER SILVIO RODRIGUEZ PERFORMS IN MEXICO CITY Mexico City, March 19(RHC)-- Cuba's renowned singer/songwriter Silvio Rodriguez will offer a concert in Mexico City at the invitation of Mexico's National Auditorium. Rodriguez told the Mexican daily "El Nacional" that he is proud of being part of the Cuban Revolution and thanked the Mexican people for their solidarity with Cuba. Silvio will offer a concert in Mexico City's Revolution Plaza this weekend, after an absence of eight years. Upon his return to Havana, the Cuban singer will finish recording with Cuban composer Cesar Portillo de la Luz. 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