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, May 20, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO SAYS SOCIALISM IS THE SYSTEM OF THE FUTURE 2.- NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT'S MINISTERIAL GATHERING CALLS ON WASHINGTON TO CEASE MEDIA AGGRESSION AGAINST CUBA 3.- RENOWNED CUBAN DOCUMENTARY FILM-MAKER SANTIAGO ALVAREZ DIES AT THE AGE OF 78 4.- ACTIVITIES COMMEMORATE THE 103th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH IN COMBAT OF CUBA'S NATIONAL HERO JOSE MARTI 5.- CUBANS AND VIETNAMESE COMMEMORATE THE 108th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF HO CHI MINH 6.- CUBAN FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC COLLABORATION MINISTER SIGNS PROMOTION AND INVESTMENT PROTECTION AGREEMENT IN BRUSSELS 7.- SWISS PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION MEETS WITH CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE AND OTHER OFFICIALS CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO SAYS SOCIALISM IS THE SYSTEM OF THE FUTURE Geneva, May 20(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro answered questions today in Geneva during a news conference before more than 80 foreign journalists. The Cuban leader reiterated his condemnation of the agreement on the anti-Cuba Helms-Burton Law, reached between Washington and the European Union. He said he would have preferred that the 15 European nations adopt the same attitude as Pope John Paul II, who recently said that Washington's blockade of Cuba was "immoral and ethically unacceptable." In response to a question concerning a transition in Cuba, President Castro said "yes -- the transition towards socialism and communism will continue." The Cuban leader said the socialist system "is the system of the future, while neo-liberalism is unsustainable." He emphatically denied that a situation could arise in Cuba similar to the current scenario in Indonesia. Cuban President Fidel Castro responded to another question concerning Cuba's alleged isolation, pointing out that last year's vote against the blockade in the United Nations -- with 146 countries condemning Washington's policy -- "demonstrated that the United States, and not Cuba, is isolated." Fidel also pointed out that, flying in the face of many predictions, the January visit to Cuba of Pope John Paul II did not represent a disaster for the island. Asked about U.S. President Bill Clinton's speech before the World Trade Organization on Monday, the Cuban leader called the U.S. president "very intelligent," but pointed out that Clinton did not refer to poverty or unemployment -- adding that the U.S. president "painted an unrealistic picture of the world." Accredited journalists in Geneva also asked President Castro about capital punishment on the island. The Cuban leader responded by saying that the people would not understand a refusal to apply the death penalty to those who place bombs in airplanes or hotels -- although adding that capital punishment is applied in Cuba only in exceptional cases. He also said that the death penalty is a transitory measure in Cuba, which could be reconsidered if the blockade and aggressions against the island come to a halt. Meanwhile, Fidel Castro's speech Tuesday before the World Trade Organization has generated a great deal of praise. Guatemalan Economy Minister Juan Mauricio Gunzer termed as "highly relevant" the Cuban leader's words -- in which, according to numerous international media outlets, the Cuban president pulled no punches. Ecuador's ambassador in Belgium, Alfredo Pinoguarte, asserted that the Cuban leader "is always loudly applauded in international forums because, deep down inside, everyone shares his ideas and hears what they need to hear." And, in other news, South African President Nelson Mandela personally invited Fidel Castro to visit his country before the end of his mandate next year. The two leaders held a private meeting following Tuesday's WTO session, during which they both took the floor. According to many news agencies, the most applauded speeches were those delivered by Presidents Mandela and Castro. NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT'S MINISTERIAL GATHERING CALLS ON WASHINGTON TO CEASE MEDIA AGGRESSION AGAINST CUBA Bogota, May 20(RHC)-- In Colombia, the ministerial gathering of the Non- Aligned Movement -- which got underway on Tuesday -- has called on Washington and the world's media giants to cease the media aggression against Cuba. The Non-Aligned document asserted that the only objective of Washington's ill-named Radio Marti, and other stations like the Voice of Free Asia, is to destabilize developing countries. At the same time, Cuba's First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Bolanos -- participating in the Non-Aligned conference -- pointed to Washington's maneuvers within the context of the Multilateral Agreement on Investments. The talks are being held in almost top-secret fashion at the Paris-based Organization for Cooperation and Development in Europe, which many critics have called "an exclusive social club of the rich." Bolanos said that Washington is leading a crusade to include a clause in the final agreement that terms nationalizations of property anywhere in the world since the late 1950's as illegal. This clause, said the Cuban official, would directly affect Cuba. Meanwhile, non-aligned countries have called on the industrialized world for more development cooperation and urgent measures against financial speculation. In a document of 20 points, signed today at the conclusion of the gathering, the Non-Aligned Movement's Bureau of Coordination warned that if the steady deterioration of their economies is not reversed, then democracy will slide backwards. RENOWNED CUBAN DOCUMENTARY FILM-MAKER SANTIAGO ALVAREZ DIES AT THE AGE OF 78 Havana, May 20(RHC)-- Cuban documentary film-maker Santiago Alvarez has died at the age of 78. Alvarez was considered one of the best documentary film-makers of our time. The legendary creator of films such as "Now," "Cyclon," and "79 Primaveras," began his television career at the age of 20 as a cameraman. After the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Alvarez joined the Cuban Film Institute, ICAIC, together with its current president Alfredo Guevara, Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Julio Garcia Espinosa. He headed the Cuban Documentary School to begin fresh, new documentaries on the revolutionary struggle headed by Fidel Castro. Santiago Alvarez' career included films on the Literacy Campaign, mass political rallies in Havana's Plaza de la Revolucion, President Fidel Castro's visits abroad as well as biographical films on important world figures such as Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh and Chilean President Salvador Allende. ACTIVITIES COMMEMORATE THE 103th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH IN COMBAT OF CUBA'S NATIONAL HERO JOSE MARTI Havana, May 20(RHC)-- The main political and cultural activity commemorating the 103th anniversary of the death of Cuba's National Hero Jose Marti was held in Dos Rios in eastern Granma province. Remembering the Cuban independence leader, the President of the Jose Marti Pioneer Organization in Granma province, Mariela Parra, said that many Cubans during these 100 years of struggle have given their lives for their country, guided by the ideas of Jose Marti. Mariela Parra stated that today we can proudly say that Fidel carried out that which Marti promised -- our country is independent and sovereign. And the young pioneer student concluded by saying that Cuba will continue to be free as long as one revolutionary Cuban remains on the island. In the name of the Cuban people, the First Secretary of the Communist Party in Granma, Amado Hamut Moreno, laid a floral wreath at the National Monument located in Dos Rios, where the Cuban independence leader was killed on May 19, 1895. Also present at the ceremony were representatives of the Jose Marti Association, based in the U.S. city of Miami, currently visiting Granma province. Meanwhile, in neighboring Santiago de Cuba province, a floral wreath from Cuban President Fidel Castro was placed at the mausoleum in Santa Efigenia Cemetery, where the remains of Cuba's National Hero are buried. Thousands of pioneers, workers, government leaders and the population in general paid tribute to the independence leader on the 103th anniversary of his death. CUBANS AND VIETNAMESE COMMEMORATE THE 108th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF HO CHI MINH Havana, May 20(RHC)-- Cubans and Vietnamese living on the island commemorated the 108th anniversary of the birth of Ho Chi Minh on Tuesday in Havana. During the ceremony, the Vice President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association Marta Rojas, spoke on the life and revolutionary struggle of the founder of Vietnam and its Communist Party, who dedicated his life to the independence of this Asian nation. CUBAN FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC COLLABORATION MINISTER SIGNS PROMOTION AND INVESTMENT PROTECTION AGREEMENT IN BRUSSELS Brussels, May 20(RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration Minister Ibrahim Ferradaz signed a promotion and investment protection agreement with the Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union on Tuesday in Brussels. With the signing of this agreement -- which is Cuba's 33rd such accord -- representatives from both delegations expressed their commitment to strengthen bilateral relations, create new joint ventures and promote trade. During his visit to Brussels, the Cuban official also met with the Vice President of the European Commission, Manuel Marin. Ibrahim Ferradaz also took part in a seminar on business opportunities in Cuba sponsored by Brussels' World Center, with the participation of Belgium-Luxembourg business representatives. SWISS PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION MEETS WITH CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE AND OTHER OFFICIALS Havana, May 20(RHC)-- The Swiss parliamentary delegation currently visiting the island has met with Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage, Deputy Foreign Minister Isabel Allende and Political Bureau member Jose Ramon Balaguer. Members of the delegation are now on their way to Matanzas province, where they will visit tourism facilities and places of social and economic interest. The Swiss parliamentarians, who are visiting Cuba at the invitation of the National Assembly, will wind up their stay on Saturday. [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