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, May 29, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA HIGHLIGHTS POSITIVE RESULTS OF VISIT BY BRAZILIAN FOREIGN MINISTER LUIZ FELIPE LAMPREIA 2.- U.S. CONGRESSMAN ESTEBAN TORRES LAYS BARE WHAT HE CALLS `SENATOR JESSE HELM'S CUBA PLOY' 3.- CUBA WILL ACHIEVE EFFICIENCY AND COMPETITIVENESS IN FUTURE SUGAR HARVESTS 4.- UNIVERSITY '98 CONCLUDES SUCCESSFUL CONVENTION IN HAVANA 5.- BARBADIAN SENATE LEADER IMPRESSED WITH CUBA'S DEVELOPMENT 6.- CUBAN INVESTMENT MINISTER WINDS UP VISIT TO CANADA 7.- HORIZONTES SAN JUAN HOLDS INTERNATIONAL DOMINO TOURNAMENT CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA HIGHLIGHTS POSITIVE RESULTS OF VISIT BY BRAZILIAN FOREIGN MINISTER LUIZ FELIPE LAMPREIA Havana, May 29(RHC)-- Following Brazilian Foreign Minister Luiz Felipe Lampreia's visit to Cuba, Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina stated that "Cuba continues opening itself to the world and that the island is pleased that the world is beginning to open to Cuba." In an interview with Havana's Prensa Latina News Agency, the Cuban foreign minister said the recent accords signed between Cuba and Brazil are "a demonstration of the independence, maturity, scope and possibilities of relations between a large country rich in resources and a small, though sovereign and proud nation." The amplitude of the accords signed with Brazil, said Robaina, will allow Brazilians "to better understand a small nation that has embarked on the path of socialism in a free, democratic and independent manner." He said the collective decision of the Cuban people to build a just and equitable society based on human solidarity "explains the nation's capacity to share sacrifices and survive all efforts to change, dominate and even eliminate Cuba." Robaina said that Cuba distributes, "with the greatest equality possible, the little it has among the many, instead of distributing much among the few," which, he added, is what occurs in other countries. The Cuban foreign minister also made reference to the continual media barrage against Cuba with respect to the issues of human rights and Cuba's need to change in order to be eligible to enjoy the benefits of participation in multilateral forums. He said the millions of Cubans "whose human rights have been massively and flagrantly violated for the past 40 years by the U.S. economic blockade, don't understand the lack of comprehension, the lack of knowledge and, at times, the ideological intolerance of those who proclaim themselves judges and owners of the absolute truth." Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina said his nation rejects the ideological models of human rights that since the end of the Cold War are "manipulated in a selective, discriminatory and politicized manner." Finally, Robaina said that Cuba's democratic socialism "is not a company that is handled in terms of investment and profit," and that Cuba will not accept conditions for its participation in multilateral forums. U.S. CONGRESSMAN ESTEBAN TORRES LAYS BARE WHAT HE CALLS `SENATOR JESSE HELM'S CUBA PLOY' Washington, May 29(RHC)-- In the "Letters To The Editor" section of Thursday's edition of The Washington Post, U.S. Congressman Esteban Torres laid bare what he called "Senator Jesse Helm's Cuba ploy." In reference to Helm's recent announcement supporting legislation granting U.S. taxpayer aid to Cuba, Torres said that The Washington Post article written by Thomas Lippman last May 15th appeared to have been written almost directly from the statements issued by Helms. Torres said the article "missed the exquisite irony of the architect of the world's most punishing embargo, champion of the free marketplace and one of the principal advocates of getting big government out of the taxpayer's pockets." The U.S. Congressman, a Democrat from California and staunch opponent of Washington's blockade of Cuba, pointed out that Helms is "asking for millions of taxpayer's dollars for government donations to address the suffering and pain that he largely created." Torres recalled that the senator is, after all, the author of the Helms-Burton legislation, "which deliberately upped the pain threshold for the Cuban people." He pointed out that Helms opposes his legislation to permit the free-market, commercial sale of food and medicine by U.S. businesses to Cuba. Congressman Torres urged Mr. Lippman, Post staff writer, to "dig a little deeper" into the senator's motives in introducing this measure. Torres highlighted the fact that the Catholic Church in Cuba, the main conduit identified for the senator's proposed humanitarian gift, "has never distributed aid coming from governments." In fact, continued the U.S. congressman, the Church indicated in a statement on May 17th that it will continue this policy. That means, he added, that Caritas, the Catholic Church's humanitarian distribution network, "will not touch this aid." Neither, said Torres, will the U.S. National Council of Churches or Inter- Action. He noted that groups such as the Cuban-American Alliance, the Cuban Committee for Democracy and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce-backed Americans for Humanitarian Trade with Cuba oppose the Helms legislation. California Congressman Esteban Torres told The Washington Post that digging a little deeper into this story might have shown that Senator Helm's proposal "is hardly a change of heart." Rather, he said, it is "a deliberate detour" created to derail efforts supported by himself and Senator Christopher Dodd to lift the embargo and restrictions on the sale of food and medicine. Congressman Torres wrapped up his letter to the editors of The Washington Post by pointing out that his and his colleague's legislation, "at no cost to the U.S. taxpayer," would address the food and medicine shortages in Cuba. He noted that this legislation is supported by almost every organized U.S. religious and humanitarian group, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the United Auto Workers Union and 123 bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives. CUBA WILL ACHIEVE EFFICIENCY AND COMPETITIVENESS IN FUTURE SUGAR HARVESTS Havana, May 29(RHC)-- Cuban Sugar Industry Minister Division General Ulises Rosales del Toro says that the base of Cuba's growth strategy is to reach efficiency and international competitiveness starting next year. He made the statements at the 13th Session of the International Sugar Organization that wound up Friday in the Cuban capital. Rosales del Toro stressed that an element which could help to achieve that goal is the introduction of modern organization and management techniques. That, he said, will help the island reduce costs and ensure the quality of its harvests. The division general said that his ministry is currently speeding up the process of automation in the sector to achieve an effective management. He said that in order to reach that efficiency, some sugar mills will be closed, while a refurbishing and renovation process will begin in the most efficient ones. Rosales del Toro stressed that some measures have already been taken in order to increase yields, like planting more cane and taking technical and organizational steps to ensure sustained growth from next year on. At the 13th Session of the International Sugar Organization, participants discussed national sugar policies and the prospects for recovery of the Cuba's sugar industry. The International Sugar Organization is made up of 52 countries representing 73 percent of the world's sugar production. UNIVERSITY '98 CONCLUDES SUCCESSFUL CONVENTION IN HAVANA Havana, May 29(RHC)-- The International Convention University '98 closed its doors this Friday with memories that will surely be sources of consultation for university professionals the world over. During the four-day event, delegates dealt with the links between universities, society and the environment, job opportunities for university graduates and the negative impact of neo-liberal economic policies on university studies. The forum in Havana paves the way for a World Conference on the issue scheduled to be held in Paris. BARBADIAN SENATE LEADER IMPRESSED WITH CUBA'S DEVELOPMENT Havana, May 29(RHC)-- President of the Barbadian Senate, Fred Gollop, wound up an official visit to Cuba Thursday. Shortly before leaving Havana to return to Barbados, he told reporters that he was impressed with the island's development in several areas. The President of the Barbadian Senate thanked the Cuban government for its hospitality and expressed interest in areas such as tourism and health, particularly in primary health care and scientific research. During their stay in Cuba, the delegation of Barbadian parliamentarians headed by Gollop met with Cuban government officials and toured sites of scientific interest with the aim of increasing relations between the two Caribbean islands. CUBAN INVESTMENT MINISTER WINDS UP VISIT TO CANADA Ottawa, May 29(RHC)-- Cuban Investment and Economic Cooperation Minister Ibrahim Ferradaz wound up a working visit to Canada. During his stay, Ferradaz met with Canadian government officials, legislators and business representatives. Canadian media reported that Ferradaz fulfilled an extensive program in Canada and termed his meetings as very fruitful, contributing to the strengthening of bilateral relations. Observers noted that Canada and Cuba have a cooperation and exchange agreement in areas such as politics, trade, tourism, sports and science. HORIZONTES SAN JUAN HOLDS INTERNATIONAL DOMINO TOURNAMENT Santiago de Cuba, May 29(RHC)-- The Horizontes San Juan Hotel in Santiago de Cuba will be the venue of an international domino tournament scheduled for June 11th through the 14th. Participants 16 years of age and older can take part, including foreigners or Cubans residing abroad. Winners will receive trophies and prizes that include all-expense paid vacations at Horizontes Hotels. While taking part in the gathering, participants and their companions will be able to enjoy an excellent cultural and entertainment program in the city. [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