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, October 22, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBA REITERATES RIGHT TO CARRY OUT SPY OPERATIONS IN U.S. AS LONG AS TERRORIST ACTIONS AGAINST CUBA CONTINUE 2.- CUBA AND CHILE SIGN TRADE PROMOTION AGREEMENT 3.- PSYCHIATRY CONFERENCE UNDERWAY IN HAVANA 4.- THE BAHAMAS AND U.S. RETURN 89 ILLEGAL CUBAN IMMIGRANTS 5.- U.S. NEWSPAPER EDITORS ARRIVE IN CUBA 6.- JAPAN DONATES $50,000 TO CUBA TO HELP REPAIR DAMAGES CAUSED BY HURRICANE GEORGES 7.- BRITISH BARONESS JANET MARY YOUNG PRESENTS CONFERENCE ON THE CARIBBEAN CUBA REITERATES RIGHT TO CARRY OUT SPY OPERATIONS IN U.S. AS LONG AS TERRORIST ACTIONS AGAINST CUBA CONTINUE Havana, October 22(RHC)-- Cuba's Foreign Ministry today reiterated Cuba's right to carry out espionage operations in the United States as long as terrorist attacks against the island continue. In his weekly news conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alejandro Gonzalez stated that Cuba has the right to adopt "all necessary measures, including intelligence operations," as long as Washington's hostile Cuba policy remains intact, and while Cuban-American terrorist organizations continue launching operations against the island. Gonzalez pointed out that there is a long list of U.S. covert and overt actions against Cuba. During his recent trip to Europe, Cuban President Fidel Castro told journalists that Cuba must protect itself from attacks against tourist facilities -- as occurred in the rash of bomb explosions last year in Havana hotels. He also stated that Cuban authorities must take measures against the introduction of weapons and explosives and acts of sabotage that could affect the Cuban economy. The Foreign Ministry spokesman today also reiterated Fidel Castro's flat rejection of any intentions to spy on U.S. military installations. CUBA AND CHILE SIGN TRADE PROMOTION AGREEMENT Santiago de Chile, October 22(RHC)-- Representatives of the Center for the Promotion of Cuban Exports and its Chilean counterpart PROCHILE, have signed a cooperation agreement in the Chilean capital. The protocol was signed during the World Conference of Foreign Promotion Organizations which is currently underway in Santiago de Chile. Delegates from 66 countries are participating in the conference. Sources from both countries agreed that the main objective of the initiative is to promote and expand trade between Cuba and Chile, as well as to facilitate the work of their respective export companies. The Center for the Promotion of Cuban Exports presented PROCHILE with a list of domestic products that are good candidates for the Chilean market -- most of them in the agricultural and health sectors. PSYCHIATRY CONFERENCE UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, October 22(RHC)-- Two important events are taking place in Havana as part of the international psychiatry conference Psychohabana '98: the International Symposium on Violence Against Children and the First French-Latin American Meeting on Legal Psychiatry. Argentinean Senator Mario Losada, a participant in the Symposium on Violence Against Children, stated that "defending a child today preserves tomorrow's adult" -- helping to achieve a more just and more closely-knit society. Losada stressed that early preventive work can keep children from becoming violent. The Argentinean lawmaker emphasized the need to make the world aware of the importance of protecting children. Violence was also a topic of discussion in the First French-Latin American Meeting on Legal Psychiatry, in which participants noted the importance of treating such cases both from a clinical and a social point of view. Psychohabana '98 wraps up tomorrow, Friday. THE BAHAMAS AND U.S. RETURN 89 ILLEGAL CUBAN IMMIGRANTS Havana, October 22(RHC)-- U.S. and Bahamian Coast Guard officials, in coordination with Cuban authorities, returned 89 undocumented immigrants to the island this week. Since January l996, when Havana and Nassau signed a memorandum of understanding in migratory matters, 869 illegal immigrants have been returned home. After being intercepted on the high seas by U.S. Coast Guard officials, the United States has repatriated 1002 undocumented Cubans to the island since Washington and Havana signed a migratory agreement in l995. U.S. NEWSPAPER EDITORS ARRIVE IN CUBA Havana, October 22(RHC)-- Thirty-two members of the American Society of News Editors arrived in the Cuban capital Wednesday evening to begin a four-day visit. The Executive Director of the Dallas Morning News, Gilbert Bailon, said the group's objective is to talk with government officials, church representatives and political leaders. In addition, the editors will exchange opinions on Cuba's development and problems caused by the U.S. economic blockade against the island, which has been in place nearly 40 years. The editors plan to meet with Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina and with Economy Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez. According to members of the U.S. delegation, they would also like to hold meetings with President Fidel Castro and Defense Minister Raul Castro. The American Society of News Editors has also sponsored trips by its members to Mexico, China, Russia and South Africa. JAPAN DONATES $50,000 TO CUBA TO HELP REPAIR DAMAGES CAUSED BY HURRICANE GEORGES Havana, October 22(RHC)-- The Director of Latin American Affairs of Japan's Foreign Ministry, Tomoyuki Abe, has presented Cuba with a donation of $50,000 to help repair damages caused by Hurricane Georges. The Japanese official assured Cuban Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Minister Ibrahim Ferradaz that Tokyo will send more aid in the future. Tomoyuki Abe told journalists in Havana that economic relations between Cuba and Japan are in the process of expanding. The Japanese Foreign Ministry official is presiding over a delegation from his country that is visiting Cuba. Tomoyuki Abe and his group are meeting in Havana with local government leaders on community projects approved by the Japanese government to be initiated on the island. The Japanese delegation is also interested in sports and cultural exchanges. And in related news, the Japanese Peace Cruise ship will arrive at a Cuban port for the fourth time this year -- marking the 100th anniversary of the arrival in Cuba of the first Japanese immigrants. On the 1st and 2nd of November, the Japanese cruise ship will visit the island under the auspices of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) and Amistur Tour Operator, to promote peace and friendship between Cuba and Japan. Peace Cruise members will present the country with donations and will visit various sites of cultural and economic interest. BRITISH BARONESS JANET MARY YOUNG PRESENTS CONFERENCE ON THE CARIBBEAN Havana, October 22(RHC)-- Concluding her fourth visit to Cuba, British Baroness Janet Mary Young, Chair of the Cuba Initiative Group, presented a speech on the Caribbean. Speaking in the ornate Master Lecture Hall of the University of Havana -- filled with members of the diplomatic corps, university students and professors -- Baroness Young said that she considers herself a friend of Cuba. She gave a detailed analysis of the region's challenges in the new millennium -- in a world of globalization and economic instability. Referring to Cuba, she said that the island "could be the best intermediary between the countries of the Caribbean and Latin America." The British Baroness called the U.S. Helms-Burton Law "unacceptable" and charged that it places in doubt the United States' ability to find solutions. The conference was the Baroness Young's last activity in Cuba, following a packed-program that included visits with Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage, parliamentarians, Havana's Cardinal Jaime Ortega and the Rector of Havana University, Juan Vela. [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. 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