CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following news on Cuba is taken from Radio Havana Cuba's English broadcast for September 21, 1998 1 - US HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST TERM AS HYPOCRITICAL ATTEMPT TO EXTRADITE ASSARA SHAKUR 2 - CUBAN VICE-PRESIDENT TO PAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO FRANCE & ITALY 3 - CUBAN FORENSIC EXPERTS DISCOVER REMAINS OF TANYA THE GUERILLA IN BOLIVIA 4 - INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PORT INSTALLATIONS, TECHNOLOGY & ADMINISTRATION BEGINS IN HANAVA 5 - JAPANESE BUSINESS DELEGATION VISITS CUBA 6 - REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON FREE TRADE ZONES BEGINS IN COLOMBIA 7 - HABANO CIGAR PRODUCTION INCREASES 8 - CAMAGUEY PROVINCE HAS LOWEST INFANT MORTALITY RATE IN THE COUNTRY 9 - NICARAGUAN STUDENTS RETURN HOME AFTER STUDYING IN CUBA US HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST TERM AS HYPOCRITICAL CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION CALLING ON CUBA TO EXTRADITE AFRICAN-AMERICAN ACTIVIST ASSATA SHAKUR Havana, September 21, RHC -- The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights has sent an open letter to the US Congress terming as incredibly hypocritical legislation passed on September 14th calling on the government of Cuba to extradite African-American activist Assata Shakur. The Center's director, Michael Ratner, said that aside from Ms. Shakur's innocence and the unfairness of her trial, if there is a place where terrorists can call home, it's the United States. The open letter pointed to the case of Cuban-American terrorist Orlando Bosch -- currently living in Miami -- who was convicted of blowing up a Cubana airline killing 73 people. But the Center for Consitutional Rights said the US is not only home for Cuban-American terrrorists, pointing also to Haitian right wing death squad leader Emmanuel Constant. Washington has denied repeated Haitian requests for Constant's extradition. Among other human rights violators under US protection, Ratner mentioned Salvadoran military officers Jose Guillermo Garcia and Vides Cassanova, who according to the United Nations covered up and protected the murderers of 3 American nuns and a lay worker in El Salvador. The list also includes Guatemalan General Hector Gramajo, accused of killing as many as 10,000 indians, and Indonesian General Sintong Panjaitan, responsible for a 1991 massacre in East Timor. These, however, stated the open letter, are only a few, since scores more are probably unknown to the public and hidden in US territory. On April 2nd, Cuba forcefully turned down any request for Ms. Shakur's extradition, calling her a civil rights activist, stating that the Cuban government has sufficient reasons to disagree with the charges against her and fears that she might be the target of unfair treatment. The director of the Center for Constitutional Rights wrote that he, like many others, believe Assata Shakur is innocent, pointing out that she was illegally stopped by racist New Jersey State police, shot while her hands were in the air and tried by a jury inflamed by politicians and the media bent on her conviction. He added that no matter what position one takes as to Assata Shakur's innocence or guilt, her trial was clearly a miscarriage of justice. CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE TO PAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO FRANCE AND ITALY Havana, September 21, RHC -- Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage today began an official visit to France, invited by French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin. Accompanied by Cuban Trade Minister Ricardo Cabrisas and Deputy Foreign Minister Isabel Allende -- among others -- Lage's 5 day visit will be aimed primarily at enhancing economic and trade relations. Just before departure, the secretary of the Cuban Council of Ministers' Executive Committee, and one of the major architects of the island's economic reforms, said the bulk of foreign investors in Cuba are from the Old Continent. On Friday, Lage will also travel to Italy on an official visit. Among numerous activities, he will meet with Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Prime Minister Romano Prodi and Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini. Last June, Dini became to the first European Foreign Minister to visit Cuba in the past 30 years. In other diplomatic news, Guatemalan Vice President Luis Flores Asturias today wrapped up a 5 day official visit to Cuba with the signing of an accord for the establishment of regular flights between Havana and Guatemala City. Flores had already signed with Cuban government officials some 7 accords in diverse sectors, in what was the first visit to Cuba of a high-ranking Guatemalan government official in the past 37 years. IN BOLIVIA, CUBAN FORENSIC EXPERTS DISCOVER REMAINS OF CUBA'S LEGENDARY, GERMAN-BORN TANYA THE GUERRILLA Havana, September 21, RHC -- In Bolivia, Cuban forensic experts have discovered the remains of Cuba's legendary, German-born Tanya The Guerrilla, who fought alongside Che Guevara. Bolivian Government Minister Guido Nayar said the remains, discovered last Saturday, will be sent to Cuba at the request of Tanya's mother, Nadia Bider. She will join Che Guevara and another group of internationalist guerrillas recently buried at a special mausoleum in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara. The remains were discovered by the same forensic team that found the graves of Che and some of his comrads, led by the director of Cuba's Institute of Legal Medicine, Jorge Gonzalez. Gonzalez said a tree had grown over the grave, making more difficult the exhumation. The grave was found in Vallegrande, some 870 kilometers southeast of the Bolivian capital, La Paz -- which was the center of operations of Che Guevara's efforts to overthrow Bolivia's military dictatorship as a first step towards fanning the flames of revolution in all of Latin America. The forensic team continues its search for other members of the internationalist brigade. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PORT INSTALLATIONS, TECHNOLOGY AND ADMINISTRATION BEGINS IN HAVANA Havana, September 21 (RHC)-- An International Conference on Port Installations, Technology and Administration, CITAPORT 98, kicked off on Monday in Havana's Capitol building. The event, which was organized by Cuba's Port Association is aimed at promoting the exchange of specialized information among experts in the sector as well as signing contracts and agreements with institutions and port entities. Among the issues to be discussed is the internationalization of the port sector and technologies. Some 20 Latin American and European nations are represented at the International Port Conference. JAPANESE BUSINESS DELEGATION CURRENTLY VISITING CUBA Havana, September 21 (RHC)-- A delegation of Japanese business executives is currently visiting Cuba to explore business opportunities. The head of the Japanese business delegation, Yokohama Kigochi said that the group will analyze the possibility of increasing bilateral trade with the island. The delegation is composed of business executives representing food stores, supermarkets, warehouses, transportation and tourism. This is the first Japanese business delegation that has visited Cuba since Havana and Tokyo signed an accord to renegotiate the island's foreign debt with the Asian nation which stands at 750 million dollars. Trade between Cuba and Japan amounts to some 100 million dollars a year. Cuba purchases machinery and other technological products from Japan while Tokyo acquires lobster as well as other sea products and sugar from Cuba. REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON FREE TRADE ZONES TAKES PLACE IN BOGOTA COLOMBIA Havana, September (RHC)_Sources from Cuba's Foreign Investment and Economic Collaboration Ministry have announced that the island will attend the Regional Conference on Free Trade Zones that began on Monday in Bogota, Colombia. Representatives of the free trade zones located in Havana make up the Cuban delegation which will talk about the experiences the island has had with its free trade zones. During the three day event, Latin American Foreign Trade ministers, UN experts, representatives of the European Union, Asia nations and the United States will be at hand. THE PRODUCTION OF HABANO CIGARS EXPECTED TO INCREASE THIS YEAR Havana, September (RHC)-- The President of Habanos, S.A., Francisco Linares, says that Cuba is expected to produce 160 million cigars by the end of the year. According to the President of Cuba's cigar company, although production and export of cigars is increasing quality has remained intact. The exportation of Habano cigars is expected to generate more than 250 million dollars for the island this year. CAMAGUEY PROVINCE HAS THE LOWEST INFANT MORTALITY RATE IN THE COUNTRY Camaguey, September 21 (RHC)-- Thanks to the hard work of doctors, nurses and other health care personnel, the eastern province of Camaguey currently has the lowest infant mortality rate in the country with 5.2 deaths per one thousand live births. The first deputy director of the provincial health sector, Dr. Leonardo Ramirez , told the Cuban weekly Juventud Rebelde, that for such a low rate to be achieved, prenatal care and special attention to ill newborns is indispensable as well as reducing the number of low weight births. Dr Ramirez pointed out that not only is this the lowest infant mortality rate in the history of Camaguey, but the province has also registered the lowest maternal mortality rate despite the high number of women that have given birth this year - 5,950. NICARAUGAN STUDENTS RETURN HOME AFTER STUDYING IN CUBA Havana, September 21 (RHC)-- Nicaraguan students who studied on scholarships in Cuba, have stressed the support they received from the Cuban government despite the island's economic crisis and the tightening of Washington's blockade against it. Upon returning to Nicaragua, students who graduated from Cuban universities pointed out that they always received free instruction , lodging, food and basic school supplies. Newly graduated in psychology, medicine, engineering and law, 37 young Nicaraguans returned to Managua, while another 80 remain studying in various Cuban universities. [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