Radio Havana Cuba, Weds Apr 28, 1999 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit 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, April 28, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- U.S. SENATOR CALLS FOR END TO U.S. BLOCKADE OF CUBA 2.- HIGH-RANKING BRITISH OFFICIAL WINDS UP VISIT TO CUBA 3.- PRESIDENT OF CUBAN PARLIAMENT MEETS WITH BRITISH COUNTERPART 4.- "PASSAGES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR: THE CONGO" PRESENTED IN HAVANA 5.- CUBA AND BARBADOS SIGN BILATERAL AGREEMENTS 6.- MORTALITY RATE FOR PATIENTS WITH HEART PROBLEMS DRAMATICALLY REDUCED IN CUBA U.S. SENATOR CALLS FOR END TO U.S. BLOCKADE OF CUBA Havana, April 28(RHC)-- U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd has issued an eloquent appeal for an end to Washington's blockade of Cuba. Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, spoke last Friday at the 17th Annual Journalists and Editors Workshop on Latin America -- a speech entitled "A New Conversation About Cuba." The speech was published in the Miami Herald on Monday, although Radio Havana Cuba had access to the information today on the Internet. The U.S. senator said that many of those present were aware that he visited Havana recently to get a first-hand sense of how U.S. policy has affected the economic, political and social institutions in Cuba, as well as the day-to-day lives of the Cuban people. He said it was his first visit to Havana in more than 20 years, adding that the city looked very much as he remembered it -- although the physical decay was evident. Senator Dodd said that in many ways, Havana is a city that has remained frozen in the 60's -- just as U.S. policy has -- "both ossified in the ashes of the past, like the ancient city of Pompeii." The U.S. lawmaker said that his stay helped crystallize in his own mind the essence of Washington's Cuba policy. He said he came to believe that at its core, that policy denies food to hungry Cuban children, severely limits the availability of medicines and medical supplies to the Cuban people, denies U.S. citizens the right to travel where they choose, denies American children access to certain innovative and highly- effective Cuban vaccines and prevents Cuban and U.S. diplomats and military leaders from establishing channels of communication to prevent serious misunderstandings. In short, Dodd said, it is a policy "inconsistent both with America's values and America's self-interest." The U.S. senator pointed out that Washington has been able to normalize relations with Vietnam, where more than 54,000 Americans lost their lives in what he called "a bloody and thankless conflict." There are no across-the-board trade or investment restrictions against countries such as China, said Senator Dodd, although the United States has many concerns about human rights practices, nuclear proliferation and unfair trade practices. He said the U.S. Cuba policy has been "a failure and is inhumane," stressing that Washington would lose nothing by trying a different approach. HIGH-RANKING BRITISH OFFICIAL WINDS UP VISIT TO CUBA Havana, April 28(RHC)-- The head of the Latin American and Caribbean Department and Commonwealth Office of Britain's Foreign Ministry, Henry Hogger, has wound up a five-day official visit to Cuba. During his stay, Hogger met with Cuban government officials, among them Deputy Foreign Minister Isabel Allende; the Director of the Cuban Foreign Ministry's Europe Department Teresita Vicente; and the head of the Parliament's Foreign Relations Commission, Jorge Lezcano. Before the British government official's departure from Havana, he visited the Carlos J. Finlay Institute and got a first-hand look at the island's scientific advances in the field of medicine. PRESIDENT OF CUBAN PARLIAMENT MEETS WITH BRITISH COUNTERPART London, April 28(RHC)-- The President of the Cuban Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, met in London on Tuesday with his British counterpart, Betty Boothroyd. During their meeting, both parliamentary leaders discussed issues of mutual interest, including ways to improve bilateral economic relations. Other members of the Cuban delegation, headed by Alarcon, also met with their British parliamentary counterparts. Today, the delegation travelled to Scotland to observe the first parliamentary elections in that region. "PASSAGES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR: THE CONGO" PRESENTED IN HAVANA Havana, April 28(RHC)-- The book "Passages of the Revolutionary War: The Congo," which comprises Ernesto Che Guevara's writings about his revolutionary struggle in the Congo during the early 1960's, was presented on Tuesday at the Cuban Book Institute. The presentation was made by Gianni Mina, the book's promoter; Carla Tanzi, Director of the Sperling and Kupfer Publishing House; and by Aleida Guevara March, Che's daughter. The book's prologue, written by Aleida Guevara, includes two previously unpublished letters sent to her father by Cuban President Fidel Castro when Che was in Africa. She said that the letters clear up any questions that people may have about the relationship between Fidel and Che -- noting that some "ill-intentioned people have tried to spread the rumor" that the two were at odds. "These letters show the close ties between these two men, the friendship, the admiration and the respect they felt for each other..." The book presentation was attended by several surviving members of Che's guerrilla group in the Congo. Also on hand was Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto, as well as Aleida March, Che's former wife. It was announced that "Passages of the Revolutionary War: The Congo" will be available in 16 countries, including the United States and Britain, before the end of May. The book, containing the reflections of Ernesto Che Guevara concerning his experiences in Africa, will be translated into six languages by the Sperling and Kupfer and the Grijalbo Mondadori Publishing Houses. CUBA AND BARBADOS SIGN BILATERAL AGREEMENTS Bridgetown, April 28(RHC)-- Cuba and Barbados have agreed to broaden bilateral relations in different fields including sugar, sports, education and culture. Representatives from the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation -- meeting in Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados -- told reporters that bilateral agreements were signed during the Joint Economic and Technical Cooperation Commission that was held on Tuesday. Cuba and Barbados agreed to continue discussing issues of mutual interest, particularly concerning negotiations for a new Lome Convention between the European Union and nations of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. MORTALITY RATE FOR PATIENTS WITH HEART PROBLEMS DRAMATICALLY REDUCED IN CUBA Havana, April 28(RHC)-- The mortality rate for people hospitalized with heart problems over the past year has been reduced by five percent compared to the previous year, according to the Cuban Health Ministry. The national coordinator of the island's Medical Emergency System, Alvaro Sosa, stated that this is the result of measures adopted in emergency rooms and intensive care units, as well an increased use in ambulances and an improvement in the speed of emergency services in the community. [c] 1999, 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 rhc-eng-5585 1999-Apr-28 22:20:45