Radio Havana Cuba, August 30, 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 Monday, August 30, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN SPORTS OFFICIALS AND ATHLETES HOLD TELEVISED ROUND TABLE TO DISCUSS WITHDRAWAL FROM AMATEUR BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2.- IBEROAMERICAN LEADERS DISCUSS GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS 3.- CUBAN DOCTORS AND SPECIALISTS OFFER THEIR SERVICES IN IRAQ 4.- HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL FROM YUCATAN ENDS VISIT TO CUBA 5.- CUBA WILL PRODUCE FOUR NEW TYPES OF SUGAR BY YEAR'S END 6.- CARIBBEAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OPENS ITS DOORS IN SANTIAGO CUBAN SPORTS OFFICIALS AND ATHLETES HOLD TELEVISED ROUND TABLE TO DISCUSS WITHDRAWAL FROM AMATEUR BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS Havana, August 30(RHC)-- Cuban sports officials, athletes and journalists held a televised round table yesterday afternoon to discuss the injustices committed against the Cuban delegation at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in Houston, Texas. The live, nationwide TV broadcast came following the delegation's decision to withdraw from the competitions after Cuban boxers were stripped of clearly-won medals. Renowned Cuban sports broadcasters Eddy Martin and Modesto Aguero brought to the round table copies of the voting slips used by the judges which clearly demonstrated irregularities. The slips illustrated how several judges intentionally marked them to prevent their vote from coinciding with those of the other judges. In the voting system used by the International Amateur Boxing Association, the IABA, the votes of three of the five judges present must coincide within a period of one second in order to grant a point. Cuba's chief boxing trainer and technical director Alcides Sagarra said Cuba had previously protested a system in which the identity of the judges is kept secret, while their individual voting slips are not revealed to the public or the press following a match. Cuba used what were called "unconventional methods" to obtain copies of several voting slips. Sagarra also stated that the problems in Houston began as soon as the delegations arrived. He pointed to the dispute over the medical controls and weigh-ins which, contrary to IABA rules, were carried out by countries and not by weight divisions. And, said Sagarra, several members of Cuba's delegation were offered large sums of money to desert. Cuban National Boxing Commissioner Jose Barrientos called the organization of the world boxing event in Houston "a disaster." He said that despite having paid 100 dollars a day per person for room and board, the diet was disastrous, causing one Cuban boxer to lose a considerable amount of weight. As an example, Barrientos mentioned one dinner comprised of a sandwich with imitation ham, a salad, a dessert and a strange- tasting soft drink. He said other dinners consisted of spaghetti and macaroni, with only one chicken dinner served during the entire event. Cuba's National Boxing Commissioner also mentioned what he called "the chaos of the transportation system," with only two buses for nearly 300 athletes, trainers and journalists. Cuba has charged that six of its boxers were unjustly stripped of their medals, in what Havana says has become "a systematic campaign to discredit the Cuban sports movement." Cuban President Fidel Castro sat in the audience during the round table, requesting to speak only a few minutes when discussions were wrapping up nearly three hours after they had begun. The Cuban leader said that those who had watched the TV broadcast must surely be shocked at the revelations. But, he added, there are revelations that are even more shocking concerning efforts to discredit the Cuban sports movement. And the Cuban president announced that further revelations will be forthcoming. IBEROAMERICAN LEADERS DISCUSS GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS Havana, August 30(RHC)-- Iberoamerican Economy Ministers, experts and delegates from international institutions will meet in Havana this week to discuss the impact of the global economic crisis and explore possible strategies to confront that situation. The Director of the Department of International Relations of Cuba's Economic and Planning Ministry, Claudio Vigoa, characterized the upcoming event as important to achieving the economic development of the Iberoamerican region. The organizers of the meeting expect a large number of participants -- many of whom have already confirmed their attendance. The two-day event will pave the way for the 9th Iberoamerican Summit of heads of state and government, scheduled to take place in November in the Cuban capital. CUBAN DOCTORS AND SPECIALISTS OFFER THEIR SERVICES IN IRAQ Baghdad, August 30(RHC)-- A group of Cuban doctors and specialists have arrived in Iraq as part of a health cooperation agreement with the Arab nation -- a victim of constant foreign aggressions. The U.S.-led military intervention in Iraq has been responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths -- many due to the destruction of the country's infrastructure, the lack of medicine and increasing diseases. The group of health professionals is part of a Cuban government effort to offer medical attention to Central America and other countries of the Third World. The Cuban doctors and specialists are scheduled to be in Iraq for one year, although their stay could be extended. Upon their arrival in Baghdad, the Cuban health brigade presented a donation of medical equipment to the Iraqi people on behalf of the people of Cuba. HIGH-RANKING OFFICIAL FROM YUCATAN ENDS VISIT TO CUBA Havana, August 30(RHC)-- The Secretary of State for Industrial Development, Tourism and Fishing from the Mexican State of Yucatan, Ricardo Dager, expressed satisfaction with his recent visit to the island. Before concluding his visit to Havana on Sunday, the Mexican official told journalists that his meetings with Cuban representatives were "the beginning of a new stage of relations between the two countries." The official from the Mexican state of Yucatan pointed out that cooperation could increase in the commercial and social fields, as well as the tourism sector, and could lead to agreements for multi-destination tourism between Cuba and Yucatan. The high-ranking Mexican official led a delegation of more than ten business executives and officials from the Chamber of Commerce -- which has expressed interest in exploring business possibilities on the Caribbean island. CUBA WILL PRODUCE FOUR NEW TYPES OF SUGAR BY YEAR'S END Havana, August 30(RHC)-- Cuba will produce four new types of sugar by the end of this year as part of an effort to improve the sugar industry. The new types of sugar consist of small grains that dissolve rapidly, a powder that is used in baking and the gold crystal and liquid saccharin used in the production of soft drinks and dark beer. In Cuba, where only two types of sugar are produced, a plant with Brazilian technology has been set up to begin producing new sugar products. The plant has a capacity of 20,000 tons a year. CARIBBEAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OPENS ITS DOORS IN SANTIAGO Santiago de Cuba, August 30(RHC)-- The Caribbean School of Medicine in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba began receiving 117 young Haitians who have already passed a preparatory course to study medicine on the island. At least 100 Cuban professors and technicians will teach at the Caribbean School of Medicine, which will open its doors for the training of health professionals in the region -- an example of the Cuban government's political commitment to cooperation and integration. The Caribbean School of Medicine is affiliated with the Higher Institute of Medical Science in eastern Santiago de Cuba, which has over 37 years of experience in medical education. The institute has graduated over 18,500 health professionals -- more than 600 from African, Arab, Latin American and Caribbean nations. [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-31087 1999-Aug-30 19:12:56