Radio Havana Cuba, Weds 4 August 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 August 4, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO'S DAY OF NATIONAL REBELLION SPEECH GENERATES WIDESPREAD REPERCUSSION IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA OUTLETS 2.- THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN SOLIDARITY BRIGADE SAYS IT'S COMMITTED TO FIGHT AGAINST WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE OF CUBA 3.- UNICEF WILL SPONSOR IN HAVANA AN IBEROAMERICAN GATHERING ON THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN NEXT NOVEMBER 4.- THE CITY OF MATANZAS WILL SOON HAVE ITS OWN TROPICANA NIGHT CLUB 5.- A HISTORIC CENTER IN EASTERN SANTIAGO DE CUBA DECLARED A NATIONAL MONUMENT CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO'S DAY OF NATIONAL REBELLION SPEECH GENERATES WIDESPREAD REPERCUSSION IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA OUTLETS Havana, August 4, RHC -- Cuban President Fidel Castro's Day of National Rebellion speech Tuesday evening has generated widespread repercussion in international media outlets. The Cuban leader's second speech to commemorate the 46th anniversary of the revolutionary assault against the Batista dictatorship's Moncada military garrison focused almost in its entirety -- during 5 hours -- on the issue of the trafficking of illegal immigrants. The speech was in response to the rise in the trafficking of illegal Cuban immigrants to the United States in speed boats leaving the coast of Florida. Media outlets dedicated ample space particularly to President Castro's threat to prohibit the right of illegal Cuban immigrants who arrive in the United States from visiting their family members in Cuba, and his firm denial that Havana is planning to open its borders to massive immigration. The AFP news agency highlighted Fidel Castro's affirmation that the prohibition will be applied to those Cubans who illegally immigrated after the 1994 and 1995 US-Cuba migratory accords. AFP pointed out that up until now illegal Cuban immigrants in the US were allowed to return to the island to visit their families after a period of 5 years. The NOTIMEX news agency made reference to the Cuban leader's question concerning whether or not Cuba will have to prohibit thousands of people from visiting their families on the island due to Washington's incapacity to enforce compliance with its laws, and to the blackmail of the ultra-right wing Cuban-American National Foundation. AFP recalled that Florida Governor Jeb Bush recently called on President Bill Clinton to respond to immigrant trafficking by deploying more US Coast Guard personnel. But President Castro said that deploying more Coast Guard cutters is not the solution, stating that the only way to stop the trafficking is to cease stimulating illegal departures from Cuba. Numerous media outlets commented on the Cuban leader's criticism of the US's Cuba Adjustment Act, which grants automatic residence to any Cuban who reaches US territory through any means. The Deutsch Press news agency reported how Fidel Castro recalled the recent incident involving 6 persons who were disembarked from a speed boat just 500 meters from the Florida coast line, and that the incident was planned by the anti-Cuba mafia in Miami who want to destroy the US-Cuba migratory accords. The Cuban leader spoke of how frustrated US Coast Guard personnel must feel: on the one hand they are told to stop Cubans from reaching US shores, on the other, Washington tells Cubans that if they reach US shores they will be granted automatic residence. Fidel Castro gave a detailed, 5 hour account of how the US government has stimulated illegal departures from Cuba since the very triumph of the Cuban Revolution, using facts, figures and clippings from US newspapers. The Cuban leader also warned that the situation could become worse when other would-be immigrants in Latin America and the Caribbean discover that speed boats are faster than Coast Guard cutters. THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN SOLIDARITY BRIGADE SAYS IT'S COMMITTED TO FIGHT AGAINST WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE OF CUBA Havana, August 4 (RHC)- The over 250 members of the 6th Latin American and Caribbean solidarity Brigade have expressed their commitment to fight against Washington's almost 40 year blockade against the island. The solidarity group stressed that they will let the world know about the recent lawsuit of Cuban grassroots organizations in a Havana court against the US government for 40 years of attacks and aggressions. The Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Brigade was present at Tuesday evening's activity in Matanzas province in commemoration for the 46th anniversary of the attack against the Moncada Garrison, which together with Cienfuegos province, was selected to host this July 26th celebration. Other delegates who attended the July 26th commemoration in Matanzas province toured places of interests in the region. Among the visitors, Cuban Sugar Industry Minister, Ulises Rosales del Toro and Culture Minister Abel Prieto who both expressed their admiration for the advances achieved in Matanzas economic arena. UNICEF WILL SPONSOR IN HAVANA AN IBEROAMERICAN GATHERING ON THE WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN NEXT NOVEMBER Havana, August 4 (RHC)- The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, will host an important Ibero American meeting in Havana on November 8th and 9th. UNICEF's representative in Cuba, Alfredo Missair, said that the gathering that will focus on the situation of children and adolescents in the Iberoamerican region will have the total support of the UN agency. The regional representative added that the objective of the meeting is to re-insert the issue of children and adolescents into the Iberoamerican Summit agenda to be discussed also in November here in Havana. THE CITY OF MATANZAS WILL SOON HAVE ITS OWN TROPICANA NIGHT CLUB Matanzas, August 4 (RHC)-The city of Matanzas will soon have its own Tropicana Night Club alongside the Canimar River. According to Miguel Consuegra, from the Investment Tourism Group, the construction of the Tropicana Night Club will begin in October, and will be located north of the Canimao Hotel and south of the highway that links the city of Matanzas with Varadero Beach. Tropicana Night Club in Matanzas will be reportedly be an attractive site with a radius of 33 meters and capacity for 416 visitors. The construction of the night club will take no more than a year and will be a source of employment for the region as well as a contribution to the region's economy. Consuegra added that the project has the assessment of specialists from Havana's Tropicana Night club. A HISTORIC CENTER IN EASTERN SANTIAGO DE CUBA DECLARED A NATIONAL MONUMENT Santiago de Cuba, August 4 (RHC)-The former "Vivac Municipal" in eastern Santiago de Cuba and currently the site of the Historic Archives and Office of the city Historian has been declared a National Monument. This center was inaugurated in 1845 and was used as the site of Santiago's Royal Penitentiary in which many revolutionaries suffered prison sentences during different stages of the revolutionary struggle for independence. The Historic Archives has important documents that date from 1664 to 1958 and includes the periods of the colonial and neo colonial era and the 1959 Revolution, serving as a reference center for researchers and the population in general. [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-32718 1999-Aug-04 18:34:44