Radio Havana Cuba, December 13, 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, December 13, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- HAVANA AND WASHINGTON BEGIN MIGRATORY TALKS AMID DISPUTE OVER CUBAN CHILD HELD IN MIAMI 2.- FATHER AND GRANDPARENTS OF SIX-YEAR-OLD ELIAN GONZALEZ THANK FIDEL AND CUBAN PEOPLE FOR SUPPORT 3.- GENERAL SECRETARY OF INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION VISITS CUBA 4.- CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN HANOI 5.- MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERFORMS NEXT WEEK IN HAVANA HAVANA AND WASHINGTON BEGIN MIGRATORY TALKS AMID DISPUTE OVER CUBAN CHILD HELD IN MIAMI Havana, December 13(RHC)-- Havana and Washington began migratory talks in the Cuban capital today amid the dispute over a six-year-old Cuban child, held in Miami against his father's wishes. The U.S. delegation, headed by Undersecretary of State for Inter-American Affairs -- William Brownfield -- arrived in Havana on Saturday. Members of the delegation from the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service traveled to Cardenas, in the province of Matanzas, where they met with Juan Miguel Gonzalez, father of the child rescued at sea and taken to Miami after his mother and ten others drowned in an effort to illegally reach the United States. Leading up to this current round of migratory talks, the head of the Cuban delegation -- Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon -- stated that once the father's identity is established, the only step remaining is to turn over the child to his family in Cuba, according to Cuban, U.S. and international law. Alarcon also stated that during the migratory talks, Cuba will once again protest the U.S. Cuban Adjustment Act, which grants automatic permanent residence to any undocumented Cuban who touches U.S. territory. The Cuban government has often charged that this legislation -- which is only granted to undocumented Cubans -- is a further encouragement to illegal immigration. The migratory talks have been taking place every six months -- alternately in Havana and New York -- since Cuba and the United States signed the 1994 and 1995 migratory accords. In the accords, Washington is committed to granting 20,000 visas a year to Cubans who wish to reside in the U.S. Washington must also return Cubans picked up at sea, while Havana is committed to not take reprisals against those involved in illegal departures and returned to authorities on the island. FATHER AND GRANDPARENTS OF SIX-YEAR-OLD ELIAN GONZALEZ THANK FIDEL AND CUBAN PEOPLE FOR SUPPORT Havana, December 13(RHC)-- The father and all four grandparents of six-year-old Elian Gonzalez -- illegally detained in Miami -- expressed their gratitude to Cuban President Fidel Castro and the Cuban people for their tremendous support for the return of little Elian. An open letter expressing their appreciation was sent to the President of the Federation of Cuban Students, Hassan Perez, and published in Monday's edition of the newspaper Trabajadores. In related news, the Chinese government expressed its support of the young boy4s father, who is demanding that his son be immediately returned to Cuba. The Chinese Foreign Ministry pointed out that the rights and interests of Elian's father must be respected in compliance with international law and for humanitarian reasons. In Managua, the Committee in Solidarity with Cuba joined the growing number of organizations and personalities around the world -- demanding that Washington return six- year-old Elian Gonzalez to his relatives on the island. GENERAL SECRETARY OF INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION VISITS CUBA Havana, December 13(RHC)-- The General Secretary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Anders Johnson, is currently in Havana at the invitation of Cuba's National Assembly. During his stay, the parliamentarian will discuss the International Legislators Conference scheduled to take place in Havana next year. He will also meet with Cuban lawmakers and tour historical Old Havana and the Latin American School of Medicine. The general secretary of the Inter-Parliamentary Union will plans to visit the Biotechnology Center in the Cuban capital. CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN HANOI Hanoi, December 13(RHC)-- Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage has arrived in Hanoi on an official visit aimed at exchanging experiences with Vietnamese government officials. The Cuban leader is expected to meet with First Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. They are slated to sign a bilateral cooperation accord in the field of tourism. During his visit to Vietnam, the Cuban leader will also tour Ho Chi Minh City and industrial areas in the south. MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERFORMS NEXT WEEK IN HAVANA Havana, December 13(RHC)-- The renowned Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is scheduled to visit Cuba next week and offer two concerts. The performances will be held at Havana's Amadeo Roldan Theater. Tickets for both concerts will be distributed to the public free-of-charge by the National Music Institute, which is sponsoring the trip. 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