Radio Havana Cuba, December 1st, 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, December 1, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO REJECTS CLAIMS THAT HAVANA IS INTERFERRING IN VENEZUELA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS 2.- U.S. REPRESENTATIVE MAXINE WATERS STATES THERE IS GROWING OPPOSITION TO WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA 3.- HAVANA'S NEW LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL GETS UNDERWAY 4.- CUBA-CHINA MIXED INTER-GOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION MEETS IN HAVANA 5.- PANAMANIAN PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL VISITS THE CUBAN CAPITAL 6.- VATICAN OFFICIAL ATTENDS SYMPOSIUM IN HAVANA CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO REJECTS CLAIMS THAT HAVANA IS INTERFERRING IN VENEZUELA'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS Havana, December 1(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro held a special news conference Tuesday evening in Havana, carried live by Venezuelan radio and television and broadcast on several international frequencies of Radio Havana Cuba. The leader of the Cuban Revolution rejected claims by the opposition to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who have accused Chavez of modeling his country after Cuba. Criticisms of the Venezuelan president heightened after Hugo Chavez' recent official visit to Cuba. Fidel Castro, speaking to the Venezuelan people, said that Cuba does not pose a danger for Venezuela or the rest of Latin America. The Cuban leader said he could not remember another time that Cuba has been so unjustly accused of interfering in the internal affairs of another country. Opening himself up to questions, Cuban President Fidel Castro acknowledged that most of the journalists present at the news conference were opposed to Chavez, but that he was prepared to field any and every question they might have. Asked by a Venezuelan journalist if Cuba plans to help Hugo Chavez in his revolution, Fidel Castro answered by saying that Cuba is prepared to send doctors, teachers and other technical personnel to any country that requests its assistance. He said this has been done on many previous occasions in other countries of Latin America, including those with which Cuba does not have diplomatic relations. Asked about cooperation between the armed forces of Cuba and Venezuela, the Cuban president said that the only issue raised on the topic during his Venezuelan counterpart's recent visit to the island was the Cuban military's experience in social and work projects. Fidel said that the Cuban army has had a great deal of experience in productive work, aside from defense exercises -- and he referred to the projects that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has mapped out for the armed forces of his country. But it was not until the end of his news conference that the Cuban leader dropped his bombshell: revelation of a plot by Cuban-American terrorists to assassinate the Venezuelan president. Citing intelligence reports that he had received just hours before, Fidel Castro gave the names, addresses and telephone numbers of several terrorists who met in Miami on November 18th. The Cuban leader said that Cuban intelligence agents uncovered the assassination plot, which the terrorists plan to carry out during December. According to the information, a terrorist commando would arrive in Venezuela from Miami, but through a third country to avoid detection. And the Cuban president said that among those involved in the plot to assassinate his Venezuelan counterpart was Luis Posada Carriles -- the mastermind behind numerous terrorist and sabotage attacks against Cuban leaders and targets on the island. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE MAXINE WATERS STATES THERE IS GROWING OPPOSITION TO WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA Seattle, December 1(RHC)-Following a meeting with Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, California Representative Maxine Waters stated that there is growing opposition to Washington's blockade against Cuba. The Cuban official spoke with the U.S. legislator about the development of the island's economy. Speaking with reporters after her meeting, Maxine Waters said she is planning to visit Havana next month in order to coordinate a donation of medicine and medical equipment. Referring to the on-going protests against the policies of the World Trade Organization, Representative Maxine Waters stated that environmentalists, union activists, religious leaders and non-governmental organizations are making history in Seattle. The U.S. lawmaker told reporters that the executive director of the World Trade Organization, Mike Moore, and many representatives who have gathered in Seattle expected to hold their meeting without opposition, but were surprised by the popular discontent and strong grassroots movement against the policies of the WTO. HAVANA'S NEW LATIN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL GETS UNDERWAY Havana, December 1(RHC)-- Havana's 21st New Latin American Film Festival gets underway in the Cuban capital this evening. The opening ceremony will take place at the Karl Marx Theater, including a music concert by outstanding Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso. Caetano Veloso will receive the Coral Prize for the musical soundtrack of the movie "O quatrilho," which won the award in that category during the 1997 film festival. Brazilian director Carlos Dieguez's movie "Orfeo" also premiers tonight. Twenty-two movie theaters, primarily in Havana, will be screening more than 300 entries that will be competing for the Coral Prizes. In the feature film category, there are 89 entries, plus 24 documentary features and 11 animated films. In the video category, 36 are features, 96 are documentaries, seven animated and six video clips. In the category of foreign films on Latin America -- Germany, Italy, Belgium, the U.S. and Yugoslavia have presented their productions. Havana's 21st Festival of New Latin Film runs through December 11th. CUBA-CHINA MIXED INTER-GOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION MEETS IN HAVANA Havana, December 1(RHC)-- The Fifth Meeting of the Cuba-China Mixed Inter-governmental Commission for Technical and Scientific Cooperation is underway in Havana. China's Science and Technology Deputy Minister Han De Quian is heading the visiting delegation, which arrived in Havana on Monday. Following the talks, the Chinese delegation will tour several national centers including those of tropical agriculture and horticultural research. The National Biotechnology and Genetics Engineering Center is also on their itinerary as well as meetings with the agriculture and foreign investment and cooperation ministers. PANAMANIAN PARLIAMENT OFFICIAL VISITS THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, December 1(RHC)-- The President of the Panamanian Legislative Assembly, Enrique Garrido, is in Havana to attend the Fourth Bilateral Interparliamentary meeting, set for December 2nd and 3rd. Garrido's agenda includes a review of bilateral relations, which he described as "excellent." During his stay on the island, Garrido and his accompanying delegation will be meeting with top government officials and will visit the Latin American School of Medicine and the Carlos J. Finlay Institute which mainly works in the production of vaccines. The Finlay Institute has successfully developed vaccines against Hepatitis B and meningitis among others. VATICAN OFFICIAL ATTENDS SYMPOSIUM IN HAVANA Havana, December 1(RHC)-- Vatican Foreign Relations Secretary Jean Louis Tauran offered a mass at Havana's Cathedral Tuesday -- officially opening a Symposium on the Latin American Church: Anthropological, Economic and Social Implications in Cuba. The gathering runs through Friday. Nearly 150 people are taking part in the symposium, including Bishops, teachers and intellectuals and officials from Cuba, along with guests from Mexico, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Panama. According to Cuban priest Jose Felix Perez, this meeting is aimed at discovering the practical applications of the document released by Pope John Paul II in Mexico last January, following the Synod of the Americas. [c] 1999, Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. 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