Radio Havana Cuba, December 20, 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 20, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO CALLS FOR RESUMPTION OF PROTESTS IN FRONT OF U.S. INTERESTS SECTION IN HAVANA TO DEMAND IMMEDIATE RETURN OF ELIAN GONZALEZ 2.- CUBAN PARLIAMENT BEGINS FOURTH ORDINARY SESSION 3.- ILLINOIS GOVERNOR GEORGE RYAN CONDEMNS WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE OF CUBA 4.- CUBA AND PANAMA EXPAND BILATERAL COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF HEALTH 5.- CUBAN ECONOMY GROWS BY 6.2 PERCENT IN 1999 6.- THE WORLD REMEMBERS TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF U.S. INVASION OF PANAMA CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO CALLS FOR RESUMPTION OF PROTESTS IN FRONT OF U.S. INTERESTS SECTION IN HAVANA TO DEMAND IMMEDIATE RETURN OF ELIAN GONZALEZ Havana, December 20(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro has called for the resumption of protests in front of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana to demand the immediate return of Elian Gonzalez, who is still being held in Miami. In an extensive declaration published today by local media outlets, the Cuban leader said the future of the young boy is still uncertain. Fidel Castro pointed out that numerous presidential hopefuls from both political parties in the United States have, almost without exception, demagogically come out against returning the child to his father and grandparents in Cuba, using what he called "deceitful language." He also pointed to the actions of the extremist, terrorist mafia in Florida, supported by the U.S. ultra-right wing, which has threatened to use force to prevent Elian's return. The Cuban leader said these groups have threatened to form a human chain around the home of distant relatives where Elian is being held to prevent the child's return to Cuba. "Accustomed to fascist methods, blackmail and impunity in the face of the weakness and tolerance of successive U.S. administrations," said Fidel Castro, "one can expect anything from these groups." The Cuban leader recalled that the last diplomatic note Havana sent to the U.S. State Department was on December 12th and that, thus far, no response has been received. He said the note expressed the need for a quick resolution to the situation due to the enormous suffering of the child and his family in Cuba, as well as the consequences that this could bring for Elian's mental and emotional health. Fidel Castro also recalled that the child's father recently turned over 17 documents to U.S. immigration officials, proving that he is not only the father, but that he provided his son with exemplary care and attention. Fidel Castro termed as "repugnant and cynical" the images of the child being wrapped in an American flag which, he added, "has sparked profound indignation among the Cuban people." He said the hypocrisy of surrounding the child with lots of expensive gifts and toys lets everyone know what kind of society they want to impose on Elian. The Cuban leader concluded by stating that "despite this stupid and loathsome injustice, Cuba's moral stature, the just nature of its cause and the Cuban people's strength in struggle will leave no other alternative than to send Elian home." CUBAN PARLIAMENT BEGINS FOURTH ORDINARY SESSION Havana, December 20(RHC)-- The Cuban Parliament began its Fourth Period of Ordinary Sessions on Monday at Havana's International Convention Center. Cuban legislators are working on a draft resolution entitled "A Criminal Kidnapping," in reference to six-year-old Elian Gonzalez who is being held in Miami against the wishes of his father. The young boy was placed on a boat by his mother without his father's permission. She and nine others drowned when they unsuccessfully attempted to illegally immigrate to the United States. Elian, who survived when the boat capsized off the coasts of Florida, was taken to distant relatives who have joined a right-wing campaign to keep the boy in Miami. His father, grandparents and, indeed, the entire Cuban people are demanding that he be returned to the island. Cuban President Fidel Castro presided over the Parliament's session on Monday and Elian Gonzalez' father and grandparents attended as special guests. Cuban Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon emphasized the importance of the issue, given the difficult situation which little Elian is going through in the U.S. -- submitted to constant pressure and brainwashing by the Miami-based terrorist organization, the Cuban-American National Foundation. The Cuban lawmakers are also drafting bills related to the national budget for the year 2000 and the island's economic and social strategy for the next five years. In preparations for the meeting -- the Cuban National Assembly's last session of the year -- the nearly 600 Cuban legislators, gathered in ten working commissions, met with high-ranking government officials to review the work of several of the island's ministries and institutions. ILLINOIS GOVERNOR GEORGE RYAN CONDEMNS WASHINGTON BLOCKADE OF CUBA Springfield, December 20(RHC)-- The Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois, George Ryan, has reiterated his strong rejection of Washington's blockade against Cuba. In a report on his visit to Cuba in October, Governor Ryan notes that for nearly 40 years, Washington's Cuba policy has been directly manipulated by Miami-based anti-Cuba exile groups -- damaging the moral authority of the U.S. government by maintaining a policy rejected by the vast majority of people around the world. The report praises the achievements of the Cuban people in the field of science and called for increased cultural and humanitarian contacts between the peoples of Cuba and the United States. During his visit to Cuba, Governor Ryan expressed his support for bilateral U.S.-Cuba exchange in the health sector, especially in areas like ophthalmology, orthopedics and pediatrics, as well as his interest in gathering information on the island's advances in the production of vaccines to fight diseases such as hepatitis B, meningitis B and leptospirosis. CUBAN ECONOMY GROWS BY 6.2 PERCENT IN 1999 Havana, December 20(RHC)-- Cuba will end 1999 with a 6.2 percent economic growth, according to the Cuban Parliament's Economic Affairs Commission. The announcement was made over the weekend during a meeting of the commission, prior to today's parliamentary session. The news confirms the recovery of the island's economy over the past five years, in which the Cuban economy grew by an average of four percent. The sugar industry contributed to this increase with a 3.78 million ton production in the 1998-1999 sugar harvest -- 800 000 tons more than the previous harvest. Positive indicators that have helped this year's economic growth are better efficiency, more productivity and fuel savings, as well as a 2.9 percent budget deficit with 100 million pesos less than predicted. Cuba's 6.2 percent increase for 1999 is considered the highest economic growth rate in all of Latin America. CUBA AND PANAMA EXPAND BILATERAL COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF HEALTH Havana, December 20(RHC)-- Cuba and Panama will expand bilateral cooperation in the field of health under a new agreement signed in the area of medicine and the exchange of nutritional data. Panamanian Health Minister Jose Manuel Teran -- currently visiting the island -- explained that other projects to be carried out by Panama in the year 2000 deal with the fight against AIDS and a vaccination program as well as reforms to the nation's primary health care system. The top Panamanian health official's agenda on the island includes meetings with his Cuban counterpart, Dr. Carlos Dotres, and other high-ranking Cuban government officials as well as visits to various Cuban medical institutions. THE WORLD REMEMBERS TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF U.S. INVASION OF PANAMA Havana, December 20(RHC)-- Today marks the tenth anniversary of the brutal U.S. invasion of Panama. On this date in 1989, more than 26,000 U.S. troops mounted an assault on Panamanian military bases and poor, working-class neighborhoods. Just prior to launching the attack, U.S. officials held a secret ceremony at Fort Clayton -- one of 13 U.S. military bases in the Panama Canal Zone at that time -- and swore in a new president, Guillermo Endara. Moments later, massive bombing of Panama City began. In the first days of the invasion, thousands of civilians were killed, wounded and left homeless. Whole neighborhoods were bombed into rubble or burned to the ground. Panamanian victims were poured by the truckload into common graves -- some observers estimate that as many of five thousand were killed, but no exact figures were ever released. The United States has insisted that only 200 were killed, yet hundreds of bodies have been found in mass graves over the years. Washington used its invasion of Panama ten years ago to escalate provocations against the Cuban Revolution and Sandinista Nicaragua as well. The embassies of the two countries in Panama City were surrounded by U.S. troops. At one point, several Cuban diplomats were illegally detained. The U.S. invasion of Panama was such a flagrant violation of international law that the overwhelming majority of world governments were compelled to issue protests. The Organization of American States -- long a tool of Washington's foreign policy -- condemned the invasion with only one single dissenting vote... that of the U.S. delegate. The United Nations General Assembly went on record against the invasion by a wide margin. Just a few days before Christmas and perhaps using the holiday as a cover, the administration of President George Bush gave the green light for an invasion. After several years of trying to overthrow Panama's government using everything from economic sanctions to coup attempts, Washington finally decided that only direct military intervention could accomplish what it wanted. Political observers agreed that the U.S. plan was to install a client regime, smash the movement for national sovereignty and social justice that had developed in Panama over the previous 20 years and strengthen U.S. domination throughout the region. Family members of those killed during the U.S. invasion took part in a march through the downtown streets of Panama City on Monday, demanding that Washington pay them compensation for their losses and that the Panamanian government declare December 20th an official day of national mourning. Today, ten years after the bloody U.S. invasion, the Panama Canal and its military bases are being turned over to Panamanian sovereignty. Washington was unable to abrogate the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties and prolong U.S. military presence in Panama beyond the year 2000. In just 11 days, on December 31st, the U.S. will officially turn over the Canal to its true owners: the Panamanian people. [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-26540 1999-Dec-20 17:48:58