Radio Havana Cuba, December 3, 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 Friday, December 3, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- HAVANA DEMANDS THAT FIVE-YEAR-OLD ELIAN GONZALEZ BE RETURNED TO HIS FATHER 2.- CUBA CELEBRATES LATIN AMERICAN DAY OF MEDICINE 3.- DIRECTOR OF RADIO HAVANA CUBA AWARDED BY THE VOICE OF VIETNAM 4.- DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS HAVANA 5.- CUBA AND LAOS STRENGTHEN BILATERAL COOPERATION HAVANA DEMANDS THAT FIVE-YEAR-OLD ELIAN GONZALEZ BE RETURNED TO HIS FATHER Havana, December 3(RHC)-- Cuba will not accept that the case of five-year-old Elian Gonzalez -- who was illegally taken out of the country -- be tried in a Miami court. According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry, no decent court in the world could violate the rights of a father capable of exercising his right of parenthood. The Cuban Foreign Ministry insists that the case has been turned into a political issue by the anti-Cuba mafia. The child's mother put the boy on a raft along with a group of 13 Cubans who illegally left the island. Their raft capsized and the five-year-old drifted alone on the ocean for two days before being rescued by fishermen. The boy's mother and step-father were among the drowning victims. The boy's father says that Elian's mother took him without his knowledge or permission. Elian Gonzalez is staying with distant relatives in Miami, but all four of his grandparents and his father, living in Cuba, have demanded that the boy be returned to the island. The Cuban Foreign Ministry called the situation a flagrant violation of international law and the human rights of the five-year-old child. CUBA CELEBRATES DAY OF LATIN AMERICAN MEDICINE Havana, December 3(RHC)-- Cuba celebrated the Day of Latin American Medicine by announcing that the overall infant mortality rate for the island has dropped to below seven per 1000 live births. This puts Cuba once more on a par with the most developed nations of the world. The figure for Havana -- which previously had the worst record on the island at 9.2 last year, has dropped to 6.7. The 1998 average on the island was 7.2. It is expected to be approximately 6.2 by the end of the year. The reduced level of infant mortality is due to the very extensive pre and post-natal care that the Cuban health care system follows. Women experiencing pre-natal problems such as possible risky pregnancies or premature births are housed in special care units that operate as community homes where the women are monitored 24-hours-a-day until they give birth. The Cuban health care system is the envy of the Third World and, if not for the shortage of medicines due mostly to the U.S. blockade of the island, would be on the same level as most industrialized nations. DIRECTOR OF RADIO HAVANA CUBA AWARDED BY THE VOICE OF VIETNAM Hanoi, December 3(RHC)-- The director of Radio Havana Cuba, Milagro Hernandez Cuba, has been awarded the Radio Broadcasting Medal by the Voice of Vietnam radio station. The ceremony was held in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, this week. Hernandez received the award on behalf of Radio Havana Cuba's staff and thanked the Vietnamese people and government for their support of the island in its fight against the U.S. blockade. The head of the Voice of Vietnam, Tran Mai Jan, highlighted the cooperation provided by Radio Havana Cuba during Washington's war of aggression against the Southeast Asian country. Milagro Hernandez is part of a delegation from Radio Havana Cuba that has just wrapped up a tour of Vietnam. During their stay, the delegation signed a cooperation agreement with Vietnamese authorities. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO FOREIGN MINISTER VISITS HAVANA Havana, December 3(RHC)-- The Foreign Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Yerodya Abdoulaye Ndombasi, has arrived in Havana for an official visit. The foreign minister is heading the official delegation that is taking part in the Cuba-Congolese Inter-governmental Commission. This is the first bilateral meeting in the economic sphere since Laurant Kabila took power after ousting dictator Joseph Mobutu. CUBA AND LAOS STRENGTHEN BILATERAL COOPERATION Vientiane, December 3(RHC)-- Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Jose Guerra met with his Laotian counterpart, Phongsavath Boufa, in Vientiane to sign a cooperation agreement. The document provides for cooperation between the two countries' foreign ministries until the year 2000. The two deputy ministers held talks prior to signing a bilateral accord. In statements to reporters, they both emphasized the friendly ties between the Laos and Cuba. [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-17511 1999-Dec-03 18:39:29