Radio Havana Cuba, Friday, February 26, 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, February 26, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA GATHERS IN TOKYO WITH JAPANESE BUSINESS COMMUNITY 2.- EL SALVADOR USED AS CENTER TO TRAIN MERCENARIES IN THE ART OF SABOTAGE AGAINST CUBA 3.- PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT RECEIVES CUBAN AMBASSADOR IN TUNIS 4.- CUBA AND VIETNAM OPEN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION IN HAVANA 5.- CUBAN-SPANISH COMPANY WILL MAKE MINI-CIGARS 6.- RELATIONS BETWEEN CUBA AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC CONTINUE TO IMPROVE 7.- NON-GOVERNMENTAL ITALIAN ORGANIZATION MAKES DONATION TO ELDERLY HOME IN HAVANA CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA GATHERS IN TOKYO WITH JAPANESE BUSINESS COMMUNITY Tokyo, February 26(RHC)-- Visiting Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina has met with representatives of Japan's business community. Robaina spoke of the experiences of other foreign firms investing in Cuba, as well as the possibilities that exist in accordance with new legislation adopted on the island in recent years. He also referred to the dangers of investing in Cuba due to Washington's blockade, explaining the series of measures Havana has adopted to minimize those risks. Many of the Japanese executives present at the gathering admitted that much of the information they receive concerning Cuba is intentionally distorted. Meanwhile, Tokyo has donated 8.5 million dollars to Cuba for the purchase of rice produced in Japan -- to be earmarked for residents of eastern Cuba affected by a drought and by last year's Hurricane Georges. The first half of the 26,000 tons of rice was slated to arrive late Friday at Havana's port, while the second half will reach Cuba in mid-March. EL SALVADOR USED AS CENTER TO TRAIN MERCENARIES IN THE ART OF SABOTAGE AGAINST CUBA San Salvador, February 26(RHC)-- El Salvador has been used as a center for mercenaries, trained to carry out sabotage activities in Cuba, according to the Salvadoran newspaper El Mundo. Investigations into reports by journalists in the United States and the testimony of two Salvadoran mercenaries arrested in Cuba point to a network financed by the Miami- based Cuban-American National Foundation. El Mundo reports that the two Salvadorans --Otto Rodriguez Llerena and Ernesto Cruz Leon -- have admitted to carrying out terrorist activities in Cuba and receiving training for their actions in El Salvador. According to the newspaper, the two cases are not isolated incidents -- calling for a further investigation into the activities of Luis Posada Carriles, a known terrorist who was involved in the 1976 sabotage of a Cubana airliner in which 73 passengers were killed. Ernesto Cruz Leon has admitted to having planted six bombs in Havana hotels and tourist facilities in the summer of 1997 -- one of the bombs killing an Italian citizen, Fabio Di Celmo. Otto Rodriguez Llerena was arrested at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport in June 1998 after attempting to smuggle plastic explosives into the country. PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT RECEIVES CUBAN AMBASSADOR IN TUNIS Tunis, February 26(RHC)-- The President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat, met on Thursday in Tunis with Cuba's ambassador to the North African republic of Tunisia, Claudio Ramos. The Cuban diplomat gave a personal message to the Palestinian leader from Cuban President Fidel Castro. During the meeting, Ambassador Ramos briefed Yasser Arafat on the situation in Cuba and the two talked about the supportive relations between the Cuban and Palestinian peoples and governments. Arafat sent his greetings to Fidel Castro and thanked Cuba for its support for the Palestinian cause, especially at this time when, affirmed the Palestinian leader, the Israeli government is refusing to comply with the peace agreements. CUBA AND VIETNAM OPEN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION IN HAVANA Havana, February 26(RHC)-- Havana and Hanoi opened a new session of the Cuba-Vietnam Inter-Governmental Commission on Friday. The meeting, taking place in the Cuban capital, will focus on identifying new investment projects and increasing cooperation. The Vietnamese delegation is presided over by Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Le Juy Ngo, who told reporters that relations between Cuba and Vietnam are a model of cooperation for Third World nations. On the Commission's agenda are meetings between Vietnamese officials aimed at expanding relations and the signing of a cooperation agreement. It was also announced that in honor of the 38th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs victory, Cuba and Vietnam will inaugurate Bioasia next April in Vietnam, a mixed-enterprise to produce Biorat, a Cuban biological agent that eliminates rats. CUBAN-SPANISH COMPANY WILL MAKE MINI-CIGARS Havana, February 26(RHC)-- The mixed, Cuban-Spanish company COTAIS will begin producing mini-cigars made of 100 percent Cuban tobacco. The new cigar production came out of an agreement signed by the heads of the Union of Cuban Tobacco Enterprises, the Habano S.A. Corporation and a representative from Spain, Federico Gonzalez. The accord establishes the production of the cigarillos, with the wrapper and filler of fine Cuban tobacco, which is very much in demand in Europe. The document forming the new joint enterprise was signed in the luxurious and historic Count of Villanueva Hostel in Old Havana, which was opened this week during the island's Habano Cigar Festival. The Festival winds up on Friday evening with a $500-a-plate dinner for some 1000 participants. Winners of the festival were announced on Thursday and first place went to Cuba's Habano S.A., which sells the island's fine cigars around the world. The prize for the best stand at the festival was awarded to the Cuban cigar company Romeo and Juliet and BrasCuba, a Cuba-Brazil joint venture. RELATIONS BETWEEN CUBA AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC CONTINUE TO IMPROVE Havana, February 26(RHC)-- Relations between Cuba and the Dominican Republic are at their highest level ever, according to the Dominican consul to Havana, Grecia Pichardo. Speaking to journalists on the occasion of the 135th anniversary of his country's independence, the Dominican diplomat pointed to the many agreements between the two Caribbean nations. He also stressed that following Cuban President Fidel Castro's visit to the Dominican Republic, official ties between both countries increased enormously, despite the fact that relations were almost non-existent for nearly four decades. Representatives of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the People's (ICAP) and the Dominican embassy placed a floral wreath at the bust of Dominican Juan Pablo Duarte in Havana's Fraternity Park, as well as the statue of Cuban National Hero Jose Marti, also located in the Cuban capital. NON-GOVERNMENTAL ITALIAN ORGANIZATION MAKES DONATION TO ELDERLY HOME IN HAVANA Havana, February 26(RHC)-- The non-governmental Italian organization, International Committee for People's Development(CISP), has made a donation to improve the living conditions of the Alfredo Gomez Elderly Home in Havana. CISP has collaborated in the past with the European Union's Department for Humanitarian Aid on a project to aid the Cuban people. According to sources from the Cuban Health Ministry, it is estimated that the European Union donates more than 15 million dollars a year to help finance a global plan of humanitarian aid to the island. The plan -- which includes food, medicine and other important materials -- not only benefits the elderly, but the entire population. [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-28007 1999-Feb-26 20:24:40