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 Tuesday, February 9, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- VISITING PRIME MINISTER OF BELIZE AWARDS CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO WITH HIS COUNTRY'S HIGHEST DISTINCTION 2.- CUBA: OBSERVER IN NEGOTIATIONS FOR NEW LOME CONVENTION 3.- GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN MOZAMBIQUE AND CUBA 4.- PRESIDENT OF ASTURIAS TO ARRIVE IN CUBA ON WEDNESDAY 5.- CUBAN NATIONAL BALLET RECEIVES OFFICIAL RECOGNITION FROM THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES 6.- FOOD POISONING CASE IN MATANZAS UNDER INVESTIGATION VISITING PRIME MINISTER OF BELIZE AWARDS CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO WITH HIS COUNTRY'S HIGHEST DISTINCTION Havana, February 9(RHC)-- The visiting Prime Minister of Belize, Said Musa, has awarded Cuban President Fidel Castro with his country's highest distinction. In a ceremony Monday evening, the visiting dignitary presented the Cuban leader with the Order of Belize -- the first time this distinction has been granted to a non-Belizean. In a brief speech opening the ceremony, Prime Minister Musa stated that Cuba has become "a symbol in the struggle for human dignity," saying that the most eloquent example of that struggle has been "the island's successful resistance against aggressions whose aim is to deprive Cubans of their sovereignty." He also recalled Cuba's support of his country's independence struggle, "which opened many doors in international forums" and hastened final independence in 1981. Upon receiving the award, President Fidel Castro said he was honored and hoped to be worthy of the gesture. The Cuban leader said Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as other regions of the South, "have no other alternative than to struggle for integration as a step towards sustainable development." He said the United Nations could play a role in that effort, but "without the world body's dictatorship" -- in reference to the UN Security Council and the veto power of its five permanent members. Seventy-eight students from Belize have graduated in Cuba in the field of industrial design. President Fidel Castro took the opportunity to express his desire to see that number grow and expand to other fields like medicine. CUBA: OBSERVER IN NEGOTIATIONS FOR NEW LOME CONVENTION Dakar, February 9(RHC)-- Cuba considers the Lome Convention between the European Union and the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to be the best example of North- South relations, according to the island's Foreign Trade Minister Ricardo Cabrisas. The Cuban trade official was speaking in Dakar, Senegal where he is representing the island as observer in negotiations between the European Union and 71 nations of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, to hammer out a new Lome Convention. Ricardo Cabrisas noted that Cuba's petition to enter the Lome Convention as a full member will depend on the final results of the negotiations and affirmed that Cuba has the support of the African, Caribbean and Pacific nations, as well as many European countries. According to the Cuban foreign trade minister, the island's entrance into the Lome Convention would be an immediate benefit to the effective integration of its economy into the world market. GOOD RELATIONS BETWEEN MOZAMBIQUE AND CUBA Camaguey, February 9(RHC)-- Mozambique's ambassador in Havana says relations between his country and Cuba are "solid and good" as are future perspectives for cooperation. Julio Gonzalo Braga, speaking in the eastern Cuban province of Camaguey, stressed the importance of Cuban doctors working in Mozambique and the assistance given to the country's educators by Cuban university and high school teachers. The Mozambican ambassador mentioned that many young people from his country have studied and are presently studying on scholarships in Cuban schools and that Havana and Maputo have assumed similar political and diplomatic positions on important matters. PRESIDENT OF ASTURIAS TO ARRIVE IN CUBA ON WEDNESDAY Havana, February 9(RHC)-- The President of Asturias, Sergio Marques Fernandez, will arrive in Havana on Wednesday for a four-day visit aimed at strengthening relations with Cuba. Marques Fernandez, who will be accompanied by a large delegation, holds a leadership position with the Regiones Committee, an advisory group to the European Union. During his visit to the island, the Asturian president will meet with Cuban descendants of Asturias. On the Spanish official's busy agenda are visits to health centers and meetings with local government and Catholic officials. CUBAN NATIONAL BALLET RECEIVES OFFICIAL RECOGNITION FROM THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES Los Angeles, February 9(RHC)-- Cuba's National Ballet Company and its Director, prima ballerina Alicia Alonso, have received an official recognition of the city of Los Angeles. The Los Angeles City Council issued a document that praises Alicia Alonso as a great dancer and recognizes her contribution to dance. The document, which was read before the Cuban company's debut performance in Los Angeles' Wiltern Theater, also mentions that Alonso danced with the American Ballet Theater of New York in the l940's and that she has strong ties with the state of California, where she choreographed works for the Los Angeles Greek Theater. Meanwhile, the entire ballet company has received rave reviews everywhere they have performed including in Los Angeles, where they danced the romantic classic "Giselle," in Palm Desert, California and in Tucson, Arizona. The renowned troupe now moves on to San Francisco, Berkeley, New York and other U.S. cities. FOOD POISONING CASE IN MATANZAS UNDER INVESTIGATION Matanzas, February 9(RHC)-- Cuban health officials report that six children who were the victims of a rash of food poisoning on Saturday in central Cuba are now out of danger and in stable condition. Fourteen people in the small Matanzas town of Manguito died on Saturday after eating fritters sold by a street vender, who also died. Seventy-three people were affected, with 48 still hospitalized -- 15 of them in critical condition. Cuban authorities report that criminologists and medical technicians are investigating the cause of the food poisoning which appears to have been chemical. [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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