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, January 18, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO AND VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT- ELECT HUGO CHAVEZ REITERATE SUPPORT FOR COLOMBIAN PEACE PROCESS 2.- INTERNATIONAL GATHERING OF ECONOMISTS ON GLOBALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT OPENS IN HAVANA 3.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA VISITS RUSSIA 4.- ACROSS THE BOARD REJECTION OF RECENTLY ANNOUNCED U.S. MEASURES REGARDING CUBA 5.- GENERAL SECRETARY OF CUBAN WORKERS CONFEDERATION PRESENTS PUERTO RICAN UNION LEADER WITH CTC 60th ANNIVERSARY MEDAL 6.- LAOTIAN AMBASSADOR PRAISES RELATIONS WITH CUBA 7.- CUBAN FIRMS BEGIN INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS WITH EURO CURRENCY IN JULY 8.- MARCKA '99 TOURISM FAIR WINDS UP IN HELSINKI WITH SPECIAL INTEREST IN CUBA CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO AND VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT-ELECT HUGO CHAVEZ REITERATE SUPPORT FOR COLOMBIAN PEACE PROCESS Havana, January 18(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro and Venezuelan President-elect Hugo Chavez have reiterated support for Colombia's peace process during a mini-summit on Sunday with Colombian President Andres Pastrana. Arriving late Saturday at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, Chavez -- who was received by the Cuban leader -- said he came to Cuba to talk about peace and Latin American integration and to offer his "hand and heart to the Cuban people." Also on the mini-summit's agenda were the importance of the gathering of the Association of Caribbean States next April in the Dominican Republic, the European Union-Latin America- Caribbean summit in Brazil next June and next November's Iberoamerican Summit in Havana. Chavez wrapped up his 24-hour visit to Havana on Sunday evening, following a tour of Europe and Canada to drum up support for the program of his in-coming government. Pastrana returned home today following a four-day official visit to Cuba. Upon his departure, the Venezuelan President-elect termed his second visit to Cuba "pleasing and fruitful." He said Cuba and Venezuela "are united in the search for greater justice in the 21st century and for the greater freedom that Latin American independence heroes Jose Marti and Simon Bolivar dreamed of." For his part, the Colombian president announced that next January 26th he will begin a tour of Germany, Switzerland and the Vatican, in another diplomatic shuttle for peace aimed at requesting funds for any eventual peace accords signed with the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces. INTERNATIONAL GATHERING OF ECONOMISTS ON GLOBALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT OPENS IN HAVANA Havana, January 18(RHC)-- The International Gathering of Economists on Globalization and Development opened in Havana today presided over by Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Five hundred economists from 50 nations are participating in the five-day gathering. The opening speech was delivered by Roberto Verrier, President of the Association of Latin American and Caribbean Economists, who recalled recent words by Fidel Castro, to the effect that the epoch has arrived in which `economists must be politicians, and politicians must be economists.' Verrier called the gathering a first effort to unite scientific communities with different views, antagonistic and at times unknown among themselves -- in reference to the diversity of tendencies present at the event. Among those present are representatives of 15 international agencies, including the United Nations and the World Bank. Currents of thought range from neo-liberal and Keynesian economists to Marxists. The president of the Association of Latin American and Caribbean Economists told the gathering that "we must be able to get beyond the vanity of assuming that we are owners of the truth and accept the possibility that there is more than one truth -- or that this is, in fact, the sum total of many truths." Verrier said that the contrast between rich and poor "is the concrete expression of the inequality that is at the source of our problems in a historic epoch in which we are deceived to believe in the equality of globalization." He pointed to a recent report by the United Nations Development Program, asserting that three rich individuals on this planet possess more wealth than 48 poor nations put together. He called on participants to work together with the same passion in which other members of the scientific community are attempting to find cures for AIDS and cancer. "Our objective," said Verrier, "is to come up with solutions, remedies and definitive cures to the current worldwide economic turmoil in order to leave a legacy for our children." CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA VISITS RUSSIA Moscow, January 18(RHC)-- Visiting Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina expressed his hope that Russia will emerge from its economic crisis united and strong. According to the Cuban foreign minister, in his way, Moscow will be able to contain tendencies towards a unipolar world and balance international relations. The statements came on the second day of Robaina's official visit to Russia, invited by Russian Prime Minister Yevgueni Primakov. During a joint news conference today in Moscow, the Cuban foreign minister and his Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov, also came out in favor of Colombia's peace process. Ivanov said that Cuba is one of Moscow's major foreign policy priorities. Cuba and Russia have signed a bilateral accord on scientific and cultural exchanges through the year 2001. ACROSS THE BOARD REJECTION OF RECENTLY ANNOUNCED U.S. MEASURES REGARDING CUBA Havana, January 18(RHC)-- Artists, writers, lawyers, the Jewish community and representatives of Afro-Cuban religions have all rejected Washington's recently announced measures toward Cuba, condemning the fact that the United States still maintains its economic blockade against the island. In statements to journalists over the weekend, they pointed out that Washington's measures do nothing to ease its anti-Cuba policy. The Union of Artists and Writers (UNEAC) said that these measures are an example of the level of disinformation, aimed at confusing the international community, which continuously condemns the nearly 40-year-long U.S. blockade against the island. Meanwhile, the Union of Cuban Lawyers emphasized that U.S. legislation -- specifically Washington's 1999 Budget Law -- includes a number of amendments to tighten its blockade against Cuba. And the Jewish community on the island stressed that the measures announced on January 5th -- supposedly designed to ease the blockade against Cuba -- will not lead to any conciliation or well being. GENERAL SECRETARY OF CUBAN WORKERS CONFEDERATION PRESENTS PUERTO RICAN UNION LEADER WITH CTC 60th ANNIVERSARY MEDAL Havana, January 18(RHC)-- The General Secretary of the Cuban Workers Confederation, Pedro Ross Leal, presented Puerto Rican union leader Pedro Grant with the CTC 60th Anniversary Medal. During the ceremony, which was held at the Puerto Rican New Independent Movement Office in Havana, the Cuban trade union leader said that the best tribute to Pedro Grant is to follow his example. The Puerto Rican union leader reiterated his admiration for Cuba and recalled his ties with the Revolution when, in 1957, he founded a support committee for the July 26th Movement in Puerto Rico. The CTC 60th Anniversary Medal was created to honor national or foreign personalities and distinguished workers who have defended the Cuban Revolution. LAOTIAN AMBASSADOR PRAISES RELATIONS WITH CUBA Havana, January 18(RHC)-- The Laotian ambassador to Cuba, Chanpheng Sihaphom, says that relations between his country and Cuba are very good. In statements to Havana's AIN News Agency, the Laotian ambassador said that his country receives aid from Cuba in the areas of health, sports and agriculture. He added that work on the possible establishment of small, joint ventures with Cuban technical assistance are currently being discussed between both sides. Laos has a population of five million people, including 68 ethnic groups. CUBAN FIRMS BEGIN INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS WITH EURO CURRENCY IN JULY Havana, January 18(RHC)-- Cuban firms will begin to use the Euro currency in international transactions beginning July 1st, with the exception of the oil and nickel sectors which are basic to the Cuban economy. The President of Cuba's National Bank, Francisco Soberon, said that the Euro -- the European currency that began circulating on January 1st -- will facilitate collection and payment for Havana, minor financial spending as well as reduce the risk of changing currencies. In an interview with Cuba's weekly newspaper Juventud Rebelde, Soberon said that the use of the Euro will mean a significant price break for Cuba's exporters and importers. Referring to the island's oil and nickel operations, the president of Cuba's National Bank explained that financial transactions for those two sectors will continue to be conducted in dollars. MARCKA '99 TOURISM FAIR WINDS UP IN HELSINKI WITH SPECIAL INTEREST IN CUBA Helsinki, January 18(RHC)-- Vacationers from Finland and other Nordic countries showed extraordinary interest in Cuba during the MARCKA '99 Tourism Fair, which wound up in Helsinki on Sunday. Following the four-day exhibit, a large number of tour-operators and airline representatives from more than 52 countries expressed their desire to learn more about what Cuba can offer vacationers from the Nordic countries. The first secretary of the Cuban embassy in Sweden and business attache in the tourism sector, Augusto Hernandez, told Prensa Latina News Agency that important tourist agencies are committed to make Cuba a major tourist destination. [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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