Radio Havana Cuba, Thursday, July 29, 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 Thursday, July 29, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT JOSE RAMON FERNANDEZ DENOUNCES HARASSMENT OF CUBAN ATHLETES IN WINNIPEG 2.- BRITISH-U.S. PHARMACEUTICAL FIRM GETS GREEN LIGHT TO MARKET CUBAN VACCINE 3.- U.S. CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES CALL FOR END TO BLOCKADE 4.- VENCEREMOS BRIGADE VISITS ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA MEMORIAL 5.- FINISHING TOUCHES FOR JULY 26th ACTIVITIES IN MATANZAS 6.- STUDENTS FROM THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES ENROLL IN THE SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE IN CIENFUEGOS 7.- HONDURAN LABOR UNIONS AWARD DIPLOMAS TO CUBAN DOCTORS 8.- CUBAN-ITALIAN FIRM OPENS SEED PRODUCTION CENTER CUBAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT JOSE RAMON FERNANDEZ DENOUNCES HARASSMENT OF CUBAN ATHLETES IN WINNIPEG Winnipeg, July 29(RHC)-- Cuban Olympic Committee President Jose Ramon Fernandez has reiterated Havana's denunciation of harassment against Cuban athletes in Winnipeg. At a news conference at the site of the Panamerican Games, Fernandez charged that numerous enemies of the Cuban Revolution are involved in a practically 24-hour campaign to encourage Cuban athletes to desert -- hanging around the sports villas where the Cuban delegation is housed, turning on reflector beams in the evening and early morning hours to attract would-be deserters, passing messages to the athletes when they're in the middle of competitions and calling them on the phone. The Cuban Olympic Committee leader charged that the media at the Panam Games are giving more coverage to possible desertions from the Cuban delegation than to the performance of the delegation's athletes. As an example of the numerous forms of hostility towards Cuba, he pointed to the local newspaper -- the Winnipeg Sun -- which has launched a contest offering an all-expenses-paid trip to Cuba for the contestant who predicts how many Cuban athletes will eventually desert. The President of the Panam Organizing Committee, Don Mackenzie -- who was present at the news conference -- promised to adopt the necessary measures so that Cuban athletes can feel safe from harassment. Fernandez said that Cuba just wants clean competitions and rejects anything that denigrates the spirit of sports in Winnipeg. He also said that it's wrong for rich nations to steal the talents of the poor for mere economic or political reasons. Meanwhile, Cuba retains its second place at the competitions with 26 gold medals and a total of 67. On Wednesday, Cuban women track and fielders established three new Panam records in hetathlon, 400 meter hurdles and triple long jump -- while in men's cycling, a new record was established by Cuba in the one kilometer time trial. Important setbacks also came for Cuba on Wednesday, with the Cuban baseball team losing to the U.S. 10 to 5, and the Cuban women's volleyball team losing to Brazil 3 sets to 2. BRITISH-U.S. PHARMACEUTICAL FIRM GETS GREEN LIGHT TO MARKET CUBAN VACCINE London, July 29(RHC)-- The British-U.S. pharmaceutical firm Smith-Kline Beecham announced today the signing of an agreement with Havana's Finlay medical research institute to market the Cuban meningitis-B vaccine, after having received a green light from the U.S. Treasury Department. Smith-Kline Beecham President Jean Stephenne announced Thursday in London that the vaccine, already used in many Latin American countries since 1989, has the potential to protect large population sectors in other parts of the world threatened with this disease. Stephenne said that his firm has received the cooperation of numerous officials from several governments, thanking those officials for placing public health as the top priority during their negotiations. Smith-Kline Beecham will initially pay for the vaccine with food and medicine, but the Finlay Institute will receive cash payments for royalties when the firm begins to market the product. According to the World Health Organization, some 500,000 people contract bacterial meningitis every year, with approximately 50,000 deaths. Meningitis-B causes the inflammation of the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal medulla and can easily kill children and adolescents if not detected quickly. During the past three decades, there have been serious meningitis-B epidemics in Cuba, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Spain, Norway and in the U.S. state of Oregon. Although Smith-Kline Beecham is a British firm, its research facilities in Belgium are owned by a U.S. subsidiary and, consequently, its operations fall under the restrictions of the U.S. blockade of Cuba. U.S. CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES CALL FOR END TO BLOCKADE Washington, July 29(RHC)-- With the recent decision by the Clinton administration to ease sanctions against Iran, Libya and Sudan and the ink still wet on a trade agreement with Vietnam, several U.S. congressional representatives are calling for the lifting of Washington's blockade against Cuba. Democratic Representatives James McGovern and Jose Serrano called on U.S. President Bill Clinton to support legislation that would allow the sale of food and medicine to the island. During a news conference in Washington on Wednesday, Serrano, a representative from the state of New York, asked the question: "If President Clinton supports trade with Vietnam and the U.S. can do business with North Korea and China, then why not Cuba?" The representative from New York recalled that the U.S. State Department recently lifting restrictions on sanctions against Iran, Libya and Sudan --- allowing for the sale of food, medicine and medical equipment -- but that the decision did not affect U.S. policy toward Cuba. Representative Jose Serrano criticized Cuban-American legislators on Capitol Hill who have promoted an anti-Cuba agenda and are currently campaigning against the lifting of restrictions on food and medicine sales to the island. Without specifically mentioning the legislators by name, Serrano said that the representatives are using their position in Congress to try to starve the Cuban people and benefit their own political ends. He announced that proposed legislation in the House of Representatives to partially lift the economic blockade and allow the sale of food and medicine to Cuba now has 147 co- signers, among them both Democrats and Republicans. Serrano said that a similar bill has been introduced in the Senate -- but that no date has been set for debate. VENCEREMOS BRIGADE VISITS ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA MEMORIAL Santa Clara, July 29(RHC)-- Members of the 30th Contingent of the Venceremos Brigade paid tribute on Wednesday to Ernesto Che Guevara during a visit to his Memorial in the central city of Santa Clara. The National Coordinator of the Venceremos Brigade, Annette Goldman, told journalists that the group went to Santa Clara to pay their respects to the Heroic Guerrilla and to learn more about the city where Che won a decisive battle during the fight against the Batista dictatorship. After visiting the Museum and Memorial, the members of the Venceremos Brigade placed a floral wreath before the Ernesto Che Guevara Memorial. The national coordinator of the Venceremos Brigade added that the members of the solidarity group were very impressed with the words of Cuban President Fidel Castro during the July 26th celebration in south-central Cienfuegos on Monday. In addition to attending the July 26th activity in Cienfuegos, the brigadistas are also visiting eastern Granma and Santiago de Cuba. The 30th Contingent of the Venceremos Brigade did voluntary work in Havana province as an expression of solidarity with the Cuban people. FINISHING TOUCHES FOR JULY 26th ACTIVITIES IN MATANZAS Matanzas, July 29(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro will take part in activities commemorating the 46th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Garrison on Monday in the province of Matanzas. Matanzas was selected to share the main activities for July 26th this year with its neighboring province, Cienfuegos -- where the Cuban leader addressed residents and foreign guests, denouncing Washington's constant, hostile policies against the island over the past 40 years. Matanzas achieved outstanding results during 1998 -- mainly in the areas of sugar production, tourism and the petro-chemical industry, as well as other sectors like health and education. Final touches are being made in Matanzas in preparation for the activity next Monday night -- commemorating the 46th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Garrisons in the eastern part of the island. STUDENTS FROM THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES ENROLL IN THE SCHOOL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE IN CIENFUEGOS Cienfuegos, July 29(RHC)-- Some 124 students from 15 Third World countries have enrolled at the Dr. Raul Dorticos Torrado School of Medical Science in the south-central province of Cienfuegos. As an expression of the Cuban people's solidarity with other countries, there are currently 243 students from 22 Latin American, Caribbean and African countries studying medicine and dentistry. During the graduation ceremony, which was attended by Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres, education officials reported that the school in Cienfuegos has graduated over 3000 doctors, dentists and nurses from all parts of the world since it opened 19 years ago. HONDURAN LABOR UNIONS AWARD DIPLOMAS TO CUBAN DOCTORS Tegucigalpa, July 29(RHC)-- Honduran labor unions in the health field have awarded diplomas to Cuban doctors who are offering their services in areas that were devastated by Hurricane Mitch last year. During the awards ceremony, an engraved, handmade case was given to the Cuban doctors -- to be later presented to Cuban President Fidel Castro in appreciation for his help to the Honduran people. The ceremony coincides with a decision by the Honduran School of Medicine to authorize 76 Cuban doctors to continue practicing medicine in the country. The Honduran School of Medicine had expressed its opposition to the presence of Cuban doctors in that Central American country last May, provoking indignation among the inhabitants of remote communities where the Cuban physicians are offering their services. Cuban doctors have treated over 400,000 Hondurans and have performed nearly 7000 operations in the country's southern region. CUBAN-ITALIAN FIRM OPENS SEED PRODUCTION CENTER Havana, July 29(RHC)-- The Cuban-Italian firm CARISEM inaugurated the first high-quality seed production center, designed primarily for the Latin American market. Located in the western province of Pinar del Rio, the company will produce vegetable and flower seeds -- providing a boost for the development of the island's agriculture. 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