Radio Havana cuba, July 6, 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 Tuesday, July 6, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- DRAMATIC TESTIMONY IN HAVANA COURTROOM DEMANDING REPARATIONS FOR 40 YEARS OF U.S. AGGRESSIONS AGAINST CUBA 2.- REMAINS OF INTERNATIONALISTS WHO FOUGHT WITH CHE GUEVARA IN BOLIVIA SENT TO CUBA 3.- VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ PROMISES OIL AT SUBSIDIZED PRICES FOR CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CUBA 4.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ATTENDS GRADUATION CEREMONY OF VLADIMIR ILICH LENIN VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL 5.- GENERAL SECRETARY OF ANGOLA'S GOVERNING MPLA PARTY CONCLUDES VISIT 6.- AGRICULTURE MINISTRY RELEASES REPORT ON DAMAGES CAUSED BY SEVERE DROUGHT DRAMATIC TESTIMONY IN HAVANA COURTROOM DEMANDING REPARATIONS FOR 40 YEARS OF U.S. AGGRESSIONS AGAINST CUBA Havana, July 6(RHC)-- A Havana courtroom heard dramatic testimony in a legal claim for 40 years of U.S. aggressions against Cuba. In the multi-billion dollar lawsuit against the United States, filed by eight Cuban grassroots and labor organizations, Havana's Provincial Court began hearing testimony and receiving evidence on Monday. The first stage of the hearings are focusing on the U.S.- supported counterrevolutionary bandits that operated in Cuba's Escambray Mountains between 1960 and 1965. Abundant evidence has been presented concerning the arsenals smuggled into Cuba by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency which were used to terrorize the civilian population of that region. Rafael Romero Rojaz testified that he saw his entire family murdered by the bandit group of Osvaldo Ramirez, who boasted of how Washington provided his men with support and weapons. Particularly dramatic was testimony by Evelia Domenech, the mother of a 16-year-old member of Cuba's literacy campaign, killed in 1961 by another bandit group. Manuel Ascunce Domenech -- along with campesino Pedro Lantigua -- were brutally tortured and then hung. Testimony was also given concerning the fate of 17-year-old Jesus Sardinas, a member of Cuba's Revolutionary Militia. After having been wounded in a fire-fight with bandits, the counterrevolutionaries burned him alive on November 15th, 1962. 549 people were killed in the Escambray scenario and among the many who were wounded, 200 were left permanently disabled. The Havana court will be hearing testimony and receiving evidence during a 30-day period. REMAINS OF INTERNATIONALISTS WHO FOUGHT WITH CHE GUEVARA IN BOLIVIA SENT TO CUBA La Paz, July 6(RHC)-- The remains of seven internationalist combatants who fought alongside Ernesto Che Guevara in Bolivia, were seen off today in a ceremony at Cuba's embassy in the capital, La Paz. The coffins of Cubans Vitalio Acuna, Israel Reyes and Gustavo Machin, and those of Bolivians Freddy Maimura, Moises Guevara, Apolinar Aquino and Walter Arencibia were covered with the flags of their respective countries. After a moment of silence, the family members of the deceased reiterated their desire to see the remains buried in Cuba at the Ernesto Che Guevara Mausoleum in Santa Clara. The seven remains were discovered last month by a team of forensic experts led by Cuban doctor Jorge Gonzalez. Over the past several years, this same team has discovered other skeletal remains of members of the internationalist brigade -- all of which have been buried here in Cuba, including the remains Che Guevara. VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ PROMISES OIL AT SUBSIDIZED PRICES FOR CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CUBA Port of Spain, July 6(RHC)-- In Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has promised to provide Caribbean countries with oil at subsidized prices, including "to the sister nation of Cuba." The statement came today at the 20th Annual Assembly of Caribbean heads of state and government of the regional integration organization CARICOM, to which Chavez was invited. The Venezuelan president told the regional leaders that he wanted to extend the benefits of the 1982 San Jose Accord to the Caribbean. In this accord, Venezuela and Mexico provide Central America with oil at prices below those of the international market. Chavez said that if Mexico is not willing to extend this benefit to the Caribbean, then Venezuela will do so unilaterally. In other news, the 14 CARICOM nations today signed a document highlighting the need to give special consideration to small economies taking part in continental integration efforts. Warning of the weakness of poor countries attempting to join regional trade blocks, the document identifies those nations at the greatest disadvantage -- including the small islands of Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis. The 20th Annual CARICOM Assembly began Sunday and is slated to wind up tomorrow, Wednesday. Cuba is participating in the gathering as an observer. CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ATTENDS GRADUATION CEREMONY OF VLADIMIR ILICH LENIN VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL Havana, July 6(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro attended the graduation ceremony of nearly 1000 students from the Vladimir Ilich Lenin Vocational High School Monday evening at Havana's Karl Marx Theater. During the ceremony, the Cuban leader addressed the graduates and recalled that despite the island's severe economic crisis, no school in Cuba has closed its doors. The Cuban president said that thousands of graduates from schools like the Lenin Vocational High School are already part of medical brigades that are offering their services free-of-charge in other countries -- an example that demonstrates the capacity of heroism and the internationalist virtues of the Cuban people. Fidel Castro emphasized that Cubans can be proud of the fact that during 40 years of Revolution, there have not been political crimes or forcibly disappeared, nor have there been death squads -- pointing out that even during the Bay of Pigs invasion, not one single mercenary was mistreated. Cuban President Fidel Castro urged the graduates from Lenin High School to strengthen their spirit of struggle, to maintain the virtues that enrich the country and use their intelligence for the benefit of humanity. The Vladimir Ilich Lenin High School was founded in 1974 through the initiative of Cuban President Fidel Castro. Over these past 25 years, the center has graduated over 21,000 students. There are 15 similar vocational schools in 14 of the country's provinces. They apply the work-study concept and maintain relations between the school's courses and production. GENERAL SECRETARY OF ANGOLA'S GOVERNING MPLA PARTY CONCLUDES VISIT Havana, July 6(RHC)-- The General Secretary of Angola's governing MPLA Party, Joao Lorenzo, has wound up an official visit to Cuba. The Angolan official, who was accompanied by the Secretary of the MPLA's International Relations Department Paulo Jorge, met with the Second Secretary of Cuba's Communist Party and Defense Minister Raul Castro. During their visit to Cuba, the Angolan leaders also met with the President of the Cuban Parliament Ricardo Alarcon and the head of the Central Committee's International Relations Department Jose Ramon Balaguer. AGRICULTURE MINISTRY RELEASES REPORT ON DAMAGES CAUSED BY SEVERE DROUGHT Havana, July 6(RHC)-- Cuba's Agriculture Ministry released a report on the damages caused by a severe drought that hit the country earlier this year. According to the report, more cattle died during the first months of 1999 than in all of last year. The drought also caused widespread damage to crops, primarily in the eastern part of the island. The report also reveals that due to the lack of rain, some 1600 hectares of seasonal crops were not planted while banana production decreased by 40 percent and milk production was reduced to only 0.3 liters per cow. The drought in Cuba during 1997 and 1998 was classified as the worst in 40 years, mainly affecting the eastern provinces and causing over 200 million dollars in losses. To overcome the damages caused by the severe drought, the Cuban Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Ministry and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have signed a assistance project valued at 360 thousand dollars. [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-25476 1999-Jul-06 20:00:35