Radio Havana Cuba, Tuesday, June 1, 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, June 1, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS FILE CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST WASHINGTON FOR 40 YEARS OF AGGRESSIONS 2.- CUBA CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO CHARGE NATO SECRETARY GENERAL JAVIER SOLANA WITH WAR CRIMES 3.- INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY CELEBRATED ACROSS THE ISLAND 4.- UNICEF PROMOTES "ACCESS TO WATER FOR ALL PROJECT" 5.- CUBAN DELEGATION PARTICIPATES IN UN MEETING FOR THE CONTROL OF NATURAL DISASTERS 6.- SECOND SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE WITH CUBA HELD IN BARBADOS 7.- "LA NINA" INTENSIFIES DROUGHT ON THE ISLAND CUBAN GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS FILE CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST WASHINGTON FOR 40 YEARS OF AGGRESSIONS Havana, June 1(RHC)-- Cuban grassroots, labor and social organizations have filed charges in a Havana court against the United States government for Washington's 40 years of aggressions and attacks against the island. The Cuban Workers Confederation, the National Association of Small Farmers, the Federation of University Students and the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, among others, have accused Washington of the death of 3,478 Cuban citizens and the wounding and disabling of 2,099. The plaintiffs are demanding compensation for human and material damage amounting to 181 billion 100 million dollars. An insert in today's edition of the Cuban news daily Granma, which reproduces with seven full pages the legal document filed in the Havana court, provides the arguments for the judicial action. The extensive document begins by stating that the humiliating defeat for U.S. imperialism in a liberation war against a tyranny armed and trained by Washington -- which cost the lives of 20,000 Cubans -- led to the hostilities and brutal aggressions of all types in Washington's effort to destroy the Cuban Revolution. The legal document takes note of the abundant information published over the past 40 years, public statements by U.S. authorities, declassified CIA and State Department documents and evidence accumulated by Cuban authorities that have amply and irrefutably provided detailed proof of the nature and magnitude of the war unleashed by the U.S. government against Cuba. Just two of those declassified documents provide the details of numerous incendiary bombardments against Cuban sugarcane fields and sugar-producing installations and the aerial machine-gunning of Havana that claimed several lives and wounded dozens of people. Those declassified documents are the "Covert Action Program against the Castro Regime," signed by U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower on March 17, 1960, and "Project Cuba," presented on January 18, 1962 by U.S. Brigadier General Edward Lansdale. "Project Cuba" contains 32 covert actions of war against Cuba, including the infamous and well-documented Operation Mongoose -- which included the arming, training and infiltration of counterrevolutionaries into Cuba by a task force coordinated by the White House, the Pentagon and the CIA. The insert in the Granma news daily also takes note of the fact that the compensation -- 30 million dollars for each Cuban killed and 15 million for each Cuban wounded and or disabled -- is substantially less than the compensation against Cuba recently ordered by U.S. Federal Judge Lawrence King in Miami. King granted more than 187 million dollars to the family members of three Cuban-Americans whose aircraft were shot down by the Cuban Air Force while violating the island's territorial airspace. The charges against the U.S. government state that over the past 40 years, Cuban State Security has learned about, investigated, discovered and neutralized credible indications, conceived or carefully elaborated plans in the phase of execution or about to be carried out, 637 conspiracies to assassinate Fidel Castro -- including those whose executors abandoned the effort due to cowardice when they were just several meters away from the Cuban leader. The document asks how many more assassination plots were never discovered. CUBA CALLS ON INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO CHARGE NATO SECRETARY GENERAL JAVIER SOLANA WITH WAR CRIMES Havana, June 1(RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque held a news conference Tuesday afternoon in Havana, during which he read a declaration by the Cuban Government condemning the ongoing U.S.-led NATO war of aggression against Yugoslavia. The top Cuban diplomat, who was designated foreign minister last Friday, called on the international community to charge NATO Secretary General Javier Solana -- representing those responsible for the attacks -- as a war criminal. Citing the daily airstrikes against Yugoslavia and the civilian casualties caused by U.S. and NATO bombs, the Cuban foreign minister strongly condemned what he called "the monstrous crime being committed against the Serbian people." The statement read by Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque affirmed that with the NATO war against Yugoslavia, the United Nations itself was being "bombarded politically and the UN Security Council completely ignored." The Cuban foreign minister emphasized that the war against Yugoslavia was genocidal and a violation of international law. He reiterated that Cuba was prepared to send 1000 doctors to the region to treat refugees affected by the ongoing aggression. During his first official news conference before national and international journalists accredited in Cuba, the recently-named foreign minister said that his designation did not represent a change in Havana's foreign policy, but rather the continued, consistent policy of the Cuban Revolution -- which has always defended the rights and sovereignty of all peoples. INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY CELEBRATED ACROSS THE ISLAND Havana, June 1(RHC)-- Cuban youth across the island celebrated International Children's Day on Tuesday in more than 300 Young Pioneer camps throughout the country. The main activity was held in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba -- chosen as the national site for their outstanding work with children. The event included a cultural activity and the reading of a message from Cuban children to the children of other countries. Competitions and sports activities, games, contests, and a costume party were also held in Santiago de Cuba to celebrate International Children's Day. In 1954, the United Nations General Assembly established International Children's Day -- an annual celebration which was to be decided by each country. Cuba, like many nations in the world, selected June 1st as the day to celebrate what is considered to be the most precious resource of the island: its children. UNICEF PROMOTES "ACCESS TO WATER FOR ALL PROJECT" Havana, June 1(RHC)-- The representative to Cuba of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Alfredo Missair, said that the UN agency is working with the "Access to Water for All Project" -- aimed at helping countless numbers of families on the island. On the occasion of International Children's Day, the UNICEF representative announced that Matanzas will be the first province to benefit from the project, which will be introduced across the island. Missair called on all Iberoamerican countries that expressed their support of UNICEF during the First Iberoamerican Summit in 1990 to contribute to the UN agency's goals. CUBAN DELEGATION PARTICIPATES IN UN MEETING FOR THE CONTROL OF NATURAL DISASTERS San Jose, June 1(RHC)-- A Cuban delegation is in Costa Rica to take part in a United Nation's meeting for the control of natural disasters, underway in San Jose, the capital. The event began today and will conclude on Saturday, June 5th, World Environment Day. Dr. Jose Rubiera, head of Cuba's Meteorological Institute, will discuss the Cuban experience on alerting the population once a hurricane is detected in the region. The hurricane season officially begins today, June 1st, and runs until the end of November. The month of October is considered to be the most active period for hurricanes, given the number of dangerous tropical storms that have historically hit the island during that month. Cuba's Civil Defense held training exercises known as Meteorology '99 this past weekend, designed to help prepare local residents for natural disasters. SECOND SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE WITH CUBA HELD IN BARBADOS Bridgetown, June 1(RHC)-- The Second Solidarity Conference with Cuba was held on May 29th and 30th in Bridgetown, Barbados, with the participation of friendship delegations from Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent. Solidarity or friendship organizations in the Caribbean are made up of cultural associations and solidarity groups, as well as social, political, educational and religious organizations. Participants at the conference held over the weekend in Barbados discussed the progress achieved by the Cuban people in the area of social justice, despite Washington's economic blockade against the island. A declaration issued at the conclusion of the Caribbean solidarity conference pledges support for Cuban legislation aimed at protecting the national independence and economy of Cuba, calling it "a right of the people to safeguard the achievements of the Revolution." The final declaration expresses appreciation for the number of scholarships that have been granted by Cuba to the people of the Caribbean. According to the solidarity activists, the opportunity to study on the island allows students from other Caribbean nations to become medical doctors and professionals. "LA NINA" INTENSIFIES DROUGHT ON THE ISLAND Havana, June 1(RHC)-- The severe drought that has affected the eastern part of Cuba has extended to the western region, while meteorological experts predict that the situation will intensify. Cuba has been suffering the consequences of a lack of rainfall for the past 13 months. It is expected that the drought will worsen during June through August, especially in the most affected areas of the Isle of Youth, Pinar Del Rio and Havana. According to Dr. Pedro Cardenas of the National Weather Center, the drought is related to the climatic phenomenon known as "La Nina" -- turning the rainy season into a dry one. [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-7386 1999-Jun-01 21:55:34