Radio Havana Cuba - 4 March 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, March 4, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- FOUR CUBANS ON TRIAL FOR SEDITION ARE NOTHING LESS THAN TRAITORS AND MERCENARIES 2.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA MEETS WITH VIETNAMESE COUNTERPART NEGUYEN MANH AND PRIME MINISTER PHAN VAN KHAI 3.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO MEETS WITH PRESIDENT OF THE SPANISH AUTONOMOUS REGION 4.- NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE FEDERATION OF CUBAN WOMEN ANALYZES FOLLOW-UP PLAN OF THE 4th UN CONFERENCE ON WOMEN 5.- CENTRAL AMERICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT HAVANA'S BIOTECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE 6.- DIRECTOR OF MADRID'S "CARLOS III HEALTH INSTITUTE" PRAISES CUBA'S LATIN AMERICAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE 7.- IRANIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION ARRIVES NEXT WEEK 8.- CUBAN SALSA GROUP "LOS VAN VAN" CELEBRATES 30 YEARS FOUR CUBANS ON TRIAL FOR SEDITION ARE NOTHING LESS THAN TRAITORS AND MERCENARIES Havana, March 4(RHC)-- In response to an international, anti-Cuba publicity campaign led by the United States, Thursday's edition of the Cuban newspaper Granma published an extensive article on the evidence presented against four Cubans on trial for sedition. Recalling Washington's 40 year-long war against the Cuban Revolution, the article states that numerous strategies and tactics have been used -- including invasions, attacks which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war and even the most septile forms of aggression. Money is perhaps imperialism's most powerful weapon, but the United States found out every early that the Cuban people and their leaders could not be bought. The article in Thursday's edition of Granma points out that Washington is even more powerful today, leading a unipolar world following the collapse of the socialist camp and the former Soviet Union. The Cuban Revolution was left alone to defend itself against stepped up attacks by the United States. The Cuban news daily devoted its pages to what it called the external and internal attempts to destroy the country's revolutionary process and placed the recent trial of four so-called "dissidents" in the context of a plan to destabilize and subvert the Revolution from within. According to this morning's edition of the newspaper, Vladimiro Roca Antunez, Felix Bonne Carcasses, Beatriz Roque Cabello and Rene Gomez Manzano are "traitors and mercenaries" who sold themselves for 30 pieces of silver to those who have historically used every means at their disposal to destroy the Cuban Revolution. Reproducing extensive selections from documents circulated in Cuba by the four accused, in conjunction with anti-Cuba and even terrorist organizations based in Miami, the Granma article shows that the four so-called "dissidents" tried to torpedo foreign investment on the island, called for a boycott of Cuba's recent legislative elections and attempted to prevent the sending of money remittances from Cuban-Americans to their family members in Cuba. The article in Thursday's edition of the Cuban newspaper demonstrates that Vladimiro Roca verbally attacked Cuba on 71 occasions while speaking on the ill-named and extremely anti-Cuba Radio Marti, owned and operated by the U.S. government. During the trial proceedings of the four earlier this week, it was proven that Roca had close ties with the head of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Michael Kozak. According to the evidence presented in court, Kozak took part in all of the news conferences during which the accused attacked Cuba and visited Roca's home on numerous occasions. Granma also points to last year's arrest and deportation of David Norman, described as an emissary of Cuban- American CIA agent Frank Calzon. Norman arrived in Cuba with computers, cameras and cash for the four accused and other so-called "dissidents." And the article in today's edition of the Cuban news daily recalls U.S. President Bill Clinton's public offer of a half a million dollars for counterrevolutionary groups in Cuba and the U.S. Congress' recent approval of another two million dollars to groups organized to carry out subversive activities on the island. CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER ROBERTO ROBAINA MEETS WITH VIETNAMESE COUNTERPART NEGUYEN MANH AND PRIME MINISTER PHAN VAN KHAI Hanoi, March 4(RHC)-- Visiting Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina met Thursday with his Vietnamese counterpart Neguyen Manh Cam and with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai. On the final day of the third and last leg of an Asia tour, Robaina and his hosts reiterated what has been the major topic of the visit since the Cuban foreign minister's arrival on Tuesday: the close relations between the two countries and their mutual solidarity over the past four decades. Vietnam and Cuba also congratulated each other for their recent economic and political successes under extremely difficult circumstances. Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai particularly highlighted Cuba's increasingly successful efforts in generating international condemnation of Washington's blockade against island. The Cuban delegation began activities in Hanoi on Thursday with the offering of floral wreaths at the monument to the heroes and martyrs during the U.S. aggression against Vietnam, and at the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO MEETS WITH PRESIDENT OF THE SPANISH AUTONOMOUS REGION Havana, March 4(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro met in Havana on Wednesday with the President of the Spanish autonomous region of Castilla and Leon, Juan Jose Lucas Gimenez, and his accompanying delegation. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and international issues. On Thursday, the President of Castilla and Leon met with Political Bureau member Jose Ramon Balaguer and offered a news conference before wrapping up his eight-day official visit to the island late this evening. NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE FEDERATION OF CUBAN WOMEN ANALYZES FOLLOW-UP PLAN OF THE 4th UN CONFERENCE ON WOMEN Havana, March 4(RHC)-- The National Committee of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) has begun analyzing the follow-up action plan of the Fourth United Nations Conference on Women. The President of the Cuban Society of Family Planning, Miguel Sosa, addressed the issue of health and the more than 25 measures of the Cuban program related to that sector. He praised the work of the 79,000 Cuban health professionals, coordinated by the FMC, and said that cooperation over the past two years has been effective and beneficial for the work and primary health care attention of the community. Some of the activities outlined by the President of the Cuban Society of Family Planning include the orientation of women and their families, cancer prevention, health and sexual reproduction and education -- all of which are in compliance with the agreement made during the World Conference on Women, held in 1995 in Beijing. Other Cuban officials present at the meeting were the President of the Federation of Cuban Women, Vilma Espin; the Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, Rosa Elena Simeon; Deputy Health Minister Abelardo Ramirez and FMC representatives from other provinces. CENTRAL AMERICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT HAVANA'S BIOTECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE Havana, March 4(RHC)-- Members of a delegation from the Central American Parliament, currently visiting Cuba, praised Cuba's scientific and educational development following their visit to Havana's Biotechnological Institute. The delegation is headed by the President of the Central American Parliament, former Guatemalan President Ramiro de Leon Carpio. Members of the delegation met with Cuban Education Minister Luis Ignacio Gomez, who explained the island's educational system and the training of its scientific personnel. DIRECTOR OF MADRID'S "CARLOS III HEALTH INSTITUTE" PRAISES CUBA'S LATIN AMERICAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE Havana, March 4(RHC)-- The Director of Madrid's "Carlos III Health Institute," Jose Antonio Gutierrez, praised Cuba's Latin American School of Medicine, where Central American medical students will study on the island. After visiting the medical school, located on the outskirts of Havana, Gutierrez said that classes will begin towards the end of the month with 500 students from Nicaragua and Guatemala. In addition, 800 Cuban doctors are offering their services in Central America and the Caribbean in response to an integral Iberoamerican health program to aid the victims of Hurricane Mitch. IRANIAN PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION ARRIVES NEXT WEEK Havana, March 4(RHC)--An Iranian parliamentary delegation -- headed by its president, Sadum Hamadi -- will travel to Cuba next week at the invitation of the island's National Assembly. During the Iranian delegation's visit, they will meet with representatives of the Cuban Parliament and the Ministers of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Ibrahim Ferradaz, and Science, Technology and the Environment, Rosa Elena Simeon. CUBAN SALSA GROUP "LOS VAN VAN" CELEBRATES 30 YEARS Havana, March 4(RHC)-- The Cuban salsa group "Los Van Van" will perform on Saturday at Havana's Tropical Pink Room as part of activities to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the group. Saturday's concert will be dedicated to International Womens Day, celebrated on March 8th. For 30 years, Los Van Van has remained at the top of the island's charts for its musical quality and artistic conception. For many Cuban musicians, the group's director, Juan Formell, is considered to be one of the island's best composers. Festivities for the 30th anniversary of the group will take place throughout the year. On May 31st, a gala will be dedicated to the group's first generation of dancers, which will also be held at the Tropical. A special concert dedicated to Cuban youth will be held in September, prior to the beginning of the new school year, and Los Van Van will tour the island this Fall, finishing up with a huge concert at Havana's Karl Marx Theater. The internationally-recognized group also plans concert tours in Europe and the United States. [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-23676 1999-Mar-06 03:56:21