Radio Havana Cuba, Thursday, November 18, 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, November 18, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ DEFENDS LATIN AMERICAN REVOLUTION 2.- THE MOST TRULY DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IS THAT WHICH PROVIDES ITS PEOPLE WITH THE GREATEST AMOUNT POSSIBLE OF SOCIAL SECURITY, POLITICAL STABILITY AND HAPPINESS 3.- CUBA-VENEZUELA BUSINESS MEETING WINDS UP IN HAVANA 4.- PRESIDENT OF HAVANA'S CASA DE LAS AMERICAS CULTURAL INSTITUTION RECEIVES AWARD 5.- INTERNATIONAL MEETING "40 YEARS OF THE U.S. BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA" CONTINUES IN HAVANA 6.- EMOTIONAL FAREWELL TO CUBAN MEDICAL PERSONNEL IN SMALL NICARAGUAN TOWN VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ DEFENDS LATIN AMERICAN REVOLUTION Havana, November 18(RHC)-- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, delivering a lecture today at the University of Havana, told the audience that his project to create a new constitution for his country will save Venezuela from destruction. The visiting Venezuelan leader said his country was "in pieces" when he took office as president earlier this year. Hugo Chavez stated that his task is to pick up the pieces and make Venezuela "greater and more dignified than ever." The Venezuelan president expressed admiration for his Cuban counterpart, Fidel Castro, who attended Thursday afternoon's lecture at the University of Havana. Chavez frequently drew parallels to the Cuban Revolution and the radical changes being made today in Venezuelan society. He said that the greatest challenge for his country's people is the elimination of poverty and corruption that have plagued Venezuela for decades. And he praised Cuba's achievements in health care and education, which he has called a model for Latin America and the world. Referring to the "common enemies" of Cuba and Venezuela, Hugo Chavez charged that some wanted to sabotage the recently-held 9th Ibero- American Summit in Havana. He strongly criticized those who tried to tell Cuba how to run its affairs, saying that some came to Havana to demand that Cuba take the road to what he called a "false democracy." He reiterated that his government will not bow to threats or pressures for being a friend of the Cuban Revolution. And the Venezuelan president stated that his political movement, based on the principles of Simon Bolivar -- independence and self-determination -- is guiding Venezuela, in its own way, "in the same direction and on the same sea as the Cuban people -- a sea of true social justice and peace." THE MOST TRULY DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT IS THAT WHICH PROVIDES ITS PEOPLE WITH THE GREATEST POSSIBLE AMOUNT OF SOCIAL SECURITY, POLITICAL STABILITY AND HAPPINESS Havana, November 18(RHC)-- Visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has asserted that "the most truly democratic government is that which provides its people with the greatest possible amount of social security, political stability and happiness." The statement came late Wednesday evening as Chavez received Cuba's highest distinction -- the Jose Marti Order. Upon announcing the motives for the distinction, the secretary of Cuba's Council of State said that Chavez is "a humble, struggling and patriotic son of the Venezuelan people who, in complex and decisive moments in his country's history, knew how to assume the role and the conduct dictated by his commitments and consciousness." Also on Wednesday, Chavez and Cuban President Fidel Castro held their first round of talks during the Venezuelan president's three-day official visit, following his participation in Havana's Ibero-American Summit. The two countries are hammering out agreements concerning the entry of Venezuelan rice onto the Cuban market and bilateral cooperation in the energy field. Both nations hope to yearly refine a mixture of 70,000 barrels of Venezuelan crude and 30,000 of Cuban crude at Cuba's Cienfuegos refinery, to later share the profits resulting from the production of fuel and oil derivatives. Cuba and Venezuela are also in the process of constructing an agriculture machinery-producing factory in Venezuela and a factory in Cuba to produce lubricants. Nevertheless, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque insisted that the principle objective of Chavez's official visit to Cuba is not trade, but rather, politics. The Cuban foreign minister said he perceives Chavez's visit as a gesture of political independence on the part of Venezuela, which is in line with that country's stated objective of recuperating its sovereignty and the control of its natural resources. CUBA-VENEZUELA BUSINESS MEETING WINDS UP IN HAVANA Havana, November 18(RHC)-- The Cuba-Venezuela business meeting wound up on Thursday in Havana following two days of intense discussions. Some 130 Venezuelan business representatives from a number of sectors participated in the meeting and learned of business opportunities on the island. During the event, participants pointed out the possibilities for both countries in finding new forms of cooperation. Among those attending the meeting was Venezuelan Production and Trade Minister Juan de Jesus Montilla. PRESIDENT OF HAVANA'S CASA DE LAS AMERICAS CULTURAL INSTITUTION RECEIVES AWARD Havana, November 18(RHC)-- The President of Havana's Casa de las Americas cultural institution, Roberto Fernandez Retamar, was awarded the "Libertador Order" by the government of Venezuela. The Venezuelan government also posthumously awarded the order to Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier, which was received by his widow, Lilia Esteva. Casa de las Americas was founded and directed by the late Haydee Santamaria, who participated in the 1953 attack on the Moncada Garrison in eastern Santiago de Cuba. Roberto Fernandez Retamar, the current president of the cultural institution, thanked the Venezuelan government for the high honor. After the awards ceremony, Venezuelan writers Domingo Miliani and Alexis Marquez offered a conference as part of Venezuelan Culture Week in Cuba. INTERNATIONAL MEETING "40 YEARS OF THE U.S. BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA" CONTINUES IN HAVANA Havana, November 18(RHC)-- The International Meeting "40 Years of the U.S. Blockade against Cuba" continues with representatives from nine countries at the National Lawyers Association in Havana. The President of the Cuban Society of International Law, Miguel Destafano, offered a lecture on the principle of extraterritorial legislation and the blockade. Participants will analyze Cuba's response to the Helms-Burton Law, among other issues. The event, which will wind up on Friday, is sponsored by the Cuban Society of International Law and has the participation of specialists and academics from the United States, Argentina, Venezuela, Angola, Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Puerto Rico and Mozambique. EMOTIONAL FAREWELL TO CUBAN MEDICAL PERSONNEL IN SMALL NICARAGUAN TOWN Managua, November 18(RHC)-- Residents and local authorities of the Nicaraguan municipality of Pueblo Nuevo offered an emotional farewell to the Cuban medical personnel who offered their services free-of-charge in that region. The Cuban medical brigade arrived in the municipality of Pueblo Nuevo, located in the Department of Esteli, just a few days after Hurricane Mitch hit the area last year. During the farewell activity, local officials in Pueblo Nuevo praised the work of the Cuban doctors and awarded them with the "Remigio Casco Community Service Order." The mayor of Pueblo Nuevo said that there are no words to describe the importance of the Cuban medical personnel's solidarity with the Nicaraguan people. He also thanked non-governmental organizations in Nicaragua like the Augusto Cesar Sandino Foundation, which have contributed funds and supplies to the Cuban doctors during their one year stay in the Central American country. [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-4416 1999-Nov-18 20:15:24