Radio Havana Cuba, Wednesday, November 17, 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 Wednesday, November 17, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO BLASTS SLANTED PRESS COVERAGE OF HAVANA'S IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT BY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA 2.- VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ BEGINS OFFICIAL VISIT TO CUBA 3.- VENEZUELAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS CULTURAL RELATIONS WITH CUBA WILL INCREASE 4.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO SEES OFF SPANISH KING JUAN CARLOS 5.- IBERO-AMERICAN FIRST LADIES TOUR OLD HAVANA 6.- CUBAN AND HONDURAN FOREIGN MINISTERS SIGN MARITIME ACCORD CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO BLASTS SLANTED PRESS COVERAGE OF HAVANA'S IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT BY INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Havana, November 17(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro has blasted the slanted coverage of Havana's Ibero-American Summit by the international media. During a news conference late Tuesday evening following the Summit's closure, the Cuban leader said news correspondents went out of their way to give the impression that there is a large and organized opposition on the island -- which he said is simply not true. He said little, if anything, was reported by the media on the official inauguration of Havana's Latin American School of Medicine, where several thousand youths from the region are studying. President Fidel Castro told journalists that they should visit Cuba's universities, cultural centers and factories -- the bastions of the island's intellectual and productive creativity. When asked by one journalist why Cuba doesn't hold multi-party elections, Fidel Castro said: "Why should we, when we hold municipal and provincial elections every two and a half years in which nearly 100 percent of the population casts their ballots?" The Cuban leader said elections in Cuba are much more serious and participatory than those in many other countries, including the United States -- where only half the population bothers to exercise their voting rights. He said, in fact, if all Latin Americans could benefit from Washington's Cuba Adjustment Act -- who grants residence to any undocumented Cuban who reaches U.S. soil -- Hispanics would soon govern that nation. In reference to the absence of Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman at the Summit, Fidel Castro sarcastically stated that this head of state governs one of the two poorest nations in the region, with a disastrous social and economic scenario, plagued by permanent corruption. He pointed out that despite Aleman's argument concerning his alleged democratic principles, his foreign minister did come to Havana -- but had to play the role of a martyr by complying with Washington's order to publicly promote a handful of opposition figures. VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ BEGINS OFFICIAL VISIT TO CUBA Havana, November 17(RHC)-- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez began an official visit to Cuba today, following the end of the 9th Ibero-American Summit. Chavez, who has visited the island twice before, began the day by meeting with his Cuban counterpart, Fidel Castro, at the Palace of the Revolution. The Venezuelan delegation accompanying President Hugo Chavez is composed of a number of representatives from different ministries, who will all be holding talks with their counterparts in Cuba. Since his arrival in Havana on Monday on attend the Ibero-American Summit, the Venezuelan president has praised the island for its dignity. He said he was looking forward to his itinerary on the island, which runs through Friday. Hugo Chavez visited a primary school Wednesday afternoon. The school, in downtown Havana, is named "The Republic of Venezuela." Dozens of young students waving Cuban and Venezuelan flags crowded around Chavez as he greeted them warmly. Later, the Venezuelan president inaugurated a plaza in the Havana neighborhood of Vedado. Hugo Chavez unveiled a statue of the Latin American independence fighter Simon Bolivar -- a Venezuelan known as "The Liberator." Wednesday evening, President Hugo Chavez was awarded the Jose Marti Order -- Cuba's highest civilian honor. Tomorrow, Thursday, Venezuelan and Cuban baseball teams will play a friendly game at Havana's Latin American Stadium. Cuban President Fidel Castro will manage Havana's team, while the visiting Venezuelan president has been announced as the opening pitcher for Caracas. VENEZUELAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS CULTURAL RELATIONS WITH CUBA WILL INCREASE Havana, November 17(RHC)-- Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jose Vicente Rangel says that his country will strengthen cultural ties with Cuba. Rangel made the statement during the inauguration of an art exhibit at Havana's Hotel Nacional, featuring 39 Cuban artists. Speaking to Venezuelan and Cuban cultural, social and political personalities, the Venezuelan foreign minister underscored the friendly relations between both countries. Jose Vicente Rangel referred to the cultural accord that was established between independence leaders Simon Bolivar and Jose Marti, as well as the positive results obtained in the fields of literature, film, television, fine arts, dance and music. CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO SEES OFF SPANISH KING JUAN CARLOS Havana, November 17(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro saw off Spain's King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia late Tuesday evening. The Royal Couple returned to Madrid after participating in the 9th Ibero-American Summit, which wound up last night in Havana. Media sources reported on the warm and enthusiastic meeting held at the Havana Libre Hotel between the Spanish monarch and Spanish descendants on the island, marking the historic ties between the two nations. During the meeting, which was also attended by Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar, King Juan Carlos said that he hoped to return to Cuba soon. He said that he had long dreamed of visiting the island -- one of Spain's last colonies in the Western Hemisphere. The Spanish King characterized the Cuban people as "open and generous." IBERO-AMERICAN FIRST LADIES TOUR OLD HAVANA Havana, November 17(RHC)-- Ibero-American First Ladies toured Old Havana on Tuesday, accompanied by the Historian of the City of Havana Eusebio Leal Spengler. The wives of Ibero-American heads of State and government who were in Havana to attend the 9th Ibero-American Summit visited the historic Palace of the Captain Generals and the Basilica of St. Francis de Assisi. The Havana Historian gave an explanation of the massive refurbishing program underway in colonial Old Havana, about which the visiting First Ladies expressed much interest. The visitors also stopped off at the Solidarity with Panama Special School, located in the Havana municipality of Boyeros. Cuban Education Minister Luis Ignacio Gomez explained the island's special education system and talked about the school's physically- disabled students. The First Ladies were treated to a performance by a children's theater group, La Colmenita, which was performed by disabled students of the Solidarity with Panama Special School. CUBAN AND HONDURAN FOREIGN MINISTERS SIGN MARITIME ACCORD Havana, November 17(RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and his Honduran counterpart, Roberto Flores, have signed a memorandum on maritime borders -- a gesture which is seen as strengthening the normalization of relations between the two countries. During a brief ceremony on Tuesday, the Honduran foreign minister praised Cuba's medical assistance to his country. He characterized the maritime accord as just one of many common interests between Cuba and Honduras. -------------------------------------------------------------- RADIO HAVANA CUBA'S VIEWPOINT WEDNESDAY, 17 November 1999 The Cuban capital celebrated the 480th anniversary of its foundation with the presence of most of the Ibero-American leaders, including Spanish King Juan Carlos de Borbon and Queen Sofia de Grecia. In spite of desperate efforts by the enemies of the island who tried to sabotage the 9th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, they could do nothing to frustrate the increasingly strong Latin American momentum toward integration. It is important to note that this spirit of understanding and cooperation in our region had never existed before 1991, when the first Summit took place in Guadalajara, Mexico. The neo-liberal economic globalization that has spread like a plague across the planet is the predominant sign of our times. Consequently, nations with common interests and problems must join together and organize to face present and future challenges. In today's world, economic power and its political effects do not guarantee international relations based on the equality and justice so badly needed by poor nations. At a time when the greatest economic, political and military superpower of all times is trying to impose its hegemony upon the rest of the world, there is no other choice but unity and coordinated actions among nations, to ensure that common interests are respected. It is not a matter of military alliances or the use of force. It is necessary to avoid the dangerous power imbalance that threatens the human race on the threshold of the 21st century. Fair international trade rules need to be respected by everyone --regardless of size or power -- and unilateral economic sanctions against those who oppose U.S. policies must end. All countries have the right to sell their products under fair conditions and buy what they need for their development and prosperity, without having to pay unjust prices for technology produced by developed nations. The only wars worth waging are those against poverty, inequality, injustice, ignorance, underdevelopment and insularity -- which now affect most of the planet's inhabitants. The main topic of the 9th Ibero-American Summit in Havana focused on those socio-economic projections. The agreements reached in that respect will allow our community of nations to cross the threshold of the new century -- better prepared to face the future. [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. 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