Radio Havana Cuba, October 12, 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, October 12, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER FELIPE PEREZ ROQUE ARRIVES IN ECUADOR FOLLOWING VISIT TO BOLIVIA 2.- CUBA BLASTS PAN AMERICAN SPORTS ORGANIZATION 3.- UNITED NATIONS REPORT SAYS U.S. BLOCKADE IMPEDES ISLAND'S ECONOMIC RECOVERY 4.- PERMANENT CONFERENCE OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN POLITICAL PARTIES PROPOSES MEMBERSHIP FOR CUBAN COMMUNIST PARTY 5.- 7th IBERO-AMERICAN CULTURE FESTIVAL SLATED FOR HAVANA 6.- CUBA-ECUADOR COOPERATION PROJECT GETS RENEWED SUPPORT CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER FELIPE PEREZ ROQUE ARRIVES IN ECUADOR FOLLOWING VISIT TO BOLIVIA Quito, October 12(RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque has arrived in Ecuador following a two-day visit to Bolivia. The Cuban foreign minister will personally give Ecuadorian President Jamil Mahuad an invitation from Cuban President Fidel Castro to attend next month's Ibero-American Summit in Havana. Shortly before leaving Bolivia, Perez Roque said the most important aspect of his visit to that country was Bolivian President Hugo Banzer's confirmation that he will be in Havana for the regional gathering. He also mentioned that 70 Cuban specialists are working in diverse bilateral cooperation programs in Bolivia, while some 70 Bolivian youths are studying at Havana's Latin American School of Medicine. The Cuban foreign minister came out in favor of a considerable increase in trade between the two countries, which currently only registers one million dollars annually. At a news conference in La Paz after wrapping up his visit, the Cuban official again expressed his disappointment over the probable absence of the presidents of Chile and Argentina at the Ibero-American Summit. The Chilean government is protesting Madrid's refusal to interfere in the judicial proceedings against former dictator Augusto Pinochet, while Argentinean president Carlos Menem has announced that he will not attend the gathering to express solidarity with Chile. In reference to the issue, Cuban Foreign Minister Perez Roque reiterated Cuba's position that not only should Pinochet be tried and punished in Chile, but that officials of former U.S. administrations who supported the bloody Pinochet regime should also be brought to justice. CUBA BLASTS PAN AMERICAN SPORTS ORGANIZATION Havana, October 12(RHC)-- This morning's edition of the daily Granma has blasted the Pan American Sports Organization's refusal to consider Cuba's numerous complaints concerning doping charges against its athletes during the Winnipeg Games. The article - the first of a series -- made reference to the October 2nd meeting of PASO's Executive Committee in Mexico, pointing out that regional sports authorities didn't recognize any of Cuba's arguments. The article recalled the anti-Cuba campaigns of local media outlets in Canada, which published detailed steps that Cuban athletes should take if they wished to desert, while ignoring athletes of other nationalities who left their delegations to remain in Canada and had to hide from Canadian authorities because they could not receive asylum as easily as the Cubans. The Cuban news daily also refuted the Executive Committee's affirmation that the Winnipeg Games were the best in Pan Am history, pointing to the overcrowded housing conditions and the limited capacity of cafeterias -- issues that were brought up at an October 1998 gathering of heads of sports delegations, but were never seriously addressed. The article also questioned the elimination of some sports disciplines under the pretext that the Pan American Games had to adapt themselves to the Olympic calendar. The elimination of those disciplines eliminated Cuba from competing for a total of 64 medals, while other disciplines that have nothing to do with the Olympics were maintained. The Granma newspaper pointed to water-skiing, squash, racquetball and badminton, noting that in these four disciplines the 19 gold medals up for grabs were shared by Canada and the United States. UNITED NATIONS REPORT SAYS U.S. BLOCKADE IMPEDES ISLAND'S ECONOMIC RECOVERY New York, October 12(RHC)-- Washington's blockade against Cuba is a serious obstacle to the island's economic recovery, according to a United Nations report. The evaluation, offered by the UN coordinator in Cuba for operational development activities, was included in the report of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, to be discussed during the General Assembly next month. The document, which was circulated to representatives of the 188 UN member nations, adds that the blockade impedes the normal functioning of social services on the island, affecting Cuba's living conditions. In addition to obstructing Cuba's access to preferential loans from international financial institutions, the blockade impedes the development of Cuba's economy. The United Nations report states that Washington's nearly 40-year-old blockade against Cuba continues to pose a significant problem for the development of the country. PERMANENT CONFERENCE OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN POLITICAL PARTIES PROPOSES MEMBERSHIP FOR CUBAN COMMUNIST PARTY Havana, October 12(RHC)-- Representatives of the Permanent Conference of Latin American and Caribbean Political Parties have proposed membership for Cuba's Communist Party's in the organization. Delegates from 52 political parties of the region inaugurated their annual meeting in the Mexican city of Oaxaca on Monday. Participants at today's session agreed that it is illogical that at the beginning of a new century, Cuba is not a member of the Permanent Conference of Latin American and Caribbean Political Parties. Representatives at the meeting also took the opportunity to call for the strengthening of regional unity and integration. 7th IBERO-AMERICAN CULTURE FESTIVAL SLATED FOR HAVANA Havana, October 12(RHC)-- The 7th Ibero-American Culture Festival will be held in eastern Holguin province from October 24th through the 30th. The objective of the festival will be to broaden the study, identification and distribution of the historical and cultural roots that unite the peoples of the region. A series of tributes will also be held for important personalities who have contributed in one way or another to the unity of Ibero-American countries. Among those to be honored: Dominicans Max and Camila Henriquez and Cubans Ruben Martinez Villena and Benny More. CUBA-ECUADOR COOPERATION PROJECT GETS RENEWED SUPPORT Quito, October 12(RHC)-- Six municipal presidents from Cuba's Municipal Assembly of People's Power are currently in Ecuador to carry out a technical cooperation project between both countries. The project, outlined in the Yaguajay Charter, is in the areas of health and the environment. The Yaguajay Charter was signed in the city of the same name, located in the center of the island, where six Ecuadorian mayors visited that region last June. Sponsored by the Pan-American Health Organization, the World Health Organization and the local government of Yaguajay, the project promotes the exchange of experiences in all aspects of life in each town and allows for programs of joint cooperation. The current visit to Quito by Cuban municipal leaders will also include promoting a cooperation agreement between the Cuban and Ecuadorian Health Ministries. 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