Radio Havana Cuba, October 28, 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, October 28, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO REFUTES MISINFORMATION CONCERNING TWO CUBAN CHILDREN IN NEED OF SPECIALIZED MEDICAL ATTENTION 2.- CUBA AND IRELAND ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS 3.- CUBANS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE PAY TRIBUTE TO REVOLUTIONARY HERO CAMILO CIENFUEGOS 4.- IBERO-AMERICAN LAWYERS ENCOUNTER UNDERWAY IN HAVANA 5.- TWO IMPORTANT MEDICAL CONGRESSES GATHER IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL 6.- CUBA CONTINUES TO WORK HARD AGAINST DRUG-TRAFFICKING CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO REFUTES MISINFORMATION CONCERNING TWO CUBAN CHILDREN IN NEED OF SPECIALIZED MEDICAL ATTENTION Havana, October 28(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro has refuted misinformation published in the Miami news daily "El Nuevo Herald" concerning two Cuban children in need of specialized medical attention. During a televised interview late Wednesday, the Cuban leader referred to the case of a seven-year-old child with a congenital defect in the hyaline membrane, who was taken to the United States by Illinois Governor George Ryan following his visit to Cuba. Fidel Castro said the Miami news daily reported the story as if children in Cuba receive insufficient medical treatment in specialized medical centers because their families don't have enough money. The Cuban leader showed U.S. journalists who traveled to the island with Governor Ryan the child's complete medical history, drawn up by a team of specialists who concluded that following intensive treatment, his condition had improved and surgery was not recommended for the moment -- particularly given the child's age. President Fidel Castro said, nevertheless, that if surgery were necessary, Cuba has the facilities to guarantee that option. This type of surgery, said Fidel Castro, has been successfully carried out on six occasions in Cuba. The child's mother, however, agreed to send her son to the United States, which Cuban officials authorized. The other case is a two-year-old child who fell from a second floor window and whose life was saved in a series of operations performed by Cuban doctors. The child has received treatment from Cuba's International Neurological Restoration Center, which President Castro said is the most-prestigious in Latin America and one of the most-prestigious in the world. The boy's father, who attended the news conference, told the U.S journalists that he did not want to send his son to the United States -- and that he was satisfied with the treatment received in Cuba. In both cases, said the Cuban president, the children's families haven't had to pay one cent. He emphasized that patients aren't charged for treatment or medicine in any Cuban hospital. According to reports from the United States, the operation for the seven-year-old boy taken to the U.S. will cost nearly 750,000 dollars and will be paid by wealthy donors. CUBA AND IRELAND ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS Dublin, October 28(RHC)-- Cuba and Ireland today established diplomatic relations. The document was signed in Dublin by visiting Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and his Irish counterpart, David Andrius. The Cuban foreign minister has also held numerous gatherings with other government officials and legislators in this European nation, where he arrived following an official visit to Portugal. CUBANS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE PAY TRIBUTE TO REVOLUTIONARY HERO CAMILO CIENFUEGOS Havana, October 28(RHC)-- Cubans from all walks of life paid tribute to revolutionary hero Camilo Cienfuegos on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his death. On October 28, 1959, a small plane carrying Camilo disappeared over the sea. Despite intense efforts to find the plane or its wreckage, nothing was recovered and he was presumed dead. Every year on this date, Cubans remember Camilo Cienfuegos by tossing flowers into lakes, rivers and the sea. Schools and work places across the island held special commemorations today to celebrate the life and work of the man known in Cuba as the "Hero of Yaguajay." IBERO-AMERICAN LAWYERS ENCOUNTER UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, October 28(RHC)-- The President of Cuba's Supreme Court, Ruben Remigio Ferro, inaugurated the Ibero-American Lawyers Encounter on Wednesday in the Cuban capital. During his opening address, the Cuban legal expert said that neo-liberalism denies the most important human values. Issues discussed during the forum include globalization, integration and sovereignty, as well as a presentation on Cuba's legal system. TWO IMPORTANT MEDICAL CONGRESSES GATHER IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, October 28(RHC)-- The 18th Congress of the Latin American Medical Association for Rehabilitation and the First Cuban Congress on Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation continue their sessions at Havana's International Convention Center. Rehabilitation in the Americas, rehabilitation and the environment, clinical informatics, new information systems to work with the disabled and electro-simulation are just some of the issues that participants are discussing during the scheduled conferences and roundtables. More than 700 delegates from 15 countries taking part in the two important medical congresses also have the opportunity to visit exhibits that have been organized as part of these events. Among companies participating in this exhibition of the latest technologies, equipment and services in the field of rehabilitation are Becker Orthopedics from the United States. The two events, which are sponsored by the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), wind up on Friday. CUBA CONTINUES TO WORK HARD AGAINST DRUG-TRAFFICKING Havana, October 28(RHC)-- The President of the Cuban National Anti-Drug Commission and Justice Minister Roberto Diaz Sotolongo told reporters in Havana that Cuba has nowhere near the drug problem of other countries in the world -- particularly the United States. Diaz Sotolongo emphasized that Cuba is not a producer nor a consumer of drugs like other countries, pointing out that the island continues to work with foreign governments and international institutions in the fight against drug- trafficking. The Cuban justice minister stated that Havana is determined to stop drugs from entering the country and will cooperate with any country or institution on the basis of respect for Cuba's sovereignty and the principle of non-intervention. 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