Radio Havana Cuba, September 16, 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, September 16, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ATTENDS RECEPTION COMMEMORATING CENTRAL AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE 2.- SPANISH PRESIDENT JOSE MARIA AZNAR RECEIVES VISITING CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER FELIPE PEREZ ROQUE 3.- CUBAN CULTURE MINISTER TRAVELS TO CHINA 4.- IBERO-AMERICAN MEETING OF MINISTERS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SET TO BEGIN IN HAVANA 5.- EMPLOYMENT SITUATION IMPROVES IN CUBA 6.- SECOND CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN CONGRESS ON PLASTIC SURGEORY GETS UNDERWAY IN HAVANA CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ATTENDS RECEPTION COMMEMORATING CENTRAL AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE Havana, September 16(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro attended a reception last night in Old Havana, commemorating the 178th anniversary of the independence of Central America. The Cuban leader spoke with numerous Central American diplomatic representatives and personalities, including the Guatemalan ambassador in Havana, Willy Kaltschmit; Nicaragua's Business Attachi, Luis Gadea; and the Costa Rican Consul in Havana, Marvin Saenz. For the first time in four decades, representatives from the Guatemalan and Nicaraguan embassies got together in Havana along with the Costa Rican Consul to commemorate the independence of Central American nations from Spanish colonialism. SPANISH PRESIDENT JOSE MARIA AZNAR RECEIVES VISITING CUBAN FOREIGN MINISTER FELIPE PEREZ ROQUE Madrid, September 16(RHC)-- Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar received visiting Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque on Thursday. Perez Roque presented Aznar with Cuban President Fidel Castro's formal invitation to the upcoming 9th Ibero-American Summit in Havana. The Spanish president assured Cuba's foreign minister that Madrid will work together with Havana to obtain the largest participation possible in the regional gathering, slated for November 15th and 16th. Perez Roque, for his part, told Aznar that the Ibero-American Summit will be a success even if some heads of state decline to participate -- referring to the announced absences of the presidents of Chile and Argentina. The visiting Cuban dignitary stated, nevertheless, that Cuba has not received any official communication in that regard from either country. The government of Chile has expressed its intention to boycott the Summit due to its dispute with Spain over the fate of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. In a news conference previous to his gathering with Aznar, Perez Roque said Cuba's position is that Pinochet should be tried in Chile and punished in an exemplary manner. He also said that those who fomented the bloody 1973 coup against constitutionally-elected Chilean President Salvador Allende and those who subsequently supported Pinochet's reign of terror should also be brought to justice -- in a clear reference to officials of past U.S. administrations. The Cuban foreign minister stated that the heads of state and government who do participate in the Summit will have total freedom of movement. That assurance coincides with the Cuban Foreign Ministry's recognition that it has received an official note from Costa Rican President Miguel Angel Rodriguez. Numerous media reports this week asserted that Rodriguez conditioned his presence in Havana to unrestricted visits to opposition groups here on the island. Perez Roque said the heads of state and government will able to engage in the same activities in Havana as during the Ibero-American Summits in Oporto and Madrid. Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque also expressed to President Aznar his concern over the effects of the U.S. anti-Cuba Helms-Burton Law on Spanish firms investing in Cuba -- in reference to Washington's threats against Spain's Sol Melia hotel group. Aznar reiterated his government's refusal to accept the extraterritorial legislation. Tomorrow, Friday, the Cuban foreign minister will travel from Madrid to Lisbon to begin an official visit to Portugal. CUBAN CULTURE MINISTER TRAVELS TO CHINA Havana, September 16(RHC)-Cuban Minister of Culture Abel Prieto will travel to Beijing on Monday, September 20th, to begin a five-day official visit to China. During his stay, the culture minister will meet with writers and artists from the Asian nation. The Cuban minister of culture will also offer a lecture at Beijing's University of Languages and Culture and visit important historical sites in the Chinese capital. Following his visit to China, the Cuban official is scheduled to travel to Vietnam. IBERO-AMERICAN MEETING OF MINISTERS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SET TO BEGIN IN HAVANA Havana, September 16(RHC)-- Sustainable development and the transfer of technologies in a globalized economy will be the main issues discussed during the Ibero-American Meeting of Ministers and Representatives of Science and Technology, slated to get underway next Wednesday, September 22nd, in the Cuban capital. As part of the event, delegates from 19 countries will visit research centers in Havana to get a first-hand look at the scientific advances of the Cuban Revolution. The meeting is part of activities prior to the 9th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government to take place next November in Havana. EMPLOYMENT SITUATION IMPROVES IN CUBA Havana, September 16(RHC)-- The employment situation in Cuba substantially improved during the first half of this year as a result of the island's economic recovery. According to a report by Labor and Social Security Minister Salvador Valdes, 12,000 new jobs were created from January through June. Valdes also stated that the unemployment rate in Cuba has decreased, as workers temporarily sent home during the height of the economic crisis rejoined the workforce. The report notes that Cuba has enjoyed a five percent rise in productivity and an increase in the Gross Domestic Product so far this year. Job programs have registered positive results with the employment of many handicapped people. According to the report from the Labor and Social Security Ministry, 62 percent of the island's disabled are now working. SECOND CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN CONGRESS ON PLASTIC SURGERY GETS UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, September 16(RHC)-- The Second Central American and Caribbean Congress on Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is underway at Havana's Capitol Building with the participation of specialists from nine regional countries. During the three-day meeting, nearly 250 delegates attending the event will analyze some 100 papers on the issue and will present reports and lectures related to plastic and reconstructive surgery and burn treatment. Cuban Deputy Health Minister Julian Garate welcomed the participants while the General Secretary of the Ibero- American Plastic Surgery Federation said that the congress will serve to strengthen ties between the region's nations. [c] 1999, Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. 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