Radio Havana Cuba, September 20, 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 Monday, September 20, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT ENDS OFFICIAL VISIT TO CUBA 2.- HAVANA COURT ISSUES PRISON SENTENCES AGAINST TWO U.S. RESIDENTS CHARGED WITH IMMIGRANT TRAFFICKING 3.- CUBA UNVEILS CANCER VACCINE DURING CONGRESS IN HAVANA 4.- ECUADOR'S HEALTH MINISTER VISITS CUBA 5.- HAVANA HOSTS SEVERAL MINISTERIAL MEETINGS IN PREPARATION FOR THE 9th IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT 6.- ITALIAN UNDER SECRETARY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS ARRIVES IN HAVANA 7.- EXEMPLARY PROFESSORS TEACH STUDENTS TO THINK LIKE REVOLUTIONARIES ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT ENDS OFFICIAL VISIT TO CUBA Havana, September 20(RHC)-- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe ended an official 24-hour visit to Cuba on Sunday. Mugabe and his accompanying delegation of government officials and business executives was seen off at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport by Cuban President Fidel Castro. Speaking with reporters at the conclusion of their stay, members of the Zimbabwean delegation characterized the visit as productive and successful. They stated that Presidents Fidel Castro and Robert Mugabe met over the weekend and discussed issues of mutual interest. The African leader's visit served to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between Zimbabwe and Cuba, particularly in the field of health care. Following his visit to Cuba, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe traveled to Jamaica and continued on to New York to participate in the 54th United Nations General Assembly. HAVANA COURT ISSUES PRISON SENTENCES AGAINST TWO U.S. RESIDENTS CHARGED WITH IMMIGRANT TRAFFICKING Havana, September 20(RHC)-- A court in Havana has issued prison sentences against two U.S. residents of Cuban origin, found guilty of immigrant trafficking. Joel Dorta Garcia received a life sentence, while David Garcia Capote received a 30 year prison sentence in a case of immigrant trafficking. The two were involved in transporting illegal immigrants last July 3rd in which one Cuban citizen drowned and more than a dozen -- including five small children -- had to be rescued by a Cuban coast guard cutter. Cuban Pedro Cordova Gonzalez was given a 15 year prison sentence for aiding and abetting the immigrant traffickers, who charged 8000 dollars per person to take undocumented Cubans to Florida. The text of the sentences criticizes Washington's migratory policies with respect to Cubans, who are granted automatic asylum if they are able to touch U.S. soil. Cuba has arrested nearly 40 immigrant traffickers in recent months, most of them U.S. residents of Cuban origin. Havana called on the U.S. government to bring the accused to trial in the United States, but has received no response from Washington. CUBA UNVEILS CANCER VACCINE DURING CONGRESS IN HAVANA Havana, September 20(RHC)-- Cuba will unveil a vaccine against cancer during the Cancer Congress that got underway on Monday in Havana with the participation of representatives from 30 countries. The vaccine, which is currently in a testing phase at the Molecular Engineering Institute, could be administered to patients with advanced tumors, such as breast, lung and skin cancers. Officials from Havana's Biotechnology Center pointed to the development achieved by the island's scientists, adding that Cuba's products have been recognized by over 30 foreign markets that demand vaccines like the anti-Meningitis type B vaccine. An AIDS vaccine, which is still being tested, will also be presented during the Cancer Congress in Havana. ECUADOR'S HEALTH MINISTER VISITS CUBA Havana, September 20(RHC)-- Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres welcomed his Ecuadorian counterpart, Edgar Rodas Andrade, who arrived in Havana over the weekend. During his visit to the island, the health minister will review current cooperation projects between Ecuador and Cuba and will take part in the Third International Surgery Congress, underway in the Cuban capital. Upon his arrival in Havana, the Ecuadorian health minister said he hoped to get a first-hand look at the island's advances in health care and, above all, Cuba's application of information and knowledge for the benefit of humanity. He pointed out that as part of a cooperation agreement between the two countries, Cuban doctors would be sent to offer their services in the Galapagos Islands and possibly in the Amazon region. HAVANA HOSTS SEVERAL MINISTERIAL MEETINGS IN PREPARATION FOR THE 9th IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT Havana, September 20(RHC)-- The Cuban capital will host the meeting of Latin American and Caribbean Transportation and Public Works Ministers, to take place Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday this week, the ministers of science and technology will also meet in Havana. Both ministerial meetings are being held prior to the 9th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, slated to take place November 15th and 16th in the Cuban capital. Next October 18th and 19th, Havana will also host the First Ibero-American Health Minister's Meeting, which will analyze the effects of globalization in the sector and evaluate the possibilities of technical cooperation. ITALIAN UNDER SECRETARY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS ARRIVES IN HAVANA Havana, September 20(RHC)-- Italy's Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Valentin Marteli, arrives in Havana Monday to begin a three-day working visit with the objective of strengthening cultural ties, scientific cooperation and bilateral technical assistance. During his stay on the island, the Italian official will meet with Cuban authorities and take part in the International Surgery Congress taking place in Havana. EXEMPLARY PROFESSORS TEACH STUDENTS TO THINK LIKE REVOLUTIONARIES Havana, September 20(RHC)-- Cuban Higher Education Minister Fernando Vecino Alegret said that teachers and professors are working hard so that the new generation of university graduates are politically and ideologically stronger than previous generations. In an interview with Cuba's weekly Trabajadores newspaper, the Cuban official emphasized that an exemplary professor is one who teaches a student to think like a revolutionary and uses education to teach values. The Cuban education minister discussed aspects related to the increase of computer training at the university level, an improvement in students' food and the creation of better conditions for those who study at boarding schools. [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-1587 1999-Sep-20 21:25:20