Radio Havana Cuba, September 3, 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 Friday September 3, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ADDRESSES THE NATION ON THE HOSTILE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CUBAN ATHLETES 2.- THE SECOND IBERO AMERICAN MEETING OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE MINISTERS WINDS UP IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL 3.- SOME TWO THOUSAND LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STUDENTS BEGIN MEDICAL STUDIES ON THE ISLAND 4.- THE SECOND NATIONAL WORKSHOP OF WOMEN WITH HIV-AIDS BEGINS IN HAVANA 5.- CUBAN AND SPANISH BALLET DANCERS PERFORM THE CLASSIC GISELLE CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ADDRESSES THE NATION ON THE HOSTILE CAMPAIGN AGAINST CUBAN ATHLETES Havana, September 3 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro said Thursday evening that urine tests carried out by 3 laboratories in Europe prove that two Cuban Pan Am Games weightlifters stripped of their gold medals for doping were actually drug-free. In a special TV appearance that began at 8:30 pm local time, the Cuban leader charged that the positive doping results in Winnipeg were all a callosal lie, an infamous and shameful lie, a criminal plundering of merits won through denial, tenacity, consecration and sacrifice. President Castro and a top Cuban sports doctor said that multiple urine tests of the weightlifters conducted by Cuba and sent to two laboratories in Spain and one in Portugal, all tested negative for the anabolic steroid Nandrolone. The tests were conducted four to five days after the athletes returned home from Winnipeg. The Cuban leader stated that in the 20 samples analyzed by the 3 laboratories there was not a single reported presence of Nandrolone -- a drug that remains in the system for months-- or its traces. The Cuban leader provided a detailed account of actions taken by Cuba in light of the accusations against world champion hugh jumper Javier Sotomayor and weight-lifters William Vargas, Rolando Delgado and Modesto Sanchez -- all stripped of gold medals during the Pan Ams due to doping allegations. Fidel Castro revealed the violation of all established norms concerning the secrecy of anti-doping tests at any international sports event. The Cuban leader pointed out that no one here on the island believed the allegations that Sotomayor had used cocaine, and that the accusations against the weight-lifters was an effort to buttress the charges regarding cocaine use by the world champion high-jumper. President Castro said that upon their return to the island, all seven members of the Cuban weight-lifting team -- including the three accused of using nandrolone -- provided urine samples which were confidentially taken to laboratories in Madrid, Lisbon and Barcelona, with negative results. He said this confirms what Cuba has been saying all along: that the Cuban sports movement is under attack by unscrupulous individuals. The second part of this special program denouncing injustices against Cuban athletes will be broadcast Friday evening on national radio and television, as well as the Spanish-language frequencies of Radio Havana Cuba. THE SECOND IBERO AMERICAN MEETING OF ECONOMY AND FINANCE MINISTERS WINDS UP IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, September 3 (RHC)-- The Second Ibero American Meeting of Economy and Finance Ministers wound up in Havana Friday after analyzing the impact of the world economic crisis on the region and ways to confront the situation. The Economic and Finance Ministers, who met in Havana's International Convention Center, will issue a report on their work and on preparations for the 9th Iberoamerican Summit to take place in November in the Cuban capital. In the meeting's inauguration on Thursday, Cuban Finance Minister, Manuel Millares said that globalization is an irreversible process, but if the interests of the minority prevail it will mean the destruction of humanity. He added that the 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries plus Spain and Portugal together must demand new, creative, and realistic solutions that prioritize humanity. The executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America, Reinaldo Bajraj noted that the economic growth that has occurred in Latin America has not brought about a reduction in poverty. Meanwhile, the head of the Latin American Economic System, Carlos Moneta, who also participated in the Havana meeting, stressed that the region must continue striving for efficient insertion into the international system in order to achieve integral and sustainable development. SOME TWO THOUSAND LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STUDENTS BEGIN MEDICAL STUDIES ON THE ISLAND Havana, September 3 (RHC)-- Close to two thousand Latin American and Caribbean students began studying medicine in Cuba's Latin American School of Medicine some 25 kilometers from Havana. During the inauguration ceremony on Thursday, the Dean of the Latin American School of Medicine, Juan Carrizo Estevez, said that the average age of the students is 25, they are from 19 Latin American nations and most are from humble social backgrounds from areas that were devastated by Hurricane Mitch last October. The President of the Student Board, Carlos Flores urged his fellow students to study hard , attend classes and to develop their interest in scientific research in order to become integral doctors. THE SECOND NATIONAL WORKSHOP OF WOMEN WITH HIV-AIDS BEGINS IN HAVANA Havana, September 3 (RHC)-- The second national workshop of women with HIV-AIDS began in Havana on Friday with discussions on hospital attention, and the disease in Cuba and the world. The event is being held at the Julio Trigo Lopez Hospital with the participation of over 200 delegates from the Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute, Havana's AIDS sanatorium and from the hospital itself . The director of the Julio Trigo Lopez hospital, Teofilo Garcia de la Cruz pointed out that the national workshop of women with HIV-AIDS will serve to exchange experiences to counteract the effects of the terrible disease in pregnancies and to avoid the worst consequences in new borns. CUBAN AND SPANISH BALLET DANCERS PERFORM THE CLASSIC GISELLE Havana, September 3 (RHC)-- Cuban and Spanish ballet dancers united their talents with a performance of Giselle at Madrid's Albniz Theater. The joint performance was enthusiastically received by thousands of spectators as well as the critics. Under the direction of Cuban Prima Ballerina, Alicia Alonso, the classic was danced by Cuban Lorna Feijoo and Spanish dancer Jose Martinez as well as the Cuban National Ballet troupe whose tour to Spain has been extended throughout September. [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-28515 1999-Sep-03 22:51:58