Radio Havana Cuba-25 April 2000 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 25 April 2000 -US JUSTICE DEPT FORMALLY CALLS ON APPEALS COURT TO REJECT ASYLUM PETITION -US MEDIA BLAST REPUBLICANS FOR QUESTIONING RENO'S RESCUE OPERATION -4th IBERO-AMERICAN ENCOUNTER "BREAKING THE SILENCE" UNDERWAY IN HAVANA -CUBA AND PANAMA BEGIN OFFICIAL TALKS -ITALIAN BUSINESS DELEGATION ARRIVES IN CUBA -15th MEETING OF CUBA-YEMEN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL MIXED COMMISSION IN HAVANA -CUBA AMONG LATIN AMERICAN NATIONS WITH LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATE -Viewpoint: MASSIVE TURNOUT IN CUBA'S MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FORMALLY CALLS ON ATLANTA APPEALS COURT TO REJECT PETITION OF POLITICAL ASYLUM FOR ELIAN GONZALEZ Washington, April 25 (RHC)-- The U.S. Justice Department has formally called on the 11th Circuit Appeals Court in Atlanta to reject a petition of political asylum for Elian Gonzalez. In an 85-page brief, the Justice Department said that there is no evidence that Elian Gonzalez helped prepare or even understood an application for political asylum that bears his scrawled signature. The office of Attorney General Janet Reno argued that there is no evidence that Elian would meet the standards for granting asylum and no reason for his great-uncle's views in Miami on these matters to outweigh those of the child's father. At the same time, the department argued that there is no basis for the court to conclude that Attorney General Janet Reno and the Immigration and Naturalization Service violated the law or administrative guidelines in refusing to consider the application for asylum. Upon ruling that Elian Gonzalez must remain in the United States until the appeals process in the custody dispute runs its course, three federal judges in Atlanta issued a highly controversial opinion last week on the matter. The judges suggested that the Justice Department and the INS may have made a mistake in not granting the six-year-old an asylum hearing. The opinion has sparked widespread criticism from legal experts across the United States, calling it absurd and ridiculous. One critic stated that if a six-year-old can request political asylum, then any child from another country who goes to the United States to visit Disney World could also opt to stay. U.S. MEDIA BLAST REPUBLICANS FOR QUESTIONING RENO'S RESCUE OPERATION Chicago, April 25 (RHC)-- U.S. media outlets are blasting the Republican leadership for questioning Janet Reno's Elian Gonzalez rescue operation. In an opinion reflecting the position of virtually all the major news dailies, The Chicago Tribune wrote today that the Republican reaction is not only exaggerated, but is also sparking suspicion that their motives are purely electoral. While recognizing the alarm generated by last Saturday's armed raid by federal marshals, The Chicago Tribune editorial recalled that the alternative was a continuation of the circus that had been mounted around Elian Gonzalez by the Miami exile community. The news daily wrote that the attorneys of Elian's distant relatives in Miami lied when they asserted that the family was close to an agreement with the government when the raid took place. The editorial recalled that Elian's kidnappers constantly changed the rules, placing obstacles in the way of a negotiated settlement with the Justice Department, and that they openly and publicly defied the attorney general -- who was left with no alternative but the enforcement action. In reference to opinion polls, in which 57 percent of Americans expressed support of Reno's action, The Chicago Tribune warned that while the Republicans hope to gain political mileage out of the case, they'll probably be disappointed by the possibility that it may lead many to question their capacity to govern. Meanwhile, U.S. public opinion continues to increasingly favor the right of Elian's father to his son's custody, with the NBC network finding that 73 percent of Americans support that right. NBC also found that 62 percent oppose the congressional hearings in which the Republicans have called on Reno to testify. 4th IBERO-AMERICAN ENCOUNTER "BREAKING THE SILENCE" UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, April 25 (RHC)-- The 4th Ibero-American Encounter on Women and Communications -- "Breaking the Silence" -- ended its second day of sessions on Tuesday in the Cuban capital. Some 100 delegates from Mexico, Spain, Angola, Argentina, Panama, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Mozambique, Burkina Fasso and Cuba are discussing issues related to the role of women in society as well as challenges for women's development. During the first session on Monday, participants in the forum debated neo-liberal globalization and its effects on women, as well as the need to set out strategies that allow women to play a greater role in society. CUBA AND PANAMA BEGIN OFFICIAL TALKS Havana, April 25 (RHC)-- Representatives from the governments of Cuba and Panama began official talks on Monday, aimed at expanding and strengthening bilateral ties. The talks are in the framework of the first meeting of the Cuba-Panama Mixed Commission for Cooperation and Technical Assistance, currently underway in the Cuban capital. For three days, high-ranking officials from both nations are analyzing bilateral cooperation in areas such as health, agriculture, energy, finances, tourism and trade. During the opening session, Cuban Deputy Minister for Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Raul Taladrid highlighted the importance of increased Cuban-Panamanian cooperation, in line with the policy of regional integration. The Panamanian delegation is headed by the General Secretary of Panama's Ministry of Finance and the Economy, Eusebio Vergara. ITALIAN BUSINESS DELEGATION ARRIVES IN CUBA Havana, April 25 (RHC)-- A business delegation from Italy has arrived in Havana to explore the Cuban market and other business opportunities on the Caribbean island. The visiting delegation is made up of business executives from important firms representing sectors such as tourism, transportation and business consultation. Their agenda in Cuba includes meetings with high-ranking officials, as well as tours of centers of economic, social and cultural interest. 15th MEETING OF CUBA-YEMEN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL MIXED COMMISSION IN HAVANA Havana, April 25 (RHC)-- The 15th Meeting of the Cuba-Yemen Inter-Governmental Mixed Commission continues meeting here in Havana. Delegates to the commission are working to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries. During the opening session on Monday, Yemen's Minister of Planning and the Economy, Ahmad Mohammad, and Cuba's Minister for Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation, Marta Lomas, praised the current state of bilateral cooperation in sectors such as construction, health, fishing, sports and education. Cuba's cooperation with Yemen is best shown in the hundreds of young Yemenites who have studied on the Caribbean island over the past 25 years, as well as teams of Cuban health experts who have offered their services in the Asian nation. CUBA AMONG LATIN AMERICAN NATIONS WITH LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATE Havana, April 25 (RHC)-- Cuba is among the Latin American nations with the lowest unemployment rate, according to the island's Minister of Labor and Social Security, Alfredo Morales Cartaya. Morales Cartaya affirmed that unlike most Latin American nations, unemployment in Cuba has not only been reduced, but the job quality has also increased. He pointed to the case of Argentina, where unemployment affects 15 percent of the country's active labor force, as well as Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile, where the ranks of the unemployed have grown to alarming proportions. The Cuban minister of labor and social security said that increased employment and job quality on the island are a direct result of the labor policy of the Cuban government, aimed at improving people's living conditions. Viewpoint: MASSIVE TURNOUT IN CUBA'S MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS As expected, municipal elections in Cuba were celebrated with the participation of nearly all eligible voters nationwide. Nearly eight million Cubans -- over 98 percent of all registered voters -- ratified their support of the Cuban Revolution. Some 14,700 delegates to the municipal assemblies were elected. To make sure everything ran smoothly, over 13,000 telephone lines were installed, allowing for 130 e-mail connections. Other services used by those organizing the elections were telex machines, mobile phones, 35,000 messengers on foot, horseback and bicycle and 6000 messenger pigeons -- insuring communication with the most remote areas. Delegates who failed to obtain more than 50 percent of the vote in this first round will participate in the second round of balloting next Sunday, April 30th. This electoral process coincides with the struggle of the Cuban people for the return of Elian Gonzalez to the island. The six-year-old was finally reunited with his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, in Washington over the weekend -- a full two weeks after Juan Miguel arrived in the United States to take custody of his son. An successful, surprise operation launched by federal agents of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service rescued the boy from his kidnappers in Miami, under the orders of U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. Elian was immediately flown to Washington, where he joyfully met his father after being separated for five months. The joy experienced by Cubans over the reuniting of Elian with his father added emotion to the elections, which once again reflected the great unity of the Cuban people and their support for the Revolution. Cubans still have a difficult row to hoe. The Cuban Adjustment Act, which encourages illegal immigration and was the main cause of Elian's tragedy, is still on the books. It is unknown how many undocumented immigrants have drowned attempting to cross the Florida Straits and leave behind the serious economic situation of their country -- in large part, a result of the ruthless economic blockade that the United States has maintained against Cuba for nearly 40 years. Cubans are struggling to preserve their social achievements and cultural identity, the greatest expression of which is national independence. That is why the Cuban people will continue opposing the blockade and extraterritoral laws aimed at sanctioning other nations that do business with the island, as well as resisting any attack against Cuba -- a free and sovereign nation. (c) 2000 Radio Habana Cuba. All rights reserved. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= rhc-eng-32171 2000-Apr-25 22:25:42