Radio Havana Cuba-7 April 2000 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 7 April 2000 - ELIAN: US TO REVOKE KIDNAPPERS' TEMPORARY CUSTODY - VIETNAMESE PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN HAVANA ON SATURDAY - FLAGS OF PARTICIPATING NATIONS FLY AT SOUTH SUMMIT SITE - MUNICIPAL PARLIMENTARY ELECTIONS SLATED FOR LATER THIS MONTH - CUBA AND GAMBIA SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING - DIRECT TOKYO-HAVANA FLIGHTS BEGIN IN AUGUST US TO REVOKE KIDNAPPERS' CUSTODY FOLLOWING BREAKDOWN IN NEGOTIATIONS Washington, April 7 (RHC)-- The U.S. Justice Department has decided to remove custody of Elian Gonzalez from his kidnappers in Miami following Thursday's breakdown in negotiations with the attorneys of his distant relatives. Assistant Attorney General Eric Holder stated today that Elian's great-uncle, Lazaro Gonzalez, will soon receive a letter informing him that custody of the child has been transferred to his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez. Holder said a second letter will indicate where, when and how Elian should be surrendered to U.S. authorities. Asked if Washington had any plans to pick up Elian at his great-uncle's home if the kidnappers refuse to turn over the child, the official expressed his sincere hope that the use of force won't be necessary. The U.S. Justice Department is first expected to obtain a Federal court order against Lazaro Gonzalez if he refuses to cooperate. As Holder made this announcement, Elian's father was received by Attorney General Janet Reno and Immigration and Naturalization Commissioner Doris Meissner at Justice Department headquarters. Following the meeting, Juan Miguel said both officials personally made a commitment to reunite him with his son. He said he was able to express the suffering that this episode has caused and the love he feels for his son. Juan Miguel thanked the fishermen who picked up Elian at sea as the child was clinging to an inner tube following a shipwreck that claimed the lives of his mother and others travelling with her. Elian's father also reiterated his gratitude to the American people for their support for the return of Elian to his immediate family in Cuba. Meanwhile, the ultra-right wing in Miami has announced a civil disobedience campaign. As several hundred gathered in front of the home where Elian is being held, Miami's mafia leaders are threatening to block access to the city's international airport -- one of the most important in the country. VIETNAMESE PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN HAVANA ON SATURDAY Havana, April 7 (RHC)-- Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong will arrive in the Cuban capital tomorrow, Saturday, beginning an official visit at the invitation of his Cuban counterpart Fidel Castro. The Vietnamese president will be heading a delegation made up of ministers and other government officials as well as a large number of business executives from the sister Asian nation, interested in exploring business opportunities on the island. President Duc Luong will also head his country's delegation to the Group of 77 South Summit, scheduled from next Monday, April 10th through the 14th here in Havana. Relations between Cuba and Vietnam have always been based on the principles of friendship and cooperation, in the defense of socialism and Third World nations. FLAGS OF PARTICIPATING NATIONS FLY AT SOUTH SUMMIT SITE Havana, April 7 (RHC)-- The flags of more than 100 nations that will participate in next week's Group of 77 South Summit were raised Friday at Havana's International Convention Center, site of the encounter. The South Summit will mark the first meeting ever of heads of State and government of the Group of 77, which groups all Third World nations. Participants will discuss issues of common interest such as globalization, north-south relations, south-south cooperation, development and access to technology. MUNICIPAL PARLIMENTARY ELECTIONS SLATED FOR LATER THIS MONTH Havana, April 7 (RHC)-- A total of 31,451 candidates have been nominated throughout Cuba to the Municipal Assemblies of People's Power, in preparation for the upcoming elections on April 23rd. According to the president of the National Electoral Commission, over 6,652,900 voters participated in last month's neighborhood assemblies held islandwide. Twenty-one and a half percent of the nominees are women with more than 6000 candidates, while the island's youth are represented by some 4000 candidates. CUBA AND GAMBIA SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING Banjul, April 7 (RHC)-- Cuba and Gambia have signed a memorandum of understanding regarding Cuban medical cooperation with that African nation. The agreement was signed by the Head of the Cuban Medical Mission in Gambia, Francisco Tubau, and Gambian University Dean Donald Ekong. Ekong praised the work being done by Cuban health professionals, who have established a medical school in the African nation to train young Gambian doctors. The school is part of a health cooperation program put in place by Cuban authorities to help develop integral health care systems in nations of Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. DIRECT TOKYO-HAVANA FLIGHTS BEGIN IN AUGUST Tokyo, April 7 (RHC)-- Cubanacan S.A. and Japan's JAL will begin direct flights between the Asian nation and the Caribbean island beginning this summer. During a meeting at Tokyo's Akasaka Prince Hotel, Cuba's Ambassador to Japan, Ernesto Melendez, and the President of the Japan-Cuba Economic Conference, Masatake Kusamichi, emphasized the constructive bilateral relations between Havana and Tokyo and announced new plans to increase the number of Japanese visitors to the Caribbean island. Both dignitaries praised the important role of the Japan-Cuba Economic Conference. The meeting was attended by some 120 representatives from major travel agencies as well as media outlets. Cubanacan S.A. representative in Japan, Miguel A. Solano, announced that four charter flights from Tokyo to Havana will take off next August, using jumbo jet aircraft with a capacity of 370 passengers. (c) 2000 Radio Habana Cuba. 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