Radio Havana Cuba-1 June 2000 20:00 Via NY Transfer News Collective - All the News that Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 1 June 2000 20:00 *ATLANTA COURT OF APPEALS ISSUES ITS RULING ON ELIAN CASE... *US CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS DELEGATES MEET WITH FELIPE PEREZ ROQUE *US CONGRESSIONAL REPS SUPPORT NEW SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES AGAINST CUBA *VICE PRESIDENT OF THE BELGIAN PROVINCE OF VALONIA IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL *US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VICE PRESIDENT VISITS CUBA *IN JAMAICA, A SEMINAR ON BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN CUBA *9TH CONGRESS OF THE CUBAN NURSES MEETING IN HAVANA *Viewpoint: CUBA'S IDEALS HOLD FORTH IN SPITE OF THE ODDS *ATLANTA COURT OF APPEALS ISSUES ITS RULING... ELIAN GONZALEZ IS NOT ENTITLED TO POLITICAL ASYLUM HEARING Havana, June 1 (RHC)-- The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has ruled that the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service fulfilled its duties in not granting a political asylum hearing for six-year-old Elian Gonzalez. The three judges, who had been considering their decision for the past three weeks, issued their unanimous ruling this morning. Here in Havana, an official government statement released shortly after the decision was announced pointed out that despite the apparent favorable ruling, the judges made several concessions to the kidnappers in Miami. First, the ruling maintains Lazaro Gonzalez -- Elian's great-uncle -- as the child's "best friend," giving the kidnappers some hope that custody is still an issue to be debated. In addition, the Atlanta court's decision gives attorneys for the kidnappers 14 days to file an appeal -- a legal ruling that is unusual in such cases. And, according to U.S. legal experts, an appeals court ruling of this magnitude usually eliminates a prohibition to leave the country -- something which has not happened in this case. The official note of the Cuban government, issued early Thursday afternoon following the Atlanta court's decision, noted that attorneys for the Miami kidnappers have already appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The motion includes an emergency request that Elian not be allowed to leave the United States until the country's highest court decides whether or not it will hear the case. It was pointed out that only four of the nine judges who sit on the Supreme Court must agree that a case will be considered. It was also announced here in Havana that an indepth analysis will be conducted of today's appeals court ruling during this evening's roundtable discussion. The special program will be carried live on Cuban television, the national radio network and the international shortwave frequencies of Radio Havana Cuba. *US CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS DELEGATES MEET WITH FOREIGN MINISTER FELIPE PEREZ ROQUE Havana, June 1 (RHC)-- Members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus have met with Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque in Havana, following their first full day of an official visit. The delegation is being led by Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina and is also made up of Representative Gregory Meeks from New York and Mississippi Representative Bennie Thompson. The Congressional Black Caucus delegation was organized by the Inter-religious Foundation for Community Organization, IFCO, which is the parent organization of the U.S. religious group Pastors for Peace. The Reverend Lucius Walker, the director of IFCO and Pastors for Peace, is accompanying the delegation. During his meeting with the African-American representatives, the Cuban foreign minister emphasized that Havana has always had excellent relations with leaders of the Black community in the United States. Felipe Perez Roque stated that he was confident that once they return to the United States, the African-American congressional representatives will continue to work for an end to the U.S. blockade of the island and for the return of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba. During a news conference in Havana on Wednesday, Representative James Clyburn pointed out that the House of Representatives is slated to vote next week on an initiative designed to permit the sale of food and medicine to Cuba. The leader of the Congressional Black Caucus stated that he and other members of his organization will support legislation to partially lift the economic blockade of the island, which has been in place for nearly 40 years. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus plan to visit hospitals and schools in the Cuban capital and will meet with top government officials. On Saturday, the group is scheduled to leave Havana for Santiago de Cuba and will return to the United States on Sunday. *US CONGRESSIONAL REPS SUPPORT NEW SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES AGAINST CUBA Havana, June 1 (RHC)-- New efforts are underway in the U.S. Congress to earmark more funds for so-called "dissidents" in Cuba. According to Thursday morning's edition of the Cuban daily Granma, a draft proposal has been introduced before the House of Representatives by Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a Cuban-American congressional representative who has a long history of anti-Cuba activities. The Granma article notes that the U.S. government earmarked more than two million dollars last year for what they call the "internal opposition" in Cuba. Among those receiving money from Washington are so-called human rights activists and alleged "independent journalists." Granma quotes a recent statement by an official of the U.S. Agency for International Development who revealed that since 1997, 6.5 million dollars have been sent to "dissidents" in Cuba. The AID official also affirmed that the U.S. government's budget for the year 2000 is 3.5 million. According to this morning's edition of Granma, the Helms-Burton Law and other U.S. legislation allows for the financing of subversive activities inside Cuba -- noting that the government money comes from U.S. taxpayers. Referring to the groups that Washington likes to hold up as "independent," the Granma article says it should be clear that such groups are actually quite dependent on funding from a foreign government to continue their subversive activities. *VICE PRESIDENT OF THE BELGIAN PROVINCE OF VALONIA IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, June 1 (RHC)-- The Vice President of the Belgian province of Valonia, Serge Kubla, arrived in Cuba on Wednesday evening. He will head an official delegation and a group of 30 businesspeople, from different economic sectors, who will meet with representatives from Cuban companies. Kubla is also Valonia's economic minister in charge of small and medium-sized enterprises, research, new technologies, tourism and foreign trade. Upon his arrival at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, the high-ranking Belgian official told reporters that he will sign a cooperation agreement with the Cuban Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation, Marta Lomas, in the area of new technologies and biotechnology. He also showed interest in strengthening trade with the island and bilateral exchange of researchers. *US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VICE PRESIDENT VISITS CUBA Havana, June 1 (RHC)-- The President of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, Hector Perez Paez, met Thursday with Craig Johnston, Vice President of the US Chamber of Commerce. Perez briefed the visiting US executive on the work of the Cuban Institution. Johnston, who has been on the island since Tuesday, has met with high-ranking officials, among them Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Basic Industry Minister Marcos Portal. In an exclusive interview he told RHC: "I came here last year with the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donahue. We, at that time, made some preliminary agreements and, in the ensuing periods, we have refined those agreements. I have met twice with the Foreign Minister in the States, and we have continued to refine these agreements, and now we are ready to move. So we have reached agreements here during my visit on a visit to the United States, subject to the approval of the US government still, but a visit to the United States by the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, and also a visit of agricultural workers, both government and non-governmental as well as restauranteurs, both private sector and public sector. So, it's a balanced approach that we have. We've had excellent meetings, and received excellent cooperation from the government of Cuba, and we have tried to be as cooperative ourselves". Craig Johnston met Thursday with the Chairman of the National Association of Small Farmers, Orlando Lugo Fonte. His delegation is slated to return to the United States Friday. *IN JAMAICA, A SEMINAR ON BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN CUBA Havana, June 1 (RHC)-A seminar on business opportunities in Cuba took place today in Kingston, Jamaica, sponsored by the Jamaican Exports and Investments Promoting Agency -JAMPRO- and Cuba's Embassy in that Caribbean nation. The Cuban delegation at the event includes 30 government officials and business people from several economic sectors. It is headed by the island's Foreign Trade Deputy Minister, Estela Madrigal, who has already met with Jamaica's Foreign Trade Minister, Anthony Hylton. On Thursday, new agreements were signed between the Jamaican Exports and Investments Promoting Agency and Cuba's Exports Promoting Center and Investments Promoting Center. Cuba's Ambassador to Jamaica, Jose Francisco Piedra, said that these documents represent a step forward in the development of the existing bilateral cooperation ties between both nations. *9TH CONGRESS OF CUBAN NURSINF SOCIETY IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, June 1 (RHC)-The 9th Congress of the Cuban Society of Nursing is into its second day of sessions at Havana's Convention Center. Reporter Thelma Rodriguez is there and filed this report. "The 2nd Encounter of Nursing Students was inaugurated Thursday morning within the framework of the 9th Congress of the Cuban Society of Nursing. The scientific investigation of students as training for their future research work, the role of students' organizations, labor opportunities for nursing graduates, ethical values in the formation of nursing professionals and the importance of a timely incorporation of graduates to their jobs are some of the issues calling the attention of participants in the encounter." On Wednesday, the President of the Cuban Society of Nursing, Jubita Paez, and the President of the Spanish Foundation for the Development of Nursing, Victor Aznar, signed an agreement in which 14 Cuban provinces and the Isle of Youth and a similar amount of Spanish cities were declared sister cities. The accord will favor the exchange of professionals in the field, training programs and the development of research projects and publications, among other aspects." "On Thursday afternoon, participants had the opportunity of visiting several health care centers in the Cuban capital. Among them, the Hermanos Ameijeiras hospital and the neurological restoration center." *Viewpoint: CUBA'S IDEALS HOLD FORTH IN SPITE OF THE ODDS The roundtables that have been televised in Cuba for the last six months have been able to detail and analyse every aspect of the behaviour and acts of the right wing anti-Cuba groups in Miami. The four decades they have spent trying to destroy Cuba's social experiment culminated in their kidnapping of a six year old child last November proving to the rest of the world just to what lengths they will go to further their political agenda. A number of both Cuban and US experts, scientists, journalists and academics have appeared on the round tables to explain the machinations of organizations like the Cuban American National Foundation and decry its continued torment of the people of Cuba. The panelists have not just limited their comments to the misery of Elian Gonzalez and his father but also to the ongoing conflict between the two nations over four decades. The lessons learned have been important. Nobody except the former exploiters in Miami want to see a return to pre-Revolution Cuba when the island was little more than a US colony shaped and abused by money, crime and enforced poverty. The attempt by succeeding Washington administrations to drive Cuba back to these days of US corporate fat cats by imposing an internationally condemned blockade, has failed. In spite of attempts to use US laws to influence foreigners doing business in Cuba, in spite of the hysteria and fabrications of the ex-tyrants and killers in Miami, the world increasingly comes to Cuba, increasingly shows solidarity with Cuba. The island has suffered a great deal over the course of its remarkable social program. It has survived an invasion, frequent sabotage, the killing of innocents, germ warfare, the bombing of sugar mills and hotels and numerous assasination attempts on its leaders. And the reason for our survival? Ideals. Ideals that Cuba stands by. Social and moral ideals that are not implemented in the United States. Ideals that carry the population through the most difficult of times. Ideals that for all its imperfections will see this nation through the current crisis and continue to resist the evils of a sick and degenerate group whose behaviour has proven to the world why Cuba needed its Revolution in the first place. (c) 2000 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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-31034 2000-Jun-02 02:00:28