Radio Havana Cuba-21 June 2000 01:00 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 21 June 2000 01:00 *ROSENBERG SONS DEMAND IMMEDIATE RETURN OF ELIAN GONZALEZ TO CUBA *CUBAN ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSES CASE OF SHAKA SANKOFA 48 HRS PRIOR TO HIS SCHEDULED EXECUTION IN THE U.S. *BUSINESS DELEGATION FORM BRAZIL CONCLUDES VISIT TO CUBA *PARAGUAYAN MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE ON A VISIT TO CUBA *9TH EXPOCARIBE INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR UNDERWAY IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA *Viewpoint: ONLY THE KOREAN PEOPLE CAN DETERMINE THEIR OWN DESTINY *ROSENBERG SONS DEMAND IMMEDIATE RETURN OF ELIAN GONZALEZ TO CUBA Havana, June 20 (RHC)-- Michael and Robert Meeropol, the sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, have demanded the return of six-year-old Elian Gonzalez to Cuba. The child is still being retained illegally in the United States against his father's wishes. In a message sent to the Cuban people, the Meeropols expressed their support for local efforts here on the island to bring Elian back home, where he belongs with his father and immediate family. In their letter, read during an activity here in Havana, to commemorate the 47th anniversary of the execution of the Rosenbergs --victims of anti-Semitic and political repression-- the Rosenbergs' sons pointed out that they were just kids at the time of their parent's execution, like Elian. The same power structures that murdered the Rosenbergs are the same political forces responsible for the Cuban Adjustment Act, which keeps Elian in the U.S. against his father's wishes. Michael and Robert Meeropol compared their parents' courage with that of the Cuban people. In that sense, they recall that for 40 years the Cuban people have stood firm in the defense of their sovereignty without yielding to pressures by Washington. Similarly, their parents chose death instead of betraying their principles and ideals. The ceremony culminated in the affirmation that it's not time to cry for the death of the Rosenbergs, but rather to celebrate their resistance and bravery. *CUBAN ROUND TABLE DISCUSSES CASE OF SHAKA SANKOFA 48 HRS PRIOR TO HIS SCHEDULED EXECUTION IN THE U.S. Tuesday night's round table on Cuban TV focused on the case of Shaka Sankofa who is scheduled to be executed by the US state of Texas on Thursday for a crime for which he was convicted 19 years ago at the age of 17. His trial was considered to be a sham and many in the US are demanding a retrial. The panel of Cuban journalists that specialize in matters relating to the United States discussed the theme of racism that pervades the US judicial system and its application of the death penalty. They reiterated figures proving this: 2 million incarcerated of which 1 million are black when they represent only 12% of the population. Arlene Rodriguez of Tricontinental Magazine said that the struggle for justice that Cuba wages every day is one not only for the island but also for the rest of the world. She said that prisons in Cuba are a far cry from those in the USA where rehabilitation programs have been abandoned or underfunded in favor of keeping inmates locked up for as long as possible. Grave errors by US defense attorneys as well as abuse by police and prosecutors abounds, the panelists heard, but few care to investigate as the accused are assumed to be guilty because they are black. A University of Havana professor of communications termed the record of Texas Governor George Bush for signing death warrants a hobby. He has signed more execution orders than any other serving governor. The roundtable panel was reminded in a call from former political prisoner Claude Mark that there are hundreds of political prisoners in US jails from African Americans to Native Americans, to Puerto Rican independence activists. Most were given trials in what amounted to kangaroo courts during the period of repression in the 70s and 80s under the FBI's counter intelligence program or COINTELPRO, the round table heard. The round table, which began airing regularly to bring Cubans up to date with the latest developments relating to Elian Gonzalez, more recently has begun to explore the accusations of racist-based injustice made against the US legal system. *BUSINESS DELEGATION FORM BRAZIL CONCLUDES VISIT TO CUBA Havana, June 20 (RHC)-- A large Brazilian delegation headed by the Chairman of the country's Association of Investment Analysts, Eron Mattos, wound up a four-day visit to Cuba Tuesday after visiting several places of economic interest shared by both countries. The Brazilian delegation responded to an invitation of the executive board of the Brazil-Cuba cigarette joint venture Brascuba. They also visited the Brazilian-Cuban oil enterprise Petrobras, which carries out oil drillings on the northern Cuban coast. During a meeting Tuesday evening with the Cuban Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic cooperation, Martha Lomas, the Brazilian delegation was briefed on investment and commercial opportunities, on the island, and the legal procedures to carry out such processes. The Chairman of the Brazilian Association of Investment Analysts told Radio Havana Cuba that he was very satisfied with the information offered by Cuban officials. He added that the success of the two Brazilian companies, operating in Cuba, opens the way for the expansion of commercial relations with the island. He said that many Brazilian business people in his country are eager to know more about the Cuban market, and that two commercial delegations are presently ready to visit the island in order to explore investment and business opportunities. *PARAGUAYAN MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE ON A VISIT TO CUBA Havana, June 20 (RHC)-- Paraguayan Minister of Industry and Trade, Euclides Acevedo, highlighted the ties of friendship that unite the peoples of Cuba and Paraguay in the political, economic, cultural and diplomatic arenas. Acevedo, who began an official visit to Cuba on Sunday, is scheduled to sign an agreement with Cuban authorities to strengthen cultural channels between the two nations. The agenda includes meetings with high-ranking government officials, including Foreign Trade Minister Felipe Perez Roque, the Ministers of the Steel Industry and Foreign Trade, as well as a tour of the Havana-based Latin America School of Medicine. *9TH EXPOCARIBE INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR UNDERWAY IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA Santiago de Cuba, June 20 (RHC)-- The 9th edition of the Expocaribe International Trade Fair is currently underway, in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, with the participation of over 900 firms from America, Asia, and Europe. This year's event coincides with celebrations on the 485th anniversary of the founding of the famous Cuban city. Cuban Foreign Trade Minister Raul de la Nuez affirmed that, despite Washington's 40-year old blockade, the island experienced a 4 percent economic growth rate last year and added that the Cuban people are working hard to achieve similar results for the year 2000. The Expocaribe International Trade Fair is aimed at boosting trade and cooperation between the Cuban eastern provinces and Caribbean countries among others. This year's event takes place within the framework of economic negotiations, underway since last year, to establish a free trade agreement in the Caribbean by the year 2002. *Viewpoint: ONLY THE KOREAN PEOPLE CAN DETERMINE THEIR OWN DESTINY Slicing the Korean peninsula in half was perhaps one of the most shameful events of this century. Fifty-five years ago, the Southeast Asian country was split into two as a result of imperialist policies, aggravated following the end of the Second World War. The design: to militarily-occupy strategic positions in Asia and the Pacific. An attempt was made to create a buffer zone around the powerful Soviet Union and Asian socialist countries. This was done, according to Western rhetoric, to contain the fear of "Communist expansion." The result was the establishment of military bases throughout Southeast Asia, allowing the United States to take its war machine to the brink of dangerous confrontations. The Korean peninsula was the first victim of this imperialist game, to be followed later by the rest of Indochina. U.S. military intervention in 1950, using the cover of the United Nations -- which was just beginning to come under Washington's political control -- unleashed a devastating armed conflict. In just three years, more than 30 million were killed or wounded, including over 300,000 U.S. troops. The Korean people -- on both sides of the artificially-drawn border -- suffered greatly. The U.S. invasion troops were unable to occupy all of the peninsula due to the heroic resistance of Socialist Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China. However, the country remained divided and the border area has been a hotbed of instability ever since. The case of the forced division of Korea has been an issue of great concern for humanity. An ethnically homogeneous nation from north to south was split into two distinct images as a result of foreign intervention. A socialist country was formed in the north and a capitalist nation in the south, the latter protected by the big Western empire with economic and military interests. This empire has been, and continues to be, the main obstacle for Korea's reunification. Efforts carried out by the Korean people to put an end to this separation have failed many times. The recent visit of South Korean President Kim Dae Jung to Pyongyang and cordial talks held with North Korea's head of state, Kim Yong Il, have renewed hopes that reconciliation and eventual reunification can indeed be achieved. However, it is absolutely necessary that the Korean people are allowed to go forward without new foreign interventions and U.S. pressures. Only the people can determine their own destiny. (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-21715 2000-Jun-21 01:28:25