Radio Havana Cuba-26 June 2000 23:00 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 26 June 2000 23:00 *ELIAN'S KIDNAPPERS TAKE THEIR CASE TO THE SUPREME COURT *CUBAN ROUNDTABLE: THE US JUSTICE SYSTEM *REMAINS OF 6 MEMBERS OF CHE'S GUERRILLA GROUP IN BOLIVIA REPATRIATED *CONGRESS ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY WINDS UP IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL *EXPOCARIBE 2000 COMES TO A SUCCESSFUL CLOSE IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA *BRAZILIAN BUSINESS DELEGATION VISITS CUBA *CUBA INCREASES OIL PRODUCTION THIS YEAR *GERMAN FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTES TO NATIONAL PARK IN GUANTANAMO *FIDEL'S LETTER TO THE HOLGUIN DEMONSTRATION *Viewpoint: RIGHT WING MANEUVERS IN CONGRESS AGAINST FOOD, MEDICINE SALES . *ELIAN'S KIDNAPPERS TAKE THEIR CASE TO THE SUPREME COURT Washington, June 26 (RHC)-- Attorneys representing the kidnappers of six-year-old Elian Gonzalez in Miami have appealed to the Supreme Court. The appeal for a political asylum hearing comes just 48 hours before a court order expires, prohibiting the boy from leaving the United States. At the same time, attorneys for the Miami kidnappers have requested that the order be extended until the Supreme Court decides whether or not to review the case and issues a decision. On Friday, June 23rd, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta refused to hear the case. The full panel of 12 judges unanimously ruled that Elian Gonzalez and his father could leave the U.S. and return to Cuba on Wednesday, June 28th, if the Supreme Court does not issue an emergency interdict. Supreme Court Judge Anthony M. Kennedy now has to decide if the prohibition will be extended. Kennedy, the Supreme Court judge in charge of examining cases from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals (involving the states of Florida, Alabama and Georgia), could rule on his own or take it to the rest of the Court's judges. Regarding the appeal for a political asylum hearing, at least four of the nine judges on the Supreme Court must agree to hear the case. Observers believe that the Miami kidnappers are hoping that their appeal is too close for a decision to be made before the Supreme Court recesses at the end of this month. The nine-member Court resumes its sessions on October 2nd. According to Prensa Latina News Agency, based in the Cuban capital, this latest maneuver by the kidnapper's attorneys before the highest court in the land is a last-ditch effort to keep Elian Gonzalez in the United States, against the wishes of his father. . *CUBAN ROUNDTABLE: THE US JUSTICE SYSTEM Havana, June 26 (RHC)-- A roundtable discussion was broadcast live on Cuban radio and television Monday night. The panel -- made up of journalists and experts in international law -- examined Monday afternoon's appeal to the Supreme Court by the Miami kidnappers of Elian Gonzalez, as well as the lack of justice for people of color and the poor in the United States. Panelists analyzed last Thursday's execution of African-American death row prisoner Shaka Sankofa -- agreeing that the 36-year-old man was put to death in the U.S. state of Texas, despite evidence showing that he was innocent of murder charges. Noting that the case of Shaka Sankofa was a product of political structures designed to deny Blacks and other minorities political power, the participants in the roundtable discussion addressed the basic tenets of U.S. culture: individualism, consumerism and racism. Several of the panelists looked at the disparity in conditions between Blacks and whites in the United States. A statistical analysis of Black and white mortality rates demonstrates that whites live an average of eight years longer than Blacks -- attributing this to an inferior socio-economic level and poor access to health care within the African-American community. It was also noted that African-Americans have the highest mortality rate of any minority in the industrialized world. The discussion on Black America then moved into the areas of imprisonment and the death penalty, both of which are disproportionately biased against minorities. The panel put forth the idea that, by incarcerating Blacks, the dominant culture is able to marginalize them politically. An alarming statistic used to exemplify this point shows that by the year 2005, one-third of voting-age Blacks in the United States will have lost their right to vote due to their rapid rate of imprisonment. Another theme brought up by the panel on Monday's roundtable dealt with the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba and congressional efforts to lift certain aspects of the blockade. One measure, proposed by Senator Christopher Dodd from Connecticut, would have created a commission to analyze U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba. It was pointed out that Dodd's proposal was defeated last week by the Republican-controlled Senate. Proposed legislation designed to lift the ban on the sale of food and medicine to Cuba is still being debated in the Congress. According to the panelists, representatives on Capitol Hill have placed several conditions on even considering passing the bill: Cuba is denied credit; Cuba must pay for all goods in cash; and Cuba cannot export any products to the United States. It was emphasized that such restrictions make the lifting of the ban on the sale of food and medicine a mere token gesture. The roundtable discussion was aired on Cuban television and the national radio network, as well as the international shortwave frequencies of Radio Havana Cuba. . *REMAINS OF 6 MEMBERS OF CHE'S GUERRILLA GROUP IN BOLIVIA REPATRIATED Havana, June 26 (RHC)-- The remains of another six internationalists who fought alongside Che Guevara in Bolivia arrived in Cuba on Sunday. The skeletal remains of three Cubans, two Bolivians and one Peruvian were exhumed and identified by a team of Cuban and Argentinean forensic experts. The specialists have been working for more than three years in the area of the Bolivian jungle where Che and his internationalist guerrilla army operated 33 years ago. Cubans Antonio Sanchez Diaz, Jose Maria Martinez Tamayo and Eliseo Reyes Rodriguez; Bolivians Serapio Aquino Tudela and Casildo Condori Varga and Peruvian Restituto Jose Cabrera Flores will be buried at the Ernesto Che Guevara Mausoleum in Santa Clara, located in central Cuba. The remains of Che, along with 22 other internationalists, already lie at rest in the Mausoleum. The addition of these recently discovered remains brings the number of internationalists that have been exhumed and identified to 29. . *CONGRESS ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY WINDS UP IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, June 26 (RHC)-- The First National Congress on Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, attended by experts from Europe and the Americas, wrapped at Havana's ORTHOP Convention Center over the weekend. After one day of pre-congress courses and three days of memorable sessions, delegates to the First National Congress on Child and Adolescence Psychiatry left Cuba with the pledge to meet again in Havana in the year 2002, when the first Pan-American Congress on the issue will be held. Among those attending the closing ceremony were Cuban Health Ministry representative, Dr. Guillermo Barrientos; the president of the event's organizing committee and head of the National Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, Dr. Cristobal Martinez; the President of the American Academy of Child and Adolescence Psychiatry, Dr. Clarice Kestenbaum; and Dr. William Arroyo, a member of the prestigious U.S. institution. In her closing speech, Dr. Kestenbaum thanked participants for giving her the opportunity to come to Cuba for the second time. She said she was extremely impressed with the island on her first visit and even more so this time. And Dr. Kestenbaum said that many countries could learn from the work Cuba is doing in psychological treatment. The president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry concluded by saying that she hoped the case of Elian Gonzalez "could be a bridge towards a better understanding" between the United States and Cuba. . *EXPOCARIBE 2000 COMES TO A SUCCESSFUL CLOSE IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA Santiago de Cuba, June 26 (RHC)-- The 9th International Trade Fair EXPOCARIBE 2000 concluded on Sunday in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba. The event ended with a closing ceremony, awarding prizes to participating companies and the fair's top products. The week-long forum, with the participation of 312 companies from 45 countries and over 600 Cuban firms, sparked the interest of Caribbean, Latin American, European and Asian business executives. In his closing speech, the president of Cuba's Chamber of Commerce, Hector Manuel Perez, underscored the presence of renowned regional personalities, including Colombian Vice President Gustavo Bell and Haiti's Trade and Industry Minister, Gerald Jermain. . *BRAZILIAN BUSINESS DELEGATION VISITS CUBA Havana, June 26 (RHC)-- A delegation from the Brazilian chapter of the Latin American Entrepreneurial Council is in Havana to foster bilateral commercial relations between Cuba and Brazil. This is the first time a Brazilian mission from the regional organization has visited the island. Delegation leader, Roberto Texeira, said the meeting will be part of other efforts to expand bilateral relations between Brazil and Cuba. On Monday morning, the 11-member delegation met with Marta Lomas, Cuba's Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation, who briefed participants on issues related to the Cuban economy. Brazilian business executives also met with Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage and other government officials. The Latin American Entrepreneurial Council, which was founded 12 years ago, is aimed at promoting Latin American integration. . *CUBA INCREASES OIL PRODUCTION THIS YEAR Havana, June 26 (RHC)-- Cuba will increase oil production this year while moving ahead with off-shore drilling and oil extraction in the Gulf of Mexico. Over the past eight years, the amount of oil extraction has increased six times, amounting to 60,000 barrels a day. It is estimated that by the end of this year, some 70 percent of the island's electricity and natural gas production will be made from domestic, heavy oil. Basic Industry Ministry advisor, Manuel Marrero, announced that results on an analysis of Cuba's exclusive drilling zone, located in the Gulf of Mexico, will soon be announced. He explained that seismological studies, which began last week, will soon reveal if there is crude to be extracted in the area. According to the Cuban expert, there is a strong possibility that huge oil reserves are present in the region. . *GERMAN FOUNDATION CONTRIBUTES TO NATIONAL PARK IN GUANTANAMO Guantanamo, June 26 (RHC)-- The German Foundation "Green Gold" -- an organization that works for the conservation of tropical forests -- has donated 100,000 dollars over the past several years to strengthen the infrastructure of Cuba's Alejandro de Humboldt National Park in eastern Guantanamo province. The park is located in the Cuchillas del Toa Reserve, considered to be the most extensive and complex system of protected natural areas in Cuba and has been proposed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The densely-forested area is the largest ecological reserve within a mountainous region and the most extensive biosphere reserve in the Antilles. According to ecologists, the reserve is rich in endemic flora and fauna. . *FIDEL'S LETTER TO THE HOLGUIN DEMONSTRATION As I write these lines, I'm sure that today you will stage one of the most honorable actions in the history of our Revolution on behalf of the entire Cuban people. Yesterday's encouraging news, amid our 7-month struggle, in extremely hostile and unfavorable circumstances against the injustice that has deeply wounded us, will cause us to let down our guard. The judicial process should have never been carried out in the United States, because under international law, the United States' own laws and Cuban law, there is no jurisdiction. Risks still exist that must not be underestimated. If just one Supreme Court justice agrees to impose another injunction against Elian's leaving, he and his family could be forced to stay in the United States for months more. Miami's criminal Cuban-American mafia and their extreme right wing allies in the United States still have power and the opportunity for more legal maneuvering. They will not hesitate a single moment to use them because they have no scuples about continuing to torture the victims of their hatred and thus take revenge on the child, his family and his people. Not even when Elian and his brave father return to Cuba along with the rest of their family and friends will we be able to rest. We have a sacred duty to prevent the lives of many children, mothers and other Cuban citizens from being devoured by the killer Cuban Adjustment Act. What's more, we still have the struggle against the Helms Burton and the Torricelli Laws and the dozens of amendments passed by the US Congress aimed at strangling our nation; the criminal blockade, the economic war, the incessant policy of subversion and destabilization against a revolution that was born over 130 years ago. A revolution by our people who, by making use of our undeniable rights we have as an absolutely free and independent nation, have managed to exist and deepen our roots at the cost of our own blood, sacrifice and heroism. That we have sworn, and that we will do. We are also a profoundly internationalist people. In the most difficult days of the struggle for the return of Elian, the support for our cause among the US people increased to over 70 percent, which we cannot and will not forget. Within that decisive and admirable support, 90 percent of African Americans defended the rights of the boy and his father. Just 24 hours ago, they, as well as the majority of the American people, received the terrible news that Shaka Sankofa, as he decided to call himself after being condemned to death, was murdered. Our people were also shocked and deeply saddened. The crime was indescribable. Despite the legal infractions attributed to Sankofa by his executioners with great rancor and hatred, when he was an adolescent living in poverty, marginalization and racial discrimination, when he was still a minor, he was mercilessly condemned to death for an alleged homicide for which there was no proof of his involvement. Everything they did to him went against all internationally accepted doctrines and principles. The only evidence they were able to present was the testimony of a person who was located nearly 40 feet away from the crime which occurred at night. This witness was said have seen Sankofa's face for a few seconds through the window of his car near the spot where the event occurred. Various witnesses who could have proved the contrary were not called to testify in a trial, in which Sankofa being poor, could not afford an experienced defense attorney. Ballistic tests demonstrated that the bullets that killed the victim did not match those of the weapon, that Sankofa's accusers claimed he had on him. Some members of the jury that condemned Sankofa have asserted that if they had learned of such circumstances and irregularities, they never would have found him guilty. During Shaka Sankofa's long struggle to demonstrate his innocence, no one who knew him and supported him ever doubted that he was innocent and that the punishment was a disgusting act of murder. Sankofa's energy, eloquence and dignity in defending himself expressed that same idea. It is common knowledge in the United States and in the world, that Sankofa was condemned to capital punishment and executed because he was black. To the crime of condemning him to death when he was underage, was added the monstrous act of having confined him for 19 years on Death Row. But that wasn't enough to mitigate the hatred felt by racists when a stay was granted to clarify what obviously was a trial filled with irregularities and arbitrary decisions. Any authority, with the slightest bit of compassion would have done the same. Shaka Sankofa has shown to the world the bitter fruits of a social system in which differences between the richest and the poorest are infinite, where selfishness, individualism and consumerism and the generalized use of firearms and violence reign as a philosophical foundation. What was admirable in that young man, poor, marginalized and black, and perhaps that was why was condemned without the slightest evidence was how he developed through that endless wait on death row. His impressive political and social consciousness which he expressed at the moment of his execution. He did not walk meekly to the scaffold, as a lamb to slaughter. . He physically resisted his execution to the end as he had promised he would. He spoke as a prophet. He called for the continuation of the struggle against what he called the holocaust or genocide suffered by African Americans. He called for the revindication of his innocence and he died as a hero. In that way, oppression, exploitation, inequality and injustice create people who, at the difficult moment of an unjust death, are able to emotional move an empire and gain the admiration of all honest people in the world. Could this perhaps, be a justification for mistakes committed by a black, youth, poor, discriminated against and marginalized in the richest country in the world? It is for us, not only a duty of gratitude, but also a great internationalist commitment, to join in the energetic protest of millions North Americans, black and white, Indian, Hispanic and all people of color who are condemning this reprehensible ,racist application of justice. These events convince us even more that the future belongs to our dreams of equality and justice for all human beings. The people will triumph. Fidel Castro Ruz June 24, 2000, 12:42 am . *Viewpoint RIGHT WING MANEUVERS IN CONGRESS AGAINST FOOD AND MEDICINE SALES Efforts by a group of U.S. congressional representatives to pass an amendment to remove food and medicine from the blockade against Cuba is in danger of being derailed. A small group in the House of Representatives -- supported by the Miami-based, right wing Cuban-American National Foundation -- is exerting its influence on Capitol Hill to block the amendment all together or to at least impose conditions that would be make the legislation ineffective. Some observers say that the amendment to exclude food and medicine from the blockade against Cuba, along with other similar proposals, are merely a humanitarian mask used to soften Washington's image of cruelty and intolerance, both inside and outside the country. What U.S. officials call an "embargo" is really an inhumane economic war aimed at forcing the Cuban people to their knees by creating a devastating economic situation. The battle in the U.S. Congress has been sparked by important business sectors, including pharmaceutical companies and agricultural producers, who are tired of being shut out of such a geographically natural market. Among the conditions that the right wing congressional representatives hope to impose on the amendment are a prohibition on extending commercial or governmental credits to Cuba, immediate cash payments and a ban on exports of other U.S. products to Cuba. It is obvious to anyone who is the least bit informed in these matters, that a country aggressively blockaded for four decades, unable to trade internationally in U.S. dollars and without access to international credits because it is blocked from belonging to the International Monetary Fund, would have a difficult time reaping any benefits from the lifting of a ban on sales of food and medicine. If the U.S. Congress insists that Cuba take steps to do away with its socialist system and the tremendous social achievements that the Cuban people have struggled long and hard to attain, it is doubtful that we will ever emerge from the impasse in relations between our two countries. (c) 2000 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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