Radio Havana Cuba-30 May 2000 22:00 Via NY Transfer News Collective - All the News that Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 30 May, 2000 22:00 *CUBAN TV ROUNDTABLE UPDATE ON EVENTS PERTAINING TO ELIAN GONZALEZ *IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL MARIANO FAGET FOUND GUILTY OF VIOLATING ESPIONAGE LAW *ARKANSAS FARMERS, LEGISLATORS OPPOSE US BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA *CUBAN HEALTH MINISTER VISITS MEDICAL TEAMS IN GUATEMALA *CHINESE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND INFORMATION WRAPS UP VISIT TO CUBA *3rd CHINESE FESTIVAL UNDERWAY IN HAVANA *AMERICAN ARAB FEDERATION DEMANDS END TO WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE OF CUBA *CUBA'S CARIBE COMPANY OPENS NEW NAVIGATION ROUTES TO THE CARIBBEAN *RENOWNED CUBAN SCULPTOR DIES *VICE PRESIDENT OF VALONIA ARRIVES IN CUBA *Viewpoint: CUBAN PEOPLE CONTINUE TO DEMAND IMMEDIATE RETURN OF ELIAN GONZALEZ *CUBAN TV ROUNDTABLE UPDATE ON EVENTS PERTAINING TO ELIAN GONZALEZ Havana, May 30, (RHC) -- On Tuesday night's roundtable broadcast on Cuban television, experts in the case of Elian Gonzalez spoke about the enormous sums of money involved in the legal struggle to prevent the 6 year old from returning to his home in Cuba. Some $1,400,000 has been spent on such things as logistics and protection for the child as well as the court time and local police overtime. The money could have been used to help so many needy children in not only poor countries in the world but in the US itself where many children live in abject poverty. Charles Currie, the President of the Washington-based Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, expressed his support for the return of Elian to his homeland. In a live interview with Cuban Television for the roundtable, he commented that the child should return to Cuba with his father and that the Jesuit community is waiting for an appelate court judgement in favor of this position. The Cuban government today maintained its longstanding position of accepting the Atlanta Court of Appeals decision concerning the Elian Gonzalez case. While concurring with the American public, Attorney General Janet Reno, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and President Bill Clinton that the child should be returned to his homeland with his father, Cuba will nonetheless respect the court's legal judgement on the matter. In other news reported during the roundtable discussion was the creation of a website by Gregory Craig, the attorney for the Cuban child's father Juan Miguel Gonzalez. The site is designed to respond to the many thousands of requests for updated information on the well-being of Elian. The roundtable discussions occur every weekday and offer information to the Cuban public on developments relating to the case of Elian Gonzalez and related issues. *IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL MARIANO FAGET FOUND GUILTY OF VIOLATING ESPIONAGE LAW Havana, May 30, (RHC) -- Former U.S. Cuban-American immigration official Mariano Faget today was found guilty of violating the country's Espionage Law. Faget, considered the highest-ranking Hispanic in the Florida office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, was found guilty of four counts. Following deliberations that began late last week, a jury found him guilty reveling national defense secrets, using secret information for personal gain, and two counts of issueing false declarations to authorities. His arrest came on the heels of an FBI sting operation in which Faget was falsely led to believe that a Cuban diplomat in Washington was about to defect, and told that this information was secret. But the former immigration official immediately communicated the information to a associate in New York, with whom he had hoped to begin business operations in Cuba once Washington's blockade against the island was lifted. The arrest led to the expulsion of Cuban diplomat Jose Imperatori, despite his insistence that he was not involved in espionage and was willing to remain in the United States without diplomatic immunity to clear his name. Initially, authorities and media outlets gave the impression that Faget was arrested for spying on behalf of the Cuban government, but 2 weeks after his detention the FBI admitted that it had no proof of such allegations and had not charged Faget with spying for a foreign government. At the time, Cuba charged that the entire manouver was a smokescreen closely tied to the case of the Cuban child, Elian Gonzalez, retained in the U.S. Faget's defense was unable to convince the jury that no evidence had been presented prooving that their client had intended to harm the United States or benefit Cuba. Though it was orignially reported that Faget faced up to 35 years in prison, it's now reported that he faces a maximum of 10 years. *ARKANSAS FARMERS, LEGISLATORS OPPOSE US BLOCKADE AGAINST CUBA Havana, May 30, (RHC) -- In Havana, a group of visiting agro producers and legislators from the U.S. state of Arkansas has come out against Washington's blockade of Cuba. At a press conference late Monday, following their arrival in Havana Sunday evening, Democratic Senator Blanche Lincolon and House Representative Marion Berry stated that an upcoming congressional vote on eliminating restrictions on the sale of food and medicine to Cuba would be a first step in totally lifting the blockade. The lawmakers are accompanied by the president of Arkansas' Farmers Federation, David Hilman, who pointed out that his state is the US's leading producer of rice. He noted that Cuba annually consumes 600 thousand tons of rice, of which 50 percent is bought in the far-away, and therefore more costly markets in Thailand and China. Members of the Farmers Federation of Texas, with 300 thousand affiliates, recently visited Cuba along with legislators from that state. While here, Federation president Donald Patman called Washington's blockade of Cuba a "spectacular failure". The Arkansas delegation will wrap up its visit on Wednesday. *CUBAN HEALTH MINISTER VISITS MEDICAL TEAMS IN GUATEMALA Quiche, May 30 (RHC)-- Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres is currently in Guatemala, visiting medical teams from the island that are offering their services in the Central American nation. During a meeting on Monday with representatives of the nearly 500 Cuban health specialists in Guatemala, Dotres conveyed fraternal greetings sent by Cuban President Fidel Castro on behalf of the entire Cuban people. The top Cuban health official recalled the historic date -- November 21, 1998 -- when Fidel Castro suggested that Cuba contribute its vast human resources to resolve the serious health problems in Central America, the Caribbean and Africa. Since then, said the Cuban health minister, that idea is being progressively implemented, thanks to the patriotism and selflessness of the Cuban health professionals. There are Cuban doctors currently working in 12 nations, implementing a health cooperation program conceived by Cuban authorities. The program is designed to help Third World nations develop integral health care systems aimed at improving living conditions. Cuban doctors and medical personnel are treating people in remote regions where, in many cases, there had never been a doctor before. *CHINESE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND INFORMATION WRAPS UP VISIT TO CUBA Havana, May 30 (RHC)-- The Chinese Minister of Industry and Information, Wu Jinchuan, has wrapped up a three-day official visit to Cuba, aimed at strengthening bilateral ties with the island in areas such as informatics, communications and radio broadcasting. During his stay, Wu Jinchuan met with high-ranking government officials including his Cuban counterpart, Ignacio Gonzalez Planas, and Vice President Carlos Lage, who pointed out that Cuba annually produces some 170,000 television sets with Chinese collaboration. China's cooperation can also be seen in the development of the national telephone system, as well as the production of household appliances in Cuba. The Chinese minister of industry and information also visited the recently concluded International Fair Informatics '2000, the Digital Research Institute and a TV assembly line. *3rd CHINESE FESTIVAL UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, May 30 (RHC)-- The Third Festival of Chinese Abroad began Tuesday in Havana's Chinatown -- the oldest in Latin America. The festival marks the 153rd year since the arrival of the first Chinese to Cuba. The festival began three years ago in an attempt to revitalize the city's Chinatown, which is much smaller than many of those in other nations of the region. This year's theme will be based on food -- the most well known aspect of Chinese culture abroad. Renowned chefs from the People's Republic of China will be attending the festival, giving demonstrations of their culinary skills to the delegates attending a parallel conference. The conference includes meetings between business people of Chinese-origin, interested in joint ventures in the community. Delegates from Jamaica, Canada, China, the United States and Mexico will attend. Due to the economic crisis of the island's Special Period, the Chinese community in Cuba has shrunk and there is concern among its elders that it may disappear altogether once the older generation has died off. Many young people are fully integrated into Cuban culture and do not necessarily identify with the culture of their parents and grandparents. It is said that traditions are being lost and although Chinese language and culture classes are offered to the young, it is a long process to put true Chinese flavor back into what is called Havana's Barrio Chino. Funding for the festival has been provided by Chinese communities abroad. Although the festival will only run through next Sunday, June 4th, Chinese products will be on sale to the public at reduced prices throughout the month. *AMERICAN ARAB FEDERATION DEMANDS END TO WASHINGTON'S BLOCKADE OF CUBA Damascus, May 30 (RHC)-- The American Arab Federation has demanded an end to Washington's 40-year blockade of Cuba and reaffirmed their solidarity with the Cuban people in their struggle for the return to the island of six-year-old Elian Gonzalez. During a meeting of the federation, held over the weekend in Damascus, Syria, representatives from Syria and Lebanon highlighted the achievements of the Cuban Revolution, despite the U.S. economic war against the island. The meeting of the American Arab Federation was attended by representatives of the more than 16 million Arabs and their descendants who live in North, Central and South America. *CUBA'S CARIBE COMPANY OPENS NEW NAVIGATION ROUTES TO THE CARIBBEAN Santiago de Cuba, May 30 (RHC)-- Cuba's Navigation Caribe has inaugurated three new routes, linking the port of the eastern Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba with those of neighboring Caribbean nations. The move means a step forward for this maritime navigation agency, since it allows for the transportation of scrap iron from eastern Cienfuegos province to ports in Jamaica, as well as containers from Santiago de Cuba to the port of Kingston. The vessels that will cover these new inter-Caribbean routes were designed according to the characteristics of the ports in this area. The company will use self-propelled barges with a 500-ton capacity, which can carry containers of up to 40 feet long. Hector Vazquez, an expert from the company's Commercial Office, pointed out that Navigation Caribe maintains a route to ports in Haiti and also offers tugboat services in the Atlantic Ocean. *RENOWNED CUBAN SCULPTOR DIES Havana, May 30 (RHC)-- Renowned Cuban sculptor Rita Longa died of a heart attack on Monday evening at the age of 87. With her death, the fine arts movement in Cuba has lost one of its best representatives. The funeral service for this outstanding Cuban artist will be held tomorrow, Wednesday, when she will be buried at Havana's Colon Cemetery. Rita Longa's vast work includes the sculptural complex called "The Family Group," located at the entrance of the National Zoo, the clay reproduction of a village of a Cuban indigenous Taino tribe in eastern Guama tourist center and the ballerina that identifies the world famous Tropicana Cabaret. Rita Longa had received important recognition for her outstanding work. Among the many awards was the 1995 Fine Arts National Award. *VICE PRESIDENT OF VALONIA ARRIVES IN CUBA Havana, May 30 (RHC)-- The Vice President of the Belgian province of Valonia, Serge Kubla, has arrived in Cuba, heading a large business delegation. Kubla is also the province's economy minister in charge of small and medium-sized enterprises, research, new technologies, tourism and foreign trade. The visiting delegation has a tight agenda that includes visits to places of interest and talks with Cuban government and business officials. The Belgian business community has increasingly expressed interest in several Cuban economic sectors over the past few years. Just last February, a business delegation from the Belgian biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry visited Cuba. And in late March this year, Belgium's Foreign Trade Minister Pierre Chevalier paid an official visit to Cuba, leading a large business delegation from that European country. *Viewpoint: CUBAN PEOPLE CONTINUE TO DEMAND IMMEDIATE RETURN OF ELIAN GONZALEZ Demonstrations that have been taking place regularly throughout Cuba, demanding the immediate return of six-year-old Elian Gonzalez -- illegally held in the United States -- continue across the island with the massive participation of the Cuban people. Over 100,000 enthusiastically took part in last Saturday's demonstration held in Caibarien, located in the central part of the country. At the same time, informational roundtable discussions continue being broadcast live each day from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., where the latest events related to the case of Elian Gonzalez are analyzed. In addition, important issues of national and international interest are also tackled by outstanding Cuban journalists and experts in international law. These political activities point to the Cuban people's unity and willingness to struggle which, far from weakening after more than four decades since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution on January 1st, 1959, have gained in strength and militancy. Over the past 41 years of their Revolution, the people have suffered from all kinds of aggression carried out by Washington. The United States has tried to destroy the island's social process -- which freed this Latin American nation from the neo-colonial regime imposed by the U.S. during the first half of the century. Subjected to the most brutal economic blockade in the history of humanity -- designed to create an unsustainable political and economic situation in Cuba -- the people of this nation have fought non-stop, with the conviction that this struggle is the key to maintaining true and definite national independence and sovereignty. Cuba's powerful enemies have failed in their efforts to eliminate the example of the Revolution -- which continues to shine as a beacon, not only for Third World nations, but also for those who suffer from social injustice in developed countries of the world. It is not only a question of returning Elian Gonzalez to Cuba, but of continuing to struggle against the aggressive and inhumane measures maintained by Washington against this island and the tragic results of the Cuban Adjustment Act. (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-15873 2000-May-31 04:58:04