Radio Havana Cuba-31 May 2000 22:00 Via NY Transfer News Collective - All the News that Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 31 May 2000 22:00 *CUBAN TV ROUNDTABLE EXPLORES ILLEGAL ACTS OF MIAMI RIGHT WING *CUBAN AND CHINESE MINISTERS SIGN BILATERAL COOPERATION PROTOCOL *59th ANNIVERSARY OF CUBA'S NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES *9th CONGRESS OF CUBAN SOCIETY OF NURSES UNDERWAY IN HAVANA *JAPANESE DELEGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN JAPAN'S CULTURE WEEK IN CUBA *PANAMANIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER IN HAVANA *Viewpoint: WHILE WE AWAIT THE ATLANTA COURT'S DECISION... *CUBAN TV ROUNDTABLE EXPLORES ILLEGAL ACTS OF MIAMI RIGHT WING Havana, May 31, (RHC) -- In Wednesday evening's roundtable on Cuban television, a professor of law Dr Renen Quiros, discussed aspects of the various US laws that the Miami relatives that kidnapped 6 year old Elian Gonzalez had in his opinion broken. The most obvious, he said, was obstruction of justice in that they refused to abide by a court ruling and attempted to prevent federal marshals from legally removing the boy from their custody. Aside from this, he added, they could also be accused of effectively forging a legal document in coercing the 6 year old to sign his name to a document requesting political asylum. US law provides that only a 14 year old or over is capable of making legal decisions for themselves. Even if Elian signed the document he had no understanding of what he was signing thus making the document a fraud in the eyes of the law. The Cuban law specialist then touched on the defamation of public figures by members of the Miami right wing that supported the kidnapping of Elian Gonzalez and verbally threatened the lives of both the US Attorney General Janet Reno and President Bill Clinton. These people have been allowed to get away with a serious federal offense, he said. The federal officers that reclaimed the boy for his father also had their lives threatened and were assaulted. In fact the entire atmosphere in which the Cuban child was immersed was one of illegality and violence. But there has been no legal pursuit of the individuals involved. What type of message does this provide for the US public, the roundtable participants mused. The nightly roundtable discusses details surrounding the case of Elian Gonzalez as well as aspects relating to the US blockade of Cuba. *CUBAN AND CHINESE MINISTERS SIGN BILATERAL COOPERATION PROTOCOL Havana, May 31 (RHC)-- The Chinese Minister of Industry and Information, Wu Jichuan, wrapped up a three-day visit to Cuba on Tuesday evening. A few hours before departing for China, Wu Jichuan and his Cuban counterpart, Ignacio Gonzalez Planas, signed a cooperation protocol in the areas of informatics and communications. Commenting on the visit of the high-ranking Chinese official, Cuban President Fidel Castro said that relations between Cuba and the Asian country are better than ever. He also thanked China for its solidarity during these difficult years of the Special Period -- the worst economic crisis in Cuba over the last 40 years. During his visit, the Chinese Minister of Industry and Information met with numerous Cuban government officials, including Vice President Carlos Lage. *59th ANNIVERSARY OF CUBA'S NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES Havana, May 31 (RHC)-- With the main religious service in Havana, Cuba's National Council of Churches celebrated its 59th anniversary Tuesday evening. During the worship service, attended by religious leaders from the Cuban Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches, the President of the National Council of Churches, Dr. Reinerio Arce Valentin, said that the date really marks the beginning of a process to work toward the 60th anniversary next year. Dr. Arce said that the process requires the commitment of all Cubans of faith to continue working for the development of Cuban society. The Cuban religious leader called on people to do everything possible for the sake of society, for the Cuban family and for Cuban youth. He said that with the development of the country's churches, the slogan of the National Council will become a reality: United in commitment. The religious ceremony was also attended by the Head of the Religious Affairs Department of Cuba's Communist Party Central Committee, Caridad Diego, other Cuban officials and a large representation of over 25 different Protestant denominations, which make up the island's National Council of Churches. *9th CONGRESS OF CUBAN SOCIETY OF NURSES UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, May 31 (RHC)-Nursing: A Humanitarian Job the World Over -- is the slogan of the 9th International Congress of the Cuban Society of Nurses, officially inaugurated Wednesday at Havana's International Convention Center. Health care around the world, its tendencies and perspectives was the subject of a master conference that officially inaugurated the Congress. The master conference was delivered by Colombian Luz Marina Alfonso, President of the International Council of Nurses - the ICN - an institution founded 100 years ago that now comprises 120 organizations comprising 11 million members. During her talk, the ICN official said that in 1999 conditions of inequality and poverty increased around the world and focused on how neo-liberal tendencies and policies are affecting health care in many countries. These policies, she added, try to make individuals and families responsible for their health care, thus eliminating the responsibility of governments with regard to social investments and programs. These tendencies, continued Alfonso, along with their economic implications, increase social tensions, deepen gaps between countries, create differences and worsen the living conditions of the poor. It's necessary, she said, to strengthen the work of national associations of nurses and to create a common front to solve common problems wherever necessary in order to participate directly and actively in the process of improving the health care of our peoples. Over the course of the Congress participants will be debating issues such as the situation of nurses in Latin America, the development of nursing in Cuba, the role of nurses in primary health care, and perspectives and challenges for the new millenium. The 9th Congress of the Cuban Society of Nurses, that winds up June 3rd, includes the 2nd Encounter of Nursing Students and the First Cuban Colloquium on Research in the Field of Nursing and is attended by some one thousand delegates from 18 nations. *JAPANESE DELEGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN JAPAN'S CULTURE WEEK IN CUBA Havana, May 31 (RHC)-A 360-member Japanese delegation will soon arrive in Cuba to participate in the 24th Japanese Culture Week, slated for Havana from June 2nd through the 8th. On Tuesday, during a meeting with reporters at Havana's International Press Center, the Director of Japan's International Friendship Foundation, Norio Torigoe, said that the event will take place in several scenarios of the Cuban capital such as the National Capitol, the National Theater and La Cabaņa Fortress and it will include exhibitions of Japanese dances, fine arts and martial arts. *PANAMANIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER IN HAVANA Havana, May 31 (RHC)-- A Panamenian delegation headed by the country's Deputy Foreign Minister, Harmonio Arias Cerjack, is in Cuba to participate in the first bilateral education and culture meeting. Upon his arrival at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, the high-ranking Panamanian official said that he will talk with Cuban authorities about cooperation in several sectors such as health, education and culture. He added that he will also meet with over 150 students from Panama who are currently on the island studying at the Latin American School of Medicine. Panama's deputy foreign minister also showed interest in the restoration project currently underway in Old Havana and said he would like to gain experience in that field since there is a similar project underway in Panama. Viewpoint: WHILE WE AWAIT THE ATLANTA COURT'S DECISION... The long delay by the Court of Appeals in Atlanta to issue its ruling on the case of Elian Gonzalez -- illegally held in the United States after a tragic shipwreck six months ago in the Florida Straits -- is evidence of the complexities in the legal case. Laws related to parental custody and other aspects of family rights are very clear in this case and it would be hard to find any court in the world that would choose to ignore the right of a father's custody of his son -- that is, until you begin mixing in the politics of Washington's anti-Cuba policy over these past 41 years. This policy has been strongly influenced by the Cuban-American mafia in southern Florida, who have literally taken over the management of local political and economic power in several major communities of this U.S. state. The vast majority of the American people have expressed their opinion quite clearly; and it's an opinion that goes directly against what the extremists in Miami are saying. Most believe that the six-year-old should return to Cuba with his father as soon as possible. A number of influential institutions along with well-known personalities from the U.S. and other countries have expressed the same position. Even the media in the United States have begun to objectively reflect events related to Cuba. And the U.S. government has tried to distance itself from the political manipulations of Miami's terrorist mafia; Washington has officially come out in favor of returning Elian to Cuba. This official position has been expressed in the decisions of the U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. However, authorities have been hesitant and very careful in applying their own decisions, allowing the issue to take a legal course that has complicated the case considerably. In order to resolve the matter, Elian's father has been in Washington, DC for several weeks. While the U.S. government has provided its help in some ways, the State Department - on the other hand - has refused entry visas requested by Cuba for family members and specialists who can play a vital role in the psychological recovery of the six-year-old. Now, with Elian and his family having moved from Wye Plantation to Washington, DC, conditions are better and the boy's progress can clearly be seen. No one - not here in Cuba or even in the United States - can imagine that the Atlanta Court's ruling will present a new mountain of difficulties in the way of Elian and his family to return Cuba. (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-21379 2000-May-31 23:35:42