Radio Havana Cuba-01 October 2000 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 01 October 2000 *CUBA IMPROVES ITS ATLANTA 96 OLYMPIC PERFORMANCE *FIDEL WELCOMES FIRST GROUP OF RETURNING ATHLETES *CUBAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH HIS IRANIAN COUNTERPART *MORE THAN 25,000 CUBANS RALLY IN NUEVITAS TO PROTEST US ANTI-CUBA POLICY *PRESIDENT OF MEXICO'S LABOR PARTY CONTINUES VISIT TO CUBA *INAUGURATION OF EXPERIMENTAL CHAIR OF IMPROVISED POETRY *INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL WILL OPEN OCTOBER 20TH *NEW VARIETY OF TOBACCO TO BE CULTIVATED IN CUBA *Viewpoint: PRESIDENTS OF CUBA'S MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLIES GATHER IN HAVANA *CUBA IMPROVES ITS ATLANTA 96 OLYMPIC PERFORMANCE Sydney, September 30 (RHC)-- With 11 gold and a total of 24 medals, Cuba has already surpassed its Atlanta performance in the Sydney games. Saturday was one of the best days for the island with its athletes winning five gold, two silver and two bronze medals. The Cuban women's volleyball team repeated its Olympic supremacy for the third consecutive time, while the four Cuban boxers who climbed into the ring defeated their opponents for the gold. Legendary Felix Savon, in the 91-kilo division, took his third Olympic title, matching the historic performances of Hungarian Lazlo Papp and Cuba's Teofilo Stevenson. For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, Cuban canoe experts reached the finals and won medals. Ledis Frank Balceiro in C-1 took silver, while in C-2, also over 1000 meters, Ibrahim Rojas and Lebaldo Pereira entered second. In track and field, Osleidys Menendez got bronze in women's Javelin throw with 66.18 meters, while in the men's 4 by 100 meter relay, Cuba entered third with a time of 38.04 seconds. Cuba's women's relay team, in the 4 by 400 meter, came in last. The United States was first, followed by Jamaica and Russia. In 4 by 100 meters, the Bahamas crossed the finish line first with a time of 41.95 seconds. Today, Cuba still has chances for some medals in canoe and free style wrestling. The island is currently ranked 8 in the general medal standing with 11-10-5. The United States is up front with 38 gold. Russia is second with 28, China third and Australia is in fourth place. *FIDEL WELCOMES FIRST GROUP OF RETURNING ATHLETES Havana, September 30 (RHC)-On Friday, Cuban President, Fidel Castro, welcomed home the first group of returning athletes and trainers from the Sydney Olympics. Relatives, friends and local residents crowded Havana's Jose Marti International Airport to greet the Cuban athletes after their impressive performance in Sydney. The Cuban President told the young athletes that they had won the love of the world. The international press, said Fidel Castro, is praising the performance of the Cuban delegation. He underscored the importance of working to insure that Olympic participation must be a right for Third World countries; not just for the developed nations. After condemning the commercialization of the games, the Cuban leader said that he hoped that some day, athletes from Kenya, Korea, Nigeria, Ethiopia and even Cuba, would not be competing for European countries, but rather for their own. Speaking to the first group of the 240 Cuban athletes to have arrived in Havana, Cuban President Fidel Castro said that knowing how complicated the world of sports has become, the quality of sports in Cuba must be improved while continuing to support sports programs in Third World nations. He added that the Australian people expressed admiration for the high quality of the Cuban sports delegation even though Cuba is a country, which has been blockaded by Washington for nearly 40 years. *CUBAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH HIS IRANIAN COUNTERPART Havana, September 30 (RHC)-On Saturday Cuban President, Fidel Castro, received Iranian President Mohammed Jatami in Havana. The Iranian leader is in Cuba on an official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. President Jatami will be awarded Cuba's highest distinction, the 'Jose Marti Order." The Iranian President is heading a large delegation, which includes the Foreign Minister, as well as the Ministers of Agriculture, Oil, Economy and Finances. Before his arrival in Havana, Iranian President Mohammed Jatami participated in the 2nd Summit of the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries, which was held in Caracas, Venezuela. *MORE THAN 25,000 CUBANS RALLY IN NUEVITAS TO PROTEST US ANTI-CUBA POLICY Nuevitas, September 30 (RHC)--Over 25 thousand Cubans participated Saturday morning in a rally in the eastern city of Nuevitas, to protest Washington's Cuban Adjustment Act and its economic war against the island. Participating were Cuban Defense Minister, Raul Castro, who was accompanied by Comandantes of the Revolution Juan Almeida, Ramiro Valdes, and Guillermo Garcia, and other Cuban leaders. Speakers at the rally characterized the Cuban Adjustment Law -in force in the United States since 1962- as criminal, charging that it encourages dangerous, illegal migration from the island, and is a violation of migratory agreements signed by the United States and Cuba in 1994 and 1995. Havana maintains that many lives have been lost as Cubans attempt to cross the shark infested waters of the Florida Straights that separate the island and the United States. Cuba has pledged to continue the battle against the Adjustment Act and the US blockade which, according to official statistics, has caused the island over 70 billion dollars in economic loses. *PRESIDENT OF MEXICO'S LABOR PARTY CONTINUES VISIT TO CUBA Havana, September 30th (RHC)-- Cuban Communist Party official, Jose Ramon Balaguer welcomed on Friday in Havana, the president of Mexico's Labor Party, Alberto Anaya Gutierrez. The Mexican politician was invited by the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. The distinguished visitor had words of praised for the main ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, and especially for the speech given there by Cuban President, Fidel Castro. Earlier, the president of the Mexico's Labor Party had met with the President of the Cuba's Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon. *INAUGURATION OF EXPERIMENTAL CHAIR OF IMPROVISED POETRY Havana, September 30th (RHC)-- Cuban President, Fidel Castro, participated in the inauguration of the Experimental Chair of Improvised Poetry that will be hosted by the Havana's Higher Institute of Art. After presenting diplomas to a group of outstanding young Cuban artists, the Cuban leader underscored the role of local improvisers of the Cuban "decima compesina " improvised song, in the island's stubble for the return to Cuba of six year old Elian Gonzalez, who was kidnapped in Miami. The new Experimental Improvised Poetry Academy will be sponsored by the Higher Institute of Arts and the recently inaugurated Iberoamerican Center of the Decima- which is a ten syllable improvised verse, in which important news of the day as well as local gossip, is disseminated through song. The activity began with a master conference on the development of the Decima in Cuba, given by master improviser, Alexis Diaz Pimienta. *INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL WILL OPEN OCTOBER 20TH Havana, September 30 (RHC)--Ballet lovers in Cuba and around the world are eagerly awaiting October 20, the opening of the island's l7th International Ballet Festival. The 9-day ballet extravaganza, titled "Choreographers of the Twenty Century," will feature world famous ballet companies and dancers from around the world as well as the island's acclaimed National Ballet Company. Havana, will be the main site, with performances in the ornate Garcia Lorca Hall of the majestic Gran Teatro. Other theaters will be the Teatro Mella and the Teatro Nacional. Performances will also be held in the provincial cities of Matanzas, Santa Clara, and Guira de Melena. Among the many invited guests are Julie Kent and Angel Corella, top dancers in New York's American Ballet Theater, Argentinean, Inaki Urtezaga, Italy's Carla Fracci, Argentinean Paloma Herrera of the American Ballet Theater, Belgian, Nicolas Musin, Luigi Bonino and Fernanda Diniz of Brazil, American Amanda Mckerrow and the Washington DC Ballet Company. Other countries participating will be Hungary, Australia, Japan, China and Canada. Among the full-length ballets will be a joint production of Swan Lake mounted by the Cuban National Ballet and the Valencia Community. The ballet, Don Quijote will also be a offered will rotating principal dancer of international and Cuban acclaim. Among the most anticipated pieces will be Ballo Della Regina, by George Balanchine, choreographed by legendary Balanchine dancer, Merryll Ashley. *NEW VARIETY OF TOBACCO TO BE CULTIVATED IN CUBA Havana, September 30 (RHC)--Sancti-Spiritus '96 -a new, highly productive variety of tobacco- will soon be cultivated in Cuban plantations, after a period of successful trials in the central provinces of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and Sancti-Spiritus. The new tobacco -extremly resistant to blue mold and mosaic among other diseases- will now be plant in other regions where the aromatic leaf has been traditionally cultivated. Sancti-Spiritus -located 380 kilometers from Havana- is, after western Pinar del Rio province, the second largest tobacco producing area on the island. The new variety of tobacco was developed in the Tobacco Experimental Station at Cabaiguan, a municipality of Sancti-Spiritus province. Tobacco is among Cuba's most important exports. In 1999, Cuba sold 150 million cigars, and some 10,000 tons of tobacco and there are plans to sell 160 million "puros" to France and Spain -Cuba's main markets- this year. *Viewpoint: PRESIDENTS OF CUBA'S MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLIES GATHER IN HAVANA In Cuba, the job of president of a Municipal Assembly of People's Power, is comparable to that of a mayor in municipalities and cities anywhere else in the world. They are the elected officials most closely tied to the grass roots; with the most first hand knowledge of people's needs. The presidents of municipal assemblies in Cuba are elected through direct, secret vote, and,unlike mayors in other countries, they are mandated to keep in touch with their constituents practically on a daily basis. Members of Cuban Municipal Assemblies, also known as People's Power delegates, are common citizens who are nominated by their neighbors. No campaigning is allowed. Voters learn about the candidates through simple biographies posted in highly frequented places, like markets, schools, and stores. The executive Secretary of Cuba's Council of Ministers, Carlos Lage Davila, met this week with the presidents of the island's 169 municipal assemblies. The meeting was called to take a close look at the main problems currently affecting Cubans and the course of efforts underway to achieve economic recovery. Despite adverse conditions, the Cuban economy has grown steadily, without losing the social gains achieved since the 1959. During the meeting, participants confirmed the gradual improvement of people's living conditions amidst the current economic crisis. They also noted progress in the areas of food, education, public health, construction and energy and a 7% growth in the Gross Domestic Product, reported for the year's first semester. The leaders of the island's municipalities have returned home better prepared for the tasks ahead and committed to working for the improvement of the well-being of the Cuban people. (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-12126 2000-Oct-02 11:47:57