Radio Havana Cuba-28 October 2000 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba Weekend - News Update - 28 October 2000 . *CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO CONTINUES VISIT TO VENEZUELA *CUBANS HONOR CAMILO CIENFUEGOS ON 41st ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH *SOUTH AFRICAN VICE PRESIDENT CALLS CUBA VISIT A SUCCESS *PRESIDENT OF CUBAN PARLIAMENT MEETS WITH GOVERNOR OF ST. PETERSBURG *INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL WINDS UP SATURDAY NIGHT *HUNDREDS OF DOCUMENTS ON CHE GUEVARA DONATED TO CHE MEMORIAL *PORTUGUESE FIRMS TO PARTICIPATE IN HAVANA INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR *LAOTIAN GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS ECONOMIC, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL BLOCKADES *Viewpoint: NEW ERA OF SOLIDARITY IN LATIN AMERICA BEGINS IN VENEZUELA . *CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO CONTINUES VISIT TO VENEZUELA Havana, October 28 (RHC)-In his continuing official visit of Venezuela, President Fidel Castrotoday visited the area where his counterpart President Hugo Chavez was born. Arriving in the state of Barinas to a warm welcome by Chavez who had preceeded him, the Cuban leader took time to shake some of the hands of the crowd that had turned up to shout "Fidel, our friend, we are with you!" In the afternoon, the two leaders then visited the state of Lara where they joined Venezuelan farmers to discuss the merits of Cuba's offer to assist with the local development of the sugar cane industry. This evening, the two will pair off against each other in a friendly baseball match where Chavez - who will pitch - will attempt to beat the Cuban team under the management of Castro. In a similar match played in Cuba last November, Venezuela lost by one run in a game that was played with great vigor by the two leaders who frequently attempted to outdo and fool each other. Yesterday, Fidel Castro addressed Venezuela's National Assembly in which he thanked the South American nation for helping Cuba with its oil facilities in the region. In Venezuela you have a man who's untimely death -- either intentional or accidental -- would bring chaos to his nation, added the Cuban leader. He continued to say that without doubt Latin America had an exceptional leader in Cesar Chavez, and that those who criticised the Venezuelan leader's generous and intelligent act in providing low cost oil to Cuba were myopic and selfish. The oil nations of the world, he said, need the help of the Third World to provide the First World with the enormous fuel amounts it needs to survive. *CUBANS HONOR CAMILO CIENFUEGOS ON 41st ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH Havana, October 28 (RHC)--Cubans paid homage on Saturday to revolutionary leader, Comandante Camilo Cienfuegos, on the 41st anniversary of his death. Cubans from all walks of life tossed the traditional flowers in the island's rivers, lakes and the sea in remembrance of one of the island's most popular guerrilla commanders. Early Saturday morning thousands of Havana residents cold be seen walking towards the Malecon Seaside Drive where they dropped flowers into the sea. A commander in the Rebel Army, Camilo Cienfuegos disappeared October 28, 1959, when the small plane in which he was traveling from the eastern province of Camaguey towards Havana, crashed into the sea. *SOUTH AFRICAN VICE PRESIDENT CALLS CUBA VISIT A SUCCESS Havana, October 28 (RHC)-- South African Vice President, Jacob Zuma, has characterized his official visit to Cuba as a success. Cuban Communist Party officials signed an agreement with the African National Congress under which the two sides will increase bilateral cooperation. Zuma, who is also vice president of the African National Congress, thanked Cuba for its medical cooperation in South Africa's most remote areas. Jacob Zuma expressed concern over the US Congress' recent approval of new legislation, which allegedly eases Washington's blockade against Cuba through an agricultural bill, which supposedly permits the sale of food and medicine to the island. He promised that South Africa would reiterate its rejection where it considers necessary to urge Washington to reconsider its anti-Cuba positions. *PRESIDENT OF CUBAN PARLIAMENT MEETS WITH GOVERNOR OF ST. PETERSBURG Havana, October 28 (RHC)-- The President of the Cuban Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, met with on Friday in Havana with the Governor of the Russian city of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Yakovlev. They two lawmakers discussed ways to increase exchanges between the two cities. After the meeting, the Russian official told the press that the President of the Cuban Parliament will visit St. Petersburg next month. The Governor of St. Petersburg had previously met with Cuba's Vice President Carlos Lage who discussed the island's current situation in the economic, tourism and culture sectors. *INTERNATIONAL BALLET FESTIVAL WINDS UP SATURDAY NIGHT Havana, October 28 (RHC)-- With a world debut of "Dialogo 4," choreographed by the Director of Cuba's National Ballet Company, Alicia Alonso, Havana's International Ballet Festival winds up on Saturday night. After 7 intense days of performances and innumerable activities with the participation of renowned international ballet figures, the closing Gala will be held in Havana's Garcia Lorca Theater. With Cuban President Fidel Castro in the audience, the International Ballet Festival was inaugurated last October 20th, Cuban Culture Day. *HUNDREDS OF DOCUMENTS ON CHE GUEVARA DONATED TO CHE MEMORIAL Havana, October 28 (RHC)-- Over one thousand documents were donated on Friday to the Ernesto "Che" Guevara Memorial in the central city of Santa Clara. The donation was made by Cuban researchers, Froilan Gonzalez and Adys Cupull, both experts on the legendary hero and authors of various books on the life of "Che" Guevara. The donation consists of a hundred cassettes and tapes of interviews with Guevara, international newspapers, and magazines containing articles about the legendary guerrilla and photographs and letters. *PORTUGUESE FIRMS TO PARTICIPATE IN HAVANA INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR Havana, October 28 (RHC)--Cuba's Chamber of Commerce met on Friday in Havana with representatives of some 50 Portuguese firms that will participate in the Havana International Trade Fair which gets started on Sunday in the PABEXPO exhibition pavilion. The business executives expressed an interest in the tourism sector as well as natural medicine. Portugal will participate for the first time in the Havana International Trade Fair where some two thousand firms from 64 countries will exhibit their products. *LAOTIAN GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS ECONOMIC, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL BLOCKADES Havana, October 28 (RHC)-- The government of Laos has reiterated its solidarity with Cuba by condemning any type of economic, commercial and financial blockades, according to an official note issued on Saturday in Vientiane. Vice President of the Laotian National Assembly, Khambou Sounisay, made the announcement while welcoming Cuban business attaché, Aricel Hernandez. Khambou, who also presides over the Laos-Cuba Friendship Association, expressed his solidarity with the Cuban people and their resistance to Washington's almost 40-year blockade against the island. Viewpoint: *NEW ERA OF SOLIDARITY IN LATIN AMERICA BEGINS IN VENEZUELA The visit of the Cuban delegation to Venezuela, led by President Fidel Castro, has been of singular importance for the beginning of this century. The visit will result in an extension of relations and common action between the Latin American people. Taking place a few weeks before the celebration of the 10th Iberoamerican Summit in the city of Panama, the visit holds extra significance for the two countries, which have profound historical links. The best part of last century passed without any real diplomatic and commercial relations between the nations of Latin America. Any previous development has always been within the confines of the giant USA which act as the supreme arbiter of everything that happens in this hemisphere and whose politics are based on the Machiavellian principle of divide and conquer. The big Latin American family has always felt in its heart the tendency and necessity of extending relations of every kind, to unite and struggle together for national and international ideals. The government in Washington has attempted to isolate Cuba from the very beginning of the triumph of the Revolution, since its first maneuvers at the Organization of American States meeting in Punte del Este, Uruguay, in 1961. At that meeting they influenced nearly every Latin American country to break relations with Cuba. Only Mexico and Canada maintained their traditional links with Cuba. But Cuba has always understood the fundamental cause of this situation and never accepted the isolation of the peoples of Latin America. And now, the groundswell of new politics and morals which has greeted the movement first inspired the liberator, Simon Bolivar, headed by President Chavez of Venezuela, has opened the doors of true Latin American solidarity. This new direction, independent and sovereign, which is happening in Venezuela, has been received enthusiastically by its people and government. President Fidel Castro, who spoke this week before the Venezuelan government and the world greeted this new era for Latin America. (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-7688 2000-Oct-29 00:53:57