RHC Weekend-28 April 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - Weekend News Update - 28 April 2001 . *CUBAN PRESIDENT OPENS 102 RENOVATED SCHOOLS, SPEAKS ABOUT EDUCATION *FIDEL RESPONDS TO THREATS OF SPANISH JUDGE WHO HAD PINOCHET ARRESTED *CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO HAVANA SUPPORTS CUBA'S POSITION IN GENEVA *18th CONGRESS OF CUBAN WORKERS CONFEDERATION BEGINS *WASHINGTON ACCUSED OF BACKING ISRAEL's MASSACRES OF PALESTINIANS *ISRAEL ALLOWS PALESTINIAN POLICE TO OPERATE IN GAZA *NEW YORK TIMES OPPOSES RESUMPTION OF WAR GAMES IN VIEQUES *RICARDO ALARCON CONGRATULATES RHC ON ITS 40th ANNIVERSARY Viewpoint: *WORKERS CONFEDERATION FOCUSES ON HOW TO STRENGTHEN THE REVOLUTION . *CUBAN PRESIDENT OPENS 102 RENOVATED SCHOOLS, SPEAKS ABOUT EDUCATION Havana, 28th April (RHC)--In a speech yesterday at the opening of 102 refurbished schools in the capital, President Fidel Castro praised Cubans for their increased humanity and solidarity. Commenting on the fact that classrooms had too many students in them, he said that the renovated schools would relieve the strain on teachers who, he added, were decreasing in number. The Cuban leader said that ways had to be found to increase the number of trainees for teaching posts at the primary school level. There were only 40 primary school teachers graduating last year in Havana -- not enough, he said, to fill the spaces left by those who retire or leave for other reasons. However, the President guaranteed that in 17 months no classroom in Havana would hold more than 20 pupils. There was also good news in other areas of education in Cuba, he said, with the opening of 300 computer youth clubs across the nation and the graduation of the first batch of 513 social workers earlier in the year. Their primary work at first will be with youth in their early teens but later they will work later with senior citizens as their numbers increase. Fidel Castro said that their work was important to revitalize the social concepts that Cuba stands by and to avoid the tragedy of humiliation suffered by the disenfranchised of the industrialized world. Cuba's socialism has provided its children with a level of education that far exceeds that of many other nations in the hemisphere, where students leave their classrooms incapable of reading or writing, many unable to continue in beyond the age of 11 or the 6th grade. Capitalism alone hasn't the remotest chance of resolving the increasing problems of society, said the Cuban president. Cuba's best chance for the future is in its children. *FIDEL RESPONDS TO THREATS OF SPANISH JUDGE WHO HAD PINOCHET ARRESTED Havana, 28th April (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro last night responded to comments by the Spanish judge who issued an extradition order for Augusto Pinochet and had him arrested and detained in England for one year. Judge Baltazar Garzon has said that given the chance, he would file charges against the Cuban leader and issue an extradition order against him for violation of human rights. He said that, however, he could not file charges against an active head of government according to international norms. Reminding the judge that, in Cuba's wars of liberation against the Spanish Crown, Cuban patriots confronted and defeated forces that were far greater than their own, Fidel Castro said that he would never accede to such charges and would fight them relentlessly. He added that he has always lived and will continue to live in tranquility knowing that he had defended with dignity and honor the rights of the world's poor and weak. Fidel Castro ended by saying that any extraterritorial activity aimed at arresting him would be resisted with force but that he had always believed in one aspect of extraterritorial action -- that of the dignity of humankind. *CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO HAVANA SUPPORTS CUBA'S POSITION IN GENEVA Havana, April 28 (RHC)--Chinese ambassador to Havana, Wang Chengjia, said yesterday that his country and Cuba were in the same trench and the same battlefield facing the United States and the Western world which seek to impose their own concepts of human rights. The diplomat stressed that at the Geneva United Nations Human Rights Commission, Cuba not only attained a moral victory, but also the success of a small nation facing a powerful country that uses pressure, blackmail, and promises of credits and money, thereby losing its moral authority. The Chinese ambassador said that the United States considers itself as a human rights advocate, whereas in reality it violates human rights, something the whole world knows. He added that in Cuba, thanks to socialism, people have the guarantee of free health care and education and that the Cuban government does everything that is necessary to respect and fight in defense of human rights. *18th CONGRESS OF CUBAN WORKERS CONFEDERATION BEGINS Havana, April 28 (RHC)--Several outstanding workplaces and institutions in the Cuban capital are serving as debate sites for the 18th Cuban Workers Confederation Congress, running until Monday. Nearly 700 delegates and 300 national guests are analyzing topics such as the role of the working class in today's world and efforts to spread culture among all sectors of society. Cuban workers are also discussing economic efficiency, the work of trade unions, ways to stimulate production and the work of agricultural cooperatives. Some 400 foreign guests from nearly 150 trade unions in 60 countries and the World Trade Union Federation are on hand along with regional unions from Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and the Middle East. Also present for the 18th Cuban Workers' Congress were representatives from the German IG Metal and Verdi Trade Unions, the largest in the world, as well as a large delegation from the United States. *WASHINGTON ACCUSED OF BACKING ISRAEL's MASSACRES OF PALESTINIANS Havana, April 28 (RHC)--Mohamed al-Saleh, member of the National Palestinian Authority, says Washington backs Israel's massacre against Palestinians, mainly children. al-Saleh, currently visiting Cuba, said yesterday that the majority of the 400 Palestinians killed recently were children. The Palestinian official added that in most cases the children were returning from schools or on their balconies at home, or even in a parent's arms, since some of the victims were newborns. Mohamed al-Saleh, who attended celebrations for the 22nd anniversary of Cuba's Arab Union, charges that Israel has been using so-called black gas, which poduces severe chest and abdominal pain, and many serious disorders. Israel denies the use of this gas, said the Palestinian official, even though traces of the gas have been found in victims' blood. He added that the United States supports Israel because Washington is not interested so much in regional peace as it is in Arab oil. In relation to the Arab countries' favorable vote on Cuba at the UN Human Rights Commission, al-Saleh said that, despite Washington's arrogance, it cannot buy or deceive everybody. Arab people know what Cuba is and are familiar with its social achievements and are thankful for the island's solidarity. He added they will never give up fighting for their rights despite the superiority of the US. *ISRAEL ALLOWS PALESTINIAN POLICE TO OPERATE IN GAZA Gaza, April 28 (RHC)--Israel has authorized armed Palestinian police and security forces to freely operate in the Gaza strip. A Palestinian public safety spokesperson, General Abdel Razeq Al Mayaida, said in Gaza today that the Palestinians are also authorized to enter police stations and headquarters from which they had been excluded since the beginning of the Intifada in September of last year. The measure, which affects all Palestinian police and security forces, is the result of the latest meetings between security chiefs of Israel and the Palestine National Authority. Palestinians have argued that free movement will allow them to do their jobs, to attempt to control demonstrations by young rock-throwing Palestinians and to calm the situation in general. Until today's authorization, Palestinian police forces were banned from operating between north and south in the tiny Gaza Strip which is controlled by the Israeli Army. Expected to go into effect on Sunday is a decision announced by Israeli Defense Minister, Benjamin Ben Eliezer, to gradually authorize the entrance into Israel of 11,000 Palestinian workers. The Palestine National Authority has called for the total lifting of all restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops and tanks from positions they occupied before the eruption of the last Intifada seven months ago. In related news, the French foreign minister, Hubert Vedrine, has criticized the policy of right-wing Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. On Saturday the French official, after a meeting in Syria with President Bachar Al-Assad, called on all sides not to compromise the process. At a time when the situation is worrying, he said, we cannot support the policy of the Israeli government in the occupied territories. Later Vedrine called on all the governments and political forces involved to exhibit responsibility and do nothing that would compromise the search for a political solution. *NEW YORK TIMES OPPOSES RESUMPTION OF WAR GAMES IN VIEQUES Washington, April 28 (RHC)--The New York Times has criticized the U.S. Navy's decision to resume bombing the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. In an editorial on Saturday, the influential U.S. newspaper said that the war games may be legally authorized, but they are politically "insensitive". The paper noted that a referendum is scheduled on the issue for next November. The article states that there is strong Puerto Rican opposition to maneuvers and that yesterday's resumption of activities was met with large protest demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience. According to the editorial, the Navy should suspend the bombing until receiving the results of a U.S. Health and Human Services Department study on the effects of loud noise on heart problems experienced by local residents. The Puerto Rican government itself had requested that the Navy hold off, but last Thursday a federal judge rejected the petition. A series of studies on the effects of the military activity in Vieques since l941 indicate that residents have a 27 to 28 percent higher risk of cancer than other Puerto Ricans. The renewed bombing is also in violation of a recently passed anti-noise law. *RICARDO ALARCON CONGRATULATES RHC ON ITS 40th ANNIVERSARY Havana, April 28 (RHC)--The president of the Cuban National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcón, yesterday praised the work done by Radio Havana Cuba over the past four decades. Alarcón was speaking at an international colloquium on the short wave radio station's 40th anniversary, held in Havana. Alarcon said Radio Havana Cuba maintains a revolutionary desire to change the world and serves as an instrument for those who lack the voice and means to disseminate word of their actions. "We are living at an historic moment in the world," he said, "in which political forces, campesinos, the trade unions as well as academic, religious, scientific and non-governmental forces have designated a plan of action to combat neo-liberal globalization." Alarcón explained that Western media outlets are trying to distort the truth for which these groups are fighting and cited as an example the protest demonstrations carried out recently in Quebec, Canada, during the Summit of the Americas. He called attention to the way in which media transnationals manipulate the feelings and thinking of their audiences, especially through the Internet. He contrasted this with the important role that revolutionary radio, TV and the printed press have right now in facing Western world disinformation campaigns. Alarcon pointed out that even though the world has experienced important technological development, it has only resulted in isolation and individualistic positions, blocking the human capacity to socially organize and take social actions. Finally, he stressed the importance of alternative media and the strategic need to develop and strengthen communication with each other. *Viewpoint: WORKERS CONFEDERATION WILL FOCUS ON STRENGTHENING THE REVOLUTION The Cuban people have affirmed many times that well conceived and properly applied socialism has been the key to our strength and resistance over the past 42 years. Socialism has allowed Cubans to successfully live and struggle in the face of many difficulties as well as to construct an innovative socio-economic project. Cubans are aware that there still is a long road ahead and that there is much to learn in the struggle waged against us by our powerful neighbors to the North, who have attacked us and submitted us to an economic blockade for more than 40 years. The Cuban people are conscious of the revolutionary process they have been developing, especially last year in their hard fight for the return of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba. During this struggle, we had the support of the U.S. people, while Washington was forced to align itself and cooperate with them until the boy was returned to his home. The Cuban Revolution itself is proof that the people are able and willing to defend it. Cubans have mobilized throughout the country to demonstrate their willingness to wage the important battle of ideas they have begun. A recent example is the battle in the UN Geneva-based Human Rights Commission in which the United States, despite diplomatic and economic blackmail and arm-twisting, was only able to push through its anti-Cuba resolution by two votes. The 18th Congress of the Cuban Workers Confederation is more evidence of this crucial battle of ideas. In preparation, more than 2.7 million workers met throughout the country during the year to talk about what they thought had been achieved since the last conference. They were asked to list the country's principal problems and the topics that should be debated during the 18th Congress. The workers' views were painstakingly tallied and based on the results, it was determined the 1600 delegates to the 18th Congress will examine the need to maintain the socialist character of the economy, working conditions and housing, and salaries and prices, including bonuses. Next Tuesday, International Workers' Day, the Cuban people will take to the streets by the hundreds of thousands to demonstrate once again that this is a revolution by the people and for the people. (c) 2001 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-24829 2001-Apr-28 23:51:36