Radio Havana Cuba-14 August 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 14 August 2001 . *LATIN AMERICA MUST INTEGRATE, OR IT WILL BE DISINTEGRATED - FIDEL *GOVERNMENT AIMS TO HELP CUBANS IMPROVE THEIR DIETS *GERMAN FESTIVAL SEEN AS VERY IMPORTANT FOR CUBAN MUSIC INDUSTRY *UN COMMITTEE ON DISCRIMINATION REPORT HIGHLY CRITICAL OF USA *ANTI-GLOBALIZATION ACTIVISTS DENOUNCE EFFORTS TO SILENCE THEM *ARGENTINA: THIRD WAVE OF ECONOMIC PROTEST BEGINS *ARGENTINE ECONOMY MINISTER ACCUSED OF MONEY-LAUNDERING AND TREASON *Viewpoint: ALEMAN AND FLORES - TWO MASTERS OF DENIAL . *LATIN AMERICA MUST INTEGRATE, OR IT WILL BE DISINTEGRATED - FIDEL Caracas, August 14 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro asserted in Venezuela on Monday that Latin America must integrate, or it will be disintegrated. Fidel was speaking at the inauguration of a joint Venezuela-Brazil electricity project, the Cuban leader's last activity before wrapping up his 3-day visit. Expressing admiration for the joint project in the presence of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, President Castro suggested that these two Latin American giants could also join forces in the production of soya to provide milk for those who don't have it. He said the region has lost two centuries and does not have another minute to lose. Chavez and Cardoso issued a joint statement, reiterating their commitment to contribute to the consolidation of a harmonious and equitable regional integration process in South America. Brazil, with a serious energy crisis, will now be supplied with Venezuelan electricity in the north of the country as part of a 1997 agreement. Chavez admitted to the numerous obstacles that had to be overcome to complete the project 2 years late, including the opposition of indigenous groups. The Venezuelan leader said he had to personally speak with indigenous leaders, agreeing to an additional $100 million investment to minimize the electricity project's environmental impact. Cuban President Fidel Castro said his visit to the land of 19th century Latin American independence leader Simon Bolivar was like being reborn. He returned home late Monday evening. *GOVERNMENT AIMS TO HELP CUBANS IMPROVE THEIR DIETS Havana, August 14 (RHC)--Health authorities here are aiming to improve the nation's diet in a five-year program. In an ongoing effort to improve the health of the population as a whole, the Cuban authorities have decided that as of September, the monthly subsidized food quota provided to every citizen will substitute a quarter-liter of cooking oil for one pound of the sugar allowance. The news is likely to be welcomed by Cubans, who often complain that their monthly allowance of oil is not sufficient for their needs, whereas everyone on the island has ample amounts of sugar, which as the second largest source of income for the country, is plentiful. Recent studies have reported an increase in the number of Cubans suffering from diabetes as a result of their high sugar intake; the incidence of diabetes on the island is now 19 cases per 1,000 people. Jorge Blanco from the Institution on Nutrition, Hygiene and Food, says that the traditional Cuban diet is rich in sugar and fat, which contributes to diabetes, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure and obesity. In related news, Cuba's daily Granma reports a 14% increase in the sale of fresh fruit and vegetables in the markets of Havana, an indication that Cuban's are beginning to follow healthier diets. Quoting José Manuel Martínez, national director of the Cuban Union of Storage Enterprises, Granma reports that there are 124 fresh produce outlets within Havana city limits which have government price controls to keep food affordable for the population and to serve as a competitive arm with which to keep prices reasonable at the private farmer's markets. In fact, said Martínez, prices have actually fallen over the same period last year. Mangos, for instance, are 60% cheaper in the state markets than in the farmer's markets. However, quality is an issue, as Ministry of Agriculture farms lack the resources to get the food out to market in a timely manner. One of the highest-priced farmer's markets in Havana is at the intersection of 42nd and 19th Streets. Just five blocks away is a much cheaper state maket. However, the quality of the farmer's market vegetable produce is far superior to that available at the price-controlled state market. Fruit in farmer's markets is 30-40% more costly and there is not so much difference in quality, say shoppers. The increase in fresh food consumption is in response to government efforts to improve the diets of Cubans who live on a more-or-less "meat and potatoes" diet. Breaking this tradition has taken time, but Cubans are increasingly more willing to consume more fruits and vegetables, and less meat. *GERMAN FESTIVAL SEEN AS VERY IMPORTANT FOR CUBAN MUSIC INDUSTRY Havana, August 14 (RHC)--The international "PopKomm" festival, which begins tomorrow in Cologne, Germany, will include an important Cuban element, Granma reports, adding that the festival is a vital forum for Cuba's music industry. In an article publlished on Tuesday, Granma's music critic Pedro de la Hoz said that "PopKomm" is the most important music and entertainment industry festival in the world. The festival's president, Ulli Grossmass, said that when it comes to music, no one can ignore Cuba and the high professionalism of its musicians, one of whom, Issac Delgado, will be promoting his new disk, "Malecón." This is the second time that Cuba has participated in the festival. *UN COMMITTEE ON DISCRIMINATION REPORT HIGHLY CRITICAL OF USA Geneva, August 14 (RHC)--A United Nations agency in Geneva has expressed deep concern over the United States' record of racial discrimination. In a 3-page preliminary conclusion published Tuesday by the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 18 independent experts termed as disturbing the relationship between race and the application of the death penalty -- particularly in the US states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The preliminary conclusions come two weeks after Washington presented to the UN agency its first report on efforts to fight racial discrimination, a report severely questioned by committee members and strongly criticized by human rights and justice organizations such as the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch and the Urban Justice Center. The UN committee placed on record its concern over the highly disproportionate percentage of ethnic minorities on death row, the disadvantaged position of ethnic minorities in education, housing, jobs and access to private and public health, as well as police brutality. It was not until 1994 that the United States, one of several countries under the scrutiny of the UN agency, signed the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The UN committee's final report will be issued next weekend. *ANTI-GLOBALIZATION ACTIVISTS DENOUNCE EFFORTS TO SILENCE THEM Washington, August 14 (RHC)--Anti-globalization activists in the United States have denounced the restrictions imposed on freedom of expression during the upcoming annual gathering of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington DC. At a press conference Monday in the US capital, the organizations Partnership for Civil Justice and International Action Center announced that they will take their case to federal court. Brian Becker from the International Action Center said the protests planned for September 29 and 30 in Washington DC will be a public battle for freedom of expression, insisting that the police have no right to convert the center of the US capital into the private property of international financial institutions. With some 50,000 activists expected to converge on the US capital, Washington DC police are planning to seal off immense sections of the city. Matt Smucker, of the group Mobilization for Global Justice, recalled that during the IMF/WB gathering in April of last year, judicial authorities were unable to bring charges against the hundreds of activists arrested. During the press conference, the activists termed the decision of the two institutions to reduce their gathering from 5 to 2 days and to hold it in their respective headquarters instead of in a centric hotel as a victory for their movement. Chuck Kaufman, of the Latin American Solidarity Conference, said the move is a clear indication of the growing strength of the worldwide movement against capitalist globalization. Cherrene Hozaruk, of the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, stated that the representatives of international banks and corporations, among them US President George Bush, can only hold their gatherings in excluded fortresses aimed at silencing the voices of those demanding justice. *ARGENTINA: THIRD WAVE OF ECONOMIC PROTEST BEGINS Buenos Aires, August 14 (RHC)--The protest movement in Argentina has begun its third nationwide mobilization in three weeks, amid the country's desperate efforts to obtain more money from the International Monetary Fund. Following a 24-hour mobilization two weeks ago and 48-hour protest last week, organizations of Argentina's unemployed, pensioners, students, teachers and numerous other sectors began road blockages, work stoppages and protest marches throughout the country. This protest is slated to last 76 hours. The new mobilization comes as some observers are casting doubt on the international community's willingness to again bail Argentina out following statements Monday by US President George Bush. At his Texas ranch, where he's on vacation, Bush did not respond to a clear and concise question concerning his support for additional loans for Argentina. Instead, he urged Argentina to implement the draconian economic shock program that has led to the past three weeks of protests. In what some analysts called a washing of the White House's hands in the matter, Bush added that Spain has more at stake than even the United States in Argentina's financial crisis. Argentinean financial markets reacted negatively today. *ARGENTINE ECONOMY MINISTER ACCUSED OF MONEY-LAUNDERING AND TREASON Buenos Aires, August 14 (RHC)--A journalist and attorney in Argentina has filed criminal charges against Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo, accusing him of money-laundering and treason in connection with his offshore bank account in the Bahamas. Revelations of the $700,000 bank account came last Friday in the parliamentary commission report on government corruption. The report has been called a bombshell for Argentina's ruling circles. Cavallo has admitted to existence of the bank account. He claims it was opened because he feared judicial persecution when he was economy minister for the former Carlos Menem administration between 1991 and 1996. Argentine journalist and attorney Hector Yemmi has also called on a federal court to investigate whether or not Cavallo benefited from a foreign debt exchange operation, in which the government had to pay $155 million in commissions to the banks involved. The complaint was filed in the federal court presided over by Judge Jorge Urso, who is investigating former President Carlos Menem, who is currently under house arrest, for illegal weapons sales to Croatia and Ecuador. Cavallo's name is often mentioned in the weapons-trafficking scandal, though he has yet to be questioned. *Viewpoint: ALEMAN AND FLORES - TWO MASTERS OF DENIAL Closely following statements by Nicaragua's president, Arnoldo Alemán, that hunger didn't exist in his nation and that it was all a Sandinista plot anyway, is the equally remarkable reaction to his country's crisis by the president of El Salvador, Francisco Flores. In a similar denial mode, Flores has decided to call a mild alert to confront El Salvador's current predicament in which more than 100,000 people face starvation after a dry season that has destroyed crops in 65 municipalities in the eastern part of the nation. Although the rains have finally begun to fall, their arrival is too late for many and a low-key alert plays down the disaster happening outside the cities. By not declaring a national emergency, Flores is negating the possibility of requesting international aid and assistance. Even politicians allied with the government have criticized this decision, which will further victimize those who have suffered so much already. As with Alemán, Flores is concerned about his international image. Admitting that there is mass hunger on their watche is simply not acceptable for either of them. In Flores' opinion, El Salvador's economy is rolling along very nicely, in spite of some devastating earthquakes earlier this year and that annoying drought. Although he is predicting a 3% increase in GDP this year, experts all agree it will be lower than 2%. Parliament member Roberto Lorenzana goes so far as to say that Flores seems to have completely lost it. The economist Francisco Lazo has warned that the earthquakes, the drought and the dollarization of the nation's currency have drastically affected economic growth in El Savador. According to the United Nations, fully 50% of the country's 6.3 million inhabitants live below the poverty line. As Nero fiddled while Rome burned, so Arnoldo Alemán went Christmas shopping in the department stores of Miami while his people retrieved their dead in the wake of Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Francisco Flores' inability to see beyond his own image and show real concern for the predicament of his people seems to point to a desire to join his colleague in self-congratulatory song to drown out all those thousands pretending to be hungry. (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-4147 2001-Aug-14 23:22:33