Radio Havana Cuba-14 December 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 14 December 2001 . *CUBAN POLITICAL PRISONER RENE GONZALEZ RECEIVES 15-YEAR SENTENCE *FIDEL RETURNS TO HAVANA FROM SUMMIT OF ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES *OPEN-AIR CONCERT TO CELEBRATE 45th ANNIVERSARY OF CHARANGON DE REVE ORCHESTRA *EASTERN PROVINCE OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA BOASTS 24 PROTECTED AREAS *FIRST US SHIP CARRYING GRAIN FOR CUBA TO ARRIVE ON SUNDAY IN HAVANA *CUBA CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL CIGAR FESTIVAL *US PRESIDENT INFURIATES CONGRESS BY DENYING ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS *OSAMA BIN LADEN VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS POLARISATION BETWEEN US AND ARAB WORLD *BRAZIL THREATENS TO WITHDRAW FROM FTAA TALKS TO PROTEST US PROTECTIONISM . *CUBAN POLITICAL PRISONER RENE GONZALEZ RECEIVES 15-YEAR SENTENCE Havana, December 14 (RHC)-- The third Cuban patriot being held in Miami's jails, Rene Gonzalez, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard, after having issued two life sentences to Gerardo Hernandez on Wednesday, and a life sentence to Ramon Labanino Thursday. Before receiving sentence yesterday, Ramon Labanino addressed the court. He said he and four other Cubans arrested with him three years ago in the United States were totally innocent of the charges of espionage. Ramon reiterated that he and the others were merely obtaining information on right-wing Cuban-American groups in southern Florida -- to protect the island from terrorist attacks. During his pre-sentencing speech, Ramon Labanino sharply criticized the U.S. government for harboring and protecting terrorists. He further accused prosecutors of blackmailing Cuban-Americans subpoenaed as defense witnesses with threats of prosecution to keep them off the stand. And he also attacked the FBI for allowing the extreme Miami right to go unpunished for terrorism in Cuba. Ramon Labanino listed a number of terrorist actions carried out by right-wing Cuban-Americans in the very city where the trial had been held: Miami, Florida. He went on to note that, just a few years ago, bombs had been placed in Havana hotels -- killing an Italian businessman and wounding a number of others. The bombing campaign had been paid for by a Miami-based terrorist organization: the Cuban-American National Foundation. Ramon Labanino noted that given these facts, his sentence "could not be more ironic or unjust." During the nightly roundtable discussion -- dedicated to the sentencing hearings -- panelists denounced the judicial farce that has been playing out in Miami. Defense attorneys for both Gerardo Hernandez and Ramon Labanino have said they will appeal the sentences of life in prison. *FIDEL RETURNS TO HAVANA FROM SUMMIT OF ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES Havana, December 14 (RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro has returned to Havana from the Third Summit of the Association of Caribbean States. Arriving at Jose Marti International Airport at 5:05 p.m. Thursday afternoon, the Cuban leader returned from Venezuela's Margarita Island where he took part in the Summit of Caribbean heads of state and government. During the two-day meeting, Fidel Castro met with his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, as well as other leaders of the region. Shortly before leaving Margarita Island, the leader of the Cuban Revolution held a joint news conference with Chavez and answered questions put to him by local and international journalists. Fidel Castro said that the economic and social situation in Latin America and the Caribbean is extremely difficult. He noted that Washington's proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas -- the FTAA -- further complicates the already disastrous regional situation. The Cuban leader said that everyone knows what the FTAA represents: "imperialist expansion, a new attempt to impose U.S. domination through its economic might and the use of force." Shortly after his arrival back in Havana, Fidel Castro made his way to the studios of Cuban National Television, where he participated in the live broadcast of Thursday evening's roundtable discussion -- on both radio and television -- dealing with the sentencing of Cuban political prisoners in Miami. *OPEN-AIR CONCERT TO CELEBRATE 45th ANNIVERSARY OF CHARANGON DE REVE ORCHESTRA Havana, December 14 (RHC)--Some of Cuba's greatest musicians will gather on Saturday night to celebrate the 45th anniversary of one of the island's best loved groups, Charangon de Reve. Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and bandleader, Chucho Valdez, 94-year old singer, Compay Segundo and guitarist, composer and leader of the popular Van Van group, Juan Formell, are among the celebrities who have performed over the years with the Charagon de Reve orchestra. This week near Havana's seaside " malecon" these and other musicians will give a concert honoring the 45 years of the Charangon de Reve which is now led by Elio Reve Duvergell. Though the dance band has been in existence for more than four decades, it is now at the height of its popularity. Several years ago, the orchestra's dynamic director, Elio Reve Matos, was killed in a tragic car accident. *EASTERN PROVINCE OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA BOASTS 24 PROTECTED AREAS Santiago de Cuba, December 14 (RHC)--Eastern Santiago de Cuba province now boasts 24 protected areas. Of those, 12 constitute Biosphere Reserves of international significance. These areas together represent 18 per cent of Santiago province, mostly located in mountainous areas, and are considered to be important refuges of biological diversity and of cultural and historic significance. Santiago province contains three important national parks that spill over into other provinces: La Bayamesa and El Turquino, which share territory with Granma province and Pico Cristal, which includes areas in Holguin. All the parks are strictly regulated to minimize environmental impact. The Baconao Biosphere Reserve, which was declared by UNESCO in l987, has a comprehensive program promoting research and conservation. Other reserves run ecological stations and environmentally sound recreation areas. Cuban law specifies control of protected areas, environmental education, environmentally sound trail construction and socially responsible economic enterprises designed to be in harmony with the surroundings. There are more than 250 protected nature areas throughout the island, which amount to 22 per cent of the national territory. *FIRST US SHIP CARRYING GRAIN FOR CUBA TO ARRIVE ON SUNDAY IN HAVANA Havana, December 14 (RHC)--A merchant ship carrying corn from the United States is expected to arrive in Havana Harbor on Sunday. The U.S. "Ikan Mazatlan" is the first U.S. vessel carrying foodstuffs to the island in 40 years according to a shipping company spokesman. The large container ship left the port of New Orleans on Friday bound for the Cuban capital carrying some 24,000 tons of corn, which Washington authorized to be sold to Cuba despite the existing blockade against the island. The transaction was authorized by the U.S. Commerce Department in order to help Cuba re-stock its food reserves after Hurricane Michelle devastated much of the island's crops. The "Ikan Mazatlan" is the first of a series of merchant ships that will bring foods, medicines and building materials purchased in the United States. *CUBA CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL CIGAR FESTIVAL Havana, December 14 (RHC)--Tobacco farmers, cigar dealers and academics from the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico and Cuba participated Friday in a workshop, as part of the activities of the International Cigar Festival underway in the western Cuban province of Pinar de Rio. The aim of the workshop was to discuss papers and exchange experiences related to the links between cigars, culture, and sustainable agriculture. The Festival opened with a commercial fair in which all sectors of the industry were well represented. According to the president of the event's organizing committee, Alfredo Gonzalez, the celebration is an example of the political will to encourage commercial and cultural exchanges between Cuban business people and those other nations of the world, especially Latin America and the Caribbean. The program, which concludes Sunday, December 16th, includes visits to the famous cigar plantations of Vuelta Abajo, where, according to specialists, the world's best black tobacco is cultivated. There will also be meetings with prominent Cuban tobacco growers. *US PRESIDENT INFURIATES CONGRESS BY DENYING ACCESS TO DOCUMENTS Washington, December 14 (RHC)--US President George W. Bush has invoked executive privilege to block a congressional subpoena exploring abuses in the Boston FBI office. The move Thursday sparked a bitter 4-hour confrontation between legislators from both parties and the Justice Department. House Government Reform Committee chair Dan Burton accused Bush of being a dictatorial president and said the Justice Department was treating him like a king. Bush announced executive privilege in refusing to hand over prosecutor's memos in criminal cases, including an investigation of campaign-finance abuse, saying doing so would be contrary to the national interest. Committee members said the order's sweeping language followed a pattern in which the Bush administration has limited access to presidential historical records, refused to give Congress documents about the vice president's energy task force - involved in the Enron finance scandal - and unilaterally announced plans for military commissions that would try suspected terrorists in secret. Lawmakers said this was the beginning of a constitutional confrontation. The Government Reform Committee is investigating the FBI's use of confidential informants in a New England organized crime investigation that included deals struck with suspected murderers. It is also exploring what FBI officials knew about the innocence of Joseph Salvati of Massachusetts, who was found innocent of murder in 1997 after spending 30 years in prison. His conviction was overturned after a judge concluded that FBI agents hid testimony that would have cleared Salvati because they wanted to protect an informant. *OSAMA BIN LADEN VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS POLARISATION BETWEEN US AND ARAB WORLD London, December 14 (RHC)--Many news reports and commentators are asserting that reaction to the Osama Bin Laden video tape has highlighted the polarization between the US and the Arab world. The British news daily "The Guardian" reported Friday that while New Yorkers unquestioningly saw it as an admittance of guilt, in Cairo, Beirut and the sizeable Arab population of London the view was that the tape had been doctored. The article affirmed that in contrast with the sense in New York that the final piece of evidence had been gathered, many Arabs expressed concern that the tape might have been tampered with by the US administration, pointing to the many pauses, coughs and indistinguishable parts of the discussion. "The Guardian" reported that even Arabs hostile to Bin Laden questioned the US affirmation that the tape is proof that he was responsible. The BBC's Middle East correspondent, Frank Gardner, affirmed that at street level in the Arab world, many believe the tape is a fake, a public relations gimmick dreamed up the US administration - pointing out that the recording is of both very poor audio and visual quality. France's AFP news agency, in a cable dateline Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 14, reported that there was skepticism in the Arab world, noting that Arab media outlets either downplayed the news or expressed doubt about the tape's authenticity. *BRAZIL THREATENS TO WITHDRAW FROM FTAA TALKS TO PROTEST US PROTECTIONISM Brasilia, December 14 (RHC)--Brazilian Agriculture Minister Vinicius Pratini de Morales has warned that his country will not negotiate a Free Trade Area of the Americas if industrialized nations continue to maintain protectionist measures in their agro markets. He said if these restrictions are not part of FTAA negotiations, then there's nothing to negotiate. The Brazilian minister pointed to US restrictions on citrus products produced in Brazil, the world leader in this agro sector - responsible for 47 percent of world production. The warning coincided with a unanimous vote on a resolution in the Brazilian House of Deputies calling on President Fernando Henrique Cardoso to abandon FTAA negotiations due to the protectionist measures included in the Trade Promotion Authority, or fast track, granted to Bush this week by the US House of Representatives. Leftist Workers' Party legislator Aloizio Mercadante, author of the resolution, charged that Washington wants Brazil to open up its market, but doesn't want to open its own. Brazilian lawmakers are angry over the fast track clauses that provide protectionist measures for products like orange juice, sugar and meat - Brazil's principle exports to the US. The Latin American giant is also concerned about fast track measures to control currency exchange rates so that the products of other countries don't get cheaper, insisting that each country should be free to adopt the exchange rates most convenient to their economies. Brazilian political and business leaders have been warning that the Free Trade Area of the Americas proposal will only lead to an invasion of US products. The president of Brazil's House of Deputies, Aicio Neves, stated that he's willing to travel to the United States to personally present the US Congress with the unanimously approved resolution against the FTAA. (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-22489 2001-Dec-15 20:51:25