Radio Havana Cuba-26 December 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 26 December 2001 . *VENEZUELA OFFICIALLY CONFIRMS EXTRADITION REQUEST FOR POSADA CARRILES *CUBA STRONGLY CONDEMNS CHILD ABUSE AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION *MORE SUGAR MILLS UP AND RUNNING ACROSS THE ISLAND *HOTEL SOL CLUB CAYO LARGO REOPENS ITS DOORS AFTER RESTORATION WORK *NEW YEAR WILL BRING MORE CULTURAL PERFORMANCES TO CUBAN AUDIENCES *ARGENTINA: DISAGREEMENTS EMERGE OVER PLEDGE TO EXTRADITE RIGHTS VIOLATORS *INDIA DEPLOYS MISSILES ON PAKISTANI BORDER AS TENSIONS INCREASE *US GOVERNMENT BODY REPORTS ANTI-ARAB JOB DISCRIMINATION ON THE RISE *HUGE DISPARITIES IN 9-11 COMPENSATION SPARK COMPLAINTS IN US *Viewpoint: "BLACK GOLD" AND UNDERDEVELOPMENT . *VENEZUELA OFFICIALLY CONFIRMS EXTRADITION REQUEST FOR POSADA CARRILES Caracas, December 26 (RHC)-- Authorities in Venezuela announced Tuesday that an official extradition request against terrorist of Cuban origin Luis Posada Carriles has been presented to Panamanian authorities. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Luis Alfonso Davila recalled that Posada Carriles, along with Venezuelans Hernan Ricardo Lozano and Freddy Lugo, were arrested in 1976 in connection with the terrorist bomb attack against a Cuban civilian airliner off the coasts of Barbados that claimed the lives of all 76 people on board. He also recalled that Posada Carriles escaped from prison in 1985 under mysterious circumstances. According to one version, Posada Carriles walked out of the prison's front door after prison officials were bribed with, according to Cuban authorities, money provided by the Miami-based Cuban-American National Foundation. The Venezuelan Supreme Court decided to issue the extradition request last week at the petition of President Hugo Chavez. Besides the Barbados bombing, the Venezuelan foreign minister said Posada Carriles is also accused in Venezuela of belonging to an organization responsible for some 20 terrorist actions, including an attack against the Cuban embassy in Caracas and against a Venezuelan military aircraft in Miami. Panama rejected an extradition request from Cuba after Posada Carriles was arrested over a year ago in connection with an assassination plot against Cuban President Fidel Castro, who was in Panama City for that year's Ibero-American Summit. *CUBA STRONGLY CONDEMNS CHILD ABUSE AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION Havana, December 26 (RHC)-- The President of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), Vilma Espin, has urgently called on the international community to do more for the children of the world. Upon her return from Japan, where she represented Cuba at the Second World Congress Against the Commercial and Sexual Exploitation of Children, Vilma Espin told reporters that she was shocked to hear so many reports of sexual abuse and the trafficking of children. The head of Cuba's delegation to the event in Yokohama said that 3000 representatives from more than 130 countries took part in the Congress, which was organized by the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF. During the Congress in Japan, Cuba strongly condemned the commercial use and sexual abuse of children. Vilma Espin told delegates that all countries of the world should guarantee the rights of children -- including the right to health care, education and protection. The president of the Federation of Cuban Women pointed to the efforts being made in Cuba to provide adequate care for its youngest citizens. As an example, she noted that in Cuba, 98 percent of those under the age of 14 are in school. She also pointed to the low rate of infant mortality, as well as health and social programs put into place by the Cuban Revolution. And Vilma Espin said that Cuba was willing to share its experiences and resources anywhere in the world to help eliminate child abuse and sexual exploitation. Addressing delegates to the Second World Congress Against the Commercial and Sexual Exploitation of Children, the Executive Director of UNICEF, Carol Bellamy, said that governments must take the primary role in the fight against the sexual exploitation of children. Bellamy specifically mentioned Cuba, noting that Havana was one of the first countries to ratify a special UN protocol against child prostitution and pornography. *MORE SUGAR MILLS UP AND RUNNING ACROSS THE ISLAND Havana, December 26 (RHC)-- Forty-eight sugar mills across the island are in operation, according to the Cuban Sugar Ministry. Despite damages to this year's harvest caused by Hurricane Michelle -- which hit Cuba on November 4th -- sugar mills in 11 provinces of the island are now up and running. Cuba's Sugar Ministry reported that technicians, assessing the storm's devastation, had earlier predicted that the country's sugar production would not reach full capacity until January or February. But thanks to 'round-the-clock recovery operations and the selfless efforts of workers, damages have been repaired ahead of schedule. *HOTEL SOL CLUB CAYO LARGO REOPENS ITS DOORS AFTER RESTORATION WORK Nueva Gerona, December 26 (RHC)-- Cayo Largo del Sur, located on Cuba's Isle of Youth, reopened its first hotel following restoration efforts in the wake of Hurricane Michelle. According to local authorities, Hotel Sol Club Cayo Largo -- with more than 300 rooms -- has once again begun receiving guests. Immediately after hurricane-strength winds ripped across the Isle of Youth on November 4 -- destroying homes, leveling crops and damaging tourist facilities -- workers began clean-up operations. Within two weeks, they were able to at least partially open several area hotels. Now, with the reopening of Hotel Sol Club Cayo Largo, tourists will be able to stay overnight -- effectively eliminating the optional day-trips from Varadero and Havana, where vacationers had to return the same day due to the lack of hotel rooms available on the Isle of Youth. *NEW YEAR WILL BRING MORE CULTURAL PERFORMANCES TO CUBAN AUDIENCES Havana, December 26 (RHC)-- The year 2002 will bring more musical and cultural presentations to Cuban audiences. According to Abel Acosta, Deputy Minister of Culture and President of the Cuban Institute of Music, more concerts and theatrical presentations will be held across the island next year. The head of Cuba's Institute of Music noted that despite the international economic crisis -- which obviously affects the island as well -- no cultural program slated for the year 2002 will be cancelled. He said that resources must be used wisely and efficiently, but without denying audiences the enjoyment offered by musical and cultural presentations. Abel Acosta announced that a wide variety of programs will be made available to the public next year -- with presentations in every province across the island. *ARGENTINA: DISAGREEMENTS EMERGE OVER PLEDGE TO EXTRADITE RIGHTS VIOLATORS Buenos Aires, December 26 (RHC)-- Discrepancies have arisen within Argentina's new government regarding the extradition of human rights violators. On Monday, Justice Secretary Alberto Zuppi announced that authorities would either extradite or place on trial in Argentina former dictatorship agents requested by foreign governments. But on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Jose Maria Vernet -- who also holds the defense portfolio -- refrained from confirming or rejecting Zuppi's statement. Instead, he said the country's armed forces are evaluating the situation and will soon present President Adolfo Rodriguez with a joint statement. Vernet stated that any eventual decision requires more detail and negotiation. Former Presidents Carlos Menem and Fernando de la Rua systematically denied extradition requests for hundreds of assassins and torturers issued by the judiciaries in Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Sweden. In other news, the Argentine news daily "Pagina 12" has affirmed that based on judicial investigations, there was a government plan to kill protesters who rose up against the Fernando de la Rua administration. The news daily reported that this is the conclusion of Judge Maria Servini de Cubria, investigating the shooting deaths that occurred during protests in Mayo Square, in front of presidential headquarters. Of the 30 people killed during the social uprising, "Pagina 12" asserted that 25 were gunned down on December 20 as they participated in demonstrations in front of the presidential palace and congressional headquarters. Five of them were reportedly shot with 9 millimeter pistols at close range in either the head, the heart or the lungs. Judge Servini de Cubria told the news daily that judicial authorities have determined that all those killed were taken to hospitals between 4 and 5 o'clock in the afternoon of that day. Argentina's new government has promised to determine responsibilities in the violent repression during the massive street protests. *INDIA DEPLOYS MISSILES ON PAKISTANI BORDER AS TENSIONS INCREASE New Delhi, December 26 (RHC)-- India has announced the deployment of missiles near its border with Pakistan. Though authorities in New Delhi did not provide details, local media outlets have reported that the Indian army took to the border land-to-land missiles with a 150-kilometer range and capable of carrying nuclear warheads. It wasn't certain if India also deployed its AGNI-1 ballistic missiles with a range of 1,500 kilometers. Both countries have been amassing troops on their mutual border since the December 13 suicide terrorist attack against the Indian parliament, which India blamed on organizations in the disputed Kashmir region supported by Pakistan. Several skirmishes and exchanges of artillery fire have claimed the lives of at least five members of both countries' armed forces. Islamabad has nevertheless made gestures of peace towards India with the announcement of the freezing of bank accounts of one of the organizations struggling against Indian military presence in Kashmir and the arrest of the leader of another similar organization. But New Delhi has called the measures superficial, demanding that Pakistani authorities close camps that India charges are terrorist training centers. Civilians in the border region are reportedly fleeing, while Pakistan is reportedly carrying out test blackouts of up to 15 minutes to prepare the population for war. India and Pakistan have engaged in three border wars over the disputed Kashmir. *US GOVERNMENT BODY REPORTS ANTI-ARAB JOB DISCRIMINATION ON THE RISE Washington, December 26 (RHC)-- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the EEOC, has revealed that complaints about discrimination on the job from Muslims, Arab-Americans and Sikhs have more than doubled since the September 11 terror attacks, compared with the same period last year. Most of the complaints reportedly involve unjustified firings. While EEOC president Cari Dominguez said her office will work tirelessly to avoid anti-Arab abuse and discrimination in the country, the US's National Association of Muslim Attorneys stated that merely recognizing the problem is not sufficient. Association leader Arshad Majid affirmed that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of cases are not denounced or included in the statistics, and that these cases constitute a worrisome pattern. Jean Abi Nader, director of the Arab-American Institute, said the EEOC and the Immigration and Naturalization Services are sending mixed signals. Nader said that while the EEOC is calling on workers of Arab origin to bring their cases to the authorities, the INS is pursuing immigrant workers whose visas have expired. The EEOC admitted that the majority of complaints are against firms that lack sufficient policies or measures to avoid a work atmosphere permeated by ethnic or religious prejudice. *HUGE DISPARITIES IN 9-11 COMPENSATION SPARK COMPLAINTS IN US New York, December 26 (RHC)-- The different amounts of compensation for family members of the September 11 terror victims is generating a growing number of complaints. While family members of security guards for firms located in New York's Twin Towers agree that the families of firemen and police who perished should receive high amounts of compensation, they're insisting that so, too, should the family members of security guards. Mike Fishman, a labor representative for the security guards, said many of them also lost their lives trying to help people in the aftermath of the attack. The widow of one security guard, Matilde Salcedo, said her compensation is nothing compared to what's been given to the family members of firemen, police and the rich executives who worked in Twin Towers offices. She said that with the $10,000 she received she won't be able to cover the necessities of her three small children for very long. Relatives of firemen are to receive as much as one million dollars. Tomas Cruz, the brother of another security guard who perished, said his brother's family has only received $5,000. At the same time, the family members of workers in powerful financial firms who died in the tragedy are complaining that the relatives of high-income executives are receiving more than lower income workers. Laurie Bidden, a widow with three children who received much less money that the family members of her late husband's boss, said the life of one is worth just as much as the other. *Viewpoint: "BLACK GOLD" AND UNDERDEVELOPMENT Humanity continues suffering under the fluctuating prices of oil; an indispensable product that is the basis for the hard currency earnings of the producer countries both within and outside of OPEC, the organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Many Third World nations excluded from the exclusive club of oil producers also suffer the ups and downs of the prices of barrels of crude, but for the opposite reason. Unlike those that possess rich oil reserves, each year the poor nations fear that they will be unable to buy enough of the precious "black gold," to meet their domestic needs. In the year 2001, the oil world was marked by efforts of the OPEC countries to control the prices of crude which last year rose higher that 30 dollars a barrel. Faced with the insistent demands of consumer nations for lower prices, OPEC had no alternative but to reduce the high prices. With cuts in production, the OPEC per barrel price in the first six months of 2001 was on the average 25 dollars. After the tragic events of September 11th in the United States and the ensuing economic crisis in commercial air traffic, oil prices dropped again; this time to between 22 and 28 dollars per barrel. The dive in oil prices has seriously affected nations that depend on income from oil sales compelling them to increase exports to compensate for their losses. The pressure also increased due to more activity in the sector since last year when the high prices attracted investors. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which controls nearly two thirds of the world's crude exports, stated that it was impossible to defend by itself, the stability of the market and warned of the danger of a price war if non-OPEC producers refused to agree to limit production. While OPEC members negotiate with non-member producers the impoverished South waits expectantly, because for those countries earlier price reductions were insufficient. Cuba has not escaped this negative influence, which has been accumulating over the last two years. It is a situation that has obligated the country to go into debt with credits received in order to purchase petroleum. In fact, Cuban domestic energy production has increased in the past few years to the point where the island is now generating 52 per cent of its electricity with national fuel. Cuba is currently producing all of its cement needs and has saved more than 90 million dollars this year by using domestic products rather than imports. But still, the national budget must be tightly squeezed to be able to find the money to acquire on the international market the necessary quantities to cover its domestic needs because Cuban oil covers only 38 per cent of demand. So Cuba has not been exempt from the oil price situation and like many other countries continues to face uncertainty. However, prospects are positive in the medium and long terms especially if Cuba continues to increase local oil production. (c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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