Radio Havana Cuba-04 January 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 04 January 2001 . *MEXICAN PRESIDENT WILL VISIT CUBA IN MARCH *JUSTICE MINISTER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CUBA'S FIGHT AGAINST DRUG-TRAFFICKING *42nd ANNIVERSARY OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION IS CELEBRATED IN LAOS *CUBA PROMOTES SPECIAL COURSE ON INTERNET ON THE PRESERVATION OF ORCHIDS *INTERNATIONAL CRAFTS FAIR OPENS JAN 28th *RENOWNED CUBAN JOURNALIST AGUSTIN PI DIES IN HAVANA *Viewpoint: SOCIAL SECURITY EXPANDING IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM . *MEXICAN PRESIDENT WILL VISIT CUBA IN MARCH Havana, January 4 (RHC)-- Mexican President Vicente Fox will officially visit Cuba in March. The new Mexican ambassador in Havana, Ricardo Pascoe, made the announcement while meeting with Cuban President Fidel Castro. During the meeting, the Cuban president presented the Mexican ambassador with a letter for Fox, along with a box of Cuban cigars. Fidel Castro expressed interest in strengthening bilateral relations with Mexico as part of furthering Latin American integration. Ricardo Pascoe will officially present his credentials as new ambassador in Havana on January 10th. *JUSTICE MINISTER OPTIMISTIC ABOUT CUBA'S FIGHT AGAINST DRUG-TRAFFICKING Havana, January 4 (RHC)-- Cuban Justice Minister Roberto Diaz Sotolongo told reporters today in Havana that the island is entering a new year and new century in a strong way to confront drug-trafficking, and to stop the entrance of narcotics into Cuban society. Sotolongo added that Cuban authorities will also work to fight drug-trafficking to other countries. Closing another year of intense work against drug trafficking, the President of the National Drug Commission spoke about Cuba's ability to combat drug-trafficking in the Caribbean despite lacking sophisticated technologies. The Cuban justice minister said that thanks to the country's efforts and without signing an anti-drug agreement with the United States, the island's authorities have stopped many drug- traffickers from reaching the U.S., which is the largest consumer of narcotics in the world. Cuba currently has 27 international anti-drug cooperation agreements signed with countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. *42nd ANNIVERSARY OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION IS CELEBRATED IN LAOS Vientiane, January 4 (RHC)-- A celebration of the 42nd anniversary of the Cuban Revolution was held in the Laotian capital with the participation of the vice president of that country's parliament, Khambou Sounixay. Other leaders of the Laotian Popular Revolutionary Party also took part in the solidarity activity, along with officials of the provincial government and representatives of student and grassroots organization. Cuba's ambassador in Laos, Maria Aida Nogales, and the vice president of Laotian Parliament both spoke about the historic and friendly ties with the Cuban people. They also discussed the difficulties on the island provoked by Washington's blockade against Cuba. *CUBA PROMOTES SPECIAL COURSE ON INTERNET ON THE PRESERVATION OF ORCHIDS Havana, January 4 (RHC)-- Specialists from the Botanical Gardens in Soroa, located in western Pinar del Rio province -- which has over 25,000 plants, including some 700 species of orchids -- are offering courses on the Internet to promote the preservation of orchids in the world. The courses are in both Spanish and English, and include the basic principles of botany of the orchid as well as its protection and preservation. The Internet courses also include creating orchid identification and the naming of individual plants. A video on the orchids is also included in the Internet. *INTERNATIONAL CRAFTS FAIR OPENS JAN 28th Havana, January 4 (RHC)--On the occasion of the 148th anniversary of Cuba's National Hero Jose Marti, Havana will open its doors on January 28th to the International Crafts Fair, FIART 2001. Representatives from 13 countries are expected to attend. FIART 2001 will run until February 4th and will present an interesting mosaic of creations. These will include a commercial exhibit of provincial subsidiaries of the Cuban Cultural Heritage Fund. Fashion shows, with a collection of textiles designed by Cuban artists, will open this year's FIART. There will also be conferences on the international sale of crafts through fairs as well as the legal protection of Cuban crafts. *RENOWNED CUBAN JOURNALIST AGUSTIN PI DIES IN HAVANA Havana, January 4 (RHC)-- Renowned Cuban journalist and intellectual Agustin Pi passed away on Wednesday in Havana at the age of 81. Pi had an important influence on the country's literature during the 20th century. Linked to the Group Origenes and with such writers as Jose Lezama Lima, Cintio Vitier and Eliseo Diego, Agustin Pi was published in the most important magazines on the island. After the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, Pi participated in the formation of the country's editorial policy and dedicated five years to writing for the Granma daily newspaper. During his lifetime, he was awarded with many honors, including the National Culture and Felix Elmuza Orders. *Viewpoint: SOCIAL SECURITY EXPANDING IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM The Cuban people will have social security guaranteed in the year 2001 as a result of the approval, last December, by the island's National Assembly of People's Power of the National Budget which includes necessary funding for this important activity. Social security -- funds and services used to pay pensions to retired workers and to offer special financial assistance to mentally and physically disabled persons who do not rely on family support -- constitutes a priority for the Cuban state. In other countries of the world, particularly in Third World nations, such a social security policy does not exist or is in serious trouble due to several reasons like government corruption and economic miseries characterizing capitalist society. The island's budgetary funds for the year 2001 reach 605 million Cuban pesos, a little below last year due to a recent salary increase in several economic sectors and the reduction of unemployment and subsidized laid-off workers who lost their jobs following the economic crisis that hit Cuba during the past decade. Latin America is often rocked by huge protests staged by thousands of retired people who demand on-time payment of social security pensions. Add to that millions of unemployed persons and those suffering extreme poverty who urge their governments to take appropriate steps in that respect, obtaining positive results invery few cases. The worst thing is that the economic environment in which people make their living is based on neo-liberal globalization that offers little hope, since no country operating under this modern capitalist formula has yet been able to solve social securityproblems which continue to worsen. In the year 2001, Cuban pensioners and retired people will obtain their financial assistance in a timely manner from a planned 1.8-billion-peso fund. Some new 80,000 people are expected to increase the number of those targeted by social security to more than one million 400,000. Another 200 million pesos have been assigned to social assistance programs, which are carried out by 200 institutions dedicated to assist senior citizens and the disabled, as well as more than 130 thousand persons who are financially supported by the Cuban state. There are no abandoned persons in Cuba or lack of State support, with assistance often coming without request. New groups of social workers have recently been organized with volunteer students who are carrying out a census in urban and rural areas. The information from the census will help to improve assistance from institutions operating in that field. This social security initiative is one more program being implemented by the Cuban Revolution in the new century. (c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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