Radio Havana Cuba-02 July 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 02 July 2001 . *LAWYERS FOR CUBANS HELD IN US DEMAND EXPLANATION FOR SOLITARY CONFINEMENT *PRESIDENT OF CANARY ISLANDS DELIVERS DONATION FOR CUBAN HEALTH SYSTEM *CUBA'S ENTRY INTO PARLACEN WOULD HELP CENTRAL AMERICA: HONDURAN LEADER *PRESIDENT OF MOZAMBIQUE TO VISIT CUBA *DELEGATION FROM GERMAN TOURIST CONSORTIUM CONCLUDES VISIT *MUNICIPALITIES IN PINAR DEL RIO REGISTER ZERO INFANT MORTALITY *PAINTER MANUEL MENDIVE TO EXHIBIT IN SPAIN *BELGIAN COURT TO INVESTIGATE SHARONS ROLE IN SABRA-SHATILA MASSACRES *ANTI-GLOBALIZATION PROTESTS ASSAIL WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM IN SALZBURG *ITALIAN ARREST ORDER NABS ARGENTINE NAVY OFFICER CHARGED WITH ABUSES Viewpoint: *THE CUBAN ECONOMY: AGAINST THE WIND AND THE CURRENT . *LAWYERS FOR CUBANS HELD IN US DEMAND EXPLANATION FOR SOLITARY CONFINEMENT Miami, July 2 (RHC)--Defense attorneys in Miami are demanding an explanation for the isolation of and reprisals against five Cuban patriots wrongly convicted of spying against the United States, according to today's edition of "The Miami Herald." Attorney Jack Blumenfeld, attorney for one of the five, stated that the Cubans have been model prisoners. According to attorney Phillip Horowitz, the five Cubans have also had their visits restricted and much of their personal property confiscated. Horowitz said sending prisoners to what is known as "the hole" is the result of a disciplinary or security measure. He said that if it were a question of security they would have been isolated three weeks ago after they were convicted. The five Cubans were sent to "the hole" last Tuesday, reportedly after having admitted that they wrote a letter published in the principal Cuban news daily "Granma" defending their innocence, while at the same time proudly admitting that they contributed to the discovery of terrorist plans against Cuba organized and financed in Miami. Last week the government of Cuba stated that the cruel measure against the five Cuban patriots might also be related to Attorney General John Ashcroft's visit to Miami, where he met with ultra-right wing Cuban-Americans and members of the terrorist Cuban-American National Foundation. *PRESIDENT OF CANARY ISLANDS DELIVERS DONATION FOR CUBAN HEALTH SYSTEM Havana, July 2 (RHC)--The President of the Spanish autonomous region of the Canary Islands, Roman Rodriguez, has donated 20 million pesetas to the construction of more family doctor offices in the Cuban capital. Rodriguez, who leaves today, was in Havana for an official visit at the invitation of Cuban President Fidel Castro. Rodriguez's agenda on the island included the signing of a protocol of solidarity with Angel Garate, President of the Provincial Assembly of People's Power in Havana. The document demands an end to Washington's 40-year blockade against Cuba and also calls for strengthened friendship ties between the peoples of Cuba and the Canary Islands. Garate thanked Rodriguez in the name of Havana residents and pointed to the cooperation ties that have existed for more than 10 years now between Havana and the Canary Islands. The Cuban official recalled many social projects that have been carried out in the Cuban capital with financial support from the Iberian region -- the latest of them being the Ciro Rodriguez Hospital, built in the town of Artemisa. For his part, Rodriguez termed bilateral ties with Cuba as very constructive and mutually beneficial. Other activities of the Canary Island delegation included the inauguration of an exhibition at the Jose Marti National Library, an activity at Cuba's Canary Island Association and a tour of the Havana stand at the Expocuba exhibition hall, which highlights the province's socio-economic and cultural achievements. *CUBA'S ENTRY INTO PARLACEN WOULD HELP CENTRAL AMERICA: HONDURAN LEADER Havana, July 2 (RHC)--The incorporation of Cuba into the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) would be very positive for the region, said former Honduran President Jose Azcona. Azcona was one of the main speakers at the 10th Conference of Political Parties from Central America and the Dominican Republic, held in Managua, Nicaragua, with the participation of more than 120 delegates. The Honduran politician praised Cuban progress in areas such as health, sports, education and science. He stressed that no one, not even those with different ideological beliefs, can deny the fact that Cuban advances have reached far beyond the island's borders to benefit all of Latin America. Azcona characterized as very successful the participation of a delegation of Cuban observers in the PARLACEN conference, where participants discussed integration as a way for small regional countries to face challenges posed by today's globalization. The former Honduran president said the day is not far off when Cuba will enjoy full membership in the Central American Parliament, for regional integration requires joint efforts by all, without any exclusion, to save the Central American peoples from the devastating effects being caused by neo-liberalism, hunger, poverty, drugs and prostitution. *PRESIDENT OF MOZAMBIQUE TO VISIT CUBA Havana, July 2 (RHC)--The President of the People's Republic of Mozambique will soon pay an official visit to Cuba. The announcement was made by Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Jose Guerra Menchero during a weekend event at Cuba's Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) to mark the 26th anniversary of Mozambique's independence. On hand was Mozambique's Ambassador to Havana, Julio Gonzalez Braga, and members of Mozambique's diplomatic mission here in Cuba. Participants in the activity paid homage to Samora Machel and Eduardo Mondlane, both renowned personalities of the African nation. *DELEGATION FROM GERMAN TOURIST CONSORTIUM CONCLUDES VISIT Havana, July 2 (RHC)--Michael Frenzel, President of the German consortium PREUSSAG, and Ralf Korsten, Head of the firm's Tourism Division, concluded a three-day official visit to Cuba on Monday. Invited by the Cuban Tourism Ministry, the two German officials visited tourism sites on the island, including the world famous Varadero beach resort and the Bacunayagua and Yumiri valleys, all in Matanzas province. PREUSSAG is the world's largest consortium of its type with over 3,500 travel agencies in 13 nations and a flotilla of 85 planes that transport some 22 million mostly European vacationers a year. The German firm is also one of the main providers of clients for the Spanish hotel chain Sol Melia, which operates a number of tourism facilities in Cuba. *MUNICIPALITIES IN PINAR DEL RIO REGISTER ZERO INFANT MORTALITY Pinar del Rio, July 2 (RHC)--Four municipalities in Cuba's westernmost province of Pinar del Rio have registered zero cases of infant mortality so far this year. Dr. Barbara Hernandez, head of the Reproductive Health and Family Planning Program, said that results reported by the municipalities of La Palma, Mantua, Minas de Matahambre and Los Palacios are a direct consequence of joint efforts by health personnel, government institutions and the communities. Hernandez said that among the priorities of the program she heads is assistance to children under 14 suffering from chronic, non-transmittable diseases and efforts to prevent accidents involving preschool-age children, which despite a significant decrease, continue to be a major cause of death in the area. The Cuban official noted that before the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, Pinar del Rio registered an infant mortality rate of more than 60 for every 1000 live births. *PAINTER MANUEL MENDIVE TO EXHIBIT IN SPAIN Havana, July 2 (RHC)--More than 40 art works by renowned Cuban painter Manuel Mendive will be exhibited in various Spanish cities, beginning July 10the. The Cuban artist is currentlly putting the final touches to his exhibition, entitled "Chango and Life." The exhibition comprises oil paintings and sculptures made out of iron and bronze, all of them created this year. From Spain, where the exhibition will remain open for two years, Mendive will travel to Nigeria, Benin and Egypt to work on some new pieces with a group of collaborators. *BELGIAN COURT TO INVESTIGATE SHARONS ROLE IN SABRA-SHATILA MASSACRES Brussels, July 2 (RHC)--A court in Belgium announced Monday an investigation against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the 1982 massacres of hundreds of Palestinians. Judicial authorities said Belgian Judge Patrick Collignon found merit in two charges recently brought against Sharon for the infamous massacres of Palestinians in the Lebanese refugee camps Sabra and Shatila. Sharon is widely referred to in the Arab world as the butcher of Sabra and Shatila. Lebanese attorney Chibli Mallat, who filed the charges on behalf of 23 survivors of the massacres, applauded Collignon's decision, stating that this is an important day for the victims. Attorney Mehdi Abbes, representing at least five other survivors, pointed out nevertheless that the legal process will be extensive. A trial in Belgium earlier this year against four Ruandans accused of participating in that African nation's 1994 genocide against members of the Tutsi ethnic group didn't begin until six years after judicial authorities opened the investigation. *ANTI-GLOBALIZATION PROTESTS ASSAIL WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM IN SALZBURG Salzburg, July 2 (RHC)--Anti-globalization protesters are back on the move, this time in Salzburg, Austria, site since Sunday of the World Economic Forum summit. Clashes Sunday evening left five people injured and thirtenn arrested, amid unprecedented security measures. City authorities have prohibited street gatherings, allowing demonstrators to protest only at a square in front of the train station -- far from the convention center where some 700 participants in the summit are gathering until Tuesday. Austria has also reinforced border controls after suppressing the European Union's Schengen Accord on open borders. Austrian authorities denied entry into the country of persons from several bordering nations, including 40 people from Germany's Bavaria region. Four thousand police deployed in Salzburg, on the streets and in helicopters patrolling the skies, have been given the authority to search anyone, while the convention center has been hermetically sealed. Clashes ensued Sunday evening when hundreds of protesters attempted to march through the city's streets but were blocked by riot police. At least 150 demonstrators were loaded onto a train heading for Vienna. During a press conference Monday, Salzburg police chief Karl Schweiger boasted that authorities have been able to prevent images similar to those of the recent European Union summit in Gothenburg, Sweden. Of the thirteen arrested there were five Austrians, one Turk, one Congolese, one Italian, three Germans and two persons of unknown nationality. *ITALIAN ARREST ORDER NABS ARGENTINE NAVY OFFICER CHARGED WITH ABUSES Buenos Aires, July 2 (RHC)--Former Argentine naval officer Alfredo Astiz has been placed under arrest. Considered a symbol of the brutal repression unleashed by the country's military regime in the 1970s, Astiz turned himself in following an arrest warrant issued by an Argentine court over the weekend in response to a petition by Italian judicial authorities investigating the forced disappearances in Argentina of three Italian citizens between 1976 and 1977. Italy is expected to request Astiz's extradition, although the former administration of Carlos Menem and the current Fernando de la Rua administration have systematically refused requests for the extradition of dictatorship agents. Astiz, known in Argentina as "the blond angel of death," was the first such agent to be tried in absentia abroad, when in 1990 a court in France sentenced him to life in prison for the murder of two French nuns. He has also been accused of murdering a young Swedish citizen, and is one of 97 Argentine military officers whose arrest has been requested by Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon. Astiz is one of thousands of Argentine military officers who avoided trial on charges of crimes against humanity due to the amnesty laws passed by the 1983 to 1989 presidency of Raul Alfonsin. *Viewpoint: THE CUBAN ECONOMY - AGAINST THE WIND AND THE CURRENT Despite sailing against the wind and the current, the sails of the Cuban economy continue to fill. Facing the hostility of the United States and the ups and downs of the world market, the Cuban Gross Domestic Product is expected to grow by 5% in the year 2001. In the opinion of the island's Economy and Planning Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez, the most important aspect of this trend is the increase in productivity. Work productivity rose by 3.5% on average during the last five years. Rodriquez recalled that between l960 and l989 the rate was around 2.6% during a time of much greater investment and access to relatively abundant resources. Energy efficiency is also on the rise. In the last decade, Cuba multiplied its petroleum production by a factor of six. Currently, 60,000 barrels of oil are extracted daily, an amount which will provide some three million tons this year, along with more than 500 cubic meters of natural gas. This progressive increase constitutes one of the basic lines that sustains the current process of reanimation of Cuba's economy; it sustains big industries like cement and nickel, and domestic oil is now used to generate 70% of the island's energy needs. At the same time, energy use has been cut, thanks to a systematic energy-saving policy. Despite this, Cuba's largest expense is still oil, for which it spends some $1 billion a year. The re-animation of the economy can also be seen in the production figures of nickel, steel and agricultural products. In addition, tourism has become a driving force of the national economy and has created or recovered some 250,000 jobs over the past ten years. The Economy and Planning Minister said that the growth in the economy is demonstrated best in the health and education indices, sectors in which Cuba has international prestige. The island is also able to offer increasingly better social security benefits. Another sure sign of the health of the Cuban economy is the growing confidence of international investors. There are now more than 400 economic associations in Cuba with the participation of foreign capital, despite the threats of the Helms-Burton Law, passed by the United States to try to strangle the Cuba economy and force the Cuban people to give up their political and economic system. Finally, and most importantly, the current recuperation process has facilitated the progressive diversification of the island's economy, freeing Cuba from total dependence on the whims of the climate and on the world sugar market. (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-8373 2001-Jul-02 22:22:21