Radio Havana Cuba-19 July 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 19 July 2001 . *HAITI IS THE POOREST NATION, BUT RICH IN HUMAN CAPITAL: ARISTIDE *ARISTIDE HIGHLIGHTS CUBA'S SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL *PRESIDENT OF BURKINA FASO TO VISIT CUBA *ANGOLAN OFFICIAL MEETS WITH CUBAN MINISTER OF EDUCATION *UNESCO YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE ENDS VISIT TO HAVANA *SHORT SUMMER COMPUTER COURSES UNDERWAY ISLAND WIDE *ARGENTINA PARALYZED BY 6th GENERAL STRIKE IN 19 MONTHS *US SENATE MAJORITY LEADER ISSUES STINGING CRITICISM OF BUSH POLICIES *COCA COLA'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN COLOMBIA Viewpoint: *ARIEL SHARON: NUMBER-ONE ENEMY OF PEACE *CUBANS IN HAITI: STETHOSCOPES AND FISH . *HAITI IS THE POOREST NATION, BUT RICH IN HUMAN CAPITAL: ARISTIDE Havana, July 19 (RHC)--In Havana, visiting Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide said that although Haiti is the poorest nation on the continent, it is one of the richest in human capital. Speaking at the University of Havana during an official visit to Cuba, Aristide said that his nation does not seek to become rich, but rather to emerge from poverty with dignity. The Haitian president took the opportunity to once again thank the Cuban people and government for the assistance they are providing for his country, adding that Haiti aspires one day to be able to display the same achievements in health and education that Cuba has obtained. President Aristide also criticized free market, neoliberal policies, asserting that their only objective is to increase finance capital. He said that to attain peace in the world, economic development must go hand in hand with human development. *ARISTIDE HIGHLIGHTS CUBA'S SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL Havana, July 19 (RHC)--Haiti's president Jean Betrand Aristide has classified Cuba's scientific development as exceptional. On Wednesday, the Haitian leader visited the National Center of Agricultural Health, accompanied by the Cuban Minister of Higher Education, Fernando Vecino Alegret. The director of the center, Dr. Lidia Tablada, explained the main investigation and production priorities of the center to the Haitian delegation. The center produces vaccines and medical reagents, and assists in the detection and diagnosis of some rare diseases affecting animal and crop species. Aristide described cooperation between the two Caribbean nations as very positive and fruitful, and said he appreciated the opportunity to strengthen the solidarity existing between Haitians and Cubans. Aristide said he hopes to explore new areas of cooperation, including health, sports, and agriculture, as well as infrastructure construction and telecommunications. In addition, the Haitian leader stressed that the Caribbean needs special financial assistance to fight lethal diseases such as HIV-AIDS, which poses a grave threat to the region's population. The Haitian president also visited Havana's International Sports and Physical Education School, where he had the opportunity to greet Haitian young people studying in the institution. On Wednesday afternoon, Aristide's delegation paid tribute to Cuba's national hero Jose Marti at Havana's Revolution Square, where the Haitian president laid a floral wreath at the Marti monument. Afterward, he attended the inauguration ceremony of the Fine Arts Museum. *PRESIDENT OF BURKINA FASO TO VISIT CUBA Havana, July 19 (RHC)--The President of Burkina Faso, Blaiso Compaore, will arrive in Havana on Friday for a three-day official visit at the invitation of Cuban President Fidel Castro. While on the island, president Compaore will have a packed agenda that includes talks with his Cuban counterpart and other high-ranking officials with a special emphasis on bilateral cooperation. Compaore will also tour centers of economic, social and historical interest. *ANGOLAN OFFICIAL MEETS WITH CUBAN MINISTER OF EDUCATION Havana, July 19 (RHC)--Angolan Minister of Science and Technology, Joao Baptista Ngandagina, met on Thursday with Cuban Higher education Minister Fernando Vecino Alegret. Ngandagina is participating as a special guest in the 6th Ibero-American Seminar on Science and Technology, currently underway here in Havana with the participation of academics, investors, businessmen and other experts from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Angola and Cuba. The Angolan minister is also scheduled to tour various places of interest here in Havana, among them the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, the Laboratory Animals Breeding Center and the Pharmaceutics and Molecular Immunology Center. *UNESCO YOUTH REPRESENTATIVE ENDS VISIT TO HAVANA Havana, July 19 (RHC)--UNESCO's Youth representative Maria Helena Henriquez Mullero concluded her official visit to Cuba on Wednesday with a tour of the University of Havana. Henriquez said UNESCO is fully aware of the need for a closer relationship and exchange of experiences. She added that for UNESCO, Cuba's plan of action is a priority. UNESCO's program to improve quality of education will require that the agency obtain necessary resources to train professors and second to promote international cooperation, especially among the least developed countries. She added that UNESCO currently works towards the dissemination of information on courses, scholarships and resources to boost research projects which are usually offered by European universities and institutions. At the University of Havana, the UNESCO official was welcomed by the head of the institution's Foreign Relations Department, Antonio Boza, who briefed her on the university's work. During her three-day visit to Cuba, Henriquez had the opportunity to visit several educational centers and meet students. She left the island impressed with what she learned, she said, and very interested in boosting exchange between UNESCO and Cuba. *SHORT SUMMER COMPUTER COURSES UNDERWAY ISLAND WIDE Havana, July 19 (RHC)--Cuba's island-wide Computer Clubs have begun their short summer-school vacation courses, part of a new program for computer education. Every person, regardless of age, can have access to these facilities. Young people, workers or adults who are interested in learning or deepening their knowledge of computer science are welcome to the computer clubs. The summer computer courses include the basics of PC operation for complete beginngers, with special emphasis on applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Access. For those who have some knowledge on how to operate a computer, various topics about programming are also included, focusing on the creation of databases and multimedia applications. The 60-hour courses will last one month. *ARGENTINA PARALYZED BY 6th GENERAL STRIKE IN 19 MONTHS Buenos Aires, July 19 (RHC)--Argentina's 6th general strike during the Fernando de la Rua's presidency virtually paralyzed the country on Thursday, with public transport almost completely halted. Trash collectors were not working, and Argentina's large cities were covered with garbage. International flights were canceled, while public and private employees, workers in the judicial and legislative sectors, factories, teachers and health professionals participated in the labor stoppge. The strike comes amid threats from both ruling alliance and opposition legislators to block approval of President de la Rua's economic shock program, a threat that has once again sent the country's financial markets into a tailspin. Dario Alessandro, president of the block of ruling alliance legislators, said lawmakers agree on the need to eliminate Argentina's fiscal deficit, but they don't want to do it by reducing salaries and pensions. Allesandro said he believed members of Congress will come up with a different plan when the lower house gathers again next Wednesday. *US SENATE MAJORITY LEADER ISSUES STINGING CRITICISM OF BUSH POLICIES Washington, July 19 (RHC)--U.S. Senator Tom Daschle issued a stinging criticism of the Bush Administration's foreign policy Thursday, contending that the United States is isolating itself from the rest of the world, and that the country is being taken less seriously than it was a few years ago. In statements published Thursday by "USA Today," Daschle, leader of the democratic majority in the Senate, said that the U.S. has moved away from an aggressive search for peace in the Middle East, has diminished emphasis on pacification efforts in other parts of the world, has failed to play a decisive role in the struggle against AIDS in Africa, and is complicating relations with Russia and Washington's European allies with its plans to develop a space-based anti-missile system. The Senator made reference to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's recent offer to serve as an intermediary between Washington and the Europeans, calling the offer a sad commentary on the state of transatlantic relations. Daschle also expressed concern over the friendship treaty that China and Russia signed last Monday, saying it indicates that something is going wrong. He said Bush's isolationist tendencies create a global vacuum, and that if the United States is unable to fill the vacuum, others will. *COCA COLA'S HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN COLOMBIA Washington, July 19 (RHC)--Labor and human rights organizations in the United States are planning to bring charges against Coca Cola, accusing the firm of using paramilitary security agents to murder, torture and kidnap labor leaders in Colombia. The United Steel Workers of America and the International Labor Rights Fund today announced that the charges will be brought Friday before a federal court in southern Florida. The case was launched by the Colombian labor union representing workers in Colombia's Coca Cola bottling firm, Panamerican Beverages of Miami, Florida. The attorney representing the plaintiffs, Terry Collingsworth, said the Colombian labor union has been decimated by paramilitary intimidation. Among those denounced is Richard Kirby, the American manager of a Coca Cola bottling firm in Uraba Department. According to Colombian labor activists, Kirby specifically issued death threats against labor leaders if they continued organizing workers. The activists charge Kirby's threat was carried out on December 5th, 1996, with the assassination of labor leader Isidro Segundo Gil. This year alone. more than 50 Colombian unionists have been gunned down; last year 128 were killed. Since 1986, more than 3,800 unionists have been murdered. Viewpoint: *ARIEL SHARON: NUMBER-ONE ENEMY OF PEACE Since the ultra-conservative Ariel Sharon's rise to power in Israel, the facts have borne out somber predictions for the Middle East. In the 1982 genocide in the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian camps in Beirut -- where more than three thousand children, women and elderly were massacred -- death was the chosen weapon against the Palestinians. And, since Sharon was sworn in as Prime Minister, Tel Aviv's policy of extermination of the Palestinians has become more evident and the peace process has stalled. As Spanish writer, Manuel Vazquez Montalban said, "this exterminating angel is a messianic politician convinced that the people chosen by the most correct gods have the right to create and defend their vital space". Since last September 28, when the popular Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada began, more than 500 Palestinians have died at the hands of the Israelis. Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday stated bluntly, "With Sharon, no solution is possible". Aware of the situation, the Arab League just announced its support for the Intifada in a declaration which also denounces the tendency of the Sharon government to profane Islamic and Christian holy shrines in the region. That Zionist conception was behind Sharon's refusal to return territories to the Palestinians, who are currently confined to determined areas in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The Mitchell Commission, charged by the United Nations with investigating the causes of the violence, asked the Israeli government to stop building the settlements, which have traditionally been a bone of contention between Arabs and Jews in the region. But Tel Aviv plans to continue its colonial expansion by building new Jewish settlements in Arab areas, even those Israel was considering returning to the Palestinians during the last peace talks. *CUBANS IN HAITI: STETHOSCOPES AND FISH In 1996, the governments and peoples of Haiti and Cuba -- who live only 77 kilometers apart -- began a new era of cooperation and accord with the re-establishment of diplomatic relations after more than 30 years. Under the current administration of Jean Bertrand Aristide, and his predecessor Rene Preval, Haiti has fortified its connections with Cuba to the benefit of both countries. Haiti is the poorest nation in the hemisphere, and one of the poorest countries in the world. A full 80% of Haiti's population lives in extreme poverty, with a life expectancy of only 58 years and a disastrous infant mortality rate of 74 per 1000 live births. In contrast, Cuba has an average life expectancy of 76 years and a 7.1/1000 infant mortality rate. Due to the over-exploitation of its lands and accompanying soil erosion, Haiti has to rely for its income on limited tourism and exports of coffee and minerals such as bauxite. Cuba has been able to provide Haiti with 485 doctors, nurses and medical technicians, most of whom work in rural zones that are almost inaccessible. These Cuban medical personnel have been carrying out a vaccination campaign that is supported by France, Japan and UNICEF, covering eight principal illnesses. Haiti has excellent conditions for developing its fishing industry as it has a large number of natural harbors most of which are easily navigable. More than 40 Cuban experts have spent the last year and a half providing information and technical assistance to hundreds of Haitians in six departments that have fishing traditions. Cuba is committed to assisting its neighbor and friend in every way possible, regardless of criticism from those who idly stand by and simply sneer that Cuba is "exporting revolution." 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