Radio Havana Cuba-22 June 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 22 June 2001 . *DISTORTED PRESS COVERAGE OF MIAMI CONSPIRACY TRIAL *ALPHA 66 ADMITS 3 TERRORISTS HELD IN CUBA ARE MEMBERS *JAMAICA: PEREZ ROQUE ON COOPERATIVE CUBA-CARIBBEAN RELATIONS *FIDEL CASTRO INAUGURATES NEW CAMPGROUND FOR VACATIONERS *SANTIAGO'S 10th CARIBBEAN TRADE FAIR COMES TO A CLOSE *HORTENSIA PICHARDO, CUBAN HISTORIAN, DIES IN HAVANA *INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT MEETING WINDS UP ON FRIDAY *CUBA CANCELS GUINEA BISSAU'S COMMERCIAL DEBT *FRENCH JUDGE INSISTS ON QUESTIONING KISSINGER ABOUT CHILE *ALGERIAN WOMAN SUES FRANCE FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY . *DISTORTED PRESS COVERAGE OF MIAMI CONSPIRACY TRIAL Havana, June 22 (RHC)--Miami's mafia and the US media have distorted the case of five Cubans convicted of spying against the United States, charged participants in Thursday night's televised roundtable discussions. The TV program transmitted fragments of an October, 1998 CNN interview with Cuban President Fidel Castro, who asserted that Cuba has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks organized and financed in the United States with the consent of U.S. authorities. The Cuban leader said that those abroad who provide information to Cuba are honorable persons, not mercenaries, who do not receive money for helping Cuba to thwart the numerous terrorist operations against the island, which originate mostly in Miami. President Castro insisted that this type of information concerning the United States is all that interests Cuba. Participants in the roundtable discussion also noted that five of the original ten Cubans arrested were only friends or cooperated with the five who were convicted. Two married couples and a fifth individual were subjected to intense pressure and threats to reach an agreement with the district attorney's office, which threatened them with long prison sentences, permanent separation from their children and the bankruptcy of their small business enterprises. The fifth individual even testified against the five Cubans who, during the entire process, maintained an attitude of dignity, rejecting the charges and refusing legal assistance. Three of the five refused to reveal their identities to the FBI until 27 months after their arrest, when the trial began. Thursday evening's roundtable was the second of a series of three on the case of the Cubans arrested in Miami, who infiltrated terrorist and ultra-right wing organizations which have not ceased in their plans to destabilize Cuba by any means necessary. *ALPHA 66 ADMITS 3 TERRORISTS HELD IN CUBA ARE MEMBERS Miami, June 22 (RHC)--The Miami-based terrorist organization Alpha 66 has admitted membership in that organization of Cuban-American terrorists captured off the shores of Cuba. Alpha 66 secretary general Andres Nazario Sargenz told local media in Miami that Ihosvanni Suris de la Torre and Maximo Pradera Valdes are active members of the terrorist group, while the third terrorist -- Santiago Padron Quintero -- used to be an active member. Sargenz claimed that the three individuals traveled to Cuba with abundant weapons "on their own initiative," although he hastened to add that his organization supported their decision. Cuban authorities had announced Wednesday evening that those arrested off the northern coast of the central Villa Clara Province, after a chase and an exchange of gunfire, were members of Alpha 66 -- a terrorist organization with some 5,000 members tolerated by U.S. authorities. The three terrorists had planned an attack against Havana's Tropicana nightclub, a favorite attraction for tourists, and hoped to organize counterrevolutionary groups in Cuba's central Escambray mountain range. *JAMAICA: PEREZ ROQUE ON COOPERATIVE CUBA-CARIBBEAN RELATIONS Kingston, June 22 (RHC)--In Jamaica, visiting Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque has asserted that Cuba will always cooperate and never compete with the Caribbean. Speaking with members of the Jamaica-Cuba Friendship Association, Perez Roque pointed to the immense potential of Cuba's tourism sector -- which, he added, would be much greater without the existence of Washington's blockade against the island. But Cuba also seeks to join efforts with the rest of the Caribbean tourist sector, he said, pointing out that Cuba is a natural extension of the Caribbean, just as it shares the African blood that flows through the veins of the entire region. Referring to Cuba's cooperation with other Third World peoples, Perez Roque said that the integrity, valor and honesty with which Cuba has provided internationalist aid to Africa has increased the island's prestige within the international community. Referring to the continued intensification of Washington's blockade, the Cuban Foreign Minister said that while the U.S. government demands a multi-party system in Cuba, it has diplomatic and trade relations with two countries -- China and Vietnam -- that like Cuba have only one ruling party. And, he added, there are situations even more complex, pointing out that Washington sells weapons to Saudi Arabia and buys its oil, even though this Arab nation has no constitution, and that it is a nation where women aren't even allowed to drive automobiles. The Cuban foreign minister concluded that Washington can hardly claim to be the judge of democracy. *FIDEL CASTRO INAUGURATES NEW CAMPGROUND FOR VACATIONERS Havana, June 22 (RHC)--Thanks to the efforts of the government and the enthusiastic support of Cuba's young people, tens of thousands of Cubans will spend their summer vacations at the beach or in mountain resorts. Cuban president Fidel Castro on Thursday officially opened the new 116 cabin "Las Caletas" camping complex on beautiful Jibacoa Beach east of Havana. The Cuban leader emphasized the excellent work done by the country's young people, whom he said "saved this year's camping plan with few resources". Accompanied by Communist Party and Young Communist League officials, President Castro stressed that the "Campismo" program is not designed to make money, but rather to give youth and families the opportunity to relax and enjoy recreation in some of the island's most beautiful spots. He noted that more than half of those taking advantage of the popular plan are under 30 years of age. What's more, the Cuban leader explained that the chain of modest Cuban tour resorts is a source of income for 4,500 local workers. A good number of foreign tourists also prefer the rustic cabins in natural settings to more formal and expensive hotels. Most of the low-cost installations boast swimming pools, dancing areas and shops; many are adding video rooms as well. Transportation to the vacation resorts is provided as part of the price. Currently Cuba has 88 such installations with a capacity for 20,000 people, which will serve more than 900,000 Cubans. *SANTIAGO'S 10th CARIBBEAN TRADE FAIR COMES TO A CLOSE Havana, June 22 (RHC)--The 10th Caribbean Trade Fair, EXPOCARIBE 2001, wound up on Friday in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba. Eight hundred companies from 34 nations were represented in the event. EXPOCARIBE 2001, the island's second largest trade fair after the one held in Havana in November, took place at Santiago's Heredia Convention Center. For five days, participants attended conferences and roundtables, the presentation of new services and products and took the opportunity to make contacts with business representatives from around the world. The executive director of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Trade, Felipe Noguera, talked about the need to strengthen the role of the State in achieving the recovery of the region's economies and increasing competitiveness in goods and services. Speaking to business executives and organizers of the trade fair, he stressed the importance for the Caribbean of improving sea and air transportation and communications, which are currently in the hands of U.S. companies. Noguera explained that Cuba, with extremely limited economic resources, has managed an economic recovery and reorientation of its trade, and he predicted that if the region's airlines can improve cooperation in carrying cargo and passengers, they could increase their annual revenues by $60 million. *HORTENSIA PICHARDO, CUBAN HISTORIAN, DIES IN HAVANA Havana, June 22 (RHC)--Renowned Cuban historian Hortensia Pichardo died in Havana on Thursday at age 97. During her long life, the outstanding intellectual wrote many important books on various aspect of history. She was perhaps best known as one of the great Cuban teachers who instructed several generations of Cuban historians. Pichardo was referred to as the "cornerstone of Cuban History" by the internationally acclaimed historian of the city of Havana, Eusebio Leal Spengler. Pichardo was awarded the National History Prize in 1997 for her extensive research throughout her lifetime. *INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT MEETING WINDS UP ON FRIDAY Havana, June 22nd (RHC)--Delegates from 25 countries attending Havana's third International Convention on the Environment and Development have concluded their meeting devoted to to the care and protection of the environment. During the 5-day event, participants stressed the importance of environmental education, economy, law, biological diversity and protected areas. Delegates discussed the environmental problems currently affecting humanity which have not yet been resolved, 10 years after the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit. *CUBA CANCELS GUINEA BISSAU'S COMMERCIAL DEBT Havana, June 22nd (RHC)--Guinea Bissau's minister of Foreign business and International Cooperation, Antonieta Rosa Gomez, thanked the Cuban government on Friday for its decision to forgive the African nation's commercial debt to Cuba. After the signing of a Protocol in the 11th Joint Commission between the two nations, Gomez held a press conference about her meeting with Cuban president Fidel Castro, whom she described as a man with a great humanist sense in favor of the poor. The Guinea Bissau delegation, presided over by the Minister of Foreign Business and International Cooperation, discussed with Cuban officials bilateral cooperation in the fields of health, education, agriculture, the environment, the sugar industry and construction. The Protocol of cooperation signed between the two countries in the Cuban capital sets out a bilateral exchange program through the year 2003. It includes contains an agreement of technical support for the implementation of a literacy program by radio in the African nation. *FRENCH JUDGE INSISTS ON QUESTIONING KISSINGER ABOUT CHILE Paris, June 22 (RHC)--A judge in France has insisted on questioning former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger concerning human rights abuses during Chile's Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. Judge Roger Le Loire has requested permission from the U.S. government to travel to Washington to obtain testimony from Kissinger pertinent to the case he's opened on five French citizens forcibly disappeared by the Pinochet regime. Earlier this month, Le Loire called on Kissinger to testify while the former Secretary of State was visiting France, but Kissinger refused. With his refusal, the U.S. embassy in France called on Le Loire to send his petition through the appropriate U.S. government channels. Shortly afterwards, the U.S. State Department said that it would cooperate with the investigation, since Kissinger is a former government official. The French judge reportedly has in his possession several recently declassified documents on repression during the Chilean dictatorship that bear Kissinger's signature. Some of those documents refer to Operation Condor, the multinational repressive network set up by several South American military regimes to eliminate opposition at home and abroad -- including in Europe. The documents reportedly reveal that Kissinger was well aware of Operation Condor from its inception. Operation Condor was responsible for the forced disappearance of at least one of the five French victims. Declassification of CIA and State Department documents on Chile has led numerous human rights leaders and organizations to clamor for an international trial against Kissinger. *ALGERIAN WOMAN SUES FRANCE FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY Paris, June 22 (RHC)--An Algerian woman has become the first person to file charges against France for crimes against humanity committed during Algeria's independence war. In 1957, when she was 21 years old, Louisette Ighilahriz was wounded, captured and tortured by French soldiers. Today, 44 years later, she still uses crutches to walk. Ighilahriz's attorney, Pierre Mairat, explained that the lawsuit calls for an investigation of the responsibility of French military and political leaders during the war. The lawsuit also described the summary executions that Ighilahriz witnessed while she was imprisoned. Ighilahriz said that her legal action was prompted by what she called the arrogance of retired French General Paul Aussaresses, who recently published his memoirs admitting, without any remorse, to having participated in the torture and assassinations of Algerian independence fighters. Aussaresses has been called to appear before a court in Paris on July 6 to respond to charges of apology for war crimes. (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-23182 2001-Jun-22 22:34:27