Radio Havana Cuba-02 May 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Habana Cuba - Principales Noticias - 02 de mayo 2001 . *ASISTE PRESIDENTE CUBANO A ENCUENTRO SINDICAL DE SOLIDARIDAD *VICEPRESIDENTA DE VIETNAM CONTINÚA VISITA A CUBA *ELOGIAN MEDIDAS DE BENEFICIO POPULAR *GOBERNADOR DEL ESTADO VENEZOLANO DE BOLÍVAR REALIZA RECORRIDO POR LA HABANA *EN CUBA JÓVENES COMUNISTAS CHILENOS *GOBIERNO MEXICANO LLAMA A LOS ZAPATISTAS A LA REFLEXIÓN *PERÚ CONTINÚA INDAGATORIA EN CASO FUJIMORI Comentario: HOLLYWOOD REBASADO . *ASISTE PRESIDENTE CUBANO A ENCUENTRO SINDICAL DE SOLIDARIDAD La Habana, 2 de mayo (RHC)--El presidente cubano, Fidel Castro, asiste al Encuentro Internacional Sindical de Solidaridad con Cuba, que inició hoy sus sesiones en el Palacio de las Convenciones de esta capital. En la cita participan representaciones extranjeras que asistieron al recién concluido XVIII Congreso de la Central de Trabajadores de Cuba y a los festejos por el Primero de Mayo. En el foro, los delegados rechazan el bloqueo estadounidense contra Cuba y los intentos de Washington de anexarse a América Latina mediante el Area de Libre Comercio de las Américas. Medios locales recordaron que a los festejos por el Primero de Mayo en la isla asistieron más de 600 invitados extranjeros de 134 organizaciones sindicales, pertenecientes a 58 países. *VICEPRESIDENTA DE VIETNAM CONTINÚA VISITA A CUBA La Habana, 2 de mayo (RHC)--La vicepresidenta de Vietnam, Ngueyn Thi Binh, se entrevista hoy aquí con José Ramón Balaguer, miembro del Buró Político del Partido Comunista de Cuba y visitará el Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología. Para mañana, Thi Binh tiene previsto reunirse con Sergio Corrieri, presidente del Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos. La víspera la dirigente vietnamita fue recibida por el vicepresidente cubano Carlos Lage y antes de que concluya su visita el próximo jueves, recorrerá la Escuela Latinoamericana de Ciencias Médicas. *ELOGIAN MEDIDAS DE BENEFICIO POPULAR Las Habana, 2 de mayo (RHC)--El ministro cubano de Economía y Planificación, José Luis Rodríguez, elogió las medidas de beneficio popular anunciadas por el presidente Fidel Castro en el recién concluido Congreso de la Central de Trabajadores de Cuba. En declaraciones a la prensa, Rodríguez dijo que la decisión de extender a un año la licencia de maternidad con sueldo, convertida ya en ley, y de eliminar en el 2001 el actual déficit de medicamentos en farmacias, continúa la política aplicada por el gobierno cubano. *GOBERNADOR DEL ESTADO VENEZOLANO DE BOLÍVAR REALIZA RECORRIDO POR LA HABANA La Habana, 2 de mayo (RHC)--El gobernador del estado venezolano de Bolívar, Antonio Rojas, recorre hoy una zona de viviendas de interés social en esta capital y se entrevistará con el ministro cubano de Turismo, Ibrahim Ferradaz. Como parte de la visita que inició la víspera a Cuba, Rojas visitará también la Escuela Formadora de Trabajadores Sociales y otros centros de esta capital. El próximo viernes, el gobernador de Bolívar finalizará su visita a Cuba, después de reunirse con pacientes venezolanos en el Centro Internacional de Salud La Pradera, de esta capital. *EN CUBA JÓVENES COMUNISTAS CHILENOS La Habana, 2 de mayo (RHC)--La delegación de la Juventud Comunista de Chile que se encuentra de visita en Cuba depositó una ofrenda floral ante la estatua del extinto primer mandatario del país sudamericano Salvador Allende, ubicada en la céntrica Avenida de los Presidentes de esta capital. Los jóvenes chilenos recorrerán también la escuela para niños discapacitados Solidaridad con Panamá, las instalaciones de Expocuba, el centro científico Labiofam y la Villa Panamericana, y en horas de la noche realizarán un encuentro con los integrantes de los Comités de Defensa de la Revolución en uno de los barrios de la capital cubana. La delegación permanecerá aquí hasta el próximo 13 de mayo, y según lo previsto, mantendrá también conversaciones con dirigentes y pueblo en general, con el propósito de ampliar sus conocimientos sobre la realidad cubana. *GOBIERNO MEXICANO LLAMA A LOS ZAPATISTAS A LA REFLEXIÓN México, 2 de mayo (RHC)--El gobierno de México llamó a la comandancia del insurgente Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional y a las comunidades que lo apoyan a reflexionar en la decisión anunciada la víspera de suspender los contactos para reiniciar el diálogo de paz. Un comunicado firmado por el Comisionado para la Paz, Luis Alvarez, recuerda que, en el ámbito de su competencia, el presidente mexicano, Vicente Fox, ha dado los pasos necesarios para lograr la paz en el estado de Chiapas. En ese sentido señala la retirada del ejército mexicano de las siete posiciones zapatistas y las gestiones para la liberación de los prisioneros relacionados con el conflicto armado en el mencionado estado sureño. El Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional decidió unilateralmente anular las pláticas con el gobierno, tras desconocer y descalificar la Ley sobre Cultura y Derechos Indígenas, aprobada por el Congreso mexicano el sábado último. El líder de los zapatistas, el subcomandante Marcos, se declaró de nuevo en rebeldía, tras considerar que las reformas introducidas por los congresistas a la citada legislación no responden a los reclamos de los indígenas. *PERÚ CONTINÚA INDAGATORIA EN CASO FUJIMORI Tokio, 2 de mayo (RHC)--El gobierno de Perú entregó a las autoridades de Japón una nueva carta rogatoria para que se le haga llegar al ex presidente del país sudamericano, Alberto Fujimori, quien actualmente vive en esta capital, relacionada con su embargo preventivo de bienes por el sumario de incumplimiento de deberes y abandono de su cargo. Fuentes oficiales aseguraron que esta es la cuarta ocasión en que es presentado el documento al gobierno de Japón, pero aún no se ha obtenido respuesta alguna. Los jueces peruanos solicitaron a Fujimori que señale cuáles son los bienes susceptibles de ser embargados, hasta la cantidad de 1 300 000 dólares, como complemento a otra rogatoria presentada en febrero pasado, y abrieron un proceso penal que podría conllevar a emitir una orden de detención en contra del ex presidente peruano, si no responde a los requerimientos legales. *Comentario: HOLLYWOOD REBASADO Por Jesús Sánchez Poyo La historia de los "vencedores" marca el 9 de noviembre de 1989 como el fin de la Guerra Fría, tras la caída del Muro de Berlín. (También señalan el 25 de diciembre de 1991, día en que es disuelta la Unión Soviética en una ceremonia que duró solo 33 minutos). Siguiendo esa lógica de fechas límites, podría afirmarse que el primero de mayo del 2001 fija el fin de la Posguerra Fría, después del anuncio oficial del presidente George W. Bush de que el Pentágono construirá un escudo antimisil para convertir a Estados Unidos en un bunker antiatómico. Y es que este supuesto escudo espacial desafía el acuerdo antimisiles balísticos firmado en 1972 con la extinta URSS- heredado por Rusia- y amenaza con desencadenar una carrera armamentista más peligrosa y costosa que la desarrollada en la época de la Guerra Fría, cuando la humanidad vivió al borde de su propia autodestrucción. "Hay que superar las obligaciones que impone el Tratado ABM que datan de hace 30 años," sentenció Bush, al presentar el proyecto anticoheteril, versión redimensionada del plan propuesto por Ronald Reagan en 1983 (rebautizado como Guerra de las Galaxias). Si bien Bush reconoce que ya no existe "el imperio del mal," en el mundo hay "Estados Parias" que es preciso enfrentar. ¿Qué pretende Washington con este nuevo paso belicista? Es indudable que busca asegurar su preminencia como única gran potencia mundial, posición de fuerza que le da una suerte de patente de corso nuclear para actuar como gendarme de la Aldea Global. Con su sombrilla antiatómica, la Casa Blanca no sólo ostentaría el privilegio de la invulnerabilidad, sino que además se convertiría en un Damocles moderno, sólo que con una espada mucho más terrible y poderosa que la del mítico personaje griego. Sin olvidar que el denominado sistema de defensa antimisil, cuyo costo inicial se estima en más de 60 000 millones de dólares, pondrá otra vez a tope la capacidad de las fábricas de muerte del Complejo Militar Industrial norteamericano. No es descabellado vaticinar que las otras potencias nucleares emprendan también proyectos de repuesta, generando una locura bélica que elevaría aún más los astronómicos gastos de la esfera militar. Luego de una década de hegemonía unipolar los gastos en armas siguen relegando las esperanzas de millones de personas de encontrar una vida más digna. De acuerdo con el Instituto de Investigaciones sobre la Paz Internacional, con sede en Estocolmo, el dinero dedicado a la producción de armamentos totalizó 780 000 millones de dólares en 1999, cifra que representa un 2,6% del Producto Bruto Global. La iniciativa de Bush socava además la credibilidad en los esfuerzos sobre desarme, ya minados por la expansión de la OTAN hacia Europa del Este. Sobre esta "nueva visión estratégica" de Estados Unidos, hace poco el diario The Independent resumió, "Es caro, no se ha demostrado que funcione, desestabilizará los esfuerzos por controlar la carrera armamentista y ni siquiera responde a las amenazas más probables, la mayor de las cuales es la llamada maleta bomba." En diciembre del 2000, un informe de la CIA reveló que existen más probabilidades de un ataque contra la Unión Americana utilizando una bomba nuclear pequeña, fabricada en los propios Estados Unidos, pero con capacidad de destrucción similar a la que lanzaron en Hiroshima. De manera que La Guerra de las Galaxias trascendió los límites de la ficción de Hollywood. El peligro ahora es real. (c) 2001 Radio Havana Cuba, NY Transfer News. Todos dos derechos reservados. Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 02 May 2001 . *CUBA WARNS PANAMA OF RESPONSIBILITY IF LUIS POSADA EVADES JUSTICE *WORKING CLASS MUST GAIN AND MAINTAIN POWER: RAUL CASTRO *INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY ENCOUNTER AGAINST NEO-LIBERAL GLOBALIZATION *SYLVIA BARALDINI RELEASED FROM JAIL AFTER NEARLY 20 YEARS *HUNDREDS IN BOGOTA EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA *US NAVY CONTINUES BOMBING VIEQUES DESPITE WIDESPREAD PROTESTS *RADIO HAVANA CUBA GIVEN AWARD BY FIDEL CASTRO Viewpoint: *FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS - A DISASTER FOR LATIN AMERICANS . *CUBA WARNS PANAMA OF RESPONSIBILITY IF LUIS POSADA EVADES JUSTICE Havana, May 2 (RHC)--Cuba has warned the government of Panama of its complete responsibility in any eventual escape or impunity in the case of terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, detained in Panama in connection with an assassination plot against Cuban President Fidel Castro. In an official statement responding to Panama's refusal to extradite Posada Carriles to Cuba, the Cuban Foreign Ministry warned that if the terrorist and his accomplices, who organized the mass murder of Panamanian students in their effort to eliminate Fidel Castro, escape from Panama's insecure prisons or are favored by arbitrary legal decisions due to pressure from ultra-rightwing circles in Miami, Panama's dignity, honor and sovereignty will be stained before present and future generations in Cuba and around the world. The Cuban Foreign Ministry rejected Panama's claim that Cuban authorities had not presented sufficient evidence in its extradition request, recalling that Posada Carriles' extradition was not requested in connection with the assassination plot, but rather for numerous other crimes committed by the against Cuba and Cuban citizens over the years. The official note states that Cuban authorities fail to understand how 2,492 pages of evidence -- along with film footage and tape recordings of the terrorists confessing their crimes -- is not sufficient evidence. The Cuban Foreign Ministry also rejected Panama's claim of non- recipricocity in the cases of several Panamanians in Cuba whose extradition Panama requested. The official note clarified that Cuba has received only one extradition request in a case that was clearly political and did not involve terrorist acts. That individual, it went on, eventually returned to Panama, was never arrested, and currently lives and works in his country of origin. In another two cases mentioned, the Cuban Foreign Ministry clarified that Panama simply requested information about the whereabouts of certain persons. The Cuban Foreign Ministry reminded Panamanian authorities that besides the 1976 terrorist bomb in a Cuban civilian airliner that killed all 73 people aboard, Luis Posada Carriles and his three accomplices are responsible for the assassination of Cuban diplomat Felix Garcia Rodriguez who worked with Cuba's United Nations Mission in New York, the assassination in Mexico of Cuban Fishing Ministry official Artanan Diaz Diaz-- for which the accomplice, Gaspar Jimenez Escobedo, was arrested in Mexico and later escaped from prison -- and the kidnapping and murder in Argentina of Cuban diplomats Crescencio Galanena Hernandez and Jesus Cejas Arias. These terrorists, continued the Cuban Foreign Ministry, have also placed explosive devices in Cuban diplomatic installations, airlines and other means of transportation in countries that trade with Cuba -- to the point where their extradition could be requested by more than two dozen nations. *WORKING CLASS MUST GAIN AND MAINTAIN POWER: RAUL CASTRO Santiago de Cuba, May 2 (RHC)--During a mass rally to celebrate International Worker's Day in Santiago de Cuba on Tuesday, the head of the island's armed forces, General Raul Castro, affirmed that the workers of the world must gain power and, once it is secured, never give it up. More than 300,000 gathered at the Antonio Maceo Plaza de la Revolucion to mark the day of the working class. Raul Castro addressed the crowd and, looking out over the sea of flags and fists, stated that the residents of Santiago de Cuba are known for their militancy, enthusiasm and patriotism. In the face of an increasingly globalized world, Raul said that the principal challenge for Cuban workers is to maintain their revolutionary achievements. He noted that the recently concluded 18th Congress of the Confederation of Cuban Workers (CTC) was a tremendous success, adding that despite the fact that power is in the hands of the workers in Cuba, they must never let their guard down. After the rally, Raul Castro spoke with visiting trade union delegations from France and Italy. He told them that once power is achieved, the workers can never surrender -- emphasizing that if they do, that power will never be recovered. *INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY ENCOUNTER AGAINST NEO-LIBERAL GLOBALIZATION Havana, May 2 (RHC)--Trade union representatives from more than 60 countries around the world met on Wednesday for an international solidarity gathering in the Cuban capital. Attended by Cuban President Fidel Castro, foreign delegates who took part in the 18th Congress of the Confederation of Cuban Workers gathered for the one-day meeting, during which they strongly condemned neo-liberal economic policies throughout the world. Participants discussed strategies to confront the US-led Free Trade Area of the Americas, calling Washington's plan "a new attempt to dominate Latin American economies." Speaking at the opening session of the encounter, Cuban economist Osvaldo Martinez stated that neo-liberal globalization will only bring more poverty and marginalization to a region that is already overburdoned by millions of poor. *SYLVIA BARALDINI RELEASED FROM JAIL AFTER NEARLY 20 YEARS Havana, May 2 (RHC)--Imprisoned activist Sylvia Baraldini, who spent 17 years in a U.S. prison before being transferred to a prison in her home country of Italy, has been allowed to go home. Although Baraldini had another nine years of her sentence to complete, Italian authorities have placed her under partial house arrest because she is suffering from cancer. She may leave her house between 9 am and 2 pm every day. Baraldini was convicted of kidnapping prison guards to aid former African American activist Assata Shakur to escape from US authorities. There has been a strong movement, especially in Italy, to free Baraldini who calls her new situation "a step forward." She was transferred to custody in Italy last year after international pressure was placed on the US. *HUNDREDS IN BOGOTA EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA Bogota, May 2 (RHC)--Hundreds of Colombians took part in a solidarity activity in Bogota on Tuesday, expressing their support for the Cuban people and their Revolution. Gathered at the headquarters of the Colombian Teachers Federation, more than 400 people called for an end to Washington's economic blockade against Cuba. A special guest speaker at the rally, Antonio Lopez, Political Attache at the Cuban Embassy in Colombia, thanked the crowd for their solidarity. He said that the Cuban Revolution is currently undergoing one of its most important periods in defense of its sovereignty, independence and socialism. Havana's representative in Bogota stated that the Cuban people will never surrender their social achievements, adding that their struggle will be intensified against the infamous Cuban Adjustment Act and the Helms-Burton Law, as well as the so-called Free Trade Area of the Americas. *US NAVY CONTINUES BOMBING VIEQUES DESPITE WIDESPREAD PROTESTS Havana, May 2 (RHC)--The U.S. Navy has concluded another round of military exercises in Vieques carried out amid a civil disobedience campaign that resulted in more than 150 arrests, charges of police abuse. While leaving a federal court in San Juan after posting bail, US Congressman Luis Gutierrez, of Puerto Rican origin, criticized the public mistreatment and violation of the human dignity of Puerto Rican Independence Party leader Ruben Berrios when he was arrested by US authorities. He added, however, that in private all those arrested were treated in a similar fashion, and invited journalists to request permission from the Navy to inspect what he called the cages they were held in. Congressman Jose Serrano, and Puerto Rican delegate to Washington Anibal Acevedo Vila, have also protested before the US Congress, expressing alarm over the treatment of those arrested and the use of excessive force against peaceful demonstrators. Among the last protesters to be arrested Tuesday were the civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton and Puerto Rican political leaders from New York, Roberto Ramirez, Jose Rivera and Adolfo Carrion. Others arrested included Puerto Rican Senators Norma Burgos, Velda Gonzalez and Yasmin Mejias, attorney Robert Kennedy Jr., the Mexican-born movie actor James Olmos and New York labor leader Dennis Rivera All were released on bail Tuesday. Vieques Mayor Damaso Serrano and Puerto Rican Independence Party leader Ruben Berrios have refused to post bail. The civil disobedience campaign forced the suspension of the US military's target practice during several hours on Thursday and again on Saturday. *RADIO HAVANA CUBA GIVEN AWARD BY FIDEL CASTRO Havana, May 2 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro has awarded Radio Havana Cuba a certificate of recognition. In a ceremony held at the Radio station and attended by all nine language departments, the distinction was presented by Rolando Alfonso Borges from the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party. Alfonso Borges read the inscription signed by Fidel Castro, granted for exemplary service to the nation over the past four decades in broadcasting the truth in defense of the Revolution and its unwavering principles. The Cuban leader said that he was comfortable in the assurance that Radio Havana Cuba will continue to be in the forefront of the island's battle of ideas. Radio Havana Cuba broadcasts in Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, Quechua, Esperanto, Guarani and Creole. *Viewpoint: FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS - A DISASTER FOR LATIN AMERICANS Cuban president Fidel Castro had harsh words in his May Day address about the Free Trade Area of the Americas, the FTAA. Speaking to some 600,000 people gathered in Havana to celebrate International Workers Day, the Cuban leader denounced the US project, through which the majority of the region's governments will subject their peoples to North American domination. With the area plunged into economic crisis, government leaders are rushing to join with the United States in a strange strategic alliance in which the huge transnationals will gobble up the identity, independence and sovereignty of all Latin America. President Castro stressed that this dangerous project is being undertaken without consulting either the peoples of these nations, their parliaments or grassroots organizations. It is the first time that such a project has been launched in the public domain without the slightest concern for the democratic measures so often talked about on this continent which everyone knows are based on the US model. If the FTAA is as beneficial as is claimed by those who have signed on, why don't they consult the people of their countries? Why hasn't that been done by a single one of the governments that have gone to Washington to proclaim their participation? Why did these same governments condemn Cuba before the United Nations Human Rights Commission for violations it has not committed? Why did they stoop to do Washington's bidding when the US Secretary of State himself has proclaimed that Cuba has done good things for its people? These are the questions we put to all those who feel that they have the freedom to truly reason. For any nation that truly calls itself democratic, it is clear that national plebiscites should be held to determine what Latin America wants to do about this so-called Free Trade Area of the Americas. The alternative is the annexation of the entire region to the greed of US corporate politics. (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-30128 2001-May-03 00:47:05