Radio Havana Cuba-07 November 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 07 November 2001 . *RECOVERY PHASE CONTINUES FOLLOWING HURRICANE MICHELLE *VENEZUELA SENDS HUMANITARIAN AID TO CUBA IN WAKE OF HURRICANE *CUBA CALLS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR *UN EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER DETAINEES IN US FOLLOWING SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS *BUSH OIL INTERESTS THWARTED INVESTIGATION OF BIN LADEN NETWORK *ACTIVISTS SAY WTO THREATENS THIRD WORLD WITH MORE HUNGER *COLOMBIA: FARC DENOUNCES ITS INCLUSION ON US "TERRORIST" LIST *US CONGRESS GRILLS FBI ON LACK OF PROGRESS IN ANTHRAX INVESTIGATION Viewpoint: *CUBA EVALUATES DAMAGE CAUSED BY HURRICANE MICHELLE *CUBA WORKS QUICKLY TO RECOVER AFTER WORST STORM IN 50 YEARS . *RECOVERY PHASE CONTINUES FOLLOWING HURRICANE MICHELLE Havana, November 7 (RHC)-- Three days following the worst hurricane to hit the island in more than 50 years, recovery efforts are continuing non-stop. By early Wednesday morning, electrical power had been restored to a large part of the areas affected by Hurricane Michelle. On Sunday, as the storm was baring down on Cuba, electricity was purposefully cut to protect human lives due to downed power lines, as well as avoid damage to the island's electrical grid. Most schools in Havana were reopened this morning. Without electricity and running water, classrooms and other institutions and businesses had been forced to close temporarily until services were reestablished. Priority was given to electrical circuits that supply power to hospitals and other vital institutions. Workers must first test the lines to make sure there are no short circuits before turning on the power. Clean up operations are continuing throughout the provinces most affected by the hurricane, which tore through the island's mid-section over the weekend. In Matanzas, Cienfuegos and Villa Clara, work crews are accelerating their efforts to reestablish basic services. Cuban President Fidel Castro toured the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Michelle on Monday. Speaking with reporters following his visits to Cienfuegos and Villa Clara, the leader of the Cuban Revolution stated that all the resources of the State would be made available to the victims of the storm. Fidel Castro emphasized that no one will be left unemployed as a result of Hurricane Michelle. And he assured those who lost their homes or suffered damage that building materials and other resources will be provided to them as soon as possible. During his tour of Cienfuegos and Villa Clara, Cuban President Fidel Castro was briefed on the damage caused by Hurricane Michelle. Local authorities told the Cuban leader that the storm caused serious crop damage in the region, with wind gusts of more than 200 kilometers per hour. *VENEZUELA SENDS HUMANITARIAN AID TO CUBA IN WAKE OF HURRICANE Havana, November 7 (RHC)-- Venezuela has sent humanitarian aid to Cuba in the wake of Hurricane Michelle. Two C-130 cargo planes carrying some 22 tons of aid arrived at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport; the first flight arrived from Caracas Tuesday evening, the second landed in the Cuban capital on Wednesday. On hand to receive the aid was Marta Lomas, Cuba's Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation. She expressed appreciation for Venezuela's spontaneous gesture of friendship and solidarity. Venezuelan Army General Jorge Luis Rivas Abreu, heading the humanitarian mission, told reporters in Havana that eight civil defense experts from his country were on Tuesday evening's flight. He said they would work with their Cuban counterparts in the recovery operations currently underway. General Rivas Abreu stated that the humanitarian flights included shipments of medicine, powdered milk, canned food, corn flour, sugar, coffee, wheat and other cereal grains. In addition, the Venezuelan cargo planes brought donations of several all-terrain vehicles and an electric-generating plant, as well as special instruments and tools. Venezuelan officials received a briefing on the damage caused by the devastating storm. They told reporters that over the next several days, following an extensive tour of affected areas, they will evaluate exactly what types of aid are needed. *CUBA CALLS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR Rome, November 7 (RHC)-- Cuba has called for the elimination of the gap between rich and poor. During the 31st Period of Sessions of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Cuba's Ambassador to the FAO, Juan Nuiry Sanchez, said that hunger is caused by the growing differences between the "haves" and "have-nots". Calling on the United Nations to take the lead in prioritizing the fight against hunger, Cuba's ambassador to the FAO said that peace is a prerequisite to feeding the world. And he affirmed that no country can end poverty by itself, but only with international cooperation. Referring to the current international situation, Juan Nuiry Sanchez stated "bombs cannot kill hunger, poverty or disease," pointing out that it is still not too late to reverse the present course which is dragging the world toward war. Havana's Ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization stated that Cuba will continue to work for a just international order that can resolve the major challenges facing humanity. *UN EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER DETAINEES IN US FOLLOWING SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS New York, November 7 (RHC)-- The United Nations has expressed concern over the potential abuse of hundreds of people being held in custody in the United States, allegedly in connection with the September 11th terrorist attacks. Special UN investigator on torture, British law professor Sir Nigel Rodley, Tuesday told Reuters news agency that it's important that the detainees establish contact with an attorney as a means of avoiding any mistreatment. Rodley's concerns echo those expressed by human rights activists and some media outlets that the largest U.S. criminal probe in history could lead investigators to commit brutal excesses while interrogating suspects. The UN official -- who will be stepping down next week from the independent post after more than eight years on the trail of torturers from Rwanda to East Timor -- has reportedly followed the round-up of more than 1,100 people after the suicide attacks. He said he is also worried that the United States and other countries holding suspects may be tempted to send back people to their own country of origin whose governments tend to tolerate torture - a possibility rumored in diverse media outlets in recent weeks. On Monday, the White House said the "lion's share" of those detained had been released, contradicting the Justice Department, which said most were still being held. The White House later clarified that it meant only those held on criminal charges -- implying that most of those being held haven't been charged at all. *BUSH OIL INTERESTS THWARTED INVESTIGATION OF BIN LADEN NETWORK London, November 7 (RHC)-- The British Broadcasting Corporation has affirmed that FBI agents in the United States probing relatives of Saudi-born terror suspect Osama Bin Laden before September 11th were told to back off soon after George W. Bush became president due to Bush family oil interests. The BBC's "Newsnight" current affairs program on Tuesday said that Bush at one point had a number of connection with Saudi Arabia's prominent Bin Laden family. It added that there was suspicion that Washington's strategic interest in Saudi Arabia, which has the world's biggest oil reserves, blunted inquiries into individuals with suspected terrorist connections -- so long as the United States was safe. But "Newsnight" added that Bush made his first million dollars 20 years ago with an oil company partly funded by the chief U.S. representative of Salem Bin Laden, Osama's brother. The BBC news program reported that it had seen secret documents from an FBI probe into the September 11 terror attacks that showed that at least two other U.S.-based members of the Bin Laden family are suspected to have links with a possible terrorist organization. Bush, according to the BBC report, also received fees as director of a subsidiary of Carlyle Corporation, a little-known private company which in just a few years since its founding has become one of the U.S.'s biggest defense contractors, and his father, George Bush Sr., is also a paid advisor. The connection became embarrassing when it was revealed that the Bin Ladens held a stake in Carlyle, sold just after September 11th, according to the report. *ACTIVISTS SAY WTO THREATENS THIRD WORLD WITH MORE HUNGER Brussels, November 7 (RHC)-- Anti-free market globalization activists have charged that another round of World Trade Organization talks will pose a threat to food security in the Third World. Organizations like Oxfam and Friends of the Earth stated Wednesday in Brussels that food sovereignty should constitute the basis of any negotiations on agriculture, pointing out that in Africa, for example, the priority should be the production of food for Africans and not for export purposes. The activists criticized the European Union's decision to offer an open market to the agro products of poor nations, noting that the move is not in the interests of farmers, but rather, of transnational firms. They noted that many U.S. and European companies are moving their factories to Third World nations for export purposes, citing the case of Holland's production of flowers in Colombia, Kenya and India to export to Europe and the United States. The anti-globalization activists said the European Union didn't learn anything in Seattle, where - due to protests and the concerns of Third World nations about unequal trade -- the WTO unsuccessfully attempted to launch another round of trade talks in 1999. They charged that for the United States and Europe, agro trade talks are more important than resolving the problem of hunger and food security. *COLOMBIA: FARC DENOUNCES ITS INCLUSION ON US "TERRORIST" LIST Bogotá, November 7 (RHC)-- Colombia's Revolutionary Armed Forces insurgency, the FARC, has denounced and rejected its inclusion on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations. A communiqué posted between Tuesday and Wednesday on the guerrilla group's Web site asserted that the FARC is a revolutionary organization struggling for political, economic and social change through the use of arms given the historic impossibility of advancing that struggle in Colombia by other means. It stated that comparing Colombia's internal conflict with events in the Middle East, in Afghanistan or in northern Spain is mistaken, due to the origins and characteristics of these conflicts. The guerrilla organization stated that war against poor countries is not the solution to the world's serious problems and the capitalist system's economic recession. The leftist rebels also termed as disproportionate the U.S. bombardment of Afghanistan, insisting that world peace requires the elimination of poverty, not the use of bombs. The communiqué was posted as Colombian President Andres Pastrana begins an official visit to the United States. Both U.S. ambassador in Bogota, Anne Patterson, and British ambassador Thomas Duggin have claimed in recent days that Colombia's leftist guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries have ties with international terrorist organizations. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has once again condemned Washington's financial support of the Colombian military, accused of ties with right-wing death squads. Last October, the human rights organization released a report entitled "Colombia's 6th Division", in reference to the paramilitaries since the country's armed forces only have five divisions. And special United Nations representative Hina Jilani has reiterated her concern over the rise in political assassinations, forced disappearances and impunity in Colombia following a ten-day visit to the Andean nation last month. *US CONGRESS GRILLS FBI ON LACK OF PROGRESS IN ANTHRAX INVESTIGATION Washington, November 7 (RHC)-- The FBI had to withstand Tuesday a grinding in the U.S. Congress from legislators angry that authorities have no clues in the wave of anthrax attacks. Democratic Senator John Edwards impatiently asked FBI anti-terrorism chief James Caruso if it's true that the agency doesn't know where the anthrax came from and wasn't capable of identifying all the people who could have access to it. News agencies reported that Caruso was even more flustered when Senator Dianne Feinstein asked how many laboratories in the country work with the anthrax bacteria. Caruso responded that he didn't know right now. Feinstein asked why didn't he know, with Caruso admitting that his response was not satisfactory. Viewpoint: *CUBA EVALUATES DAMAGE CAUSED BY HURRICANE MICHELLE Cuban authorities have qualified as "very severe" damages to the island caused by Hurricane Michelle. Especially hard hit were the western provinces of Matanzas and Havana and the province of the City of Havana. Roofs were blown off buildings at the University of Matanzas where more than a hundred trees were uprooted along with other damages which will cost the school thousands of dollars. However, the university laboratories are intact, as well as the library. Hundreds of university students, including more than a hundred foreigners, have joined in with workers to repair the damage. The island's sugar industry, a principal source of hard currency, was also seriously affected with nine of Matanzas' twenty sugar mills badly damaged and thousands of acres of cane fields completely destroyed. This takes on even more significance when we recall that Matanzas is among Cuba's most important sugar producers. Throughout Cuba, some 45,0000 homes were damaged, at least 2000 of them totally. 500 schools were damaged and more than 700 businesses. Citrus plantations were flattened, destroying 90,000 tons of oranges, while precious tobacco seeds were lost and as well as almost all the area's bananas. Fortunately, two other critical economic sectors, petroleum and tourism, suffered little damage, which is good news for the country since Matanzas is where half of Cuba's oil and gas is produced. Varadero Beach Resort, the nation's most important tour center, also escaped major damage. Regarding the generation of electrical power, Cuba's Ministry of Basic Industry reports that damages to the system were the worst in Cuban history. Nonetheless, since the very beginning repair brigades started to work and electricity was first re-established in hospitals, refrigerated warehouses, dispensaries of cooking gas, etc. .As of Wednesday morning in Havana, Pinar del Rio, Ciego de Avila and Santi Spiritus electrical service was beginning to be re-established in residences. Linemen from across the island, from as far away as Santiago de Cuba, Holguin and Granma, have joined their colleagues in the west to insure that within 72 hours after the passing of Hurricane Michelle, the situation would be back to normal. Schools that were not damaged by the storm started classes again on Wednesday and little by little the others will be starting up. This quick and efficient return to normalcy after the worst hurricane to hit the country in 50 years, is due to the willingness of the Cuban people to work together with the government and with each other, tackling the huge task before them. Also of utmost importance were the series of measures taken long before the storm hit the island on Sunday afternoon. And finally, Cubans are assured that all those who suffered losses will receive support from government institutions and once again, as in all times of crisis, solidarity will be the order of the day.. *CUBA WORKS QUICKLY TO RECOVER AFTER WORST STORM IN 50 YEARS Hurricane Michelle, the worst storm to hit Cuba in fifty years, slammed into the island on Sunday. Bringing with it sustained winds of over 200 kilometers an hour, Michelle entered Cuban territory in the south near the special municipality of the Isle of Youth, causing serious damage. The category four hurricane toppled radio and telecommunications towers and flattened huge citrus plantations. On Sunday afternoon, the hurricane hit the southern part of the province of Matanzas, cutting a diagonal swath across central Cuba and finally heading out to sea to the north in central Villa Clara province. That path proved to be fortunate for the island as a whole because Michelle stayed clear of large urban areas, though small rural zones were hard hit and important crops on the Havana-Matanzas plains were destroyed. Giving an idea of Michelle's destructive force is the fact that in the city of Havana, some 200 kilometers to the west of the eye of the hurricane, more than 2000 trees were uprooted, many of them damaging homes, automobiles and electrical cables. The entire western part of Cuba, from Pinar del Rio to Santi Spiritus, was left without electricity, water and cooking gas -- leaving the huge area seemingly paralyzed on Monday. We say "seemingly" because even as the last effects of Michele were still being felt, thousands were already in the streets cleaning up debris and working to reconnect services lost in the storm. And, at the very moment when the tropical storm was battering Matanzas with a direct hit, Cuban President Fidel Castro was there evaluating the damage. Though the damages are severe, the Cuban people will be able to get the country moving in a relatively short time. There are certain lessons to be drawn from this experience. First of all, when there is a crisis, a nation's leader should be where the danger is, not hidden away. Second, it is in these circumstances where the advantages of a socialist society are most evident, because although material costs in a natural disaster such as this are practically inevitable, the loss of human lives can be kept to a minimum. In the case of Hurricane Michelle, only five deaths occurred; something unheard of in other underdeveloped nations hit by such a devastating storm. It is undeniable that the enormous number of preventive measures taken by the Cuban people and authorities would have been impossible without a well-organized and caring society; a society that places human beings above profit. The same is true for the rapid recovery efforts that are currently underway. More than 700,000 people were evacuated to more secure areas, where they were guaranteed a bed, food and medical services, as well as transportation. Those who were unfortunate enough to lose their belongings in the storm are confident that the Revolution will do what it can to replace at least the most basic necessities. Live and learn, as the saying goes, and we have lived through this experience and have learned that we are proud to be part of building a society, which, while not perfect, works hard at being fair and humane. (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-26587 2001-Nov-08 00:31:30