Radio Havana Cuba-21 November 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 21 November 2001 . *FIVE CUBANS REMAIN LOCKED UP IN PRISON FOR FIGHTING TERRORISM *FIDEL CASTRO TALKS WITH RETURNING WORLD BASEBALL CHAMPIONS *RECOVERY EFFORTS CONTINUE IN WAKE OF HURRICANE MICHELLE *ARGENTINE SUPREME COURT ORDERS FORMER PRESIDENT CARLOS MENEM FREED *INTERNATONAL EFFORT TO PREVENT COLLAPSE OF COLOMBIAN PEACE PROCESS *LONDON ADMITS THERE MAY NO ROLE FOR BRITISH TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN *UNITED NATIONS WARNS OF ON-GOING INSTABILITY IN AFGHANISTAN *OBSERVERS WARN OF RENEWED FOCUS ON IRAQ BY US HAWKS Viewpoint: *WINNER OF HONDURAN ELECTION TAKES OVER AN IMPOVERISHED, TROUBLED NATION . *FIVE CUBANS REMAIN LOCKED UP IN PRISON FOR FIGHTING TERRORISM Havana, November 21 (RHC)--Five Cuban political prisoners remain locked up in a U.S. federal prison in Miami -- awaiting sentencing next month. The prisoners have been convicted in U.S. courts for allegedly endangering national security, but their only "crime" was to provide information that would prevent terrorist actions against the island. The names of the five are household words in Cuba: Rene, Ramon, Gerardo, Fernando and Antonio. And during Tuesday evening's roundtable discussion -- broadcast live on Cuban radio and television -- the latest information about their health and welfare was discussed by a panel of experts and journalists. The moderator of the roundtable discussion, Randy Alonso, reported that the five are still being held separately in Miami's federal prison. He said that all are in good health and high spirits -- awaiting a sentencing hearing that has been set for after December 10th. Eduardo Dimas, a journalist with Cuban television, said that U.S. lawyers representing the five have conducted themselves very well -- offering abundant evidence of their innocence on charges of espionage and conspiracy. Dimas stated that the attorneys are arguing for a dismissal of the charges against their clients. Panelists on Tuesday evening's roundtable also noted that during trial proceedings in Miami, a number of prominent witnesses -- including retired U.S. military officers and intelligence agents -- offered testimony in favor of dropping charges against the five Cubans. One witness, a retired U.S. Army general, testified that Cuba does not represent a threat to the United States. Other defense witnesses pointed to the numerous terrorist attacks carried out against Cuba over the years -- organized in the United States and, specifically, in southern Florida. Finally, panelists on the radio and TV roundtable concluded that if Washington were truly serious about fighting terrorism, the five Cubans who were merely trying to protect their country from terrorist acts would be immediately set free. *FIDEL CASTRO TALKS WITH RETURNING WORLD BASEBALL CHAMPIONS Havana, November 21 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro visited with the island's winning baseball team last night -- having just arrived from Taipei and their victory at the 34th World Baseball Cup. The Cuban leader shook hands with each of the players and talked with them about their individual and team efforts. He told them that the entire Cuban people were following each and every play -- despite the fact that most of the games were played during the early morning hours in Cuba, due to the time difference between Havana and Taipei. The leader of the Cuban Revolution joked that even he lost sleep, making sure he didn't miss a single game. Fidel Castro congratulated the players on behalf of the Cuban people and said that the island's victory at the World Baseball Cup comes at the same time that Cuba is successfully recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Michelle. The head of the Cuban Sports Institute and leader of the team's delegation in Taipei, Humberto Rodriguez, gave the Cuban president a detailed, play-by-play account of the games leading up to the decisive one against the U.S. team. He said that right before the championship game, representatives of the U.S. team passed out little American flags -- hoping that people in the stadium would wave them in support of their team. Rodriguez said that when the game actually got underway, the flags never saw the light of day. Instead, most of the fans in Taipei's baseball stadium cheered for Cuba's team. During his conversation with the players, Cuban President Fidel Castro noted that the team worked hard for their World Cup victory and that the island's regular baseball season opens December 16th. He said the players needed a well-deserved break and that the opening date might be moved back to give them more time to rest. *RECOVERY EFFORTS CONTINUE IN WAKE OF HURRICANE MICHELLE Havana, November 21 (RHC)--Recovery efforts continue in the provinces hardest hit by Hurricane Michelle two and a half weeks ago. According to reports from area residents and local authorities, the affected areas are beginning to return to normal. In Havana province, independent and cooperative farmers are reportedly harvesting crops that can be recovered and trying to meet the winter planting season. Planting also includes short-term crops such as squash, sweet potatoes and corn. The Ministry of Tourism reports that the efforts of hotel and tourism workers during Hurricane Michelle were crucial for the protection of important facilities. In terms of communications, Cuba's telecommunications company ETECSA has announced that basic telephone service will be totally re-established on the island by November 30th. And, as the beginning of the sugar harvest is just a few days away, Cuba's Sugar Minister Ulises Rosales del Toro called on workers in eastern Holguin province to strive for efficiency during the upcoming harvest. Del Toro announced that the harvest could start earlier on some plantations near the sugar mills that were severely affected by the hurricane, allowing for the cutting of huge amounts of cane that had been literally flattened by the storm's devastating winds. *ARGENTINE SUPREME COURT ORDERS FORMER PRESIDENT CARLOS MENEM FREED Buenos Aires, November 21 (RHC)--Argentina's Supreme Court Tuesday ordered former president Carlos Menem freed from house arrest on charges of running an illicit arms smuggling ring. The arrest nearly six months agon marked the first time Menem had been touched personally by numerous corruption scandals that marked his two consecutive terms as president between 1989 and 1999. The high court also ordered the release from prison of Menem's former advisor and brother-in-law Emir Yoma in a 6 to 2 vote with one abstention. The decision was accompanied by harsh criticism of federal judge Jorge Urso, who had ordered Menem's house arrest insisting that there was sufficient evidence linking the former president to an illicit criminal association. Investigators have been looking into how some 6,500 tons of weapons worth 100 million dollars officially listed as bound for Panama and Venezuela ended up in Croatia and Ecuador despite international arms embargoes. Menem and several of his cabinet ministers signed 4 decrees between 1991 and 1995 authorizing the sale of weapons that were diverted to the two countries under a UN weapons embargo due to their involvement in armed conflicts. Former defense minister Antonio Erman Gonzalez and army chief Martin Balza were not released from prison due to criminal investigations linked to the original charges of gun smuggling. Menem's release came as no surprise to local media outlets, which recalled that the former president had good relations with the majority of the 9 Supreme Court justices. Menem himself had increased the number of justices from 5 to 9 during his presidency, a move that many say was aimed at favoring himself and his colleagues in the face of eventual corruption charges once his mandate came to an end. *INTERNATONAL EFFORT TO PREVENT COLLAPSE OF COLOMBIAN PEACE PROCESS Bogotá, November 21 (RHC)--The international community is mobilizing to prevent a definitive rupture in rebel-government peace talks in Colombia. The Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces insurgency has threatened to immediately withdraw from the peace process if authorities don't suspend the stepped up military maneuvers near the rebel-controlled demilitarized zone. Special UN envoy, Norwegian Jan Egeland, has issued a desperate call to both parties, stating that a rupture in the peace process would be tragic. Representatives of the so-called peace process "facilitator" nations -- Canada, Cuba, Spain, France, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Venezuela -- have also mobilized in efforts to bring to the two sides back to the negotiation table. The rebels have refused to hold talks since last October 17th due to military over flights of the demilitarized zone and stepped up controls on land. President Andres Pastrana has refused to bow to the rebel demand. Colombian Interior Minister Armando Estrada Tuesday affirmed that the president had nothing more to say concerning the issue. *LONDON ADMITS THERE MAY NO ROLE FOR BRITISH TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN London, November 21 (RHC)--The British defense ministry has admitted that its military force in Afghanistan may be pulled out amid continuing uncertainty about what role, if any, UK troops could play there. After Prime Minister Tony Blair Tuesday denied rumors that the deployment of another 6,000 troops had been postponed due to differences with Washington, the British news daily "The Guardian" quoted a defense source who reportedly said that not only has deployment of the 6,000 been postponed, but the 100 British troops at the Bagram airbase north of Kabul may be pulled out. "The Guardian" reported that a withdrawal would come as an embarrassment to Blair, who has trumpeted the potential role of British forces in stabilizing Afghanistan and distributing aid. There have been persistent reports that the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance is blocking deployment of more British troops and that the US is unenthusiastic about Blair's plans to send further troops - preferring to concentrate instead on the elimination of Osama Bin Laden. According to British international development secretary Clare Short, Washington is not interested in a civil-military liaison between aid agencies and US military commanders. Observers have also noted the US's reluctance to commit ground troops to any post-Taliban stabilization effort once the bombing raids achieve their objective. *UNITED NATIONS WARNS OF ON-GOING INSTABILITY IN AFGHANISTAN Kabul, November 21 (RHC)--The United Nations Wednesday warned that various regions in Afghanistan remain unstable following the Taliban flight. UN offices in the northern city of Mazar-I-Sharif and the eastern city of Jalalabad have been cleaned out by thieves. The looting of UN offices in the two cities included the theft of food aid, vehicles and communications equipment. According to UN spokesman Eric Falt, even the window frames were stripped from some offices. Along with the four journalists shot and killed Monday as they traveled on the main road east of Kabul, other journalists have reportedly been robbed on the route around the city of Sarobi, said to be a favorite site of highway bandits when Afghanistan suffered years of lawlessness in the 1990s. The road is the country's main link to Pakistan, supplying much of its food aid and other supplies. Due to the road's dangerousness, the UN is flying planes from Pakistan to Kabul at an insurance cost of 50,000 dollars for each flight, and charging journalists 2,500 dollars for a one-way seat. Meanwhile, mujahideen warlords aren't waiting for next Monday's gathering in Berlin on Afghanistan's political future. Mazar-I-Sharif is now effectively divided into three sections, each run by a rival Northern Alliance commander. UN officials say about 300 bodies have been found there in the past week, victims of intra-alliance squabbling. Kabul, though with a calmer situation, is also ruled by rival alliance factions that observers say could cross swords. General Mohammad Fahim, the alliance's defense minister, controls the central and eastern parts of the city, while troops loyal to General Mohammad Karias Khalili control Kabul's western sections. *OBSERVERS WARN OF RENEWED FOCUS ON IRAQ BY US HAWKS Washington, November 21 (RHC)--With the United States now saying that Iraq could well be the next anti-terrorism target, some observers are asserting that in Washington the hawks are gaining the upper hand. According to the British news daily "The Guardian", the caution of Secretary of State Colin Powell is loosing ground to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon. The article "Turning Towards Iraq" affirmed that the most public advocate of killing Saddam Hussein is Richard Perle, the former Reagan official once branded the Prince of Darkness, and Rumsfeld's beyond-hawkish deputy Paul Wolfowitz. According to journalist Jason Vest, writing for the "Village Voice," the Washington debate on attacking Iraq goes well beyond madness. Vest, a political reporter based in Washington, D.C. who also contributes regularly to the alternative publications AlterNet, The American Prospect and In These Times, affirmed that the Donald Rumsfeld Pentagon is increasingly seen by some as an asylum where a coterie of vengeful Cold War unilateralist relics plot a return to a forceful, Reaganesque Pax Americana, broadening the war to encompass military action against Iraq, Syria and Lebanon -- essentially fusing Israel's national security agenda with that of the United States. Viewpoint: *WINNER OF HONDURAN ELECTION TAKES OVER AN IMPOVERISHED, TROUBLED NATION When we speak of politics, the terms "win" and "lose" are relative. Nowhere is that more true than in Sunday's elections in Honduras, where the "winner" will assume responsibility for an impoverished and backward country. Honduras, among the region's poorest nations, falls just behind Haiti and Nicaragua, with official figures listing 60 per cent of its six million inhabitants living below the poverty line. Non- governmental agencies however, maintain that up to 80 per cent of Hondurans are living from hand- to-mouth. Of every one hundred Honduran residents, 44 have no access whatever to health services and 16 live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions spawning all types of disease. The country still has not recovered from the devastation of Hurricane Mitch, which smashed into Honduras in l998, destroying a large part of the nation, killing more than six thousand people and leaving more than a million and a half homeless. And on top of all that, this year a prolonged drought scorched Honduras' already precarious crops leaving tens of thousands of people in the northern and eastern regions on the brink of starvation. Another serious problem which the next president of Honduras will inherit is a foreign debt of some six billion dollars, which means that every person at birth already owes a thousand dollars that must be paid immediately. The tragedy is that the debt is 330 million dollars more than Honduras' Gross Domestic Product. That means that if all of the country's produced wealth were added up for an entire year, it still wouldn't be enough to pay what the nation owes its foreign creditors. The World Bank itself, one of the destroyed nation's main creditors., estimates that for each dollar that enters Honduras, the country needs six dollars just to pay the yearly interest on the debt, while the debt itself either remains the same or grows. The non-governmental agency the Honduran Social Forum of Foreign Debt and Development, revealed that the country paid four billion, 150 million dollars between l981 and l999 in interest, a figure that is the equivalent of the entire debt in l999. No matter how you look at it, each day Honduras sinks deeper into poverty with no hope on the horizon. It is clear that the people are going to demand much of the new government in the way to solving the country's festering problems. Governing party representative Rafael Pineda Ponce and conservative businessman Ricardo Maduro, the two presidential candidates most likely to win, should think twice and realize that the challenges will be much greater than the sweet smell of success. (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-7830 2001-Nov-21 23:09:07