Radio Havana Cuba-23 November 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 23 November 2001 . *PEREZ ROQUE ON THE PRESSING REGIONAL CONCERNS AT IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT *CUBA'S TOURISM INDUSTRY HAS GOOD REASON TO BE OPTIMISTIC *SPAIN RANKS NUMBER ONE WITH JOINT VENTURES IN CUBA *TRADE RELATIONS BETWEEN CUBA AND BRAZIL CONTINUE TO EXPAND *RIVALRIES AMONG NORTHERN ALLIANCE FACTIONS APPEAR OVER KUNDUZ SIEGE *UN ENVOY TO COLOMBIA SAYS REVIVAL OF PEACE PROCESS "VERY DIFFICULT" *US REFUSAL TO PERMIT VERIFICATION FRUSTRATES BIO-WAR MEETING IN GENEVA *US WAR AGAINST AFGHANISTAN ONLY NURTURING FRESH HATREDS - GORE VIDAL *A FAMILY INITED CANNOT BE DESTROYED: CALL OF THE IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT . *PEREZ ROQUE ON THE PRESSING REGIONAL CONCERNS AT IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT Lima, November 23 (RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque is keeping busy in the Peruvian capital, attending meetings related to the 11th Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Governments, which formally got underway Friday evening. Speaking with reporters in Lima, Cuba's foreign minister said that among the topics that are being discussed at the Summit are regional economic issues and the recurring theme of terrorism. He noted that Cuba has always condemned terrorism -- pointing to last year's Ibero-American Summit in Panama when Cuba called for a condemnation of all forms of terrorism, not just actions against a single country. Felipe Pérez Roque emphasized that Cuba is both strongly opposed to terrorism and the unilateral use of force, referring to Washington's war against Afghanistan. Havana's top diplomat also noted that "there are growing dangers on the horizon for our countries," specifically mentioning the Free Trade Area of the Americas which will mean the region's virtual annexation to the United States. The Cuban foreign minister said that regional unity and integration are the only ways to confront the challenges of the future. Felipe Peréz Roque said that Cuba is taking part in the discussions "in a spirit of constructive cooperation, but also with dignity and with our heads held high" -- defending the principles of truth and justice and with the hope that this Ibero-American Summit will bring the region at least one step closer to unity. He added that the gathering would provide an opportunity to search for solutions to the very grave problems that threaten our region. *CUBA'S TOURISM INDUSTRY HAS GOOD REASON TO BE OPTIMISTIC Havana, November 23 (RHC)-- Cuba's tourist industry is looking forward to the upcoming high tourist season, which begins in mid-December. Varadero Beach Resort, one of the island's main tourist centers, is currently hosting nearly 11,000 visitors, just three weeks after Hurricane Michelle tore through the island's mid-section. Almost all hotels at Varadero Beach, located in central Cuba, are back to normal thanks to rapid recovery efforts. The Paradiso-Puntarenas tourist complex, managed by the Jamaican Superclubs chain and the Playa de Oro, under French management, are the only two facilities whose total recovery will still take another month. Cuba is a very safe destination with high prestige and important natural and cultural values. Tourists feel safe traveling around the island and experience the warm hospitality of the Cuban people. Cuba's Tourism Minister Ibrahim Ferradaz recently said that the sector is expected to grow from five to seven percent this year -- a figure which is well below predictions before the tragic events of September 11th in the United States, which pointed to a 12 percent increase. However, explained Ferradaz, the upcoming high tourist season plus the safety guaranteed by Cuba as a tourist destination, spark optimism toward the complete recovery of the sector. *SPAIN RANKS NUMBER ONE WITH JOINT VENTURES IN CUBA Madrid, November 23 (RHC)-- Spain ranks first among more than 30 countries that have invested in Cuba -- with 99 operating economic associations. Rodrigo Malmierca, Cuba's Deputy Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation, said that 404 economic associations -- also known as joint ventures -- are currently operating on the island. Combined, the joint ventures produce capital amounting to five billion dollars. Canada maintains 74 companies in Cuba and Italy has 57 enterprises, according to the Cuban government official. He added that foreign capital is present in almost all Cuban economic sectors, except in education, health and defense -- which are not included in Cuban legislation allowing the participation of foreign entities on the island's economy. Malmierca said that Cuban authorities have made a priority of investments in basic industry, particularly in the energy and oil sectors, tourism and information technology. The Cuban deputy minister presented a lecture on investment opportunities on the island, which was attended by nearly 100 business people at Expocuba 2001 in Madrid, Spain. Some 30 important Cuban companies are participating in the event. Rodrigo Malmierca explained that Cuba offers foreign investors several advantages such as a skilled local labor force, political stability, investment security as well as possibilities for regional integration plus a strategic geographical location. Cuba's deputy minister of foreign investment noted that the island currently has investment protection and promotion agreements with 56 countries. He also presented figures showing a steady economic growth since 1995, plus an increasing presence on the island of foreign capital despite constant U.S. attempts to torpedo it, such as Washington's Helms-Burton Law, passed in 1996. The Cuban official pointed out that foreign investment actually increased on the island after passage of the anti-Cuba legislation, proving that Helms-Burton is totally ineffective. *TRADE RELATIONS BETWEEN CUBA AND BRAZIL CONTINUE TO EXPAND Brasilia, November 23 (RHC)-- Cuba and Brazil will see their trade grow by 20 percent this year despite the world economic slump. According to Havana's Ambassador to Brazil, Jorge Lezcano Pérez, commercial relations between the two countries is better than ever. During the first half of this year, trade between Havana and Brasilia surpassed 94 million dollars, 14 percent over the same period last year. Brazilian exports to Cuba include chicken, soy by-products, cooking oil, busses, water pumps and agricultural equipment. Cuban exports to Brazil consist of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, nickel, cigars and rum. *RIVALRIES AMONG NORTHERN ALLIANCE FACTIONS APPEAR OVER KUNDUZ SIEGE Kabul, November 23 (RHC) -- Fighting raged on in the last Taliban stronghold in northern Afghanistan following the failure of cease-fire negotiations that many news reports are blaming on divisions among Northern Alliance factions. The British news daily "The Guardian" affirmed that Taliban negotiations to surrender to Northern Alliance forces was merely a power play disguised as talks. The news daily reported that Uzbek General Abdul Rashid Dostam's brokerage of the deal was clearly in preparation to add Kunduz to his own mini-empire, but that Tajik commander Ahmad Shah Masood, whose troops opened fire, had another idea. Liberating Kunduz, it continued, now has little to do with the fight against terrorism and everything to do with the struggle to get a bigger piece of the cake. Fourteen thousand desperate Taliban troops are trapped in the northern city that is also being bombarded by US aircraft, and many fear a Northern Alliance massacre once Kunduz eventually falls. Currently visiting Pakistan, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw Friday insisted that those Taliban and Al Qaida fighters who want to surrender should not be mistreated. In Kabul, United Nations spokeswoman Stephanie Bunker expressed deep concern over the situation in Kunduz, telling the Northern Alliance that the eyes of the world are upon them. Also in Kabul, International Red Cross spokesman Bernard Barrett recalled the between 400 and 600 bodies found near Mazar-I-Sharif after it was conquered by the Northern Alliance 2 weeks ago. Meanwhile, fighting has erupted just 20 kilometers outside of Kabul, as Taliban combatants in their stronghold Kandahar are vowing to fight to the last breath. After a fierce battle Thursday in the Sharaka Mula Wardak valley near the capital, more than 1,000 Taliban troops - reportedly including Arabs, Pakistanis, and Chechens - remained dug in in their positions. And Taliban troops defending their embattled stronghold of Kandahar have between 500 and 600 tanks, according to a former Taliban commander who escaped the city. Mullah Bismillah, in charge until two weeks ago of a Taliban ammunition depot in Kandahar, told news correspondents in the neighboring Pakistani city of Quetta that the Taliban have all kinds of weapons and ammunition. Bismillah, who said he defected because he did not want to die for Osama Bin Laden, said the thousands of Taliban combatants in the city-- their last stronghold and the site from which they launched their conquest of Afghanistan in late 1994 -- will be fighting for as long as they're alive, predicting a bloodbath. *UN ENVOY TO COLOMBIA SAYS REVIVAL OF PEACE PROCESS "VERY DIFFICULT" Bogotá, November 23 (RHC) -- Special United Nations envoy to Colombia, Norwegian Jan Egeland, has asserted that reigniting the rebel-government peace process is going to be "very difficult." The affirmation came after Egeland gathered late Thursday with leaders of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces in the vast rebel-controlled demilitarized zone in the south of the country. Egeland and other members of the international community earlier this week launched an emergency mobilization to save the mortally wounded peace process amid mutual accusations and verbal gunfire between the rebel leadership and President Andres Pastrana's administration. While Egeland said he had proposals for both the government and the guerrillas that he would not publicly reveal at the moment, Colombian Peace Commissioner Camilo Gomez was expected to seek a meeting with rebel leaders on Friday, and over the weekend representatives of the 10 European and Latin American countries offering their assistance to the peace process will also gather with leading members of the guerrilla organization. Following a 3-year peace process that has brought few results, Pastrana bowed to growing pressure in the military, business circles and governing sectors accusing the rebels of using the demilitarized zone for war purposes. He stepped up military land and air surveillance of the zone, leading the rebels to charge that there is no longer sufficient security to continue peace talks. The rebels have also demanded that the Colombian president publicly and unequivocally announce whether or not he agrees with the US government's definition of the guerrilla organization as terrorists and narco traffickers. The special UN envoy said the clock is ticking, and while it would be easy to cast away the peace process, it could take years to build another one. *US REFUSAL TO PERMIT VERIFICATION FRUSTRATES BIO-WAR MEETING IN GENEVA Geneva, November 23 (RHC) -- Non-governmental organizations observing the United Nations Biological Weapons Conference in Geneva are expressing increasing frustration over Washington's refusal to ratify measures on the control of this type of threat. Since the gathering began last Monday, US Undersecretary of State John Bolton has reiterated his country's refusal to agree to obligatory verification measures in the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention. For years Washington has argued that the measures place in jeopardy the secrecy of US biological weapons research programs. The US NGO Vision 2020 stated that the US's attitude is even more disturbing and illogical taking into consideration the sentiments of Americans facing the anthrax threat. A survey published Friday by the Princeton Research Associates firm found that 81 percent of Americans are in favor of the inspection of all public and private laboratories capable of producing biological weapons, 72 percent want a prohibition on the production of the weapons, and 71 percent support the creation of an international agency to supervise compliance with the Convention on Biological Weapons. The US NGO Sunshine Project charged in Geneva that many US laboratories are working on the so-called "terminator technology" - the development of highly destructive bacteria capable of ruining oil and gasoline deposits and contaminating large quantities of food and water. This research is prohibited by the Convention. Participating in the gathering, British Bradford University Professor Graham Pearson said biological weapons are more dangerous than others of mass destruction because they have the weakest restrictions, are easier to acquire and have destructive effects comparable to nuclear weapons. He said the anthrax attacks in the United States should constitute an alert warning for all. *US WAR AGAINST AFGHANISTAN ONLY NURTURING FRESH HATREDS - GORE VIDAL Rome, November 23 (RHC) -- Outspoken US writer Gore Vidal has denounced what he called Washington's perpetual war, affirming that the aggression against Afghanistan is only nurturing fresh hatreds. In what is being called a scathing attack on US foreign policy, Vidal told the Reuters news agency that the United States would have been better served trying to buy peace with Osama Bin Laden rather than send in the bombers to try and kill him. The writer who is called one of America's harshest critics is publishing his latest collection of essays on the terrorism issue in his adoptive country Italy. Admitting that trying to explain why Bin Laden did what he did makes one very unpopular in the United States, Vidal criticized the US government and media for not searching for the reasons behind the September 11 bloodshed. The front cover of his new book "The End of Liberty - Toward a New Totalitarianism" shows a picture of the head of the Statue of Liberty with its mouth gagged by a US flag. One of the essays details a series of US attacks on various countries since the end of World War Two. The 76-year-old writer said he's listed in his book about four hundred strikes that the US government has made on other countries in undeclared wars, stating that "if you keep attacking people for such a long time, one of them is going to get you back." Vidal said that what Bin Laden did can't be war because he's not a nation, he's a gang. He said it's like being hit by the Mafia - you don't declare war on Sicily and bomb Palermo, you get the international police to track down the perpetrators. The US writer called President George Bush's 90 percent popularity ratings his 15 minutes of fame. Affirming that Bush is not only wrong about this war but also hasn't thought about its repercussions, Vidal said the US president likes to stand tall, but that the taller you stand the more likely you are to get hit by a kamikaze pilot. *A FAMILY INITED CANNOT BE DESTROYED: CALL OF THE IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT In an atmosphere overshadowed by a war led by the United States and supported by its European allies, aimed at destroying one of the world's most backward populations, the Ibero-American community began its 11th Summit, in Lima, Peru. Surrounded by the majesty of the Andes, the heads of States and Government will dedicate a day and half to analyzing the complex world situation and looking for a just place for the Ibero-American nations in the world panorama. If the tragic events of September 11th and their equally dangerous consequences had not occurred, the meeting could have focused the entire time on urgent questions that affect millions of people in the region like the economy, unequal trade and the threats of projects like the Free Trade Area of the Americas and others it has engendered including the so-called, Panama Plan. The truth is that over the last few years the countries in Latin America have turned into factories producing the poor and each day thousands more join that category, with little hope of escaping in the near future. Argentina is a case in point. It is a country that not long ago dreamed of becoming part of the "First World." A country in which every 24 hours, 2000 more people join the swelling ranks of the poor, giving rise to the now popular term, "new poor" -- since 60 percent of them just a year ago were members of the nation's middle class. Even more dramatic is the situation of the small Central America states, pummeled by nature, still bearing the painful scars of war and plagued by corruption, violence and impunity. Another important topic that should be discussed is the implications of the so-called "Plan Colombia" for the stability of the entire Andean region, whose sovereignty will be seriously compromised if the United States is allowed to get a foothold there on the pretext of fighting drug trafficking and insurgent movements. Not to be forgotten is the urgent need to strengthen sub-regional projects, among them the Southern Common Market, known as MERCOSUR, the Community of Andean Nations and the Central American Common Market, which should the most convincing arguments against the annexationist Free Trade Area of the Americas. But, unfortunately, terrorism and the ill-conceived war being waged as a way of combating it will rob participants of valuable time needed to thoroughly examine these questions. And by paying so much attention to the urgent, they will avoid dealing with the essential. (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-15545 2001-Nov-23 23:13:59