Radio Havana Cuba-30 November 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 30 November 2001 . *CUBA AND EUROPEAN UNION REOPEN TALKS IN HAVANA *NICKEL PLANT BEGINS USING DOMESTIC CRUDE OIL *CUBANS MOURN THE DEATH OF FORMER BEATLE GEORGE HARRISON *CUBAN CITY OF MANZANILLO CELEBRATES TROUBADOUR FESTIVAL *UNICEF SOUNDS ALARM: WITHOUT AID 100,000 AFGHANS MAY DIE *UN, AID AGENCIES WARN LEVEL OF FOOD ASSISTANCE TO AFGHANISTAN HAS DROPPED *POVERTY FOR NEARLY 18 MILLION CHILDREN IN FORMER SOCLIALIST COUNTRIES *U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE QUESTIONS CIVIL RIGHTS ABUSES Viewpoint: *AS THE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE "END OF SLAVERY" NEARS, THE TRAGEDY OF MODERN DAY SLAVERY IS HIGHLIGHTED . *CUBA AND EUROPEAN UNION REOPEN TALKS IN HAVANA Havana, November 30 (RHC)-- Cuban officials are preparing to reopen talks with European Union officials who arrived in Havana on Friday. The two sides will reportedly renew a political dialogue "without conditions" of any kind. Diplomats in Brussels said that the important thing is to maintain a political dialogue in order to retain contact with Havana. The secretary general of the Belgian Foreign Ministry, Jan De Bock, is heading the EU delegation. He takes over from the president of the European Union, Belgian foreign minister, Louis Michel. Experts say that it is possible that Cuba will join the Contonz Agreement, which establishes economic cooperation between the European Union and former European colonies in Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Cuba's foreign minister, Felipe Perez Roque, said that Havana is expecting a broad-ranging, frank dialogue without conditions, which will allow the island's authorities to explain the situation in Cuba. The agenda for the weekend meeting between the EU officials, which includes representatives from Sweden, Belgium and Spain, is open to discussing all topics. The list includes bilateral relations, cooperation, human rights, the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba, the results of the World Trade Organization meeting in Qatar, the fight against terrorism and the death penalty. In an international conference held on November 17, Cuban President Fidel Castro mentioned that the country, acting on its own initiative, could do away with the death penalty. Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque -- upon his return on Thursday after participating in the U.N. General Assembly -- thanked the Group of 15 for supporting a resolution condemning the economic blockade maintained by Washington against the island for the past 40 years. The European Union recently passed a resolution in Strasbourg, France, proposing expanded cooperation with Cuba. Diplomatic sources told ANSA news agency that though the dialogue is not linked to Cuba's entrance into the Contonz Accord; it appears that the Cuba will become part of the 78 ACP countries that benefit from some 13 billion Euros in European development cooperation. *NICKEL PLANT BEGINS USING DOMESTIC CRUDE OIL Holguín, November 30 (RHC)-- Cuba's major nickel producing enterprise will soon begin using domestic crude oil in its processing of the metal. This year the Comandante Rene Ramos Latour nickel company is five per cent over its annual plan of producing 13,000 tons of the metal. Using domestic crude in the production of nickel will save the island the cost of importing foreign fuel. The company already uses Cuban petroleum in the extraction process. According to the plant's deputy-director Digna Hernandez, the Cuban crude's high density and sulfur content makes more maintenance necessary, but significantly cuts down on costs. *CUBANS MOURN THE DEATH OF FORMER BEATLE GEORGE HARRISON *Havana, November 30 (RHC)-- Cuban artists and musicians today expressed their sorrow over the death of former Beatle, George Harrison. Cuban jazz musician, Chucho Valdez, considered to be among the world's best, described Harrison's death as a "great loss to international music." Valdez added that the English musician would always be remembered -- especially by his fellow musicians. George Harrison, the Beatles' lead guitarist, died late Thursday of cancer in Los Angeles in the United States. Chucho Valdez, winner of three Grammy awards and the leader of the musical group Iraquere, recalled that he met Harrison at the Ronnie Scott Theater in London several years ago. He said that in his opinion the Beatles revolutionized rock music. Famed Cuban film director, Humberto Solas, commented that the death of Harrison was also a loss to the film world. Solas, who directed the Cuban classic, "Lucia" and his latest, "Miel para Ochun," said that Harrison was among the "greats." There are many thousands of Beatles fans in Cuba and each year the death of John Lennon is commemorated with concerts and activities. A statue of Lennon sits on a bench in a park in downtown Havana. *CUBAN CITY OF MANZANILLO CELEBRATES TROUBADOUR FESTIVAL Manzanillo, November 30 (RHC)-- The city of Manzanillo located in the eastern province of Granma, is hosting the 7th National Troubadour Festival in memory of Carlos Puebla, one of Cuba's most famous singers and composers. Performances given by groups and soloists will take place in parks and work places; a gathering to discuss Manzanillo's troubadours, poetry, with Cuban country music by the local ensemble Guasimal and shows by the legendary Rebelde quintet. A colloquium on Ibero-American literature will also be included in the event, in which professors of the Blas Roca Higher Learning Institute in Granma will deal with topics relating to José Martí, Jorge Luis Borges, Dulce María Loynaz, and Manuel Navarro Luna. The closure of the festival will coincide with the 45th anniversary of the landing of the Granma yacht, which brought Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries to Cuba from Mexico for the final struggle against the dictatorship of Batista. The 29th anniversary of the creation of the movement once known as "La Nueva Trova", or "New Song" will also be celebrated. *UNICEF SOUNDS ALARM: WITHOUT AID 100,000 AFGHANS MAY DIE Tehran, November 30 (RHC)-- As many as 100,000 Afghan children could die of cold, disease and hunger within weeks if vital aid doesn't reach them, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Thomas McDermott, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, told reporters in the Iranian capital that winter is fast approaching in Central Asia. He said his agency and other humanitarian groups must move in emergency supplies quickly "in order to help the most vulnerable -- Afghan children and women -- to survive these very cold conditions." In a report issued to journalists in Tehran, UNICEF estimated that up to 100,000 children in refugee camps and cities inside Afghanistan could die if essential relief supplies are not made available to them in the next few weeks. Diseases spreading through refugee camps in western Afghanistan, near Iran, have already claimed the lives of hundreds of children in the last few weeks, the organization said. McDermott, who is overseeing UNICEF's Iran-based emergency operations in Afghanistan, said the organization's priorities there are to mount an immunization program aimed at preventing the spread of epidemic diseases, to reactivate social services and to get children back to school. The UNICEF official said a plane carrying 33 tons of relief supplies for Afghan children recently landed in Mashhad, near the border in Iran. He said the supplies -- including therapeutic milk, sweaters, boots and mattresses -- would soon be transported by trucks to Herat in western Afghanistan. Since the United States began bombing Afghanistan on October 7th, UNICEF has sent three convoys with 88 tons of relief supplies to Herat. But the UN agency says that delivering aid has been a major problem for the staff of UNICEF and other groups because many drivers have been reluctant to travel on mountainous, icy Afghan roads or fear they could be caught up in the bombing. The regional director for UNICEF noted that while some offices of the UN agency have reopened their humanitarian operations, others remain closed due to continued hostility. For his part, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said that the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees had expressed "extreme concern" about the plight of thousands of civilians in southern Afghanistan after renewed fighting there. The UN official said that before the U.S. attacks, Afghanistan was already suffering from decades of devastating war and years of drought that drove millions from their homes -- creating a human tragedy that has only been multiplied in recent weeks. *UN, AID AGENCIES WARN LEVEL OF FOOD ASSISTANCE TO AFGHANISTAN HAS DROPPED Kabul, November 30 (RHC)-- The United Nations and humanitarian aid agencies are reporting that the level of food assistance to Afghanistan has dropped substantially. According to reports from Kabul, a chaotic military and political situation in many towns and cities, along with closed roads throughout the country, have reduced food deliveries to less than half of what it was two weeks ago. Most international aid workers have yet to return to Afghanistan because their organizations fear for their safety, a fear underlined by the recent killings of eight foreign journalists. The International Rescue Committee, one of the largest private aid groups operating in Afghanistan, was gearing up to resume distribution of United Nations-supplied food throughout the country. Instead, it has drastically scaled back its operations and has refused to send any of its 20 staff members back into the country. The United Nations reports that a crucial bridge into northern Afghanistan from Uzbekistan remains closed, cutting off the most promising avenue for shipping in supplies. Uzbekistan has said it will keep the bridge closed until an international force can ensure that the border is protected. On Thursday, Oxfam announced that they are unable to get desperately needed food to starving people because almost half of the country was too insecure to operate in. And a spokesman from the United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated that there appears to be no sign of improvement -- as supply routes are shutting down across Afghanistan. The United Nations World Food Program is also reportedly in a frustrating bind. Throughout October, program officials pushed themselves to transport 50,000 tons of food into Afghanistan. Now, with stocks for the next month, the problem is finding a way to distribute the food. Abby Spring, a spokeswoman for the World Food Program said, "We did so well bringing the food in, but distribution is another question." International aid agencies say that with food supplies insecure, military airdrops of food packets are a possibility. But airdrops raise different dangers. The United Nations reported on Thursday that two children were killed near Herat when they ran through a minefield, on their way to pick up food packets. *POVERTY FOR NEARLY 18 MILLION CHILDREN IN FORMER SOCLIALIST COUNTRIES Geneva, November 30 (RHC)-- Nearly 18 million young people live in poverty in former European socialist countries and Russia. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), after ten years of a shift from State-led to capitalist, market economies, growing numbers of children are falling through the cracks. The UNICEF report, entitled "A Decade of Transition," shows that as real incomes have fallen over the last ten years, the number of children in poor families has sharply increased. By the end of the 1990's, nearly 18 million children up to the age of 17 were living on less than two dollars a day. In addition, almost 60 million young people in the former socialist countries were living on less than four dollars a day. According to the UNICEF report, issued Thursday in Geneva, cases of tuberculosis have returned to the region in full force -- with 50 percent increases registered in poorer countries. HIV/AIDS cases are also rising rapidly -- especially in Russia and the Ukraine. The UN agency says there must be a constant effort to address child poverty, including greater government attention to support services and family-based care solutions. The UNICEF report also calls for a stronger focus on preventative health care, health education and public health programs, while it notes that public investment in education in a number of former socialist countries is extremely low. Several observers noted that while the UN report falls short of actually saying it, what it means is that the capitalist system has utterly failed to take care of basic human needs and that what is needed is a return to socialism. *U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE QUESTIONS CIVIL RIGHTS ABUSES Washington, November 30 (RHC)-- With congressional hearings on Capitol Hill, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has begun questioning administration officials about law enforcement practices since the tragic events of September 11th. The chairman of the Senate committee, Senator Patrick Leahy, has criticized President George W. Bush for measures being taken, calling them a "marked departure" from long-held jurisprudence customs. Citing Bush's decision to allow military tribunals to try non-U.S. suspects, the Justice Department's decision to monitor phone conversations between attorneys and their clients in terrorism cases and the widespread detention of possible suspects and immigration violators, Senator Leahy said that the administration was going well beyond new anti-terrorism tools Congress granted in a bill passed in October. The head of the Senate Judiciary Committee said the new measures raise "a wide range of legal and constitutional questions and international implications" -- also criticizing the White House for not consulting with Congress about the changes. But Michael Chertoff, the assistant attorney general for the criminal division of the Justice Department, defended the administration, saying that the detention of hundreds of people is necessary to detect possible terrorists. While he acknowledged the changes are a departure from the past, he insisted the September 11th attacks justified the new measures. The Justice Department official also maintained that the practices fell within constitutional limits, something that increasing numbers of legal experts have challenged. The hearings on Capitol Hill are expected to go into next week, when U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft -- whom many observers note is far from a defender of civil liberties -- is scheduled to appear before the Senate committee. Viewpoint: *AS THE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE "END OF SLAVERY" NEARS, THE TRAGEDY OF MODERN DAY SLAVERY IS HIGHLIGHTED As we approach the end of the first year of the Third Millennium it is unconscionable that an institution as barbaric as slavery still exists in our "modern" world; an institution that the South African Conference Against Racism termed as a "crime against humanity." This Sunday, December 2nd, marks 75 years since the international community pledged to eliminate the practice and the Convention against Slavery was born: an agreement that was conceived to help in the fight against slavery. The fact that the world has been celebrating that date for 75 years since the international community determined to put an end to slavery, reveals the depth of the failure of such good intentions because in our times this cruel form of exploitation continues for millions of victims, despite floods of declarations, accords and legislation. Of all the evils invented by man, slavery can often be hidden and sometimes it can occur more openly without being recognized. That is the case, for example, with the intensive work that millions of indigenous people are forced to do in the sugarcane and coffee plantations of Latin America. Men, women and children are transported like cattle, forced to live in hovels that spawn misery and disease, worked for twelve or fourteen hours a day earning a pittance, which they often spend on alcohol or simple necessities sold to them at inflated prices by their landlords. That is why at the end of the season, workers are often surprised to find that their pitifully small savings are now owed in their entirety to their landlords, the owners of the companies for which they work. That means that they must work the next year just to pay off last year's debts. What can we call child labor; that veritable army of millions of children who work in the mines, extracting minerals in dark passages; in the streets of the big cities selling chewing gum, newspapers or shinning shoes, washing cars or carrying boxes and packages bigger than they are, sweating gallons for a bite to eat, that is barely enough to keep them alive? An even worse fate awaits those who are kidnapped or sold by their own families to be used as sexual playthings for tourists or other depraved adults. And the list goes on, because we could speak about the enslaved children of Africa, the merciless work regime in the maquiladoras and the many other forms of exploitation, which are in fact, simply disguised types of slavery. That is why on this World Day of Struggle Against Slavery, what we desire most is that the time will come soon when it is no longer necessary to celebrate such a day because the fundamental causes of slavery -- poverty, ignorance and the unequal distribution of wealth -- will have disappeared. (c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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