RHC Weekend-13 October 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit RHC Weekend - News Update - 13 October 2001 . *BUSH THREATENS TO VETO APPROPRIATIONS BILL IF CONGRESS LIFTS TRAVEL BAN *UKRAINE'S DEFENSE MINISTER APOLOGIZES FOR DOWNING OF RUSSIAN AIRLINER *SPAIN SEEKS TO FORGIVE DEBT OF NATIONS AIDING US WAR ON AFGHANISTAN *ISRAEL EASES BLOCKADE ON PALESTINIANS BUT RESERVES RIGHT TO ASSASSINATE THEM *ULSTER UNIONISTS RECOMMEND SUSPENSION OF NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY *WTO PUSHES MORE TRADE LIBERALIZATION AS "POSITIVE" FOR WORLD ECONOMY *FUJIMORI TOOK HALF A MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF COUNTRY EACH TIME HE TRAVELED . *BUSH THREATENS TO VETO APPROPRIATIONS BILL IF CONGRESS LIFTS TRAVEL BAN Havana, 13th October (RHC)-The United States government reiterated Saturday its much-criticized position of prohibiting US citizens to visit Cuba. US President George W Bush threatened to veto an entire $17 billion appropriations bill currently being reviewed by lawmakers, if Congress votes to remove the more-than 40-year old travel ban on US citizens and residents traveling to Cuba. The threat came in a letter to principal congressional leaders on Friday in which the head of the Office of Management and Budget, Mitch Daniels, wrote that Bush strongly opposes any moves by legislators to soften Washington's stance on Havana and that the bill would be vetoed if a provision lifting travel restrictions or a freeze on spending money to enforce such restrictions is included. It is illegal for US citizens to spend money in Cuba, thus making it effectively impossible for people in the US to visit the island. Only those to whom the US Treasury Department grants a license can legally travel to Cuba. For two years in a row Congress has voted to lift the travel restrictions, but the language was struck from the two bills it was associated with. House representatives voting earlier this year by 240-186 in favor of preventing the Treasury Department from spending money to enforce the restrictions also had the language struck from associated legislation when it appeared before the Senate. It is this bill that is still before Congressional committees seeking to iron out the differences with the White House. *UKRAINE'S DEFENSE MINISTER APOLOGIZES FOR DOWNING OF RUSSIAN AIRLINER Moscow, October 13 (RHC)-- Ukraine's Defense Minister, Olexander Kuzmuk, has reportedly apologized to the families of the victims of the Russian airliner that fell into the Black Sea killing all 78 people on board last week. Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma also apologized to Russia for the damages caused in reference to the country's credibility due to the Ukraine's persistence in denying that they were responsible for the downing of the plane after firing a missile at it. According to Russian ORT television, the head of air defense and his deputy have resigned. The Russian commission in charge of the investigation said that the missile that was launched destroyed the Russian plane in midair. The head of Russia's Security Council, Vladimir Rushailo, thanked Ukranian experts for their cooperation in the investigation. Meanwhile, Russia's Sibir airlines will reportedly sue the Ukrainian armed forces once the results of the investigation officially confirms that a Ukrainian missile was responsible for the crash of the aircraft. *SPAIN SEEKS TO FORGIVE DEBT OF NATIONS AIDING US WAR ON AFGHANISTAN Havana, 13th October (RHC)-The Spanish Minister of Economics, Rodrigo Rato, confirmed Saturday that the government of José Aznar is seeking to forgive those Third World nations helping the war effort against the Taliban government of Afghanistan. Madrid has requested that the European Union alleviate the debt owed by Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, all of which border Afghanistan. It said that condoning these nation's debts would improve the lives of their citizens and help them to offer relief to the Afghan refugees attempting to cross their borders. A debate on the subject is expected to take place in the European Parliament in Luxembourg on Monday. Palestine was also included in the request although no specific reason was given by Spain for its inclusion. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Colin Powell will be traveling to New Delhi, India, next Tuesday to discuss the attack against Afghanistan and to thank India for its support. The government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee has granted full use of its airspace and military installations for the use of US and English forces currently bombing Kabul. Powell has commented to CNN that he will no doubt also discuss the issue of Kashmir and the friction between New Delhi and Islamabad. He will have met with the Pakistani president, Pervez Musharraf, prior to arriving in India. The US Secretary of State said that he was sure that both Pakistan and India would join together in the war against terrorism. US planes Saturday attacked Taliban communications installations in northern Afghanistan in the city of Heart. They also struck at the airport of the important city of Mazar-I-Sharif. *ISRAEL EASES BLOCKADE ON PALESTINIANS BUT RESERVES RIGHT TO ASSASSINATE THEM Beirut, October13 (RHC)--Israelis and Palestinians have tentatively reactivated talks on a cease-fire. According to Israeli radio, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to announce on Sunday that he will soon ease the blockade in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. However, according to Israeli sources, the country will continue with its selective assassination of Palestinians. Israel radio stated that Tel Aviv will only lift restrictions in those places where there are no armed clashes between its army and Palestinians. Israel has maintained a blockade against the occupied Palestinianterritories since the second popular Palestinian uprising began on September 28th last year. Israeli government sources note that the raising of the blockade is, among other things, aimed at facilitating the formation of an anti-terrorist coalition. According to a United Nations Development Program report, Tel Aviv's blockade against the Gaza Strip and West Bank has cost the Palestinian economy four billion dollars and the loss of more than 200,000 jobs. The closing of the Israeli border, says the UNDP report, has meant the loss to Palestinians of between eight and ten million dollars a day in salaries and exports of their products. Some 75% of the Palestinian population now lives in poverty. On Friday Foreign Minister, Shimon Perez, met with head Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat and the president of the Palestinian Parliament, Ahmed Qorei. A complete restoration of calm is the first phase of the so-called Mitchell Plan, which also seeks the reactivation of peace talks. The president of the Palestine Authority, Yasser Arafat, will meet on Monday in London with Prime Minister Tony Blair. The two leaders will discuss the international crisis sparked by the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The British Foreign Office announced that Arafat, who was invited to London by Tony Blair, would also meet with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. The Palestinian president is expected to focus talks on the impact on the Arab world of the joint US/British bombings of Afghanistan. And finally Palestinian radio reported on Saturday that Israeli troops seriously damaged a Palestinian grammar school in the West Bank. National Palestinian Authority Radio reported that military cranes that rolled into the town of Deir Yasir to demolish a building next to the school also practically destroyed the school. *ULSTER UNIONISTS RECOMMEND SUSPENSION OF NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY London, 13th Oct (RHC)-- The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, David Trimble, today asked the British Minister for Northern Ireland, John Reid, to consider putting an end to the IRA truce the next time the group commits an assassination. On Friday, Reid declared that the principle Protestant paramilitary groups had broken the cease-fire after their last acts of violence in Ulster. The British government Northern Ireland Minister accused the Ulster Defense Association (UDA) and the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) of having systematically broken the cease-fire. Today, before traveling to the United States for a meeting in Washington with Richard Hass, special advisor to President George Bush on Northern Ireland, David Trimble, in a television interview with Sky News, complained about the attitude of the British government towards the cease-fire. According to him, the IRA has broken the cease-fire having killed four people in the last year. The Unionist leader believes that Reid is left with no option but to again suspend the powers given by London to the Northern Ireland Assembly to overcome the crisis. Last month, David Trimble resigned as First Minister of Northern Ireland with the object of pressuring the IRA to start handing over their arms. *WTO PUSHES MORE TRADE LIBERALIZATION AS "POSITIVE" FOR WORLD ECONOMY Singapore, October 13 (RHC)-- The member nations of the World Trade Organization said on Saturday in Singapore that a new round of trade liberalization could be positive for the world economy, which has been severely affected by the terrorist attacks against U.S. last September 11th. The Trade Ministers and high ranking officials from the European Union, Canada, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and India among others, met on Saturday at the invitation of Singapore's Trade Minister, George Yeo, in an attempt to overcome the conflicts that are blocking a possible new round of WTO talks to be agreed on during a conference to be held from November 9th to the 13th in Doha, Qatar. The objective of the rich nations is to reportedly attempt to convince the developing countries that under the current circumstances they should not be afraid of major trade liberalization just because the Uruguay Round has not benefited them. In the inaugural ceremony, Singapore's Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong, characterized as critical efforts being taken to make sure that countries agree to a new round of trade liberalization as the world is in danger of global recession, according to the Asian official. Although a final declaration will reportedly not be expected in the two-day meeting in Singapore, the General Director of the World Trade Organization, Mike Moore, said that the meeting will help to ascertain each country's commitment. *FUJIMORI TOOK HALF A MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF COUNTRY EACH TIME HE TRAVELED Lima, Oct 13th (RHC)--The former president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, received $500,000 each time he traveled abroad on presidential business. Matilde Pinchi, an assistant to Vladimrio Montesinos, the former head of Fujimori's intelligence services, revealed the information on Saturday in a congressional report. The former president, who is now a fugitive from Peruvian justice in Japan, made some 114 trips out of Peru between l992 and 2000. On his last trip on November 13, 2000, Fujimori went to Brunei to participate in the Asia Pacific Cooperation Meeting. From there he fled to Japan where he asked for political asylum. Pinchi also testified that she sometimes had seen Montesinos, who is currently in jail in Lima, prepare packets of 50,000 and 100,000 dollars for the former president. (c) 2001 Radio Havana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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