Radio Havana Cuba-3 October 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 03 October 2001 . *CUBA TO SIGN ALL UN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS AGAINST TERRORISM *FIDEL PARTICIPATES IN FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF "UNIVERSITY FOR ALL" *PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ PRAISES CUBAN ECONOMIC MODEL *CUBA'S PEACE MOVEMENT CALLS MEETING AGAINST TERRORISM AND WAR *CARLOS LAGE OFFICIALLY INAUGURATES NEW HOTEL IN SANCTI SPIRITUS *US MEDIA WATCHDOG FAIR DEPLORES "NEW YORK TIMES" SLANTED COVERAGE *COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT PASTRANA UNDER INTENSE PRESSURE TO SUSPEND PEACE PROCESS *US CIVIL LIBERTIES ACTIVISTS ALARMED BY CONGRESSIONAL ANTI-TERRORISM MEASURES *VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT FACES OFF WITH LARGE LANDOWNERS OVER AGRARIAN REFORM *GUATEMALAN ACTIVIST HELEN MACK BLASTS DELAYS IN MURDER TRIAL *PUERTO RICAN GOVERNOR INSISTS THAT US NAVY MUST LEAVE VIEQUES Viewpoint: *AS VIOLENCE RAGES AROUND THE WORLD, CUBA WAGES A BATTLE FOR CULTURE . *CUBA TO SIGN ALL UN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS AGAINST TERRORISM Havana, October 3 (RHC)--Cuba has announced its decision to sign all 12 international conventions against terrorism that exist within the framework of the United Nations, noting that Havana has already ratified three of those conventions. In a message Wednesday to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Cuban President Fidel Castro said that as requested of the international community by Annan, Cuba will ratify the remaining nine during the Cuban Parliament's extraordinary session Thursday to pay homage to the victims of a 1976 terrorist attack against a Cuban civilian airliner. Fidel Castro said Cuba will also continue efforts in favor of concluding a general and comprehensive convention that truly defines this repugnant practice. He said that such a convention would allow the international community to fight terrorism in an efficient, enduring and urgent manner, with full support from world public opinion and without the unnecessary, useless and dangerous wars that only propagate violence and hatred among peoples. The Cuban leader expressed support of Annan's recent statements in defense of the principles of international law and the role that should correspond to the world body amid our planet's critical situation. He said that Cuba is, and will always be, against terrorism and against war. *FIDEL PARTICIPATES IN FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF "UNIVERSITY FOR ALL" Havana, October 3 (RHC)--"This is only the beginning," said Cuban President Fidel Castro during an activity held Tuesday evening here in Havana to mark the first anniversary of Cuba's televised educational program called "University for All." Initiated on October 2nd 2000 as part of a broadened national program to upgrade the educational level of the entire people, University for All includes daily TV broadcasts of courses and seminars on the most diverse subjects. The aim is to teach the Cuban people, regardless of their age, skills and knowledge necessary throughout their lives. Participating in the activity, held at Havana's Convention Center, were professors, students and representatives of other Cuban institutions involved in this important educational task. Fidel Castro thanked all of them in the name of those who benefit from this program: the millions of Cubans throughout the island who turn on their TV sets three times a day to gain access to important knowledge. The Cuban president took the opportunity to announce two new courses, biotechnology and the Italian language, as well as the inauguration of a third TV channel that would be dedicated entirely to daily broadcasts of educational programs. Since it began one year ago, the University for All program has been presenting courses and seminars on subjects which include writing techniques, geography, history, literature, arts, as well as foreign languages. University for All is broadcast every day on Cuban television at three different times -- morning, afternoon and evening -- so that everyone has the chance to see it. *PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ PRAISES CUBAN ECONOMIC MODEL Caracas, October 3 (RHC)--Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez today applauded the Cuban economic model during the opening of the third exhibition of "EXPOCUBA" in Caracas. Chavez said that the genuine characteristics and effective power of Cuba's economic model have allowed the island to successfully move away from its internal problems and external limitations that it has faced during the last decade. The Venezuelan president called on the participants to analyse and evaluate the example of Cuba in the economical field and said he hopes that all Latin American countries can recover the path of growth, not only in the economical field, but also at the level of integral human development. During his 20-minute speech, he pointed to the advantages of the Integral Cooperation Agreement between Venezuela and Cuba and reiterated that Latin American integration shouldn't be led by mere economic factors or the parameters of "savage neo-liberalism." The agreement by which Venezuela sells 53,000 barrels of oil daily to Cuba, which is paid back with medical and sport services and technical assistance, should be a model for new ways of integration. Chavez also highlighted that this third "EXPOCUBA" has been the biggest commercial exhibition the island has had in any other country. *CUBA'S PEACE MOVEMENT CALLS MEETING AGAINST TERRORISM AND WAR Havana, October 3 (RHC)--Cuba's Peace Movement has called a meeting of pacifists throughout Latin America to appeal to the most noble sentiments of mankind in an attempt to avoid war. The call was issued Tuesday evening during a musical evening held at the Cuban Peace Movement -- Cuba's oldest NGO. Orlando Fundora, President and Coordinator of the Regional Peace Committee, announced that his organization will participate in a special meeting of the World Peace Council, set for October 12th in Athens, Greece. The event was part of the increasing world campaign against terrorism, and the recently announced U.S.-led war against Afghanistan, in response to the tragic events of last September 11th in New York and Washington. One of the founders of the Cuban Peace Movement who participated in the Tuesday activity was Jose Ramirez, who organized the first Campesino Congress here in Cuba. In statements to Prensa Latina News Agency, Ramirez stressed that all the efforts to date to preserve world peace are not enough. He also stated that music can be a very powerful instrument to reach all sectors of society, particularly at a time when unity among peoples is essential to confront and overcome crises such as the one the international community is going through right now. Founded in 1949, the Cuban Peace Movement holds consultative status within the United Nations Economic and Social Council. *CARLOS LAGE OFFICIALLY INAUGURATES NEW HOTEL IN SANCTI SPIRITUS Trinidad, October 3 (RHC)--Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage officially inaugurated the Brisas Trinidad del Mar hotel in the central province of Sancti Spiritus. During the ceremony, Lage said the 241-room hotel is key to the current efforts to boost tourism development in Cuba's central region. Brisas Trinidad del Mar is owned and operated by Cuba's Cubanacan Group. It is the third hotel built on the Ancon peninsula and is noteworthy for its colonial-style architecture. Built at a cost of over 19 million Cuban pesos, the four-star hotel began operations last March 9th under the all-inclusive system. Since its opening only six months ago, the Brisas Trinidad del Mar hotel has already welcomed more than 10,000 visitors -- mainly from Canada, France, Germany, the United States, England and Greece. *US MEDIA WATCHDOG FAIR DEPLORES "NEW YORK TIMES" SLANTED COVERAGE Washington, October 3 (RHC)--The U.S. media watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting has deplored the "New York Times" downplaying and distortion of peace rallies and demonstrations against a military response. In a Tuesday press release, the organization known by its acronym FAIR noted that after thousands of anti-war activists gathered in Washington D.C. on September 29, the Times responded with a 10-sentence story under the headline "Protesters in Washington Urge Peace with Terrorists." FAIR asserted that given that a call for bringing terrorists to justice through non-military means was central to the rallies, the headline is a gross mischaracterization of the protesters' message. The Times also misreported other basic facts, charged FAIR, like the size of the crowd in Washington. The news daily estimated that a "few hundred protesters" were on hand, while the official police estimate was 7000. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting affirmed that the rallies held in Washington were not the first time the paper downplayed peace activism, noting that on September 21 the Times reported on the protests held on some 150 college campuses across the country though without reflecting the perspectives of the thousands of students who participated. Instead, asserted FAIR, of the 11 students quoted in the article only one voiced an anti-war opinion, while the article was dominated by students who supported going to war or those who could not recall seeing any anti-war sentiment on campus. *COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT PASTRANA UNDER INTENSE PRESSURE TO SUSPEND PEACE PROCESS Bogota, October 3 (RHC)--Colombian President Andres Pastrana has come under intense pressure to declare null and void the demilitarized zone created for the country's rebel government peace process. Following controversy over the death of an ex-government minister kidnapped by the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces, the guerrilla organization announced its refusal to accept a change of rules guiding peace talks. The Colombian Senate declared itself Tuesday evening in permanent session, suspending all other legislative activities until Pastrana decides whether or not he will extend the demilitarized zone - a decision he'll have to adopt next Sunday at the latest. The president of Pastrana's Liberal Party, Luis Guillermo Velez, has called on the Senate to retract its political recognition of the guerrilla organization. Opposition Senator German Vargas has presented a report alleging that 132 people kidnapped by leftist rebels have been taken to the demilitarized zone. The rebels have warned that if authorities cease to recognize the demilitarized zone, the peace process will be over and will probably not be reactivated for the next four years. *US CIVIL LIBERTIES ACTIVISTS ALARMED BY CONGRESSIONAL ANTI-TERRORISM MEASURES Washington, October 3 (RHC)--Civil rights activists in the United States are warning that Democrats and Republicans of the House Judiciary Committee have agreed to "compromise" anti-terrorism legislation containing many provisions that go far beyond the powers necessary to fight terrorism on American soil. While some news agencies have reported that the compromise is a watered-down version of the original anti-terrorist measures proposed by Attorney General John Ashcroft, the American Civil Liberties Union has asserted that the measures still contain troubling provisions that would permit indefinite detention of a non-citizen ordered deported to a country that would not accept him or her, minimize judicial supervision of electronic surveillance by law enforcement authorities and allow intelligence agencies to spy on U.S. citizens by providing them enhanced access to sensitive information about them. The ACLU issued a press release on Tuesday stating that without limitations on the gathering of information on private citizens, intelligence agencies like the CIA would be put back in the business of spying on Americans as was done during the Vietnam War. The new legislation, called the "Provide Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act," or PATRIOT, is, nevertheless, not likely to be approved soon. The Senate has not programmed a session to examine its version of the proposals. The attorney general himself Tuesday lashed out at legislators for delaying approval of PATRIOT, stating that talk will not prevent terrorism. Numerous legislators, however, have expressed deep concern over the unconstitutional nature of some of the proposals. *VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT FACES OFF WITH LARGE LANDOWNERS OVER AGRARIAN REFORM Caracas, October 3 (RHC)--The government of Venezuela has faced off with large land owners putting up opposition to agrarian reform measures. Venezuela's National Cattle Ranchers Federation has taken the government to court to prevent the distribution of 2,164 land titles to landless campesinos in the western oil-rich state of Zulia. Large landowners claim the land is privately owned, while the government insists that the land belongs to the State and its infrastructure was built with public funds. Venezuela's National Agrarian Institute said the titles will be turned over to landless campesinos on Friday despite the court action. President Hugo Chavez stated Tuesday that an entire package of agrarian reform laws are about to be approved, which will include limits on the size of rural possessions and the concept of expropriation based on social necessity. *GUATEMALAN ACTIVIST HELEN MACK BLASTS DELAYS IN MURDER TRIAL Guatemala City, October 3 (RHC)--Delays in the murder trial of Guatemalan human rights activist Myrna Mack constitute a conspiracy in favor of impunity. According to Helen Mack, sister of the anthropologist and human rights activist assassinated in 1990, Guatemalan courts are purposefully delaying the trial of three military generals accused of ordering the crime. Speaking with journalists in Guatemala City, Helen Mack stated that opening arguments in proceedings against Generals Juan Valencia Osorio, Juan Guillermo Oliva Carrera and Edgar Augusto Godoy Gaitan were scheduled to begin on October 10th. Mack said that due to legal maneuvers by the defense, the Court of Appeals has agreed to postpone the trial -- which, she affirmed, would only lead to their impunity. She announced that this new delaying tactic would be denounced before the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, based in San Jose, Costa Rica, which has been following the case. In related news, the Rigoberta Menchu Foundation, together with six other human rights organizations, condemned the delays in obtaining justice for Myrna Mack. Claudia Samayoa, a leader of the Foundation that takes the name of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner, stated that the judicial system just doesn't function when members of the military are accused of forced disappearances, summary executions and genocide. *PUERTO RICAN GOVERNOR INSISTS THAT US NAVY MUST LEAVE VIEQUES Washington, October 3 (RHC)--Puerto Rican Governor Sila Calderon insists that despite Washington's claims that Vieques is essential for U.S. national security, the Navy must stop its bombing practices of the island. While recognizing that the panorama of national defense has changed since the tragic events of last September 11th, Calderon told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that the U.S. military cannot be allowed to use the island indefinitely. The governor of Puerto Rico referred to newly proposed legislation before the U.S. Congress that would eliminate a planned referendum in November, but requires that the Navy remain in Vieques until "an equal or better" site is found for its bombing and target practices. Sila Calderon said that eliminating the previously proposed deadline of May 2003 was "unacceptable." Observers pointed out that in the coming days, Senate and House conferees will meet with White House officials to reconcile different provisions on Vieques in two Defense Authorization bills. The House version allows the U.S. Navy to remain on the island indefinitely, while the Senate version would keep the current legislation under discussion. That provision requires a referendum in Vieques between two choices: bombing until May 2003, when lands would be transferred to the Interior Department with no environmental cleanup, or bombing indefinitely with live fire. Human rights groups opposed to the U.S. Navy's presence in Vieques report that bombing and beach invasion practices began on September 24th and are scheduled to continue for another two weeks. They also note that Marines patrolling the fence separating the base and bombing range from the civilian sector have been aiming weapons at civilians who pass by, raising fears that they may attack peaceful protests. A general strike has been called for Thursday, October 4th, to protest the continued bombings. Viewpoint: *AS VIOLENCE RAGES AROUND THE WORLD, CUBA WAGES A BATTLE FOR CULTURE Each day war fever spreads, enthusiastically encouraged by irresponsible media transnationals, which fail to inform the people that the war started long before the events of September 11. What happened on that day was that the din of battle was finally heard in the usually peaceful streets of New York City and Washington D.C. when thousands of innocent civilians fell victim to one of the most horrendous crimes in modern history. For the rest of the world war is a daily matter and there exist generations in Latin America, the Middle East and African that have spent their entire lives in the company of bombs and gunfire. But in these disturbing and frightening times there are some islands, not just geographically speaking, where peace still flourishes and struggles to send up shoots through the concrete and smoke. That is the case in Cuba where on Tuesday one of the most innovative and popular education programs celebrated its first year of existence. "University for All" takes top-quality university courses to the entire island from the most accessible to most remote corners of the country ,inviting all to participate. "University for All," as part of Cuba's "Battle of Ideas," along with the nightly "Roundtable" programs and Saturday's "Open Tribune" rallies, has been enthusiastically greeted by Cubans not only as a teaching aid, but as a first-rate source of knowledge. Millions of people have followed the televised courses on Writing Techniques, Literature, Art History, Theater, Dance, Music, Cuban History and Geography and the French, English and Spanish languages among other subjects. All the classes are taught by highly qualified professors and are repeated several times to facilitate access. In this way, Cuba manages to insure that the patrimony of humanity, the best culture produced by human beings, becomes part of the knowledge of the common person; so that everyone, no matter what their profession or training, has the opportunity expand their knowledge to new dimensions. In compliance with a maxim stated by Cuba's National Hero, Jose Marti, that to be cultured is the only way to be free, the Cuban Revolution is demonstrating that while the insanity of destruction sweeps the planet, whether through war, destruction of the environment or cruel and unequal distribution of wealth, a temple of knowledge and understanding is being created here. It is an interesting lesson for those think that it is only with weapons and violence that today's problems can be solved, without taking into account that if other generations are to survive it is necessary to achieve a new spiritual level. And that is something, as Cuban President Fidel Castro said on Tuesday, that we are beginning to do. (c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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