Radio Havana Cuba-19 September 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 19 September 2001 . *CUBA EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN OVER ATMOSPHERE OF HATE IN US *CUBAN EXPERTS ALARMED BY US ATTEMPT TO CONVERT PAIN TO BLIND RAGE *US MEDIA WATCHDOG DEPLORES WARMONGERING IN MEDIA OUTLETS *IN AN EXCEPTION TO WAR RHETORIC, BOSTON GLOBE NOTES GROWING PACIFISM *SOVIET VETERANS OF AFGHAN WAR WARN THE US WHAT AWAITS *MASSIVE OPPOSITION IN PAKISTAN TO COOPERATION WITH US WAR *PRIME MINISTER GONSALVES SPEAKS OF NEED FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION *FIFTH INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION FAIR OPENS IN HAVANA . *CUBA EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN OVER ATMOSPHERE OF HATE IN US Havana, September 19 (RHC)--The government of Cuba has expressed deep concern over the propagation of sentiments of hate and arrogance following what it called the sad and brutal news of the September 11 terrorist attacks. A front page statement published in the official Cuban news daily "Granma" asserted that, accompanied by the terrible images of suffering and pain, some are allowing themselves to be carried away by the resurgence of old methods and doctrines that are at the very roots of terrorism and the perilous tensions that have emerged within the international scenario. The government of Cuba asserted that at a moment when the only wise choice is the serene and courageous search for definitive solutions to terrorism and other tragedies based on universal consensus, influential US political leaders are pronouncing unrestrained phrases with anger and a spirit of vengeance that haven't been heard since the Second World War. Any honest person, reads the statement, has the right to ask whether US circles of power are truly seeking justice or are using the painful and unprecedented tragedy to impose methods and privileges that will lead to the tyranny, without limits nor restrictions, of the planet's most powerful State over all the world's peoples. Referring to calls for the lifting of restrictions on political assassinations by US government agencies, Cuba recalled that these methods were used to eliminate patriotic leaders like Patrice Lumumba in 1961, and to organize military takeovers and genocides that have cost hundreds of thousands of lives and left millions of people tortured and disappeared. Recalling Washington's terrorism against Cuba, confirmed in Senate hearings and investigations, the official statement asserted that US intelligence services developed an entire branch of science dedicated to the most grotesque and repugnant ways to kill. Terrorism is no worse than a government's proclamation of the right to kill at discretion in any part of the world without legal norms, trials nor even evidence, continues the statement, calling this type of policy uncivilized -- the law of the jungle -- and a threat to world peace. *CUBAN EXPERTS ALARMED BY US ATTEMPT TO CONVERT PAIN TO BLIND RAGE Havana, September 19 (RHC)--Cuban journalists and experts in international affairs warn that the pain and suffering of the American people in the wake of last week's tragic events in the United States is being converted into calls for blind revenge. During Tuesday evening's roundtable discussion -- broadcast live on Cuban radio and television -- panelists stated that rather than military attacks against an alleged enemy, the real causes of terrorism must be confronted. Special attention was devoted to Washington's preparations for military strikes against those they believe are responsible for the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Reynaldo Taladrid, a journalist with Cuban television, pointed out that the United States is psychologically preparing public opinion for a major military response to the events of last week. He said that recent statements by U.S. authorities have all pointed in the direction of a major military action. Panelists on the roundtable discussion noted that citizens of 62 countries are missing and presumed dead -- a fact that Washington is using to pressure other nations to sign on to the impending military strikes. The roundtable discussion stressed that the drums of war being heard in Washington could lead the world to a conflict of incalculable consequences. *US MEDIA WATCHDOG DEPLORES WARMONGERING IN MEDIA OUTLETS September 19 (RHC)--The US media watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, or FAIR, has deplored the warmongering in the country's media outlets, noting that for some it doesn't matter who bears the brunt of an American attack. In a press release entitled "Media March to War," the organization referred to commentators who appear to blame the September 11 terrorist attack on what they see as America's unwillingness to act aggressively in recent years. It's worth recalling, FAIR said, the US response to the bombing of a Berlin disco in April, 1986, which resulted in the deaths of two US soldiers. Washington immediately bombed Libya, which it blamed for the attack, killing 36 civilians, including the baby daughter of Libyan leader Muhamar Khadafy. Libyans did not consider this a "pinprick," a word used by media commentators concerning recent US military responses. Nor, it continued, was the bombing of Yugoslavia and Iraq a transformation of a killing machine into a playpen for sociologists and political schemers, as the Chicago Tribune's John Kass recently stated. The group noted that all these deaths apparently had little deterrence value, pointing to the December, 1988 bomb that destroyed a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland. More recently, states the FAIR press release, in 1998 Bill Clinton sent 60 cruise missiles, some equipped with cluster bombs, against Bin Ladens's Afghan base and a Sudanese pharmaceutical firm as retaliation for the bombing of US embassies in Africa. The record of retributory violence in insuring security is dubious, FAIR said, while noting that instead of serious inquiry into anti-US sentiment in the Middle East and elsewhere, many commentators are offering little more than self-congratulatory rhetoric. *IN AN EXCEPTION TO WAR RHETORIC, BOSTON GLOBE NOTES GROWING PACIFISM September 17 (RHC)--While much of the US media is full of war rhetoric, there are exceptions. The Tuesday edition of the "Boston Globe" reported that peace activists are gathering quietly in vigils, and that though they are largely being drowned out by a feverish tide of war rhetoric, the voices of pacifism and restraint are growing stronger. Globe staff writers Alice Dembner and David Abel, in an article entitled "Peace Vigils Planned Throughout the US: Amid Talk of War, Movement Pleads for Reconciliation," noted that the monument to George Washington at the World Trade Center is not only draped in American flags, but also covered with antiwar slogans. Dembner and Abel wrote that peace vigils have been held from Portland, Oregon to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and hundreds more are planned over the coming weeks. According to the article, more than 100 civil rights and religious organizations plan to gather Thursday in Washington to map a larger response to last week's terrorism, hoping to moderate the government's support for military strikes abroad and expanded law enforcement powers at home. Separately, according to the Boston Globe article, peace groups will gather in New York on Friday to plan national action against President Bush's declared "war on terrorism," arguing that war is not the answer and will only add to the carnage. The article asserted that it's not only pacifists who oppose the war rhetoric, but also others who look to history and see failures and abuses when the United States moved without enough thought. It quoted retired Boston University historian Howard Zinn, who said the United States has to move from a war-making nation to a nation that uses its resources for constructive powers to get at the grievances that feed terrorism. *SOVIET VETERANS OF AFGHAN WAR WARN THE US WHAT AWAITS Moscow, September 19 (RHC)--Soviet soldiers who fought in Afghanistan have warned of the "sea of bloodshed" that would accompany a war against the Taliban regime, insisting that the United States would fail in such an endeavor. Retired General Boris Gromov, currently Governor of the Moscow region, stated that a war against Afghanistan would be a dangerous task for any country. The commander of the last Soviet troops to abandon Afghanistan in 1989 said most of the Afghan people are peace-loving, don't support any established power, but are willing to defend their country from aggression. General Alexandr Rutzkoi stated that if Washington wants to earn the hate of the entire Muslim world the US only has to launch a war against Afghanistan. Rutzkoi, also a former Russian vice president, said Afghanistan is not Yugoslavia -- that air strikes will be useless against a territory full of mountains and deserts. The Russian general recalled the words of Alexander the Great, who asserted that you can enter Afghanistan but you can never win, saying both the Soviets and the British have had this experience. Other Russian generals suggested that Washington give support to anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan that now only control between 5 and 10 percent of the country, stating that one form of support would be the bombardment of the bases where the Taliban hide their arsenals. Observers are note that as Russia wavers on whether and how to support the United States in fighting what President Vladimir Putin has called a "common enemy," statements by the Russian generals are a reminder that Moscow's ambivalence is more than the lingering mistrust of a former Cold War rival or concern about US military involvement in Central Asia, Russia's traditional sphere of influence on its southern border. Russian hesitation is seen as a reflection of the country's conviction that Afghanistan is a place where a war cannot be won, where high mountain gorges still hold the terrifying memories of a thousand ambushes and where controlling the cities never meant subduing the land. *MASSIVE OPPOSITION IN PAKISTAN TO COOPERATION WITH US WAR Islamabad, September 19 (RHC)--Opposition in Pakistan to a US military strike against Afghanistan intensified Wednesday, with numerous religious authorities calling for a Holy War against Washington if it attacks. Western embassies in Pakistan have begun to send their families home in fear of disturbances if the attack takes place. Pakistan's principal religious organization, the Ulema Council, issued the warning as thousands of fundamentalist Pakistani students marched through the streets of the northern city of Peshawar expressing support for Osama Bin Laden. The Ulema Council announced street demonstrations throughout the country next Friday to protest any eventual Pakistani cooperation with Washington. The Ulema Council includes all the theological leaders of every Sunni Muslim tendency, the country's majority religion. *PRIME MINISTER GONSALVES SPEAKS OF NEED FOR REGIONAL INTEGRATION Havana, September 19 (RHC)--The Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, continues his visit to the island. Speaking with reporters following a ceremony to render homage to Cuba's National Hero Jose Marti, Gonsalves said he was extremely pleased with his visit so far. He had special words of praise for Cuban President Fidel Castro, whom he called "not only a great Cuban, but a great internationalist and an exceptional human being." The prime minister said his talks with the leader of the Cuban Revolution have been "a tremendous educational experience." He noted that he sometimes felt like he was in a classroom, listening to a great teacher. The two Caribbean heads of state discussed a number of issues, including bilateral relations and the international situation. Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Gonsalves delivered a lecture at the University of Havana, addressing the need for regional integration and greater cooperation in the Caribbean. *FIFTH INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION FAIR OPENS IN HAVANA Havana, September 19 (RHC)--Representatives from 21 countries and more than 100 companies are represented at Havana's International Transportation Fair, the largest such event in that economic sector held on the island. The Fair got underway today and runs through Saturday, the 22nd, at Pabexpo Exhibit Hall. Samples on display include products and services for maritime, land and rail transportation, as well as road products and other transportation-related items. There are 28 foreign firms taking part in this year's Fair, while the rest are Cuban-based enterprises. Grouped in the 6800 square-meter exhibit area are the largest display stands belonging to Panama, Germany, Spain, Canada and Holland. Meanwhile, the International Transportation Convention 2001 is running at the same time as the Fair at Havana's International Convention Center. Among the agenda items are preparations for the 11th Latin American Congress on Public and Urban Transportation. The Convention also includes a technical and scientific workshop and the 3rd Latin American Meeting of Institutions in charge of Transportation Supervision, Control and Regulation. Other activities during the convention include lectures and presentations on different technologies related to the transportation industry. (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-651 2001-Sep-19 23:17:13