Radio Havana Cuba-24 September 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 24 September 2001 . *CUBAN EXPERTS AGREE THAT WORLD PEACE IS HANGING ON A STRING *ARAB COMMUNITY IN CUBA CALLS FOR PEACE *RICARDO ALARCON: MOVEMENT TOWARD CARIBBEAN INTEGRATION GROWS *GOVERNOR GENERAL OF JAMAICA ARRIVES IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL *RIGOBERTA MENCHU SAYS THERE CAN BE NO PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE *KOFI ANNAN SAYS ONLY UN CAN LEGITIMATELY WAGE CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERROR *US PROMISES TO SHARE ITS EVIDENCE, BUT WITH WHOM, AND HOW MUCH UNKNOWN *JEWISH VICTIMS OF TERRORISM IN ARGENTINA SPEAK OUT AGAINST VENGEANCE *MEDIA FOCUS ON MILITARY CHALLENGE OF ATTACKING TALIBAN ON ITS TERRITORY *Viewpoint: IN THE LAND OF "ETERNAL SPRING" THE ANGELS ARE HUNGRY . *CUBAN EXPERTS AGREE THAT WORLD PEACE IS HANGING ON A STRING Havana, September 24 (RHC)--Cuban journalists and experts examined the current international situation during a special roundtable discussion Sunday evening. Broadcast live on Cuban radio and television, the program took a look at Washington's military build-up in the wake of the recent tragic events in New York and Washington. Randy Alonso, the roundtable's moderator, set the stage for the discussion by quoting Condolezza Rice -- Washington's National Security Advisor. During a Sunday morning talk show, Rice stated that the U.S. does not need to consult with the United Nations before taking military action. Alonso said that the U.S. official admitted that Washington wants to overthrow the Taliban government in Afghanistan. A journalist with the weekly newspaper Trabajadores, Lazaro Barredo, commented that the statements by Rice demonstrate that Washington plans to become the new master of the world. Barredo noted that the U.S. media is stirring up a climate of hate and revenge -- psychologically preparing the American people for war. During the special televised roundtable discussion, it was reported that manuals regarding the use of pesticides have allegedly surfaced -- giving rise to sensationalist speculation that chemical attacks were being planned. Cuban journalists said that despite the war hysteria that is gripping the United States -- making it easier for Washington to make its moves -- there is growing opposition inside the U.S. to the impending military attacks. It was noted that major demonstrations are planned for next Saturday, the 29th, in Washington, DC and San Francisco, California. Organizers say that protesters will demonstrate this weekend against the war and against racism. *ARAB COMMUNITY IN CUBA CALLS FOR PEACE Havana, September 24 (RHC)--The Arab community in Cuba has reiterated its condemnation of recent terrorist attacks in the United States, at the same time calling on Washington to stop its preparations for war and work for peace. Speaking with reporters in Havana, Alfredo Derechi, president of the Arab Union of Cuba, said that military actions will not stop international terrorism and affirmed that the events of September 11th were the result of Washington's abuses against Arab and other countries around the world. The head of the Arab Union in Havana said that the terrorist actions in New York and Washington were brutal, adding that no one can support them. He emphasized that while terrorism must be condemned and eradicated, no one wants war and no one wants more suffering. *RICARDO ALARCON: MOVEMENT TOWARD CARIBBEAN INTEGRATION GROWS Havana, September 24 (RHC)--Cuban Parliament President Ricardo Alarcón has affirmed that there is an increasing consciousness about the importance of Caribbean integration. Upon his return from Belize this weekend, the Cuban legislative leader told reporters that he was greatly impressed by the growing movement toward regional integration and unity. Ricardo Alarcón led the Cuban delegation to the official ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Central American country's independence. Belize -- formally known as British Honduras -- gained its independence from Britain on September 21, 1981. During his brief stay in Belmopan, the capital, the president of Cuba's Parliament met with a number of regional leaders, including Said Musa, the prime minister of Belize. Alarcón told journalists in Havana that he felt encouraged by the expressions of regional unity aired during his meetings with area leaders. He said he is confident that relations between small nations will continue to increase because there is a growing awareness of the dangers of neo-liberal globalization. He noted that there are already signs of greater economic and trade cooperation throughout the Caribbean. *GOVERNOR GENERAL OF JAMAICA ARRIVES IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, September 24 (RHC)--The Governor General of Jamaica, Sir Howard Cooke, has arrived in Havana to begin an official three-day visit to the island. The Jamaican official was invited by Cuban President Fidel Castro. According to this morning's edition of Granma, the visit of the Governor General of Jamaica to Cuba represents a new phase in relations between the two countries. It was noted that the ties of friendship and cooperation between Cuba and Jamaica have historically been excellent and will be further strengthened by this official visit. *RIGOBERTA MENCHU SAYS THERE CAN BE NO PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE Washington, September 24 (RHC)--Guatemalan Nobel Peace laureate Rigoberta Menchu has expressed condemnation of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the US and solidarity with the American people, though deploring Washington's announced war on terrorism. In an open letter to President George Bush, Menchu said there can be no peace without justice, no justice without equity, no equity without development, no development without democracy and no democracy without respect for the identities and dignity of peoples and cultures. In today's world, said the Guatemalan indigenous leader, these values and practices are very scarce, while their unequal distribution only feeds the sensation of helplessness, desperation and hate. She said the US's role in the current world order is far from being neutral, adding that she had hoped to hear in George Bush's speech to the nation last week a message of prudence, reflection and self-criticism. Menchu said she agreed with Bush about the uncertainty of the course of this conflict, but that when he said its outcome is certain she was invaded by the certainty of a new, gigantic and useless sacrifice and a new colossal lie. The Nobel Peace laureate said that before igniting the fire, the US President should think of a different type of world leadership, in which it would not be necessary to triumph but to convince, in which the human species can demonstrate that during the past one thousand years it has gone beyond the "eye-for-an-eye" premise that guided the justice of the uncivilized, in which there would be no need for new crusades to learn to respect those who have a different idea about God and his creation and in which the fruits of progress are shared with solidarity. *KOFI ANNAN SAYS ONLY UN CAN LEGITIMATELY WAGE CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERROR New York, September 24 (RHC)--United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has asserted that only the world body can legitimize a long-term international campaign against terrorism. Annan was speaking before a reduced session of the UN General Assembly in which only ambassadors are participating as a result of the terrorist attacks - with the exception of the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. The Secretary General warned against an indiscriminate response to the attacks which, he said, could divide the international community. He said any action should strengthen the ties between nations instead of submitting them to new tensions, calling on Washington to refrain from acting unilaterally. The UN leader said no effort should be spared in bringing the authors of the attacks to justice, but the effort, he added, should be carried out in a clear and transparent manner that everyone can understand and accept. He said the struggle against terrorism should also not lead to the abandonment of development aid to poor countries, stating that this objective is now even more urgent than before. *US PROMISES TO SHARE ITS EVIDENCE, BUT WITH WHOM, AND HOW MUCH UNKNOWN Washington, September 24 (RHC)--Washington has promised to make public evidence linking Osama Bin Laden to the terrorist attacks on the United States in an effort to persuade the world, and particularly Muslim nations, that a military response is justified. It's not clear, however, how much information will be released and to how many countries. The George Bush administration reportedly sees the evidence as crucial to the support of friendly Muslim countries -- Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan -- whose governments fear that punishing military action by the United States against the terrorists will spur widespread unrest. But Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that the majority of the evidence is considered top secret and only part of it will be made public. Washington's Persian Gulf allies have issued statements of total support of Washington's efforts to find the authors of the terrorist acts and bring them to justice, while refraining from offering specific military assistance. News agencies have reported that the evidence reaches from the southern tip of Manhattan to the foothills of the Hundu Kush mountains of Afghanistan, tracing a group that started out running material aid to the rebels fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980's and wound up declaring war on the United States. In an extensive interview this weekend on NBC's "Meet the Press," Powell said that both he and the Pentagon were sensitive to the warnings of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that a new generation of militants could emerge from American military assaults *JEWISH VICTIMS OF TERRORISM IN ARGENTINA SPEAK OUT AGAINST VENGEANCE Buenos Aires, September 24 (RHC)--In Argentina, family members of victims of terrorist attacks against Jews have expressed solidarity with the American families of the September 11th victims, but have issued a call to refrain from seeking vengeance. Argentines with family members who perished in the 1992 bomb attack against the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 attack against a Jewish association, grouped in the organization Active Memory, condemned the attacks in New York and Washington and called for restraint during their weekly Monday protest in front of judicial headquarters in the capital. During the past 7 years, Active Memory has received support from some legislators, human rights activists and diverse personalities from Argentina's cultural scenario. Among the groups supporting Active Memory is the Mothers of Mayo Plaza, which for more than 20 years has been demanding information on the whereabouts of their forcibly disappeared children during Argentina's 1976 to 1983 military dictatorship. Seven years after the terrorist bomb that destroyed a Jewish association in Buenos Aires, trial proceedings were slated to begin today against several members of the country's security forces. *MEDIA FOCUS ON MILITARY CHALLENGE OF ATTACKING TALIBAN ON ITS TERRITORY Miami, September 24 (RHC)--Some US media outlets continue focusing on the military challenges for any nation planning to confront the Taliban regime in its own territory. Margaret Coker, staff writer for the "Palm Beach Post," published an article on Sunday entitled "Afghan Army More Formidable Than It Appears," asserting that despite their antiquated rifles, rag-tag uniforms and miserable rations, it shouldn't be forgotten that the Taliban guerrilla fighters have defeated superpowers in the past. The article noted that Afghans have two centuries of practice routing invaders thanks to their legendary grit and intimate knowledge of a land where radios don't work deep in rugged valleys, where dust storms clog engines and obscure vision and where narrow, high-walled canyons leave men trapped and vulnerable to ambush. The "Palm Beach Post" staff writer insisted that the superbly trained and equipped US special forces have little experience with the martyr's zeal possessed by fighters who occupy a nightmarish landscape of hidden caves and deep ravines, making them almost invisible to warplanes and reconnaissance satellites. Though from a conventional military perspective the Taliban army appears puny, wrote Coker, looks are deceiving, as, she added the Soviet army discovered in the 1980s and the British army before them in the 1840s. According to the article, Afghanistan's landscape is made more dangerous by the fact that the country is studded with thousands of anti-personnel land mines, perhaps more than in any other country in the world -- adding that with no maps showing where these mines are, in the heat of battle or retreat one wrong step could be fatal. *Viewpoint: IN THE LAND OF "ETERNAL SPRING" THE ANGELS ARE HUNGRY A marvellous climate, in which practically everything can grow year round, lush vegetation where the deforestation is hardly noticed and abundant and varied fauna characterize Guatemala, known as the Country of Eternal Spring. However it is a paradise where the angels are hungry and malnourished and lack the energy to live. Because, despite the fertility of its soil and the relative abundance of corn, beans and fruits, chronic poverty is sucking the life out of Guatemalan society. But over-exploitation of land and lack of technology, financing, and access to markets along with a sustained plunge in prices and the non-existence of government programs to support small farmers, has begun to claim victims. It is not this year's drought that is killing the children of Camotan and Jocotan, in eastern Guatemala. Last year's poor harvest not responsible for the ten per cent of Guatemalan children who suffer from some form of malnutrition. These are problems that have accumulated over many years that have created structural weaknesses that provoke an unjust society in which a few have much and the great majority lack the most basic necessities including the very food to keep them alive. The 41 deaths from hunger and malnutrition reported over the last month is just the tip of the iceberg, a tiny demonstration discovered almost accidentally by the press; a drama that Guatemalans have been experiencing for many years on some of the richest soil in the Americas. A recent report from the U.N. Children's Organization, UNICEF, reveals that there are communities in Guatemala that have the same level of hunger as in the African nation of Somalia. That is why, though emergency aid is urgently needed now to save the most lives possible, the real solution is to generate sustainable economic development in the region. To create sources of work based on Guatemalan resources. That is, put into effect the ancient Chinese saying that when you see a hungry man, don't give him fish, teach him how to use a fishing pole. It is in this way that we can hope to stop more children from suffering the same fate as 12-year-old Juanita Garcia, whose cadaver-like image was captured forever by the press just hours before she died, demonstrating for once and for all that in this "paradise" the angels are dying of hunger. (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-13543 2001-Sep-25 04:50:10