Radio Havana Cuba-04 April 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 04 April 2002 . *ELIAN GONZALEZ: "WHEN I GROW UP, I WANT TO BE..." *ALL CUBAN CHILDREN ARE VACCINATED AGAINST POLIO *MEXICO: GREEN PARTY LAWMAKERS EXPRESS THEIR AFFINITY WITH CUBA *VIETNAMESE CONDEMN IMPRISONMENT OF FIVE CUBAN PATRIOTS *US COURT CONVICTS CANADIAN NATIONAL FOR SELLING WATER PURIFICATION SUPPLIES TO CUBAN HOSPITALS *ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT, UNITA REBELS SIGN CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT *CINCINNATI AGREES TO REIN IN POLICE BRUTALITY, BUT BOYCOTT CONTINUES *ISRAEL BLOCKS EUROPEAN UNION MEDIATION EFFORT *YOUNG PEOPLE ARE THE VITAL ELEMENT OF THE REVOLUTION . *ELIAN GONZALEZ: "WHEN I GROW UP, I WANT TO BE..." Havana, April 4 (RHC)-- Elian Gonzalez, the little Cuba boy who was kidnapped in the United States in 1999, says he wants to be a policeman, TV actor or cosmonaut. The eight year-old boy's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez said that Elian had informed him of what he wants to be when he grows up. "All I have ever asked of my son, he said, "is that he study, because in order to able to decide for himself what he wants, he needs to be well-prepared." In an interview published Thursday in a special edition of the island's youth newspaper, "Juventud Rebelde" celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Young Communist League, Gonzalez said that Elian is doing very well. "He is advancing nicely, he likes mathematics, Spanish, and history and he gets good grades". Juan Miguel commented that as far as the computer goes, his son has surpassed him. According to his father, Elian likes sports, plays in a musical group and sometimes recites poetry. Elian's father works in an Italian restaurant in Cuba's Varadero Beach resort, some 140 kilometers east of the capital. The child survived a boat accident when his mother attempted to illegally immigrate to Florida. She and nine other people died at sea. Elian survived after clinging to an inner tube for more than 24 hours at sea. After a legal battle involving relatives in Miami and the US government, Juan Manuel was awarded legal custody of Elian and brought him back to Cuba. During the controversy millions of Cubans rallied on the island demanding that Elian be returned to his father. In a written message Elian's father said, "On this April 4, the 40th anniversary of the Young Communist League and the 41st anniversary of the children's Pioneer organization, in the name of my family, I would like to send out an embrace and a warm salute to all young people". *ALL CUBAN CHILDREN ARE VACCINATED AGAINST POLIO Havana, April 4 (RHC)-- A hundred per cent of Cuban children under three years of age have received their first dose of anti-polio vaccine announced the island's Health Ministry today. In this first stage, two drops of the vaccine have been administered to nearly half a million children from 30 days old to two years, 11 months and 29 days. The second stage of the national anti-polio campaign will take place from April 26 to May 2. Polio was eradicated in Cuba in l962. The Public Health Ministry also reports that it will continue its prevention program against dengue fever. A massive government anti-dengue campaign has been underway in Cuba for the past 75 days. All homes and other buildings in the capital have been repeatedly fumigated and major clean-up operations undertaken. Last week Cuban president, Fidel Castro announced that the battle had been won against the dengue carrier, the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Cuba invested 12.5 million dollars to eradicate the mosquito that infected some 150 people in October of last year sparking the national campaign. Two Cuban specialists are currently in Chile assisting that nation to combat a dengue outbreak in the Easter Islands, where 162 cases have been reported. *MEXICO: GREEN PARTY LAWMAKERS EXPRESS THEIR AFFINITY WITH CUBA Mexico, April 4 (RHC)-- A group of Mexican Green Party parliamentarians have expressed their desire to bolster the more than one hundred years of ties between Mexico and Cuba. In a meeting in Mexico City with the Cuban ambassador, Jorge Bolanos, House of Deputies Green Party leader, Bernardo de la Garza and Green Party Senate leader, Gloria Lavara and other Green Party lawmakers discussed the current state of relations between the two countries and perspectives for the future. Sources in the Cuban embassy said that the meeting was friendly and followed a similar gathering on Tuesday with members of Mexico's, Party for the Democratic Revolution, PRD. The visits by Mexican congressional representatives come at moment of bilateral tensions which have existed since March 21, when Cuban president, Fidel Castro, abruptly left the Monterrey Summit on Funds for Development because his presence there had created, as he said, "a special situation". Later, the Cuban delegation to the Monterrey Summit denounced pressures exerted by Washington to make sure that Fidel Castro did not remain for the international meeting called by the United Nations. *VIETNAMESE CONDEMN IMPRISONMENT OF FIVE CUBAN PATRIOTS Hanoi, April 4 (RHC)-- Members of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association expressed concern and interest for the five Cuban patriots unjustly imprisoned in the United States. During a meeting with visiting Cuban Communist Party leader, Raul Valdes Vivo, the group strongly condemned the imprisonment in the United States of the five Cubans who were convicted of endangering the security of the United States. Two of the five were sentenced to life imprisonment and the others received long terms. The five testified that by infiltrating anti-Cuba terrorist organizations within the United States, they were defending the island and the United States itself, against terrorist attacks. Ever since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in l959, terrorist attacks against the island have originated from the United States. Among those deadly attacks are the l976 bombing of a Cubana Airlines passenger plane in mid-flight killing all 77 on board and a spate of hotel bombings in 1998 that left one person dead and others wounded. Valdes Vivo, who is also the director of the Nico Lopez Communist Party School in Havana, is in Hanoi on an academic exchange. He said that each day international solidarity grows in support of the five and demands that they be set free. He stressed that it is inconceivable that it is the United States, which considers itself to be the champion of anti-terrorism, that condemns people to life in prison for fighting against terrorism. The Cuban Communist Party official thanked Vietnam for its support to Cuba in its campaign to win the freedom of Cuban child Elian Gonzalez. *US COURT CONVICTS CANADIAN NATIONAL FOR SELLING WATER PURIFICATION SUPPLIES TO CUBAN HOSPITALS Philadelphia, April 4 (RHC)-- A US court has convicted a Canadian national for selling water purification supplies to Cuban hospitals, in what is being called the first case of its kind. Canadian citizen James Sabzali and two American company executives have been found guilty of violating the US's Trading With The Enemy Act. Sabzali faces a maximum sentence of more than 200 years in jail, though prosecutors have reportedly recommended less than five. As he left the court, he said he was shocked and confused by the verdict, noting that as a Canadian citizen he was obliged by Canadian law to ignore the US blockade. Canadian media outlets have accused the United States of undermining Canadian sovereignty, though there has been little objection from the Canadian government. Sabzali ran his own business in Canada before he moved to Philadelphia in 1996 to work directly from the chemical company Bro-Tech, which supplied most of the materials. But the 20 counts of violating the blockade and one count of conspiracy for which he was convicted include seven charges relating to his years in Canada, which observers say will strengthen the feeling in Canada that the United States has overstepped the mark. Bro-Tech executives also pointed out that the sales were made entirely through Canadian, British and Italian subsidiaries after receiving legal advice. They argued that the company never intended to expose itself to criminal action in sales to Cuba that netted less than 48,000 dollars in profits and made up less than one percent of its business operations. Despite the case's possible implications in US-Canadian relations, it received scant coverage in US media outlets. *ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT, UNITA REBELS SIGN CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT Luanda, April 4 (RHC)-- Angola's army has signed a ceasefire agreement with the rebel UNITA movement, bringing renewed hope for an end to the country's 26 years of civil war. The signing, in the Angolan parliament building, took place in the presence of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos and Ibrahaim Gambari, special United Nations representative in Angola. Calling it a historic moment, Gambari promised that the UN would continue its support for Angola's peace plan. Some 4,000 people attended the signing ceremony. Last Saturday the rival armies agreed to a plan to demobilize UNITA's 50,000 troops, which will now be absorbed into the Angolan army and police. The UN is to monitor the demobilizations at 27 regional centers - a process the government says will take between four and nine months. The agreement includes a pledge to abide by the terms of a 1994 peace accord that late UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi pretended to accept but later violated. The full terms of the ceasefire have yet to be published as the two sides are to hold further talks on political issues relating to the peace process. The possibility for peace in Angola came after government troops captured and killed dozens of senior UNITA officers early this year before tracking down Savimbi in a remote part of eastern Angola. Angolan officials and foreign dignitaries who spoke at the ceremony all pointed to the huge challenges ahead for the African nation, including a huge resettlement program for the millions of displaced Angolans. And much of the African country's infrastructure has been destroyed. Though three previous peace efforts failed, observers are reportedly encouraged by the fact that the process was conducted entirely by Angolans themselves, rather than by foreign mediators. *CINCINNATI AGREES TO REIN IN POLICE BRUTALITY, BUT BOYCOTT CONTINUES Cincinnati, April 4 (RHC)-- The racially-troubled US city of Cincinnati has reached a tentative agreement on sweeping changes in the police department and settlement of a racial profiling lawsuit. The 60-page agreement comes nearly a year after the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black youth that led to violent protests in the African-American community, and capped marathon talks between police, city leaders, community groups and the US Justice Department, which is investigating police procedures in the city. If approved as written, the pact would restrict the use of police dogs and chemical irritants, improve the investigation of citizen complaints, enhance police interaction with community groups, and set clear guidelines to govern the use of force on suspects. Nevertheless, because the agreement fails to address pressing economic needs for blacks, organizers of a boycott against Cincinnati's business establishments have vowed to continue the measure. Boycott organizers with the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati also want amnesty for people arrested in last year's black uprising and the resignation or firing of Police Chief Tom Streicher. Following the police shooting last year, dozens were injured and more than 800 were arrested in the worst racially-motivated disturbances since the uprisings following the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King. And afterwards, the officer who fatally shot the unarmed African-American youth was acquitted of all charges. *ISRAEL BLOCKS EUROPEAN UNION MEDIATION EFFORT Ramallah, Brussels, Washington, April 4 (RHC)-- Israel has blocked a European Union mediation effort in occupied Palestinian territories as widespread criticism of Washington's passive and pro-Israeli attitude forced President George W. Bush to at least begin to appear to be engaged. A high-level EU delegation had planned to meet with besieged Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In light of Washington's virtual inactivity regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the idea to send an EU mission came from its executive commission chief Romano Prodi, who urged the US government to stand down as primary peacemaker. Stating that it was clear that American mediation efforts had failed, Prodi insisted that the US should make room for a broad alliance of nations to mediate a comprehensive peace deal for the region. Similar criticism of Washington Thursday led Bush to announce that he was sending Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Middle East, though many observers doubt Powell will bring any new ideas. On Wednesday, the Secretary of State rejected a European call for an international conference on the Middle East and reiterated Washington's position that Palestinian suicide bombings must be dealt with before any political goals or initiatives can be discussed - in opposition to widespread conviction that the bombings will continue as long as there is no justice for the Palestinian people. And while Bush Thursday reiterated Washington's position blaming Arafat for the current situation, in an apparent response to his much criticized unconditional support of right wing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon the US president called on Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian cities it has reoccupied and to abide by United Nations resolutions on Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories and a halt to Jewish settlement activity. In related news, Palestinian peace negotiators have expressed outrage over a US truce proposal that would allow Israel to continue its attacks on occupied territories. A so-called "ceasefire" plan proposed by US envoy General Anthony Zinni uses unconditional language requiring the Palestinians "to cease" violent activities, but only asks Israel to "commit to cease". Furious Palestinian negotiators have released a copy of the document presented by Zinni on March 26, the day before Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had been due to attend the Arab summit in Beirut. Israel treated the document as an ultimatum, demanding that Arafat sign it as a condition of being allowed to attend the summit - but he refused. The plan tries to satisfy Israel's immediate security demands without pledging any political follow-up leading to peace talks, ignoring the former Bill Clinton administration's commissioned Mitchell report which stated that a key problem in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that "security cooperation cannot long be sustained if meaningful negotiations are unreasonably deferred." Noting that Mitchell's proposed solution was to follow a ceasefire with confidence-building measures that would include a freeze on Jewish settlement activity, the British News daily The Guardian affirmed Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has avoided the confidence building stage due to the political difficulties a freeze on settlements would cause him. *YOUNG PEOPLE ARE THE VITAL ELEMENT OF THE REVOLUTION Youth is not a matter of chronology, but a state of mind. That is what some people say, especially those who though no longer young in years, are young at heart, optimistic and willing to engage in struggle. These are qualities that define both "youth" and "revolutionary"; two words that every day become more synonymous because, one cannot exist without the other. Youth is vital to the Revolution. It is generous, it lives for the present and doesn't speculate about the future: its natural fervor makes is a match for the cold machinations of opportunists. The young dream of victory when others only perceive failure, they imprudently take on the most challenging tasks, while others prefer passivity. With that in mind, on the anniversary of the Young Communist Organization and the Children's Pioneer Organization, we remember today the willingness of the young Jose Marti and Antonio Maceo to face the mighty Spanish army, which had proved to be a nightmare to Napoleon's troops and which seemed invincible. We also imagine a young Fidel announcing the triumph of the final independence war with barely seven rifles and a dozen fighters confronting a well-stocked-and-professionally-trained army. The question "what is the Revolution without the young?" could, legitimately, be rephrased as "what does it mean to be young in Revolution?" First of all, it means the chance for a present, something difficult if not impossible for millions in the developing world. For instance, over the next ten years, 20 million children will die of diseases as a result of lack of sanitation. That is every day six thousand people die because they lack of clean water and sanitary facilities. That is not to mention diseases that are decimating children around the world, the victims of armed conflicts, those subjected to medieval customs or people trapped in prostitution. In Cuba, however, young people and children in addition to having a present, also have a well-defined future. That is because the Revolution makes it possible in every corner of the nation to attain personal improvement, to develop one's qualities and potential in any field. Whether it is in sports, where young Cuban athletes stand out internationally; or in science, where they represent the foundations of development; or in services like medicine and education, where Cubans young people can go as far their desire and capacity allow. There's no question about it, youth and the Revolution are intimately united and both have a long life ahead, all the life that optimism and courage will allow. (c) 2002 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-22811 2002-Apr-06 12:44:53