Radio Havana Cuba-12 April 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 12 April 2002 . *PEREZ ROQUE RESPONDS TO THREATS ON CUBAN EMBASSY AFTER RIGHTWING COUP IN VENEZUELA *STATEMENTS BY HUGO CHAVEZ'S DAUGHTER ON CUBAN TV *US DESPERATELY SEEKS JUSTIFICATION FOR BLOCKADE: PEREZ ROQUE *HAVANA HAS SIGNED 29 BILATERAL ANTI-DRUG COOPERATION AGREEMENTS *ECUADOR REAFFIRMS SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA *MEXICO SUPPORTS CUBAN SOVEREIGNTY IN GENEVA *FIDEL CASTRO SEES OFF THE PRESIDENT OF THE AUTONOMOUS BASQUE REGION *ISRAEL, US FAIL TO AGREE ON WITHDRAWAL FROM PALESTINIAN TERRITORY *AUSTRALIA TO BUILD TWO NEW CAMPS IN CONTINUING IMMIGRATION SCANDAL *Viewpoint: ALL FOR FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS . *PEREZ ROQUE RESPONDS TO THREATS ON CUBAN EMBASSY AFTER RIGHTWING COUP IN VENEZUELA Caracas, April 12 (RHC)-- In spite of international press reports supporting the version of military leaders in Venezuela who announced this morning that President Hugo Chavez had resigned, it is now clear that Chavez was toppled in a right wing coup d'état. Military commanders said today that the President had stepped down after being pressured to do so in the wake of violent demonstrations in Caracas yesterday that left at least 13 people dead and over 100 wounded. However, in recorded statements made by Chavez' daughter, Maria Gabriela Chavez, to Cuban TV's round table anchor Randy Alonso, she said that her father had not resigned but was being held in detention. This development confirmed the suspicions of many of Chavez' supporters about whether or not he had been removed in a coup. Chavez' daughter's statements were echoed by the Minister of Education, Aristobulo Isturiz, who revealed to the press that the President had told those military leaders that demanded his resignation that he would do no such thing and that they would have to go ahead with their coup and take responsibility for their actions. The nation's attorney general, Isaías Rodríguez declared today that even if the President had resigned it would be legally invalid because the Constitution requires that such a resignation be carried out before the National Assembly. He added that important principles of international and national law had been broken and that Venezuela was dealing with a coup d'état. Hugo Chavez' daughter said that her father was being held incommunicado in Tiura Fortress and that he had asked her to retain a lawyer to defend his rights as an imprisoned president. The Cuban daily Granma this morning lamented Chavez departure blaming the rich, powerful business sector and its connections with the commercial mass media and the United States for Chavez' departure. This position appeared to be held out by the self-appointment of Pedro Carmona, head of the nation's largest business association, as interim head of government. Carmona had been one of the foremost opposition leaders against Hugo Chavez, especially since Chavez had come to blows with powerful oil executives over the running of the state oil company, Pétroleo de Venezuela. One of the first acts of Carmona has been to reinstate the fired top oil executives and military personnel the President had removed, and exports of oil to Cuba have been suspended. One of Chavez' acts that most infuriated Washington and the corporate sector was his rapprochement with Cuba and his opening of major business ties with the island including preferential oil tariffs. He also gained US president George Bush's ire when he criticized the bombing of Afghanistan at a moment when, observers note, few leaders in the world had the courage to do so. Granma reported that individuals such as Carmona had continued to exhort their supporters to demonstrate in the streets in spite of the obvious risks of violence as the crowds got larger and more aggressive. It is unclear who provoked the firing on the protestors but many witnesses said that the first shots could have come from provocateurs on the scene. In spite of propaganda to the contrary, supporters of Hugo Chavez are reminding the world that he never violated the Venezuelan constitution in any way - as have the plotters in the coup - but gained the hatred of the old oligarchy by attempting to wrest power from their hands by redistributing power, money and land. The new constitution he bequeathed to his nation by referendum is one of the most progressive in the world. Cuban Foreign Minister, Felipe Pérez Roque, held a press conference late Friday to respond to the events taking place in Venezuela. The Cuban minister decried the coup d´état and condemned the attack by a mob of some 400 on the Cuban embassy in Caracas. Warning that the Cuban diplomats inside the embassy would defend it even at the cost of their own lives, Pérez Roque held those who had carried out the coup responsible for their lives and property. Repeating that President Hugo Chavez had clearly not resigned, the Cuban Foreign Minister called on the restitution of the democratically elected government of Chavez. Responding to a question as to whether there were Venezuelan government officials in hiding in the embassy, Pérez Roque categorically denied that there were, adding that this was a rumor spread to incite the mob to violence against the embassy. *STATEMENTS BY HUGO CHAVEZ'S DAUGHTER ON CUBAN TV STATEMENTS BY DAUGHTER OF HUGO CHAVEZ TO RANDY ALONSO OF CUBAN TV Journalist Randy Alonso spoke today with the daughter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Maria Gabriela Chavez. He asked her to comment on the events going on in Venezuela. Maria Gabriela: "I spoke with my father two hours ago. He phoned us and told us to please tell the world that at no point has he resigned, that at no point has he signed any decree sacking Vice President Disodado Cabello, and that he certainly has not resigned. He said that a group of military officers had simply arrested him and taken him to Fuerte Tiuna, the Army Headquarters. He said that he is presently in detention under the Fuerte Tiuna regiment of the military police. He is completely incommunicado, and has only been allowed to speak with us, his children. "He asked that we find him lawyers, that we speak with friends and relatives, to make sure that his rights are respected. He said he did not know when we would be able to speak again. This was two hours ago, at 9 o'clock in the morning here in Venezuela." The daughter of President Hugo Chavez said that government officials and followers are being detained and kidnapped, and that others have had to hide. She said she did not know when she will hear from her father again. MG: "I asked when we would speak again, and he said, I don't know. He said now you have to help me, you have to find lawyers, pressure people, and tell everyone that I am in prison, that I am an imprisoned president-those were his exact words, at no point did he resign. "After I spoke with my father I managed to speak with Vice President Diosdado Cabello, and with deputies of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. I spoke with Juan Barreto, one of the deputies-he is in hiding, for they are also looking for him-and with Freddy Bernal. The former director of the DISIP, the Venezuelan Intelligence Service has been abducted; the Attorney General of Venezuela has also been detained-no communication media has talked about this. And what is important is that he never resigned, that there has simply been a coup d'etat, which they want to disguise under an alleged resignation. "He asked that I tell you this, that you tell the world. And Vice President Disodado Cabello has asked that it be denounced before the Organization of American States, the group of 77, all international organizations, that this is an extreme rightwing dictatorship that is being instated here in Venezuela, and they want to disguise it under a resignation. But it is all a lie. They are looking for all government followers to arrest them, and they have all had to go into hiding." Maria Gabriela Chavez was asked by Randy Alonso about the situation of her family. MG: "Well, we are all also practically in hiding. But we are all right, we are now more calm, we are together. With me here is my brother Hugo, my sister Rosa, and my daughter is also with me. We are calm now, and I have faith that things will settle, and we are ready to help our father through all this. "You have my cell phone number. I will keep it on at all times. You can call me any time for anything. It is easier if you call me, for anything that you may want to know. I will keep you informed. We will do anything that needs to be done for our father. We also love you all, we love the Cuban people, and thank you for your support." *US DESPERATELY SEEKS JUSTIFICATION FOR BLOCKADE: PEREZ ROQUE Habana, April 12 (RHC)-- Cuban Foreign Minister, Felipe Perez Roque, held a press conference in Havana yesterday in which he rejected the anti-Cuban resolution presented by Uruguay at the behest of the United States at the United Nations Human Rights Commission, currently meeting in Geneva. No longer being able to attack Cuba for its relationship with the Soviet Union, for the presence of Cuban troops in Africa or its support of guerilla movements in Latin America, Washington instead seeks supposed human rights abuses as its desperate justification, added the Foreign Minister. The Foreign Minister said that in spite of Washington's attempt to have Cuba censured it was interesting to note that the resolution did not condemn the island for human rights violations but requested that a monitoring mechanism be set up in Cuba. However, Cuba would never submit to such a mechanism, said Perez Roque, especially when at the service of the United States which seeks to justify its policy of blockade against the island by any means possible. The Cuban minister questioned why such an inspection has not been suggested for countries in Latin America that ignore the basic human rights of education, health and access to food. He added that Washington was shamelessly prepared to discredit Uruguay and other countries such as Peru and Argentina in its pursuit of its final aim. Although Uruguay had chosen to attack Cuba in this way, Felipe Perez Roque pledged that Cuba would continue to send its doctors and medicines to the South American country. He blamed the nation's president not its people for the efforts against Cuba, saying that Jorge Batlle was acting as an agent of the United States, playing into Washington's hands in its campaign against the island. *HAVANA HAS SIGNED 29 BILATERAL ANTI-DRUG COOPERATION AGREEMENTS Havana, April 12 (RHC)-- Cuba has 29 signed bilateral anti-drug cooperation agreements, proof of the seriousness with which Havana views the problem. The island is a signatory of a United Nations General Assembly policy declaration dedicated to common action to stem the international drug problem. It also states the guiding principals for the reduction of demand and for working together. Cuba's National Drug Commission promotes various programs and last year more than a hundred thousand specialists were trained in prevention methods according to Friday's Granma newspaper. *ECUADOR REAFFIRMS SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA Quito, April 12 (RHC)-- Ecuadorians today reiterated their concern for Cuba. The Ecuadorian Solidarity with Cuba Association, reaffirmed its support of the island in the face of heightened US aggression. The Association, which is made up of some 20 organizations and numerous distinguished individuals, adopted a six-point proclamation ratifying solidarity with the Cuban Revolution and its government. The statement urges the Ecuadorian government to vote in favor of Cuba in the 58th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, where the United States is attempting to condemn Cuba. Another point expresses satisfaction with the Argentinean Senate resolution in solidarity with Cuba and its decision to call on president Eduardo Duhalde to vote against the US anti-Cuba measure. Finally, the statement by the Ecuadorian Solidarity with Cuba Association expresses its affection and support for the five young Cubans being held in US jails for "struggling against the terrorism of the Miami Mafia." *MEXICO SUPPORTS CUBAN SOVEREIGNTY IN GENEVA Havana, April 12 (RHC)-- The Mexican Parliament has voted to respect the sovereignty and self-determination of Cuba in the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. In its last session, the Senate passed a point of agreement on the position that the country should take with respect to the resolution condemning Cuba promoted by the United States and sponsored by Uruguay in the UN Human Rights Commission. The Senate called on the executive to instruct Mexico's representative at the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Commission to vote based on the principals that guide Mexican foreign policy; respect for self-determination and non-interference in the affairs of other countries. Based on a proposal by the Party of the Democratic Revolution, the legislature has called for Mexico to vote against " any resolution that violates the sovereignty of the Republic of Cuba." *FIDEL CASTRO SEES OFF THE PRESIDENT OF THE AUTONOMOUS BASQUE REGION Havana, April 12 (RHC)-- Cuba's president Fidel Castro bid farewell last night to the president of the Basque government, Juan Ibarretxe. The European leader had concluded a busy seven-day visit that included a long meeting with President Castro. The Basque president also held talks with a variety of Cuban ministers and government leaders. A number of agreements were signed between Cuban and Basque companies for economic cooperation and the transfer of technology. *ISRAEL, US FAIL TO AGREE ON WITHDRAWAL FROM PALESTINIAN TERRITORY Jerusalem, April 12 (RHC)-- US Secretary of State Colin Powell was unable to reach an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Friday, in an effort to persuade Sharon to stop his invasion of Palestinian territory. The Israeli leader refused to speculate on when his troops would be withdrawn saying he was fighting a war of terror against the Palestine National Authority which he has said he will destroy. He refuses to recognize Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat any longer. Powell, has announced he will now meet with President Arafat - very much against Sharon's will. The Secretary of State said he would insist that the Palestinian leader reign in the suicide bombings, another of which occurred in Jerusalem this morning killing at least four people and wounding scores of others. Powell also said that Israel must deal with Arafat as a partner in the peace process, but observers said that Bush's demands at the beginning of the week that Sharon immediately pull out of the invaded West Bank appeared to be rhetoric in the light of Powell's apparent inability to put pressure on the Israeli leader. Elsewhere in the world Tel Aviv continues to be condemned for it's invasion of Palestinian territory and the hundreds of dead and many thousands of wounded as a result. The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called today for an international force to be sent to the region to impose peace - one of the requests made by Yasser Arafat long ago. Israeli military officials have announced that they had subdued the Jenin refugee camp where Palestinians had most strongly resisted the invasion. Over 150 Palestinians were killed - many of them non-combatants according to NGO personnel on the ground - including United Nations workers. The camp is shown in TV images to have suffered vast destruction from tanks and bulldozers employed by Israeli forces. Efforts by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and the International Red Cross to enter the camp and attend to the wounded are still being blocked by the Israeli army. Many wounded people have reportedly died all over the West Bank from lack of medical attention, some lingering many days in great pain. In Washington, US President George Bush has stopped making demands on Ariel Sharon for fear of being ignored again and is instead concentrating on Arab leaders calling on them to work harder to combat terrorism and bring an end to the conflict. In an effort to cover for Israel's refusal to abide by Bush's demand that it withdraw from Palestinian territory, the White House said that when the President had made his demand earlier in the week he "did not expect all three parties that night to salute and say yes. That's not how the Mideast works." *AUSTRALIA TO BUILD TWO NEW CAMPS IN CONTINUING IMMIGRATION SCANDAL Canberra, April 12 (RHC)-- In the continuing scandal relating to the Australian government's treatment of undocumented immigrants, Canberra announced today that it would be scaling back the notorious Woomera camp and that it would close another. The camps that hold asylum seekers have been the center of a battle with human rights advocates because of their location in the Outback and the length of time many of its inmates have had to spend inside awaiting for their cases to be heard. Some inmates - including children - have been incarcerated for three years in some of the camps. The Woomera camp houses 300 asylum seekers from primarily Afghanistan and Iraq and has received the worst condemnation by a parliamentary commission and the United Nations for human rights abuses. The camp has seen hunger strikes, arson, attempted suicide and more recently breakouts. Australia's Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock announced that his government was building two new camps with improved living conditions, one of them on Christmas Island to prevent immigrants from reaching the mainland. However, immigration activists decried the policies of the government saying that the new camps do not address the terrible penalty of long term imprisonment for simply being a refugee. *Viewpoint: ALL FOR FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS Uruguay took a drastic step when it complied with the wishes of the Jorge Batlle administration and signed a free trade agreement with Washington. Loyal to the strategic line of his neoliberal, free-market affiliation, the president of Uruguay ordered his collaborators to examine the possibilities of boosting trade with the United States, if that country would agree to open its hermetically sealed market. On Thursday, Washington and Montevideo signed an agreement that establishes the guidelines and objectives under which to negotiate bilateral trade liberalization and to foster exchange and investment. To Jorge Batlle's satisfaction, experts agree that the document represents a further step towards the establishment of a free trade agreement between Uruguay and the US. This explains the euphoria of Uruguay's Foreign Minister Guillermo Valles when he affirmed that Thursday had been a "historic" day for his country. Uruguay's government is trying to speed up the expansion of economic ties with the US because it has experienced the loss of markets in traditional exports such as meat, wool, and leather. Uruguayan sales in Argentina, for instance, dropped 72 % in the first three months of the current year. Batlle's critics, however, blame him for failing to exhaust all possibilities to revive the South American Common Market, MERCOSUR, the economic block made up by Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay. It is not a coincidence that Brazil is bitterly watching Uruguay's efforts to strike on its own and at its own risk, a bilateral dealt with Washington which will eventually put the sub-regional pact in a much more embarrassing situation. Since 1998 Uruguay has increased trade with the NAFTA countries, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This is considered to be the threshold for more ambitious commercial platforms. It seems that Uruguay is has fallen hook, line and sinker for the plan of supposed prosperity that Washington is selling, the so-called Free Trade Area of the Americas, without noticing that if the country adopts it, American products will flood Latin-American markets ruining local industries and agriculture. There is no need to wait for the FTAA to happen in 2005 to realize that Uruguayan products are doomed to bankruptcy. The neoliberal policies mercilessly adopted by Batlle have so far provoked a 14 per cent increase in unemployment, which means that 700 thousand Uruguayans have lost their jobs. What's more, 47 per cent of the country's children are born into poverty; and farmers are suffering from the sector's worst crisis ever and are being forced to abandon their lands burdened with debts. But agricultural and industrial disasters don't appear to matter much to Batlle who, so enamoured with the free trade agreement with the US, has been willing to ignore his principals and his country's sovereignty and do Washington's anti-Cuba bidding in UN the Human Rights Commission in Geneva. And that is exactly what he did when Uruguay agreed to sponsor the United States' yearly anti-Cuba resolution there. (c) 2002 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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