Radio Havana Cuba-22 April 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 22 April 2002 . *CUBAN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES NATION IN SPECIAL PRESENTATION *FIDEL CASTRO SENDS CONDOLENCES TO VENEZUELAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE FOLLOWING TRAGIC HELICOPTER ACCIDENT *REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF UN's FAO UNDERWAY IN HAVANA *U.S. SENATOR BARBARA BOXER LEADS DELEGATION TO HAVANA *NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IN CUBA: 20 CHILDREN PER CLASSROOM *EVIDENCE CONTINUES TO MOUNT OF US INVOLVEMENT IN VENEZUELA'S COUP *EUROPE ALARMED BY ELECTORAL VICTORY IN FRANCE OF LE PEN *AT WASHINGTON'S BEHEST, LONDON SAVES KISSINGER FROM INTERROGATION *ISRAELI SOLDIERS LEAVE PALESTINE TERRITORY RANSACKED, VANDALIZED AND LOOTED *SHOCK AND GRIEF GIVES WAY TO ANGER IN CANADA OVER FRIENDLY FIRE DEATHS *WORLD BANK, IMF POLICIES CREATE UPHEAVAL, SOCIAL UNREST: REPORT *Viewpoint: THE GHOST OF HITLER STALKS EUROPE . *CUBAN PRESIDENT ADDRESSES NATION IN SPECIAL PRESENTATION Havana, 22 April (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro made a two hour presentation tonight which was broadcast in its entirety on Cuban radio and television, interrupting regular Cuban programming. The international press was present in large numbers to hear the Cuban leader speak of an exchange that he had with Mexican President Vicente Fox by telephone prior to the start of the Monterrey Conference last month. The Cuban leader suddenly left the Conference after attending the plenary session and making a short speech, indicating his presence had caused problems and that he was departing forthwith for Cuba. In various succeeding press conferences, both Fox and his foreign minister, Jorge Castañeda denied that any pressure had been brought to bear on Fidel Castro to leave the conference in Monterrey due to the presence of US President George Bush. However, the entire conversation, which was played back for everyone to hear, clearly presents the listener with the Mexican President pressuring the Cuban President to severely limit his presence in Monterrey. Fidel Castro explained that he felt obliged to release a transcript and recording of the conversation given the circumstances surrounding his departure from the Monterrey Conference, the untruths that had circulated since then, and the subsequent treatment Cuba had received from its longtime friend Mexico in the recent Human Rights Commission vote in Geneva where President Fox went back on his word to Fidel Castro and voted against the island in a resolution proposed by Uruguay with Washington's backing. The Cuban leader reserved his harshest comments for Jorge Castañeda, the Mexican foreign minister, who he said, had repeated false statements to the press saying that no pressure whatsoever had been brought to bear on him to limit his participation in the Conference. The President also expressed disappointment in those Latin American countries with horrendous human rights records, both past and present, who made judgments against Cuba in Geneva. He reminded those present of the thousands of Cuban doctors working in the Third World for free. Commenting on the way he felt obliged to leave the Monterrey Conference last month, Fidel Castro said that it was clear that neither US President George Bush, nor Mexican President Vicente Fox desired his presence in Monterrey. The taped conversation underscores Fox's evident unease at the Cuban leader's proposed presence at the Conference. Ending by saying that if the conversation just played was not authentic then he would resign his presidency of Cuba, Fidel Castro said that it had been necessary to play it to show to what extent the people of Mexico, and indeed the world, had been manipulated by the Mexican government, which he said, seemed to be incapable of reacting with dignity but resorted to deception. He finished by lamenting that Cuban-Mexican diplomatic relations might be strained but that the friendship between the two peoples will always remain sound. *FIDEL CASTRO SENDS CONDOLENCES TO VENEZUELAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE FOLLOWING TRAGIC HELICOPTER ACCIDENT Havana, April 22 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro sent his condolences to Venezuela's Minister of Defense, Jose Vicente Rangel, following a tragic helicopter accident that claimed the lives of four generals and six other military officers. The leader of the Cuban Revolution expressed his sorrow upon learning the news of Friday's helicopter crash, which occurred during adverse weather conditions north of Caracas, the Venezuelan capital. He praised the "brilliant role" recently played by several of the officers, "who smashed the fascist coup" against President Hugo Chavez. In his message of condolences, Fidel Castro said that the names of those who were killed in the tragic accident "will go down in the history of the glorious liberation struggles of the Venezuelan and Latin American peoples." Among those killed in the crash of the helicopter -- which was ferrying the officers from a ceremony at the naval academy on the Caribbean coast -- was General Luis Alfonso Acevedo Quintero, who became the new head of the Venezuelan Air Force only two days before the accident. The crash, in the heavily forested Avila Mountain range, is being fully investigated -- but all indications point to bad weather conditions and poor visibility. *REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF UN's FAO UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, April 22 (RHC)--The 27th Regional Conference of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is underway in Havana. The conference will run through Friday, April 26th. Jacques Diouf, Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, will preside over the sessions on Wednesday, when the conference begins meeting at the ministerial level. At least 18 ministers of agriculture have confirmed their participation in the regional conference -- with representatives from a total of 33 nations of Latin America and the Caribbean. Ministers of agriculture will review the activities of the FAO in the region over the past two years -- with a special emphasis on the trends and challenges in agriculture, forests and fishing, as well as topics related to food security. Another important issue will be regional preparations for the World Food Summit that will take place from June 10th through the 13th in Rome. According to the United Nations, more than one billion 200 million people in the world live below the poverty line, with some 220 million from Latin America and the Caribbean -- half of the region's population. UN officials expect that among the documents coming out of this week's regional conference will include a rejection of the use of food as a way of exerting political and economic pressure on other nations. For its part, Cuba will denounce Washington's genocidal, 40-year-old economic blockade against the island. *U.S. SENATOR BARBARA BOXER LEADS DELEGATION TO HAVANA Havana, April 22 (RHC)--U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer from California is in the Cuban capital, leading a 24-member delegation. Speaking with reporters at a news conference in Havana, the Democratic senator said that she and her delegation strongly oppose Washington's travel restrictions and the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba. As a representative from an important agricultural state, Senator Barbara Boxer said she would work to change legislation that prohibits Cuba from purchasing products with U.S. financing. Currently, Havana is able to buy food and medicine from the United States -- but only in cash or with loans from third countries. She said that California has many products that Cuba would be interested in purchasing, including rice, beans, fruit and wine. During the news conference in Havana, Senator Barbara Boxer also emphasized the importance of lifting the travel ban imposed on U.S. citizens by Washington. *NEXT SCHOOL YEAR IN CUBA: 20 CHILDREN PER CLASSROOM Havana, April 22 (RHC)--Cuba will soon achieve its goal of having only 20 students per classroom. The island's Minister of Education, Luis Ignacio Gomez, told reporters that by September -- when the new school year begins -- there would be one grade school teacher for each class of 20 children. The Cuban minister of education said that some 2600 twelfth grade students are preparing to become teachers and will begin their careers next fall after graduating from high school. He noted that the new teachers would continue their studies in university and post-graduate courses, working toward degrees in primary education. Luis Ignacio Gomez stated that the island's authorities are working to improve educational programs on all levels. He emphasized that the Cuban Revolution considers education to be one of the fundamental pillars in the cultural and integral development of Cuban citizens. *EVIDENCE CONTINUES TO MOUNT OF US INVOLVEMENT IN VENEZUELA'S COUP Caracas, April 22 (RHC)--Evidence of U.S. involvement in Venezuela's attempted right wing coup has continued to mount. The Venezuelan news daily Ultimas Noticias Sunday published a letter by Venezuelan charge d'affaires in Washington, Luis Herrera Marcano, affirming that on the morning of April 12 -- after Chavez's ouster but before de facto ruler Pedro Carmona was sworn in -- the Venezuelan embassy received a call from a US State Department official saying that Washington "understands and sympathizes" with changes in the country. The call was reportedly from Phillip Chicola, the State Department's point man on Venezuela, who also told the embassy that Washington believed it was necessary for the Venezuelan National Assembly to ratify Chavez's resignation and for the Venezuelan Supreme Court to give "its stamp of approval." The US magazine Newsweek wrote Monday that among those suspected of financing the plot is Gustavo Cisneros, a Venezuelan media tycoon and fishing companion of former President George H. W. Bush. Earlier, AFP news agency had reported that according to a Venezuelan military source, US Army Lieutenant Colonel James Rodgers -- an aide to the US military attaché -- was present at Fort Tiuna in Caracas before Chavez was brought to that installation after the coup, and remained there until the self-proclaimed de facto government fell apart. Now AFP is reporting that according to a Venezuelan official close to the investigation being carried out by the Chavez government, a second US military officer, Army Colonel Ronald MacCammon, was also present. According to Newsweek, a Senate committee is going to investigate the contacts between US officials and the Venezuelan military officers who participated in the coup. *EUROPE ALARMED BY ELECTORAL VICTORY IN FRANCE OF LE PEN Paris, London, Bonn, April 22 (RHC)--Governments and media in Europe are expressing shock and alarm after France's far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen won through to the second round of the country's presidential elections. Britain's mass circulation Sun newspaper ran the headline "France's day of shame," asserting that "what has happened in France is repugnant" and that "Europe, today, is embarrassed and disgraced." In Germany, the public television station ZDF described Le Pen's success as "a signal of alarm for all of Europe," asserting that "the presence in the second round of a xenophobe and a racist was unimaginable in a country which cried with indignation" when the ultra right wing Haider Party entered the government in Austria. The British newspaper The Times wrote that "it calls into question not only the commitment of French voters to the values of a civilized multiculturalism, but also a system of democracy that has let this happen." France was being called a nation shocked to the core as thousands of people reacted by taking to the streets in Paris and other cities to demonstrate against Le Pen and his anti-immigration policies. Le Pen takes on incumbent President Jacques Chirac, leaving presidential elections to the choice between the right and the far right as defeated and humiliated leftist Lionel Jospin announced his departure from politics. *AT WASHINGTON'S BEHEST, LONDON SAVES KISSINGER FROM INTERROGATION London, April 22 (RHC)--British authorities have denied a Spanish judge's petition to interrogate former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during his upcoming visit to London. Judge Baltasar Garzon, instrumental in the 1998 arrest in London of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, wants to question Kissinger about Operation Condor -- the across-border cooperation of South American dictatorships in their pursuit and elimination of all opposition. The British government reportedly denied the request when the US State Department told London that no judge can ask Kissinger questions concerning his tenure in the US administration of former President Richard Nixon - first as National Security Advisor and later as Secretary of State. At the same time, a British court has denied a petition from a human rights activist to arrest Kissinger based on Geneva Conventions. Peter Tatchell attempted to bring charges against the former Secretary of State for war crimes committed in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. A judge in France also petitioned London to interrogate Kissinger concerning the forced disappearance in Chile of five French citizens during the Pinochet regime. *ISRAELI SOLDIERS LEAVE PALESTINE TERRITORY RANSACKED, VANDALIZED AND LOOTED Ramallah, Nablus, West Bank, April 22 (RHC)--As Israeli soldiers pulled out of the center of two major West Bank cities, Palestinians and reporters found the buildings that had been occupied ransacked, vandalized and looted. Office managers said computer equipment had been stolen, shop owners said their businesses had been vandalized, residents said Israeli soldiers had taken money or valuables from their homes - in which they found messages with obscenities -, and there were attempts to break open the safes at Ramallah's Palestine International Bank. An Israeli military spokesman is reported to have said that any soldiers found operating outside the rules would be punished, though denouncing the charges as "a huge campaign of lies" by the Palestinians. In some cases, like in the education ministry, the soldiers took so much material they needed a truck to carry it away, according to witnesses. A tour of several ministries in Ramallah has revealed extensive and, in some cases, selective damage to the government infrastructure that many believe will take many years and hundreds of millions of dollar to restore. *SHOCK AND GRIEF GIVES WAY TO ANGER IN CANADA OVER FRIENDLY FIRE DEATHS Ottawa, April 22 (RHC)--Shock and grief continued giving way to anger in Canada over the deaths of four Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan when a US pilot dropped a bomb on them. A front-page column in the Canadian news daily Globe and Mail affirmed that the symbolism for those who think Canada has no business being in Afghanistan is too rich to miss, charging that "we went to help out the Americans with their war and they used us for target practice." Many callers to radio phone-in shows and media internet sites reportedly continue saying that Canada was paying too high a price for its support of the US war on terrorism. A Globe and Mail survey also revealed Monday that 85 percent of Canadians believe the US should pay substantial compensation for the accident, while 84 percent believe that if an inquiry into the accident discovers negligence, the person responsible should be placed on trial. The situation was made worse a day after the tragedy when a seemingly indifferent US President, George W. Bush, failed to offer condolences during the five public appearances he made that day. At one event, he brushed off a shouted question from a Canadian reporter as he hurried out the door. The next day, after criticism from Canada's deputy prime minister, Bush took a few minutes to say the words Canadians were waiting to hear. *WORLD BANK, IMF POLICIES CREATE UPHEAVAL, SOCIAL UNREST: REPORT London, April 22 (RHC)--At least 23 countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas experienced protests or social unrest last year as a result of their governments' pursuit of policies backed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, according to a report released this weekend. The London-based World Development Movement, the WDM, reported that - led by Argentina, where IMF-decreed economic shock policies brought down an elected president last year - some 76 people were killed around the world in 77 episodes of unrest generated by IMF-backed policies. Entitled "States of Unrest II", the study asserts that "by undermining democracy and rolling back the functions of the state, developing country governments may be left powerless to act in the interests of their citizens." The first edition of the WDM report, released at the World Bank-IMF annual meetings in Prague in September 2000, showed that the mostly young, largely Western demonstrators who protested there were part of a much larger global movement demanding that the two credit institutions abandon their structural adjustment programs which numerous critics say have actually deepened poverty and widened the gap between rich and poor. It detailed 50 separate anti-IMF protests in 13 countries in the 10 months running up to the Prague meeting, in which a total of 10 people lost their lives and 300 more were injured. Of the 23 countries covered in the new report, nearly three-quarters are implementing IMF-backed privatization programs, and over half of these have experienced demonstrations against the moves. Roughly half of the 23 countries have experienced protests by civil service and other public-sector workers, including teachers, doctors, and police officers, while a third of the countries have seen demonstrations against the rising prices of basic goods and services resulting from the removal of public subsidies. A third of the countries underwent protests that were explicitly directed against the World Bank and the IMF. In addition to Argentina, the most serious protests -- sometimes resulting in violent confrontations with police or the army -- occurred in Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, and Papua New Guinea. But the report also documents protests and strikes in a number of other countries, including Angola, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Ghana, India, Mexico, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The report's author, Mark Ellis-Jones, said millions of desperately poor people around the world who have been brave enough to protest "have seen the IMF continue to undermine their national governments by forcing countries into a free market, one-size-fits-all blueprint of economic development." He added, "At a time when links are being made between poverty, disempowerment and terrorism, this erosion of the democratic contract is downright dangerous." *Viewpoint: THE GHOST OF HITLER STALKS EUROPE European governments and media expressed alarm and shock after French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen won through to the second round of the country's presidential election. Shock at France's first round election results was reflected in all the international media today. The European media furthermore pointed out the shameful truth that France has now moved into second place of the most right-wing countries in Europe. The ideas of the extreme right are beginning to proliferate in various European countries, something that must be heeded because of its influence on the formation of the new generations. The hatred towards immigrants, in particular against those who come from North Africa and Latin America, the ultra-nationalist speeches, and the type of slogans used by Le Pen in his election campaigns have whipped up the insecurity already present in all sectors of French society. This is the worst form of fascism historically created by Hitler and Mussolini and their respective cabals. It is imperative that we remember some of the characteristics of Le Pen in his long political career. For example, according to his warped way of thinking, the dictator Augusto Pinochet was Chile's savior. To the dismay of many, Le Pen declared in favor of setting up a similar economic model to Pinochet's in France. Le Pen's comments about immigrants maintains that a massive rise in France of foreign people is essentially alien to the national culture, it greatly influences local unemployment and contributes to citizens insecurity and moral laxness. These concepts of xenophobia also apply to other minorities like homosexuals, Jews and gypsies, the very ones that were also persecuted under the Hitler regime. Sanctioned on several occasions for his verbal and physical aggression against his rival politicians, this leader of the extreme right was also denounced in Germany for his speech in the city of Munich, in which he referred to the gas chambers as only a detail in the history of the Second World War. This is the person who has now received 17% of the French vote, a person whose political ideology is extremely dangerous for the whole world. It is urgent that European societies look into their hearts, review their recent history and take the necessary measures to stop this risky process, where once again, in front of the whole world, it is incubating the egg of a serpent that sank humanity into one of the most appalling periods of its history -- something that must never happen again. (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-7887 2002-Apr-23 02:59:47