Radio Havana Cuba-29 April 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit [Note: NY Transfer is catching up with some news backlog. We'll be sending 2 or 3 reports for the next couple of days.] Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 29 April 2002 . *INTERNATIONAL WORKER'S DAY: MILLIONS OF CUBANS WILL MARCH ON WEDNESDAY *GRANMA DENOUNCES ANOTHER INSIDIOUS LIE BY MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTER *CHILEAN DOCTOR WHO STUDIED IN CUBA CRITICIZES HIS GOVERNMENT'S POSITION IN GENEVA *US NAVY HELPED RIGHT WING COUP ATTEMPT IN VENEZUELA - THE GUARDIAN *HUGO CHAVEZ DEFENDS HIMSELF FROM ON-GOING MEDIA, RIGHT-WING ATTACKS *ISRAEL CONTINUES BLOCKING UN FACT-FINDING MISSION ON JENIN REFUGEE CAMP *DESMOND TUTU ACCUSES ISRAEL OF PRACTICING APARTHEID AGAINST PALESTINIANS *FRANCE: SOME FEAR FAILURE OF EFFORT TO PREVENT LE PEN ELECTION VICTORY *EU COMMISSION PRESIDENT SLAMS BRITISH TONY BLAIR'S "COZINESS" WITH US Viewpoint: *IN WAKE OF RIGHT-WING GAINS, EUROPE IN AN AGONY OF MORAL INTROSPECTION . *INTERNATIONAL WORKER'S DAY: MILLIONS OF CUBANS WILL MARCH ON WEDNESDAY Havana, April 29 (RHC)-- More than one million Cubans will march in Havana on Wednesday to commemorate International Worker's Day. According to the Confederation of Cuban Workers (CTC), nearly seven million workers, students and farmers will take to the streets across the island on May 1st -- which is an official holiday in Cuba. Pedro Ross Leal, General Secretary of the CTC, told reporters over the weekend that preparations are going well for May Day -- which has as its slogan this year: "Primero con la Patria" / "First with the Homeland." He added that one of the central demands of the march will be the liberation of Cuba's five political prisoners, serving time in U.S. prisons for trying to protect their country from terrorist attacks. The leader of the island's trade union confederation said that workers would also march to show their unity and unconditional support for the Cuban Revolution. This morning's edition of the newspaper Granma published an extensive interview with Pedro Ross Leal, in which the trade union leader talked about the challenges facing Cuban workers in the short and long term. He said that one of the most serious, immediate problems is housing -- noting that housing construction has suffered greatly over the past ten to 12 years during the Special Period. He said that construction has begun to pick up in recent months and hoped that this would be the year to mark a notable improvement. Another area of concern is worker's salaries. The general secretary of the CTC said that the trade union confederation is working along with other organizations to ensure that salaries cover more necessities, something that -- he admitted -- has yet to be done. Ross Leal emphasized that while not all of the island's economic problems stem from Washington's 40-year-old blockade, many do. He said that a major issue for all Cuban workers is putting an end to the U.S. blockade once and for all. *GRANMA DENOUNCES ANOTHER INSIDIOUS LIE BY MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTER Havana, April 29 (RHC)-- A full-page editorial in this morning's edition of Granma blasts another statement by Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda, in which he insinuates that Cuba has requested a new line of credit to purchase Mexican petroleum derivatives. The editorial points out that the credit Castañeda could be referring to originated in 1993, which Cuba has been paying on time. Part of that agreement signed nine years ago established that once Cuba begins paying on the principal, Havana could borrow similar loans according to current business practices. According to this morning's editorial, Mexico and Cuba enjoy normal economic relations and the loan agreements referred to by Castañeda were signed years before the current tension that exists between Havana and Mexico City. Granma asks if it is possible that the Mexican foreign minister is also trying to sabotage economic relations between the two countries. In response to other remarks by Jorge Castañeda, that Cuba receives -- in his words -- practically all of its petroleum from Venezuela for free, the Granma editorial affirms that Havana only receives one-third of its oil supply from Venezuela and pays for the shipments under the Caracas Accord. The editorial notes that the Mexican foreign minister's latest, insidious lies cannot intimidate Cuba. "The history of these past four decades demonstrates that no real or potential adversary can ignore" the determination of the Cuban Revolution. *CHILEAN DOCTOR WHO STUDIED IN CUBA CRITICIZES HIS GOVERNMENT'S POSITION IN GENEVA Matanzas, April 29 (RHC)-- A Chilean doctor who graduated from medical school in Cuba some 12 years ago sent an open letter to President Ricardo Lagos, criticizing his administration for voting against the island at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. Dr. Hernan Lechuga Faria sent a copy of the letter from Santiago de Chile to Matanzas, where he graduated from medical school in 1990. He told the Chilean president that he was sad to see his country bowing to pressures from the United States. He also pointed out that members of the Chilean Socialist Party -- to which Ricardo Lagos belongs -- were particularly deceived into voting for him two years ago, believing that they were getting another Salvador Allende and now seeing nothing more than a politician who has aligned himself with Washington and the radical right-wing forces. The open letter affirms the moral superiority of socialism, which makes culture and education accessible to all. The Chilean doctor said that a socialist system guarantees a high level of social protection and safeguards against the tragedies that confront a large part of humanity. The message to Chile's President Ricardo Lagos was read before nearly 400 delegates to the Municipal Assembly of the Cuban Communist Party in Matanzas. One of the delegates, Dr. Crisanto Abad, a surgeon at a local pediatric hospital where the Chilean doctor studied, said that his medical colleague is actively involved in Cuba solidarity work in his native country. *US NAVY HELPED RIGHT WING COUP ATTEMPT IN VENEZUELA - THE GUARDIAN London, Caracas, April 29 (RHC)-- The United States Navy aided this month's attempted right wing coup in Venezuela, according to the British news daily The Guardian. Quoting Wayne Madsen, a former navy intelligence officer, The Guardian's Sunday edition noted that as evidence is emerging of US financial backing for key participants in the coup, there are now reports that US navy vessels in the Caribbean provided the coup leaders with intelligence information. Madsen reaffirmed reports that American military attaches had been in touch with members of the Venezuelan military to examine the possibility of a coup. He said he first heard of Lieutenant Colonel James Roger - now the assistant military attaché at the US embassy in Caracas - traveling to Venezuela months ago to prepare the groundwork, adding that US counter-narcotics agents were also involved. He told The Guardian that the navy also helped with communications jamming support for the Venezuelan military coup leaders. Previously, Venezuelan congressman Roger Rondon named US military officers James Rogers and Ronald MacCammon as having been at the military headquarters where Chavez was temporarily detained. Rondon has also insisted that he and others saw US ambassador in Caracas, Charles Shapiro, "all hugs and smiles" with the coup leader, businessman Pedro Carmona. The US embassy dismissed the charges as "ridiculous," while Shapiro admitted meeting Carmona the day after the coup, but said he urged him to restore the dissolved national assembly. Carmona, however, told The Guardian that no such advice was given during their meeting. *HUGO CHAVEZ DEFENDS HIMSELF FROM ON-GOING MEDIA, RIGHT-WING ATTACKS Caracas, April 29 (RHC)-- Continuing to come under relentless media and right wing opposition attacks, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Sunday defended his decision to send troops and tanks to confront an opposition march, insisting he was trying to prevent a blood bath and a coup. In recent days, the opposition has been feasting over revelations of a taped recording of Chavez ordering the army into the streets. But the Venezuelan president said his authorization for the use of military force came when police and national guardsmen were overwhelmed trying to prevent opposition marchers from clashing with government supporters on April 11. Chavez accused the media and military leaders who ousted him of using the tapes to try to justify the right wing coup that failed when loyal troops and tens of thousands of civilian protesters swept him back to power. He said the government had known for days about a conspiracy to overthrow him and that part of the plot had been to provoke violence that would then be used as an excuse for his ouster. The opposition blames Chavez supporters for those killed during the demonstrations, while the president's followers insist that the victims were killed by anti-Chavez snipers and gunmen who had conspired to incite the violence. *ISRAEL CONTINUES BLOCKING UN FACT-FINDING MISSION ON JENIN REFUGEE CAMP Tel Aviv, New York, April 29 (RHC)-- The Israeli foreign ministry Monday accused the United Nations of conducting a smear campaign against Israel, as the Israeli Cabinet further delayed the arrival of a UN fact-finding mission at the Jenin refugee camp. Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir reportedly suggested that the fact-finding team could harm Israel's image more than the bad press Israel is receiving for postponing the team's arrival. Israeli officials have repeatedly expressed opposition to allowing the investigators interviews with Israeli soldiers who participated in the Jenin assault. The UN Security Council convened in emergency session last night in what was called a stormy gathering in an attempt to salvage plans to send the fact-finding mission to Jenin, but has taken no action to condemn Israel's constant refusals. Israel's first delay came last week when it said the team could deploy on Friday, following another delay until Sunday - which also saw a further delay. Associated Press quoted an unnamed Western diplomat as concluding that "clearly they have something to hide." Israel's insistence on blocking the mission is being called a test of credibility for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who has now twice agreed to postpone its departure. It's rumored that behind the scenes, Israel is demanding a veto of the team's movements, the right to have officials present in meetings with all non-Palestinian officials, and a bar on the team outlining any conclusions in its final report. It's believed that Israel will point to its agreement yesterday with an Anglo-American plan to allow Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat out of his almost five-month confinement in Ramallah to pressure the UN for concessions and to garner US support in that pressure. *DESMOND TUTU ACCUSES ISRAEL OF PRACTICING APARTHEID AGAINST PALESTINIANS Boston, April 29 (RHC)-- South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu has accused Israel of practicing apartheid in its policies towards the Palestinians. Tutu said that in a recent visit to the Holy Land, he was "very deeply distressed" by scenes that reminded him so much of what happened to black people in apartheid South Africa. In a speech in the United States, he said he saw the humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks, affirming that Israel would never get true security and safety through oppressing another people. In the US, said Tutu, people are afraid to say wrong is wrong due to the power of the Jewish lobby, while noting that the apartheid government was also very powerful, but no longer exists. Speaking over the weekend in Boston at a conference called Ending the Oppression, the Archbishop asked if "our Jewish brothers and sisters" have forgotten their humiliation, the collective punishment, the home demolitions so soon. *FRANCE: SOME FEAR FAILURE OF EFFORT TO PREVENT LE PEN ELECTION VICTORY Paris, April 29 (RHC)-- As France gears up for International Worker's Day protests expected to become violent, there are also fears that next Sunday's presidential election may fail to produce the sweeping anti-far right vote that many sectors are calling for. Though no one seriously fears a victory by ultra right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, the British news daily The Independent has reported that some analysts fear abstentions on the left and a continuing protest vote by disaffected blue-collar workers could prove the polls wrong again and give Le Pen 30 percent or more of the second round vote. This would reportedly throw the parliamentary elections in June, and the future course of French politics, into deep confusion. The Independent pointed out that opinion polls have consistently undercounted Le Pen's score, so much so that one French polling firm is refusing to conduct surveys for publication in what it describes as "a volatile and fluid political climate". Analysts don't know whether the tens of thousands of voters broadly sympathetic to the left who failed to vote the first time will go to the polls on Sunday. As many as 200,000 people, meanwhile, are expected to take to the streets of Paris in a labor day march that has been turned into an anti-far right protest, with Le Pen's National Front party vowing to bring out 80,000. French police fear that breakaways from either march might cause trouble, and are reportedly dreading the security nightmare of a 90-minute open-air speech by Le Pen. *EU COMMISSION PRESIDENT SLAMS BRITISH TONY BLAIR'S "COZINESS" WITH US London, April 29 (RHC)-- In what is being called the culmination of months of frustration in Brussels over British Prime Minister Tony Blair's willingness to be Washington's junior partner in the war on terrorism, European Commission president Romano Prodi blasted London's reluctance to take a leading role in shaping the European Union's future. Speaking in London at the Oxford Business School, Prodi questioned Blair's confidence in dealing with a vastly more powerful nation that's 3,000 kilometers away while showing reticence when it comes to building a strong Europe. Some British news dailies are asserting that the Commission president's criticism will be music to the ears of Blair's own Labor Party critics who accuse him of "cozying up" to a Republican president to the detriment of European allies. Prodi said that even if a European state could pedal fast enough to keep up with the US superpower, on a 2-seated bicycle it is the front rider who decides the direction and speed. Prodi, a frequent critic of American foreign policy along with other EU members, has warned that the regional body may oppose any American-led action against Iraq. Viewpoint: *IN WAKE OF RIGHT-WING GAINS, EUROPE IN AN AGONY OF MORAL INTROSPECTION This Sunday French voters will go to the polls for the second round in an election scandal that has rocked the nation and Europe. One of the two candidates, Jean Marie le Pen, is from the extreme right wing and to the eternal humiliation of France's Socialist Party managed to take more votes in the first round of the nation's presidential election. Although Le Pen doesn't have a chance against the conservative incumbent president, Jacques Chirac, parties from all sides of the political spectrum are nonetheless calling for a solid vote for Chirac to show France's concern and disgust with Le Pen's racist and fascist program. The problem, however, is not simply endemic to France. In England the National Front has a substantial following and the New Labor government of Tony Blair is catering to the more conservative, protectionist elements of society with a program that moves increasingly to the right. As with the United States, in London it is today very difficult to determine the difference between the two major political parties who invariably seek to maintain the status quo and not rock the corporate boat. Italy currently suffers under a corporate, right wing leader with a past rooted in corruption. Ireland, Spain and Luxembourg have conservative, free market, corporate supporters running the show. In Denmark the Social Democrats have been displaced by a center-right coalition, while in Norway the socialist Labor Party was routed in November in the worse electoral results in 80 years. In Sweden previously unheard of right wing attacks on immigrants have taken place. In Austria, Jorg Haider's extreme right party created consternation throughout the region by its enormous popularity in spite of its openly racist message. In Germany the far right has gained ground in areas of economic stress that were previously part of East Germany. Brutal attacks against immigrants and refugees continue, and local elections have returned many politicians whose ideals are barely a detraction from the Nazi Party manifesto. Europe was happy to assist with the United States agenda, which involved the destruction of the Yugoslav Federation and the "Balkanization" of Central Europe, as well as the support of the Mujahedeen, the destabilizing of Afghanistan, and its subsequent bombing. Ethnic cleansing and an enormous flow of refugees and illegal arms from these areas to the rich nations of Western Europe are the consequence. However, instead of sympathy these refugees are treated with disdain and often hatred. Politicians jump on the immigrant-bashing bandwagon to complain of job-losses to their constituents - for immigrants can't vote - and deeply rooted sentiments of racial purity and nationalism resurface for the likes of Le Pen to tap. France's current torment of introspection comes a little late. The nation's movement to the right has been evident for many years as US culture and economic policies dominate the scene and filter down to its disaffected youth. In fact, an enormous percentage of Europe's right wing is supported by its youth that is increasingly alienated as their nations incorporate the principles of free market globalism and a get-rich-quick-no-matter-what-the-social-consequences mentality. The vote on Sunday will no doubt put a dent in Jean-Marie le Pen's agenda, but French voters are faced with the Catch 22 option of the less extreme but nonetheless right-wing Jacques Chirac for another seven years of this disastrous socio-economic and political status quo. (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-1062 2002-May-05 06:15:49