Radio Havana Cuba-30 April 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 30 April 2002 . *MEXICAN LEGISLATORS CALL FOR POLITICAL TRIAL OF FOREIGN MINISTER CASTANEDA *NEW REVELATIONS IN URUGUAY REVEAL WASHINGTON'S ROLE IN HRC ANTI-CUBA CAMPAIGN *SECOND STAGE OF ANTI-POLIO VACCINATION CAMPAIGN CONCLUDES THURSDAY *SANTIAGO DE CUBA CELEBRATES 480th BIRTHDAY *PABLO MILANES PLANS BENEFIT CONCERT FOR SICK CHILDREN IN EL SALVADOR *MORE EVIDENCE OF U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN FAILED VENEZUELA COUP *ISRAEL SAYS NO TO UN PROBE INTO CHARGES OF ATROCITIES IN JENIN *US FIRMS BEGIN TO FEEL EFFECTS OF ARAB BOYCOTT *POLLS INDICATE LE PEN COULD GARNER MORE VOTES THAN EXPECTED *ANTI-IMMIGRANT BACKLASH ON THE RISE IN EUROPE *Viewpoint: ISRAEL DEFIES THE WORLD, REFUSING TO COOPERATE WITH UN . *MEXICAN LEGISLATORS CALL FOR POLITICAL TRIAL OF FOREIGN MINISTER CASTANEDA Mexico City, April 30 (RHC) -- Legislators from the Mexican House of Deputies' four opposition parties have formally requested a political trial against Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda for adopting a foreign policy they say is servile to U.S. interests and therefore unconstitutional. The move reflects the widespread concern in Mexican political circles over Mexico's first anti-Cuba vote at the United Nations and Castaneda's original denial of U.S. pressure regarding Cuban President Fidel Castro's participation in an international summit in the Mexican city of Monterrey. Labor Party House Deputy Jose Narro said that, in large measure, President Vicente Fox has committed the same unconstitutional irregularities, though noting that the executive cannot be subjected to a political trial. Several legislators stated that Castaneda has acted more like an employee of U.S. President George W. Bush than a Mexican foreign minister. *NEW REVELATIONS IN URUGUAY REVEAL WASHINGTON'S ROLE IN HRC ANTI-CUBA CAMPAIGN Montevideo, April 30 (RHC)-- Five new documents published by the Uruguayan newspaper La República clearly show how Washington was involved in the anti-Cuba resolution at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. One of the documents -- which was also reported by the Montevideo television station Señal Uno -- confirms that Mexican President Vicente Fox sent to Havana a copy of the resolution that had been drafted by the U.S. State Department, in the hopes that Mexico would present the initiative. According to reports from Mexico City, when Fox declined the role, Washington turned to Peru. But pressure from the Peruvian Congress forced Lima to refuse as well -- putting the task on Uruguay. Other newly released documents, as well as video images showing U.S. representatives trying to convince other countries to go along with the resolution, present clear evidence that Washington orchestrated the anti-Cuba campaign. One video clip shows an extremely irritated delegate from the Democratic Republic of Congo, upset with a U.S. representative who was crouched behind his seat, whispering in his ear. Political observers note that extremely heavy pressure was brought to bear on Latin American and African countries to vote in favor of the resolution condemning Cuba for alleged human rights violations. U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell reportedly even made personal telephone calls to several heads of state to try to "convince" them to see things their way. Despite Washington's pressure -- including promises of juicy economic aid packages and/or threats to cut off financial assistance -- the anti-Cuba resolution only squeaked by with the narrow approval of two votes -- 23 in favor and 21 against. *SECOND STAGE OF ANTI-POLIO VACCINATION CAMPAIGN CONCLUDES THURSDAY Havana, April 30 (RHC)-- The second stage of a national anti-polio vaccination campaign will come to an end on Thursday, May 2nd. More than 430,000 infants under the age of three have received their second dose of the oral vaccine. Doctors and nurses across the island are directing this campaign, which is the 41st annual anti-polio drive. Nearly 151,000 children from nine to ten years of age have been reactivated with another dose of the vaccine. Polio was officially eradicated on the island in 1962, but as long as there is one case of poliomyelitis in the world, Cuban authorities say they will continue the vaccination campaign. *SANTIAGO DE CUBA CELEBRATES 480th BIRTHDAY Santiago de Cuba, April 30 (RHC)-- The eastern city of Santiago de Cuba is celebrating its 480th anniversary with a series of special events. Buildings and houses in the downtown area are being painted and restored as part of the anniversary activities. The Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, founded in 1868, is also undergoing major reconstruction work. Historians, investigators and other experts are taking part in a national workshop entitled "The Past is the History of the Present." Santiago de Cuba was the last of seven villages founded by Spanish colonial forces on the island. Given its geographical advantages, the King of Spain officially declared it a city in 1522. Five years ago, Cuba's Council of Ministries created the Conservatory Office of the City, providing financial assistance for urban projects and patrimonial plans for Santiago de Cuba. *PABLO MILANES PLANS BENEFIT CONCERT FOR SICK CHILDREN IN EL SALVADOR San Salvador, April 30 (RHC)-- Popular singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés will offer a special concert this coming Saturday, May 4th, in San Salvador. The concert will be a benefit for children suffering from leukemia. According to the "Help Me to Live Foundation," proceeds from Saturday's concert will go to projects to help children who have leukemia and will also help fund research into the deadly disease. Pablo Milanés will perform at the International Amphitheater in the Salvadoran capital, where an estimated 10,000 persons will gather to hear the internationally acclaimed singer and composer. *MORE EVIDENCE OF U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN FAILED VENEZUELA COUP Caracas, April 30 (RHC)-- The Armed Forces of Venezuela have confirmed an investigation into the presence of a U.S. military vessel and helicopters in Venezuela's territorial waters and airspace during the attempted right wing coup against President Hugo Chavez. Air Force Commander, General Angel Valecillos, confirmed the investigation when asked about an article published in the British news daily The Guardian asserting that the U.S. Navy helped the coup leaders. The Guardian quoted former U.S. Navy intelligence officer Wayne Madsen, who affirmed that Washington considered and supported the possibility of a coup in Venezuela as far back as June last year. The Venezuelan news daily Ultimas Noticias wrote Tuesday that the coup leaders had plans to send Chavez to the United States with the cooperation of the US Navy, and that there seems to be evidence gathered by satellite that the ship and helicopters were near the island where the deposed president was temporarily held. And in further evidence of U.S. involvement, the watch guard registry at Venezuela's army headquarters has confirmed the presence there of two high-ranking members of the U.S. military during the brief coup, according to the local news daily El Universal - contradicting a denial by the U.S. embassy in Caracas. These new indications of Washington's involvement in the coup follow several others that have surfaced in the past two weeks, including evidence that the U.S. government-funded National Endowment for Democracy provided abundant financial grants to Venezuela's right wing opposition - which quadrupled when the clash with Chavez began to grow in intensity. *ISRAEL SAYS NO TO UN PROBE INTO CHARGES OF ATROCITIES IN JENIN Tel Aviv, New York, April 30 (RHC)-- Israel has decided not to cooperate with a United Nations inquiry into charges of Israeli atrocities in the Palestinian Jenin refugee camp, sparking another round of widespread condemnation of Tel Aviv. European Commission president Romano Prodi termed as "unacceptable" Israel's rejection of the fact-finding mission, adding that Tel Aviv is turning down an opportunity to demonstrate its affirmation that it has nothing to hide. Regarding Israel's demands concerning the composition and mandate of the fact-finding mission, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the world body had done everything possible in responding to Israel's concerns. Annan did not indicate, however, whether or when a Security Council gathering would be held to adopt a resolution against Israel that would further isolate that nation. And analysts are not certain whether Washington would use its veto power to prevent such a resolution. Despite Israel's rejection, humanitarian agencies and political leaders who have been able to visit Jenin have unanimously concluded that the Israeli army committed human rights violations and atrocities in the refugee camp - though they also agree that thus far there is no evidence of a massacre. *US FIRMS BEGIN TO FEEL EFFECTS OF ARAB BOYCOTT Cairo, April 30 (RHC)-- A campaign in Arab countries to boycott U.S. products due to Washington's unconditional support of Israel has been growing and is reportedly now worrying a number of U.S. companies. Some of the companies are accused of being regular donors to Israel. The boycott campaign is spearheaded by an alliance of Arab religious and political leaders, professional associations, labor unions and renowned personalities in culture and the arts and is affecting well known U.S. food, soft drink and pharmaceutical firms. The campaign is carried out on television and in news dailies, e-mail and pamphlets in streets and mosques in Cairo and other Arab capitals. Some of the most affected firms thus far are McDonald's, Burger King and Coca Cola. Lists of hundreds of brand names are circulated, while the campaign also provides information on how to recognize Israeli products exported from third countries. The boycott, however, is also harming Arab businesses, since many of the franchises are in Arab hands and the products are elaborated in the region. AFP news agency Tuesday quoted Mahmoud El-Kaissuni, an executive of an Egyptian industrial association representing twenty-two restaurant firms - many of them American. He said the number of persons eating at the restaurants is increasingly diminishing. Sales in the majority of Cairo's 562 fast-food restaurants have fallen by 20 percent since Israel's invasion of the West Bank last March 29th. The sale of coca cola at a supermarket chain in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah have fallen 60 percent, while the sales of pepsi cola have fallen by 45 percent. In Bahrain, the supermarket chain Al Muntaza has stopped selling U.S. products. In Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, some private hospitals have stopped buying pharmaceutical products from U.S. firms like Bristol-Myers. *POLLS INDICATE LE PEN COULD GARNER MORE VOTES THAN EXPECTED Paris, April 30 (RHC)-- Survey firms in France are warning that ultra right wing leader Jean-Marie Le Pen could receive a significantly larger percent of the presidential vote next Sunday than predicted. The British news daily The Guardian reported Tuesday that one leading opinion pollster is saying that Le Pen's share of the vote could reach 32 percent, swelled by disaffected conservatives, parts of the far left, and an unknown number of abstentions and spoiled ballots. It's widely believed that with just 30 percent, the National Front party leader would throw the parliamentary elections in June, and the future course of French politics, into deep confusion. Uncertainty, however, is the major tonic in France's upcoming presidential race due to the record number of voters - over a million, or 28 percent of the electorate - who abstained in the first round. And voters who abstained in the first round have reportedly also refused to participate in opinion polls. Giles Corman, the political research director of a leading pollster, told The Guardian that those who abstained are frustrated with the political system and many of them could well decide to cast their ballots in the second round with Le Pen. At the same time, of the 16 candidates in the first round only the so-called Trotskyite candidate, Arlette Laguiller, has called on her supporters not to vote for Jacques Chirac in the second round. This opens the possibility that some of her one million 600,000 votes will be lost in abstentions or go to Le Pen in an effort to undermine France's political elite. *ANTI-IMMIGRANT BACKLASH ON THE RISE IN EUROPE Berlin, April 30 (RHC)-- A local government in Germany plans to offer African countries more than 5000 British pounds a head to accept rejected black asylum seekers. A spokesman for the government of the city-state of Hamburg said Monday that talks have already begun with the African embassies of several countries, and that he hoped the first deal could be signed this year. Observers believe that the proposal will raise fears of an all-out push by the far right in Europe to capitalize on Jean-Marie Le Pen's surprise performance in the first round of French presidential elections. The right has already gained ground and local and national power in many European countries on the back of strong campaigns targeting fears about immigration. In Denmark, a center-right coalition based on the ultra right Danish People's party won power last November, drafting tough new asylum policies and cutting aid to the developing world. In Portugal, a right wing coalition that includes the fiercely anti-immigration Popular party won last month. In the Netherlands, an anti-immigration gay politician is forecast to win up to 20 percent of the vote in next month's general election after becoming the biggest political force in Rotterdam in local elections. In Belgium, the far right Vlaam Block party - which wants to repatriate all non-European foreigners - became the biggest political force in Antwerp in October 2000. In Norway, an administration propped up by the far-right Progress party wants immigration capped at 1000 people a year. Key posts in the Italian government are held by Umberto Bossi, leader of the xenophobic Northern League, and Gianfranco Fini, leader of the post fascist National Alliance, while in Austria, the anti-immigration Freedom party holds six cabinet posts. *Viewpoint: ISRAEL DEFIES THE WORLD, REFUSING TO COOPERATE WITH UN Under the hypocritical argument that it's better to stone wall an investigation rather than suffer its consequences, the Israeli government decided this Tuesday to deny a UN commission access to the Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin. The three envoys chosen by the UN Secretary General to investigate the military occupation have been waiting since last Thursday for the Israeli government's authorization for them to proceed. The government continues to delay a visit that would let the world know the truth of what has happened in the West Bank. If Tel Aviv is so strongly opposed to the inquiry, one can only conclude that the events of the last month must have been as horrifying as has been described by the few witnesses that have been able to talk to the international press. But it is necessary not only to unearth the truth, but also to carry out justice. So far the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been able to carry out his policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing without enough concrete international pressures to stop him. It is now that people are talking about an oil embargo as well as a possible break in diplomatic relations between some Arab nations and Israel. But Sharon is clearly only interested in US money and European Union apathy. At the US president's invitation, Ariel Sharon will visit Washington next week in a gesture that could be interpreted as an effort to make the Israeli prime minister look better before the international community. No one, no matter what their history or ethnicity, has the right to invade a foreign land and massacre its inhabitants. This is about repairing a colossal injustice, stopping the killing of Palestinians, and forcing a government to behave according to the most elementary rules of human co-existence. It is time that the international community, with the same energy that investigated, judged and punished those responsible for the Holocaust, do the same with war criminals such as Ariel Sharon. The sufferings of the Jewish people in the past are not a justification for current Jewish crimes. (c) 2002 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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