RHC Weekend-16/17 February 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - Weekend News Update - 16/17 February 2002 . *FIDEL SPEAKS AT CLOSING SESSION OF GLOBALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT MEETING *GUYANA'S POLITICAL LEADER VISITS CUBA *OPEN TRIBUNE TAKES PLACE IN CIEGO DE AVILA *NEW COMPAY SEGUNDO CD LAUNCHED IN CHILE *ENRON CEO SOLD STOCKS AFTER WARNING *VIOLENCE ESCALATES IN MIDDLE EAST IN NEAR OPEN WAR *FRENCH PRESIDENT ACCUSED OF LYING TO CORRUPTION INVESTIGATORS *IRAN DENOUNCES WASHINGTON'S DISCRIMINATORY TRADE POLICY *AIDS CLAIMS 30,000 LIVES IN HONDURAS *US SECRETARY OF STATE SUPPORTS CONDOM USE BY YOUNG PEOPLE . *FIDEL SPEAKS AT CLOSING SESSION OF GLOBALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT MEETING Havana, February 16 (RHC)--During the closing ceremony of the 4th International Meeting of Economists on globalization and development issues, Cuban president Fidel Castro stressed that the fight against neoliberal globalization is humanity's common cause. Fidel Castro warned about the grave ills currently affecting the world, ranging from environmental problems to the construction of the nuclear antimissile shield. He said that it is ridiculous to use the idea that North Korea or Iran is a threat to the U.S. as a pretext to mask their ambition of absolute world domination. The Cuban leader affirmed that many significant issues were discussed during the meeting and highlighted the notable differences between the first and fourth annual forums due to the latest events that have occurred in the world during the past few years. The Cuban president also referred to the importance given to the issue of the situation in Argentina. He said that Argentina used to be a paradigm of Neo liberal globalization but now it is an example of failure to the rest of the world. In his speech, Fidel criticized Washington's dominant position in international financial institutions, in which it is impossible to make any decision without its presence. He stressed that the U.S. has forced those institutions to change their original mission to function for the strategic interests of the US. The leader of the Cuban Revolution expressed that third world nations continue to be overwhelmed by their increasing foreign debt that reaches two trillion dollars, of which a debt of almost 800 billion dollars belongs to Latin America. He also referred to the enormous damage caused by terrorist actions to humanity, particularly those that recently occurred in New York and Washington. He said that in spite of adverse circumstances, the anti-globalization movement continued its fight. As an example of that, he cited the recently held World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil, which attracted more than 60 thousand people. The Cuban President also stressed that humanity is at a decisive stage in history with huge inequalities and new ways of plundering sparked by neo liberal globalization, which affects the political, economic, social, ethical and moral world order. *GUYANA'S POLITICAL LEADER VISITS CUBA Havana, February 16 (RHC)--The General Secretary of Guyana's People's Party, Donald Ramotar, arrived in Havana Friday at the official invitation of the Cuban government. Ramotar, who will remain on the island until February 20, declared that Latin American and Caribbean integration should soon become a reality and all nations of the region must unite in their efforts to achieve it. Guyana's leader stressed that the main objective of his visit is to strengthen the political, economic and trade relations with the island. He also said that there are important sectors to be explored including the development of agriculture, particularly the cultivation of rice. In addition, Ramotar said that Cuban expertise in the fields of health and education is evident and he considered it important to sign some cooperation agreements that contribute to strengthen Guyana-Cuba links. In this regard, he added that a number of Cuban doctors have been doing important work in Guyana and there are many aspects to be analyzed in terms of cooperation between both nations. *OPEN TRIBUNE TAKES PLACE IN CIEGO DE AVILA Havana, February 16 (RHC)--More than 15,000 demonstrators attended an open meeting on Saturday in the Municipality of Venezuela, in Cuba's eastern province of Ciego de Avila. During the event, participants continued to demand the five Cuban patriots' release and the elimination of the genocidal Cuban Adjustment Act, as well as the Helms Burton and Torricelli laws. In addition they protested against terrorism and the U.S. economic blockade imposed on the island for over 40 years and raised their voices in a call for world peace. Cuban Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Raul Castro and other top government leaders also attended the open tribune. *NEW COMPAY SEGUNDO CD LAUNCHED IN CHILE Santiago de Chile, February 16 (RHC)--A new CD of Cuban singer Compay Segundo was launched Saturday in the Chilean market. The new album, called "Duetos" by Francisco Repilado, better known as Compay Segundo, comprises 16 songs and new versions of recordings from 1959 to date. In the new album, Compay Segundo sings with prominent Cuban composers Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanes. He also performs with the performers Antonio Banderas from Spain and France's Charles Aznavour, among other outstanding musicians. According to the local media, Compay Segundo, who is 94 years of age, reaffirms in this work his dedication and love for the environment in which he grew up, which is reflected in his songs over a long and successful career. *ENRON CEO SOLD STOCKS AFTER WARNING Washington, February 16 (RHC)--Former Enron president Kenneth Lay sold $100 million worth of Enron stock last year, including a large portion after he was warned by an employee about the company's troubles. According to Saturday's "New York Times," Lay made the sales even as he urged employees to buy the faltering company's stock. The former Enron chief executive revealed the sales in a document presented this week to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Times article says that Lay sold stocks worth some $20 million just three weeks after Enron executive Sherron Watkins warned him that the energy company was in danger of collapse. Enron went under last year in the midst of accusations that the investors were not informed of the problems while high-level executives made a killing by selling off their shares. Thousands of employees were left jobless by the company's demise and thousands more lost their retirement benefits as the company retirement fund had been gutted. "The New York Times" quotes sources as saying that Lay used the money he earned on the stock sales to pay off company debts and that the former CEO has serious financial problems. However, Lay's spokesperson, Kelly Kimberly, stated that she doesn't believe that Lay and his wife will be filing for personal bankruptcy. Finally, the article notes that correspondence found in the Texas city of Austin illustrates the relationship between Kenneth Lay and U.S. President George Bush while he was governor of Texas. *VIOLENCE ESCALATES IN MIDDLE EAST IN NEAR OPEN WAR Havana, February 16 (RHC)--In a serious escalation of the violent conflict between Palestine and Israel, at least four Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip on Saturday in a reprisal by Tel Aviv for the deaths of four Israeli soldiers. In a situation that has become almost outright war, Israeli military leaders are now openly expressing their concern over the policies of the government of right-wing leader Ariel Sharon who has publicly refused to have anything to do with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and employs hardline methods in his dealing with the Middle East conflict. His invasion of the Gaza Strip after the destruction of an Israeli tank on Thursday has been condemned both internally and externally by political and military leaders alike. In Israel's ongoing program of assassinating Palestinian activist leaders, a Hamas official died in a car explosion in the West Bank city of Jenin, and others were killed when Israeli jets attacked a refugee camp at Jabalya in the Gaza Strip. And the leader of a notorious Israeli commando unit which carries out such assassinations was killed when a roof of a house he had just had bulldozed collapsed on him. Yasser Arafat and German foreign minister Joschka Fischer were scheduled to meet in Ramallah today for peace talks. The current conflict has now claimed 849 Palestinian and 261 Israeli lives since the second Intifada began in September of 2000. *FRENCH PRESIDENT ACCUSED OF LYING TO CORRUPTION INVESTIGATORS Paris, February 16 (RHC)--French President Jacques Chirac has been accused of lying after saying that he had not met a member of his party who is under investigation for corruption, when in fact he had, and denying that he knew right-wing leader Jean-Marie Le Pen when in fact he did. In a widely published 1994 photograph, Chirac is shown shaking hands with Didier Schullerm who is in police custody after being on the run abroad for seven years. The photograph preceded a private meeting that Schuller had with Chirac, who was then mayor of Paris. The scandal has hit both sides of the political spectrum in this election year, and has stimulated criticism of Chirac within his own party. Schuller said that he is "fed up with carrying the can" for people higher than himself in the Rassemblement for the Republic, or RPR, Chirac's conservative party. He said he would tell the court everything he knows about alleged kickbacks for public building projects, in which most of the money ended up in the RPR's treasury. The French president had also denied knowing the far-right leader of the National Front, Jean-Marie Le Pen, but is now found to have met with Le Pen privately on a number of occasions aimed at ensuring Le Pen's followers voted for Chirac in a run-off with the socialists in 1988. Le Pen called Jacques Chirac a liar on Friday, saying, "The president is a liar, like a schoolboy caught with his hand in the jam pot." *IRAN DENOUNCES WASHINGTON'S DISCRIMINATORY TRADE POLICY Tehran, February 16 (RHC)--Iran has bitterly denounced what it called Washington's "discriminatory trade policy" against it, especially in the areas of finance and petroleum technology. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Tangheneh made the statement during an international energy conference in Tehran. The official was referring to restrictions placed on the country's oil industry by the United States, especially those related to financial transactions and technology. The oil minister warned that the policy negatively affects Iran's ability to supply energy to the international market. Unfortunately, said Tangheneh, Iran, an important Mid Eastern country and the provider of energy to the world, faces multiple restrictions imposed by the United States. In l980 the White House imposed a series of economic sanctions on Iran regarding the transfer of technology. In l995 Washington applied those restrictions to Iran's oil industry. *AIDS CLAIMS 30,000 LIVES IN HONDURAS Tegucigalpa, February 16 (RHC)--AIDS has taken the lives of 30,000 people in Honduras since its appearance there in l985 and according to official figures, it is suspected that the number of AIDS carriers could be high as 60,000. Official records list 17,000 confirmed cases of the disease, according to a report released Friday by the Honduran Information Secretary and government press office. The report notes that with just 17% of Central America's population, Honduras registers 50% of the region's AIDS cases. The government document declared a "state of emergency" in the country's health facilities due to the lack of medicines necessary to treat AIDS patients. Honduran deputy Presidency Minister Rocio Tabora indicated that the nation's emergency funds are only enough to cover 900 patients in public hospitals. *US SECRETARY OF STATE SUPPORTS CONDOM USE BY YOUNG PEOPLE Havana, 16th February (RHC)--US Secretary of State Colin Powell is in trouble with the Bush administration and conservatives after publicly calling on young people to defend themselves and use condoms. In an international call-in show on MTV where he fielded questions on many topics, Powell urged young people who are sexually active to forget about conservative ideas and concentrate on protecting themselves. US President George W. Bush has consistently said that abstinence is the way to go, but Powell said that it was important to speak candidly and forget taboos. He was roundly condemned by Gary Bauer, the president of "American Values," who said that 14- and 15-year-olds didn't know how to properly use condoms and that the Secretary of State should stick to diplomacy. The White House has attempted to distance itself from Powell's comments by saying that he was only referring to those young people who are sexually active and not those practicing abstinence. (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-9853 2002-Feb-16 22:37:49