Radio Havana Cuba-08 February 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 08 Febuary 2002 . *MIAMI 5 CUBAN PRISONERS SEPARATED, TO BE SENT TO DIFFERENT PRISONS *THOUSANDS TAKE TO THE STREETS TO SUPPORT VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ *FIDEL SAYS CHAVEZ ONE OF THE GREATEST DEFENDERS OF DEMOCRACY IN LATIN AMERICA *IRAN'S AMBASSADOR TO CUBA BLASTS USA IN HAVANA PRESS CONFERENCE *GLOBALIZATION & DEVELOPMENT: 4th INTERNATIONAL MEETING OPENS MONDAY *TOP EXECUTIVE SAYS HE DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE OF ENRON'S PROBLEMS *FOR SECOND TIME IN TWO DAYS, FRENCH CRITICIZE USA'S UNILATERAL ATTITUDE *MEXICO: FOX RELEASES DISSIDENT ARMY GENERAL JAILED 8 YEARS AGO *FORMER ARGENTINE POLICE CHIEF ARRESTED FOR DECEMBER 2001 REPRESSION *HUMAN RIGHTS INQUIRY INTO CIVILIAN CASUALTIES OF US WAR IN AFGHANISTAN . *MIAMI 5 CUBAN PRISONERS SEPARATED, TO BE SENT TO DIFFERENT PRISONS Havana, February 8 (RHC)--Five Cuban political prisoners, unjustly convicted of endangering U.S. national security, have been moved from their Miami jail cells and are being taken to separate prisons around the country. During Thursday's roundtable discussion -- broadcast live on Cuban radio and television -- journalists reported that Gerardo Hernández and Ramón Labañino have been taken to the U.S. Federal Penitentiary in El Reno, Oklahoma. Gerardo will eventually be transferred to a prison in Lompoc, California and Ramon will be taken to Beaumont, Texas. It was also revealed that Antonio Guerrero will soon be sent to a maximum-security facility in Florence, Colorado; Rene González will find himself in Loretto, Pennsylvania and Fernando González will be sent to a prison in Minnesota. *THOUSANDS TAKE TO THE STREETS TO SUPPORT VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ Caracas, February 8 (RHC)--Thousands took to the streets of Caracas Thursday evening to express their support for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez following the first public attack against his government by an active-duty military officer. Air Force Colonel Pedro Soto Thursday accused Chavez of being undemocratic, demanding that he step down and call new elections. High-ranking members of the Chavez administration Friday called Soto a turncoat and a mercenary, recalling that he was a secret informant for Chavez and the nationalist members of the army who in February, 1992, rose up against then-President Carlos Andres Perez. Interior and Justice Minister Ramon Rodriguez Chacon said that after betraying Andres Perez, he betrayed the nationalist soldiers who again rose up against the government in November of that year. Subsequently, said the minister, the Air Force colonel was behind a presidential pardon granted to an infamous drug trafficker. Soto has been given 72 hours to report to his commander, as the political scenario in Venezuela rapidly takes the form of an acute class struggle. *FIDEL SAYS CHAVEZ ONE OF THE GREATEST DEFENDERS OF DEMOCRACY IN LATIN AMERICA Havana, February 8 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro came out in defense of his Venezuelan counterpart on Thursday, calling Hugo Chavez "one of the greatest defenders of democracy in Latin America." During comments to reporters following the inauguration of Havana's Book Fair, the Cuban leader referred to comments made by a Venezuelan army colonel who claimed that Chavez was destroying 44 years of democracy. Fidel Castro referred to the financial scandals of the 1990s in Venezuela -- during the so-called democratic period before Hugo Chavez -- and asked if the gutting of the country's economy, amounting to some 400 billion dollars, was democracy. The Cuban leader said that he always thought the concept of "democracy" was something a bit more sacred. The leader of the Cuban Revolution said that he admires the Venezuelan president's "talent and extraordinary ability to communicate." And Fidel Castro added that he considers him a good friend and has a very high opinion of him. *IRAN'S AMBASSADOR TO CUBA BLASTS USA IN HAVANA PRESS CONFERENCE Havana, February 8 (RHC)--The Ambassador to Cuba from the Islamic Republic of Iran spoke with national and international reporters this morning here in Havana. The news conference was held at the offices of the Cuban Association of the United Nations, located in downtown Havana. Ambassador Seyed Salchi began by thanking Cuban authorities for their solidarity with Iranian Revolution, which took place 23 years ago. He said that the main objective of the revolution was cultural -- and stressed that Tehran was one of the initiators of "the Dialogue Among Civilizations." The Iranian ambassador to Cuba noted that Western nations -- led by the United States -- have distorted the meaning of civilization, ignoring other cultures and only recognizing national interests. He said that there is an urgent need to discuss cultural differences and learn from other peoples, emphasizing that after the tragic events of September 11th, that need has become even more urgent. Tehran's ambassador to Havana also reiterated recent statements by Iran's President Seyyed Mohammed Khatami, referring to the State of the Union address by U.S. President George W. Bush. Khatami said that Bush's remarks about Iran were "warmongering, insulting and a repetition of past propaganda." The Iranian president stressed that his country was also a victim of terrorism and condemned the attacks of September 11th as "a huge crime against humanity." At the same time, the Iranian leader was critical of U.S. policies in the past, which he said helped pave the way for the attacks. During the news conference in Havana this morning, the Iranian ambassador to Cuba emphasized the importance of the Palestinian struggle... and said that his country offers both material and spiritual support for the Palestinian people. Ambassador Seyed Salchi said that the only way to achieve peace is through dialogue -- noting that the year 2001 was designated by the United Nations as the "Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations." *GLOBALIZATION & DEVELOPMENT: 4th INTERNATIONAL MEETING OPENS MONDAY Havana, February 8 (RHC)--The Fourth International Meeting of Economists and the Problems of Development gets underway on Monday in Havana with the participation of delegates from around the world. According to organizers of the event -- which will take place from February 11th through the 15th -- one of the major topics of discussion during the meeting will be the economic crisis in Argentina. Jorge Beinstein, an economic professor at the University of Buenos Aires, told Prensa Latina News Agency that the situation in Argentina will have a serious impact on neighboring countries -- especially Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia. He said that Brazil has its own economic problems and a growing foreign debt, which could produce social explosions similar to those being felt in Argentina. The Argentine economics professor also warned that the United States was viewing everything through the lens of power -- seeing any problem as having either a military solution or one that could be resolved through the use of force. Jorge Beinstein told Prensa Latina that Washington plans to take advantage of the current world crisis to push its neo-colonial agenda. And he said that the United States hopes to crush regional organizations like MERCOSUR and CARICOM, replacing them with direct economic annexation through the Free Trade Area of the Americas. *TOP EXECUTIVE SAYS HE DIDN'T HAVE A CLUE OF ENRON'S PROBLEMS Washington, February 8 (RHC)--Testimony Thursday from one of the few executives of the scandal-ridden Enron firm who agreed to talk did not convince the US Congress. Enron's former chief executive, Jeffrey K. Skilling, told a skeptical House committee that he was unaware of financial problems at the company when he left four months before it collapsed, contradicting two senior Enron executives who testified that they repeatedly warned him about conflicts of interest that enriched the firm's insiders. Representative James C. Greenwood, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations, told Skilling that people in far inferior positions could see the cracks in the walls, expressing disbelief that he had no clue about the firm's imminent collapse. Some subcommittee members portrayed him as an unfeeling robber baron whose ill-fated leadership of Enron drained the pockets of millions of ordinary investors and company employees. Skilling is reported to have received more than 10 million dollars in salary and bonuses between 1999 and 2000. Meanwhile, the silence of four other Enron executives infuriated members of the House subcommittee. Representative John Dingell said lawmakers had hoped to hear what those people thought about the loss of the jobs of thousands of employees and the savings of even more employees, shareholders, pension funds and other investors. Representative Billy Tauzin, who has predicted that someone from Enron is going to wind up in jail, said that despite all the complicated deals and cross-dealing and self-dealing, lawmakers have before them a simple story of old-fashioned theft that allowed crooks to get away and destroy a company. His condemnation reportedly drew muttered agreement from the back of the room, where a delegation of Enron ex-employees sat. *FOR SECOND TIME IN TWO DAYS, FRENCH CRITICIZE USA'S UNILATERAL ATTITUDE Brussels, February 8 (RHC)--French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin has called on Washington to abandon its unilateralism and return to a multilateral focus for the sake of a more just, secure and balanced world. The criticism was the second of its kind in 48 hours from a French leader, following French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine's scathing attack of the US's foreign policy and so-called war on terrorism. Jospin made reference to Washington's unilateral positions in areas like weapons negotiations, the environment and the rules necessary for globalization to benefit all. Like Vedrine, the French Prime Minister said the world expressed its solidarity with the US following the September 11 events, but that all the world's problems can't be reduced to a mere dimension of the war on terrorism. He said the lessons of September 11 should also be learned, that military might alone can't resolve the problem of terrorism. Two days ago, the French Foreign Minister called the US approach to fighting terrorism "simplistic," accusing the United States of ignoring outside viewpoints and failing to take into account problems such a poverty. Vedrine said the Bush administration's foreign policy ignored outside views and approaches world affairs acting on its own interpretation and its own interests. He also blasted Washington's blind support of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policies of pure repression in occupied Palestinian territories. *MEXICO: FOX RELEASES DISSIDENT ARMY GENERAL JAILED 8 YEARS AGO Mexico City, February 8 (RHC)--Mexican President Vicente Fox has released from prison a dissident army general whose case has mobilized human rights groups in Mexico and around the world. General Jose Francisco Gallardo was arrested in 1993 after publicly calling for the appointment of a human rights investigator in the army. He was condemned to 28 years in prison for crimes against the honor of the military institution, embezzlement and illicit enrichment, widely considered false charges in an effort to silence him. Human rights activists are still not satisfied, however, calling Gallardo's release a positive move that nevertheless falls short of justice since he was released by reducing his sentence to the amount of time served, but not by clearing his name and expunging the record. He said he will continue struggling to have all the fabricated charges dropped and his innocence. His case reached the Interamerican Human Rights Commission in 1995, which recommended that Gallardo should be released due to a lack of evidence. But then-President Ernesto Zedillo refused to heed the recommendation. President Fox has been under pressure in other human rights cases, as RHC's correspondent in Mexico City, Peter Gellert, reports: "There have been some steps, and criticism of those steps. The main ones have been other human rights issues in Mexico such as the release of some indigenous leaders who had opposed logging efforts also on what were considered to be trumped up charges, and also the creation of a special commission to investigate the case of the disappeared in what is known in Mexico as the "Dirty War" of the 1970s. Many people nonetheless feel that these steps were not sufficient and have only come after considerable pressure from society." *FORMER ARGENTINE POLICE CHIEF ARRESTED FOR DECEMBER 2001 REPRESSION Buenos Aires, February 8 (RHC)--Judicial authorities in Argentina have arrested a former federal police chief charged with responsibility in the repression of last December 20th that left seven people killed in Buenos Aires and resulted in the resignation of then-President Fernando de la Rua. A total of 30 protesters were killed throughout the country. The arrest followed testimony by former Security Minister Enrique Mathov, who said he gave orders to former police chief Ruben Santos to prevent demonstrators from getting near presidential headquarters. Santos, however, said responsibility should fall on the shoulders of high-ranking government authorities at the time. Many of the former officials have had to appear in court for questioning, including the former Justice Minister, Interior Minister, Assistant Interior Minister and presidential secretaries. According to local media outlets, the former Security Minister could be arrested at any moment. The judicial investigation into the repression had already resulted in the arrest of six other police officers. National and international TV news broadcast images of the repression clearly indicating that police used excessive force, which included mounted police charging into crowds of peaceful demonstrators. *HUMAN RIGHTS INQUIRY INTO CIVILIAN CASUALTIES OF US WAR IN AFGHANISTAN Washington, February 8 (RHC)--With the US air campaign in Afghanistan largely over, prominent human rights groups have announced efforts to determine as closely as possible the number of Afghan civilians killed by American bombs. Human Rights Watch has announced plans to send a team of researchers to Afghanistan next month, while Amnesty International says it may do the same after trying unsuccessfully to get the Pentagon to disclose details about a number of bombings that reportedly killed civilians. The efforts come on the heels of an investigation opened by the US military into a raid last month that Pentagon officials now acknowledge may have resulted in the death of forces friendly to the US-backed interim government of Hamid Karzai. In the raid, US bombs killed as many as 18 people in two compounds that were believed to be housing Al Qaida leaders. More than two dozen people US troops seized in the raid were turned over last Wednesday to the Karzai government after it was determined that they weren't Taliban or Al Qaida fighters. Human Rights Watch has compiled a database of more than 330 alleged incidents of civilian casualties throughout the country, believing that approximately one-third of these are credible. University of New Hampshire professor Marc W. Herold, who has also compiled a database, believes that between 3,300 and 3,900 civilians were killed. (c) 2002 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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