RHC Weekend-09/10 March 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - Weekend News Update - 09/10 March 2002 . *US OWES CUBA AN APOLOGY FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF TERRORISM - FIDEL *UN AGENCY PRAISES CUBA'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN WOMEN'S RIGHTS *PAN-AMERICAN CONGRESS ON CHILD PSYCHIATRY WRAPS UP IN HAVANA *MORE THAN 15,000 GATHER TO CONDEMN U.S. POLICIES AGAINST CUBA *CUBANS REMEMBER 50th ANNIVERSARY OF BATISTA'S MILITARY COUP *UNDER PRESSURE, SHARON AGREES TO UNCONDITIONAL TALKS WITH PALESTINIANS *LEAKED REPORT REVEALS WASHINGTON'S PREPARATIONS TO USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AGAINST SEVEN COUNTRIES *NIKE AND ADIDAS CONTINUE TO EXPLOIT LABOR IN INDONESIA *Viewpoint: ARGENTINA - LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL? . *US OWES CUBA AN APOLOGY FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS OF TERRORISM - FIDEL Havana, March 9 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro has affirmed that Washington owes an apology for more than 40 years of terrorism against the Caribbean island. The statement came in a brief speech to award the mothers of five Cuban patriots wrongly convicted in the United States of spying, on the occasion of International Women's Day. The Cuban leader said the US government will never have moral integrity in its so-called war on terrorism as long as it doesn't renounce complicity with, or tolerance of, terrorism against Cuba. He said Washington's declaration of a prolonged, undefined and imprecise war on terrorism is the epitome of arrogance, while terming as cynical the mention of Cuba as being among terrorist nations when thousands of Cubans have died as a result of terrorist actions launched from the United States. President Castro said no American citizen has even suffered a scratch from terrorist actions originating in Cuba. He said a US apology should also include repentance for a more than 30-year total economic blockade that has deprived Cubans of food and medicine and that is considered in international treaties an act of genocide even in times of war. But an apology, said the Cuban leader, would in itself not be sufficient. He said the US government should also provide financial compensation for its crimes against the Cuban people, sever its ties with Miami's terrorist mafia groups that have organized and financed brutal attacks against the island, arrest and bring to trial the infamous terrorist, Orlando Bosch, who currently walks the streets of Miami, stop protecting terrorist Luis Posada Carriles and demand justice in the assassination plot against him in Panama, eliminate the anti-Cuba Torricelli and Helms-Burton Laws, repeal the Cuban Adjustment Act, which gives illegal Cuban immigrants exclusive privileges, negotiate with Cuba the illegal and arbitrary US occupation of the Guantanamo naval base, and respect the Cuban peoples' self-determination in their sovereign choice of the country's economic and political system. Slamming Washington's support of Israel's aggression against the Palestinian people, Fidel Castro said the renunciation of intervention and domination, and respect for the United Nations and international treaties, are the indispensable requirements for achieving a climate of peace and eradicating the plague of terrorism. Referring to the five Cubans imprisoned in different high security penitentiaries in the US, and whose only crime was to try to prevent terrorist actions against Cuba, the Cuban leader said their story and their valor will be told and written a million times. *UN AGENCY PRAISES CUBA'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN WOMEN'S RIGHTS Yara, March 9 (RHC)--Many of the problems that affect women throughout the world have been permanently and systematically solved in Cuba, according to German Valdivia, a representative from the United Nations World Food Program. Speaking at an event in Granma province to commemorate International Women's Day on Friday, the UN official had words of praise for the island's efforts to eliminate sexual discrimination. German Valdivia noted that of every ten people in the world affected by hunger, seven are women or children. And he emphasized that while women are the main victims of hunger, they are also the key to resolving this situation -- stating that women contribute more to the nutritional intake of their families than do men. The representative of the UN World Food Program said that his agency has been able to provide support to the programs of the Cuban government, incorporating women into the work of food production in five eastern provinces of the island. He stressed that the dietary programs for pregnant women, children and the elderly in Cuba are an excellent example for the rest of the world. *PAN-AMERICAN CONGRESS ON CHILD PSYCHIATRY WRAPS UP IN HAVANA Havana, March 9 (RHC)--The Pan-American Congress on Child Psychiatry ended Friday in the Cuban capital, with the participation of more than 500 specialists from some 20 countries. During the meeting, experts in the field exchanged information and experiences with the aim of promoting sound mental health among young people. One of the participants at the Congress was David Pruett, Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. He is also a past president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, based in Washington, DC. David Pruett told Radio Havana Cuba that he was extremely impressed with the island's achievements in childcare, despite scarce resources. He said that Cuba's ability to integrate school, primary care and mental health is "exceptional" and praised the island's health care system, which he described as "very efficient." Delegates to the Pan-American Congress on Child Psychiatry also examined the negative influence of violence in the U.S. media and entertainment industry, child abuse, prostitution and child pornography. Participants agreed that greater efforts must be made to create a safer and happier place for children: the future of the world. *MORE THAN 15,000 GATHER TO CONDEMN U.S. POLICIES AGAINST CUBA Holguin, March 9 (RHC)--More than 15,000 people gathered Saturday morning in the municipality of Sagua de Tanamo, located in the province of Holguin -- condemning U.S. policies against the island. Led by Cuba's Minister of Defense Raul Castro, participants in this morning's Open Tribunal called for the release of the five national heroes, imprisoned in U.S. jails. Speakers addressing the crowd demanded an end to Washington's criminal economic blockade against the island as well as the elimination of U.S. legislation known as the Cuban Adjustment Act. It was pointed out that the 1966 law only serves to entice people to go to the United States -- risking their lives to reach "the land of milk and honey" -- and that many have died in the attempt. Thousands attending the Open Tribunal in Holguin province Saturday morning also called for justice in the case of internationally-renowned terrorist Luis Posada Carriles -- who is currently being held in Panama along with three of his cohorts. Noting that the Panamanian government appears to be moving toward absolving Posada Carriles and only charging him with minor crimes -- possibly allowing him to walk out of prison on bail -- the crowd cried out for nothing short of justice. *CUBANS REMEMBER 50th ANNIVERSARY OF BATISTA'S MILITARY COUP Havana, March 9 (RHC)--Sunday, March 10, marks the 50th anniversary of the military coup carried out by Fulgencio Batista -- beginning a brutal dictatorship that would eventually be overthrown by the revolutionary victory of January 1st, 1959. An article in this morning's edition of Granma newspaper, entitled: "The Final Chapter of so-called 'Representative Democracy' in Cuba," it was recalled that Batista's 1952 military coup closed the door to the electoral process -- forcing revolutionary change to take place outside of the traditional political process. It was pointed out that while there is no documented proof that the U.S. embassy in Havana actually organized the coup, there is abundant evidence that Washington was aware of Batista's plans and gave him the green light. The Granma article notes that the military coup of March 10th, 1952 completely destroyed what little prestige remained among the existing political parties at the time. Batista's dictatorship immediately repealed the Constitution of 1940 and abolished the island's Congress. The regime then decreed a Law of Public Order -- amounting to a virtual military state of siege -- strictly prohibiting meetings of more than two people and declaring that any protest against the dictatorship was illegal. Within months after Batista's military coup, it became common to find tortured, dead bodies in the streets and parks of Havana and other cities. The article in this morning's Granma points to one of the ironies of history: those who fully supported the military coup of March 10th and the destruction of so-called "representative democracy" on the island, are the same ones who today -- 50 years later -- are raising their voices at international forums to condemn Cuba for not having what they still like to call "representative democracy." *UNDER PRESSURE, SHARON AGREES TO UNCONDITIONAL TALKS WITH PALESTINIANS Tel Aviv, March 9 (RHC)--Under pressure at home and abroad, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has for the first time agreed that ceasefire talks with Palestinians will have to take place under fire. Following the bloodiest day ever in the more than 17-month Intifada, Sharon backed down on a demand he had not budged on since his election more than a year ago: his insistence on a one-week period of calm before returning to the negotiating table. But Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's top aide, Nabil Adu Rudeina, dismissed the Israeli prime minister's surprise declaration - stating that Sharon must realize that he cannot obtain an end to the violence with a military solution and must stop his massacres and aggression against the Palestinian people. As most of the international community expresses outrage over Israel's unprecedented attacks in occupied Palestinian territories, divisions are threatening Sharon's increasingly fragile national unity government. There have been a growing number of calls within Labor, the largest party in the Israeli parliament and a key coalition partner, to leave the right-wing government. This week, the liberal Israeli newspaper "Ha'aretz" described the partnership as shameful in an editorial headlined "the helpless government." On the left, boosted by a growing group of reservist officers and soldiers who are refusing to serve in occupied territories, there is a growing sense that peace and security can only be achieved through dialogue. On Friday, the Israeli news daily "Yediot Aharonot" - the country's largest-circulation newspaper - wrote in a front-page commentary that "a government that promised at its inception a year ago to put an end to terror, but only increased it, should resign." The results of an opinion poll published in the same paper confirmed that Sharon's popularity had plummeted. The liberal daily "Ha'aretz" was even more scathing in its criticism, asserting that "the government's deeds and failures show that the fate of the state is to a large extent in the hands of unbalanced people." The religious right and right-of-center newspapers are also attacking the government, accusing it of not being hard enough against the Palestinians. *LEAKED REPORT REVEALS WASHINGTON'S PREPARATIONS TO USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AGAINST SEVEN COUNTRIES Washington, March 9 (RHC)--The George W. Bush administration has directed the military to prepare contingency plans to use nuclear weapons against at least seven countries, according to a classified Pentagon report obtained by "The Los Angeles Times." The White House has also ordered the Pentagon to build smaller nuclear weapons for use in certain battlefield situations, in a revelation that has sparked widespread alarm. John Isaacs, president of the Council for a Livable World, stated that the Bush administration is desperately trying to find new uses for nuclear weapons, when their uses should be limited to deterrence. Isaacs called the plan "very, very dangerous talk." The secret report, which was provided to Congress on January 8, says the Pentagon needs to be prepared to use nuclear weapons not only against Iraq, North Korea, Iran and Libya, but also against China, Russia and Syria. Joseph Cirincione, a nuclear arms expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, stated that he couldn't imagine what these countries are going to be saying at the United Nations - in reference to predictions that the disclosure would set off strong reactions from governments of the target countries. Arms control advocates have warned that the report's directives on development of smaller nuclear weapons could signal that the Bush administration is more willing to overlook a long-standing taboo against the use of nuclear weapons except as a last resort, and could dangerously destabilize the world by encouraging other countries to believe that they, too, should develop such weapons. *NIKE AND ADIDAS CONTINUE TO EXPLOIT LABOR IN INDONESIA Canberra, March 9 (RHC)--The US firms Nike and Adidas have not done enough to deal with the poverty, persecution and physical assault of workers at their Indonesian factories, according to the international humanitarian organization Oxfam Community Aid Abroad. A report the group published late this week in Australia, entitled "We Are Not Machines," asserts that Indonesian workers at the factories are still subjected to verbal abuse, intrusive physical examinations and dangerous conditions. The report's author, Timothy Connor, affirmed that the few improvements that have occurred in the firms' factories fall well short of ensuring that Nike and Adidas workers are able to live with dignity. Full-time workers at Nike's 11 Indonesian factories are reportedly paid as little as 2 dollars a day, forcing them to work long hours and to send their children to be raised by relatives in other parts of the country and see them only three or four times a year. Women workers, according to the report's findings, are routinely subjected to humiliating physical examinations by company doctors before they are allowed to claim legally mandated but unpaid menstrual leave of two days a month. Oxfam found that one woman worker in an Adidas factory was arrested and imprisoned for a month last year for organizing a strike. The report concludes that "fear dominates the lives of the workers," that "they are afraid that speaking openly about factory conditions or getting involved in active unions will put their livelihoods in danger." *Viewpoint: ARGENTINA - LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL? Amid one of the worst economic and financial crisis that has ever hit Argentina, despair and anger increase day by day among almost all sectors of society, while the country's government awaits a double-edged, lifesaving loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, the IMF -- or rather the United States government, which actually makes its decisions -- will not disburse a single dollar until Buenos Aires has come up with a sustainable plan of reactivation; in other words, until further neoliberal measures are taken in order to recover the loan and its interests - no matter at whose expense. In the meantime, an IMF delegation has been analyzing the situation since Wednesday and, although Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde believes that the international financial organization will soon change its position, experts say the agreement would never be signed before April. Duhalde's optimism is based on his recent meeting with the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Marc Grossman, who assured him that the Bush Administration would recommend that the IMF grant the loan as soon as possible. After that meeting, Duhalde also confirmed that Argentina would keep its "NATO extra-allied" status - a peculiar condition established during the government of former President Carlos Menen, who described relations between the South American nation and the United States as "carnal." Many experts believe that Duhalde's permanence at the head of the Argentine government until December 2003 depends on the IMF financial boost, since the failure or even the delay of negotiations could exacerbate the people's claims for early elections. After 45 months of recession, poverty is hitting almost half of the Argentine population - 15 million out of 38 million people; unemployment has risen to 22 percent; tax collection continues to drop as companies go bankrupt; prices are constantly skyrocketing and the foreign debt is now some 140 billion dollars. As a consequence, in February alone, poor and unemployed Argentines set up more than 290 roadblocks to demand jobs and food. In the middle of this chaotic situation, the World Bank has approved an emergency loan of 100 million dollars to finance social plans in Argentina. It is hoped that this "positive sign" could be the light at the end of the tunnel for the Argentine people. (c) 2002 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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