Radio Havana Cuba-14 March 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 14 March 2002 . *FIDEL CASTRO HONORS REVOLUTIONARY VETERANS *CANADIAN ON TRIAL IN US FOR SELLING WATER PURIFICATION SUPPLIES TO CUBAN HOSPITALS *CONGRESS ON PHYSICAL AND REHABILITATION UNDERWAY IN HAVANA *CUBAN PRESS DAY CELEBRATED ACROSS THE ISLAND *DESPITE WESTERN CRITICISM, AFRICAN LEADERS ENDORSE MUGABE'S ELECTION VICTORY *SHARON GRUDGINGLY ORDERS GRADUAL WITHDRAWAL FROM RAMALLAH *ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT OFFERS CEASE-FIRE TO UNITA, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO ACCEPT *MASSIVE WORKERS' PROTEST IN A FORTIFIED BARCELONA *AFGHANISTAN: OUTCOME OF "OPERATION ANACONDA" REMAINS UNCLEAR . *FIDEL CASTRO HONORS REVOLUTIONARY VETERANS Havana, March 14 (RHC)--Marking the 45th anniversary of the assault on the Presidential Palace and Radio Reloj, a ceremony was held Wednesday night at Havana's Karl Marx Theater to formally award 14 veterans of the attack. Cuban President Fidel Castro personally pinned the Jose Antonio Echeverria Medal on each of the veterans who took part in the historic assault, which became a decisive turning point for the revolutionary struggle. On March 13th, 1957, a group of students -- led by Jose Antonio Echeverria, president of the Federation of University Students and leader of the Revolutionary Directorate -- attacked the Presidential Palace with the intention of killing dictator Fulgencio Batista. While the mission failed and Batista fled the Presidential Palace through a secret exit, the attack became a rallying cry for the battle against the dictatorship. In the coordinated action 45 years ago, students attacked the dictator's residence and, at exactly the same time, rushed the studios of Radio Reloj to announce that Batista had been killed. Jose Antonio Echeverria personally took over the microphones to make the premature announcement, which he believed to be true at the time. Minutes later, after leaving the studios of Radio Reloj, the student leader was killed by police bullets as he was heading toward the university. In a brief speech following the awarding ceremony Wednesday night, Fidel Castro said that if Jose Antonio Echeverria had not been killed that day, he would surely have been there with the others who survived the revolutionary action. The Cuban president added that while it was hard to accept the news that Echeverria -- a man who possessed a special charisma, extraordinary courage, selflessness and profound revolutionary feelings -- had been killed in the action, his death and the sacrifice of others helped to strengthen the movement against Batista. During another part of his speech, the leader of the Cuban Revolution said that history will never be able to destroy that which Cuba has constructed and defended under the nose of the most powerful empire the world has ever known. "Not even the most sophisticated and destructive weapons -- which are capable of wiping human beings off the face of the earth -- can even make an insignificant scratch in the values that Cuba has defended and will continue to defend until the last drop of blood." Finally, Fidel Castro said that Cuba is confident that other Third World nations will eventually follow the steps taken by the Cuban Revolution in its search for a just and more humane society. *CANADIAN ON TRIAL IN US FOR SELLING WATER PURIFICATION SUPPLIES TO CUBAN HOSPITALS Ontario, Philadelphia, March 14 (RHC)--A Canadian citizen has been placed on trial in a United States court for selling water purification supplies to Cuban hospitals. Ontario businessman James Sabzali was placed on trial this week in Philadelphia on a 76-count indictment by the US Justice Department that he and his colleagues breached the Trading with the Enemy Act. In what is being called a story out of the Cold War, Sabzali's business dealings with Cuba were not only legal under Canadian law, but in fact encouraged. The Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act passed by the Canadian Parliament in 1992 forbids Canadian companies and Canadian subsidiaries of US companies operating in Canada from complying with the US blockade. This is the first case of a Canadian on trial for violating Washington's blockade of Cuba. Canadian academics, business people and Foreign Affairs officials are reportedly monitoring the trial, but solidarity activists in Canada and the United States say the Canadian government should be protesting, not just monitoring. Thirty-five of the charges span the time when Sabzali was self-employed and working for his own Canadian company based in Hamilton, Ontario. Sabzali reportedly made more than 20 trips from Canada to Cuba while working on a contract for the US chemical company Puerolite. The chemicals were shipped to Cuba through Canada, Italy, Spain and Mexico - countries that do not honor the US blockade. Sabzali's lawyer, Catherine Recker, has called the charges outrageous, noting that her client is a Canadian citizen living in Canada and transacting business from Canada in accordance with Canadian law. The trial is expected to last some three weeks. If convicted, Sabzali could spend the rest of his life in jail and face a penalty of about 2 million dollars. *CONGRESS ON PHYSICAL AND REHABILITATION UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, March 14 (RHC)--The Second International Congress of the Cuban Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation is underway in Havana. Over 600 experts on physical rehabilitation -- including physicians, occupational therapists, neurologists, geriatric and orthopedic specialists -- are participating in the event at Havana's International Convention Center. Delegates to the Congress are from the United States, Mexico, France, Canada, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Puerto Rico and many other countries. On Thursday, they took part in conferences, roundtable discussions and video sessions dealing with issues such as: Rehabilitation and Society, Community-based Rehabilitation, Barriers to Rehabilitation, Information Technologies and Rehabilitation and Sports. The meeting is organized by the Cuban Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and is sponsored by the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and other regional institutions. The Second International Congress of the Cuban Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation got underway on Wednesday and will run through tomorrow, Friday. *CUBAN PRESS DAY CELEBRATED ACROSS THE ISLAND Sancti Spiritus, March 14 (RHC)--Today, March 14th, is Cuban Press Day -- celebrated across the island. Journalists working for Cuban media outlets commemorated the 110th anniversary of the publication of "Patria," founded by Jose Marti. The main activity for Cuban Press Day was held in Sancti Spiritus. Members of the Union of Cuban Journalists -- including workers in print and electronic media -- gathered in the provincial capital located in central Cuba to celebrate and examine the achievements of the "prensa," as well as the challenges that lie ahead. In Havana, nearly 200 journalists -- each carrying a white rose -- marched several blocks from the Capitolio to Central Park, where they placed their flowers at the foot of Jose Marti's statue. *DESPITE WESTERN CRITICISM, AFRICAN LEADERS ENDORSE MUGABE'S ELECTION VICTORY Harare, Nairobi, Pretoria, Lusaka, March 14 (RHC)--Despite widespread Western criticism of elections in Zimbabwe, African leaders have endorsed President Robert Mugabe's victory. The presidents of Kenya, Zambia, Namibia and Tanzania fully backed Mugabe. While South African President Thabo Mbeki said he could not comment until all observer reports were in, South African and Nigerian observers have said the official results reflect the will of the electorate. The Organization of African Unity observer team in Zimbabwe announced that "in general, the elections were transparent, credible, free and fair." A team from the Southern African Development Community Council of Ministers issued a statement saying that the vote had been "substantially free and fair" and has asked the organization's heads of state to support the government of Zimbabwe to facilitate dialogue and reconciliation. The Nigerian government said it would urge Europe and the United States to join in accepting the results as announced. An official from Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo's office said, "it seems the elections were not perfect but they reflected the will of the people." According to some commentators, African leaders are presenting a united front in protest at what they see as Western attempts to impose Western-style democracies on Africa. Others point out that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to rig an election in which the victor obtained a 14 to 15 point lead, as did Mugabe. *SHARON GRUDGINGLY ORDERS GRADUAL WITHDRAWAL FROM RAMALLAH Tel Aviv, March 14 (RHC)--Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has grudgingly ordered a gradual withdrawal of his occupation troops from the Palestinian city of Ramallah. On Wednesday, Sharon reportedly engaged in a shouting match with Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer, who opposed expanding the scope of Israel's military operations ahead of the arrival of US mediator Anthony Zinni - as Sharon had originally planned. But observers are commenting that Zinni's arrival, stepped up US and international criticism of Israel's military actions in occupied territories and negative public opinion inside Israel as the bloodshed seems unending have apparently force the Israeli prime minister to back down. US President George W. Bush said that recent Israeli military actions against Palestinians were "not helpful," which, though far from a condemnation, is being called Washington's strongest criticism yet. The US State Department warned that no party should act in any way to sabotage Zinni's mediation effort. In Egypt, visiting US Vice President Richard Cheney chastised both sides in the conflict, instead of adopting Washington's traditional role of supporting Israel's right to defend itself and insisting that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is not doing enough to stop terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. European Commission President Romano Prodi said he "completely condemns the re-occupation of Palestinian territory, the use of military means in civilian areas and the destruction of public institutions in Palestine which humiliate the Palestinian people." Special United Nations coordinator for the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, slammed the Israeli military operations, while chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat stated that Zinni's mission had "no hope" of succeeding while Israel continued to occupy Ramallah. *ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT OFFERS CEASE-FIRE TO UNITA, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO ACCEPT Luanda, Lisbon, March 14 (RHC)--The government of Angola has ordered a halt to its attacks against UNITA, which in turn says that, it may well respect the truce and begin preparing conditions for a cease-fire. The announcement follows last month's death in combat of veteran UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi. The office of Angolan President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos said the halt in the government's offensive should allow authorities to make direct contact with rebels to negotiate a ceasefire. Though authorities in Luanda are offering the rebels a national reconciliation plan that includes UNITA's participation in government, as stipulated by the failed 1994 Lusaka Accord, they are also demanding that the rebel organization demilitarize to allow the process to get underway. Though the rebels continued attacks following Savimbi's death, according to Angolan Interior Minister Fernando da Piedade, UNITA is beginning to show signs of moderation and responsibility. The Lisbon-based UNITA spokesman, Jofre Justino, told the BBC's Network Africa program that UNITA leaders were meeting in Angola to discuss their precise response, expressing certainty that the leadership will prepare conditions for a cease-fire and negotiations. The Angolan government is reportedly gearing up to request that Parliament grant an amnesty for all crimes committed in the context of the war, and to prepare for general elections. According to the most conservative estimates, over 500,000 people have died in the civil war, which followed a 14-year colonial war against Portugal, and more than four million people -- one-third of Angola's population -- have been displaced. *MASSIVE WORKERS' PROTEST IN A FORTIFIED BARCELONA Barcelona, March 14 (RHC)--Close to 100,000 European workers marched through the streets of Barcelona, Spain, leading up to the Summit of European Union Heads of State and Government. French, Italian, Belgian, Portuguese and British workers, among others, called for a Europe with full employment and greater labor and social rights. The first of some twenty street demonstrations to take place during the summit, to be held Friday and Saturday, came amid the police fortification of the Spanish city. Spanish police Tuesday clamped a ring of steel around Barcelona, paralyzing much of the city, whose authorities warned of traffic jams stretching up to 60 miles on some roads into Barcelona. Spain has temporarily suspended its membership in Europe's free-transit accord, setting up border controls to keep out anti-globalization protesters. The tens of thousands of anti-globalization protesters expected to gather in Barcelona have insisted that they will remain peaceful and avoid the fenced off summit zone, but some radical anarchist groups are expected to defy police restrictions. Extra beds have been brought to the city's jails, with prisoners being bussed to other parts of Spain to make space. Since the protests at the G-7 gathering last July in Genoa, summits have either been called off or have been subdued affairs. *AFGHANISTAN: OUTCOME OF "OPERATION ANACONDA" REMAINS UNCLEAR Washington, Kabul, March 14 (RHC)--In what appears to be another glitch in the so-called war on terrorism, news agencies are widely reporting that the fruits of victory in the US's latest battle in the Shahikot Valley remain uncertain. The Washington Post reported Thursday that the Pentagon asserts that as many as 700 Al Qaida and Taliban fighters are dead in the mountains, with their network of caves captured and their surviving comrades blocked from reaching passes leading to Pakistan, but noted that there is no sign of Osama bin Laden or any of his top lieutenants, no concrete proof of how many Al Qaida fighters were killed, and no certainty that Al Qaida cannot regroup to fight again elsewhere in Afghanistan. While US Lieutenant Colonel David Gray, chief of operations for the attack dubbed Operation Anaconda, stated that they believed they had caught the major concentration of the enemy, the chief Afghan commander in the battle, Gul Haidar, stated that he and his troops didn't know where a lot of the enemy soldiers had gone. A March 12 report in the London Times filed from Afghanistan asserted that Afghan commanders believe the US has exaggerated the number of casualties in the bombing campaign, stating that they were very close to enemy positions and saw no dead bodies. The same report quoted Afghan military leaders as saying the many pathways through the mountains are providing not only escape routes for the fighters, but also a means of replenishing their ranks from other pockets of Taliban and Al Qaida resistance in provinces to the south. It also quoted a former Taliban official as saying that this was not the last battle and the network is far from dead. (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-31490 2002-Mar-15 08:07:33