Radio Havana Cuba-08 May 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 08 May 2002 . *VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT CATEGORICALLY REJECTS OTTO REICH'S CLAIMS *CHAVEZ SUPPORTER SAYS HE FIRED HIS WEAPON IN SELF-DEFENSE DURING COUP *CUBAN YOUTH AT UN FORUM CALL FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION *AFTER UN CHILDREN'S SUMMIT: ANOTHER DECADE OF BROKEN PROMISES? *HAMAS PROMISES MORE ATTACKS FOLLOWING ANOTHER SUICIDE BOMBING *COLOMBIA: FARC TAKES PARTIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CIVILIAN DEATHS IN BATTLES WITH RIGHT-WING PARAMILITARIES *DECLASSIFIED PAPERS REVEAL DETAILS ON FBI's PERSECUTION OF ALBERT EINSTEIN *INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT DAY CELEBRATED IN CUBA *CUBAN NATIONAL BALLET RETURNS FROM TOUR OF CHINA *BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB PREPARES FOR MEXICAN CONCERT TOUR . *VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT CATEGORICALLY REJECTS OTTO REICH'S CLAIMS Caracas, May 8 (RHC)--The Venezuelan government has "categorically" and "unequivocally" rejected allegations by US Undersecretary of State Otto Reich concerning the presence of Cuban aircraft in Caracas during the attempted right wing coup against President Hugo Chavez. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Luis Dávila presented an official complaint to the US embassy in Caracas, asserting that he is at a loss as to the purpose of such statements devoid of truth. Dávila said his government will also make known before US officials its discordance with Reich's statements during the next United Nations General Assembly in New York. Just hours before, Venezuelan Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said Reich's statements were surprising in light of the fact that the day he said the Cuban planes were at an international airport in Caracas - on April 12 - Chavez was under arrest and authority was in the hands of the coup leaders who controlled the airport. On Tuesday, the Cuban government issued a statement challenging Reich to prove his allegations and pointing to his ignominious past, which includes lying to Congress about his role in the illegal funding of Nicaraguan contras during the Ronald Reagan administration. Due to this and other scandals, the US Senate refused to ratify Reich's appointment, which led the Bush administration to go over their heads in a White House ratification that nevertheless is only valid for one year without Senate approval. Reich himself has been implicated in expressing support for the right wing coup during a telephone conversation with the de facto leader, businessman Pedro Carmona, the same day he was installed in power. *CHAVEZ SUPPORTER SAYS HE FIRED HIS WEAPON IN SELF-DEFENSE DURING COUP Caracas, May 8 (RHC)--A supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who was video tapped firing a weapon during the attempted coup has turned himself in, insisting that he used his weapon to defend himself and others as snipers opened fire on pro-government demonstrators from the upper floors of a hotel. Town Council member with Chavez's 5th Republic Movement, Richard Peńalver, had days ago announced while in hiding that he would turn himself over to authorities. A large group of Chavez supporters were waiting at the police station to insure that he was treated correctly. Medical reports have affirmed that most of those killed were shot in the head by apparent sniper fire, with both pro- and anti-Chavez activists blaming each other. But a congressional investigation into the events surrounding the attempted coup, which began last week, has gradually unveiled evidence pointing to a premeditated and armed conspiracy to overthrow the Venezuelan president. *CUBAN YOUTH AT UN FORUM CALL FOR UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION New York, May 8 (RHC)--Cuba's representatives to a Youth Forum sponsored by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have called for universal health care and education for all the world's children. Speaking to some 350 young people from around the globe -- taking part in the special forum, held prior to the UN Children's Summit -- the delegates referred to their own experiences as personal testimony. Claudia Felipe, President of the Cuban Federation of High School Students, emphasized that all of the island's children enjoy the right to free health care and education. The high school student leader also called for the cancellation of Third World debt and strongly criticized neo-liberal economic policies, which she noted, are sinking greater and greater numbers of people into poverty. Patricia Flechilla, a leader of the Young Pioneers Organization, told participants that she dreams of a day when all children throughout the world will be able to go to school. Leading the island's delegation is Vilma Espin, President of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC). UNICEF sponsored the special Youth Forum, which wrapped up on Tuesday. Young people debated issues that will be presented at the three-day UN Children's Summit, which got underway on Wednesday in New York City. Upon her arrival at the United Nations on Sunday, Vilma Espin said that Havana's representatives will highlight the importance given to children by the Revolution. The president of the FMC stressed that the Cuban Revolution gives special priority to its young people, to the extent that children are often referred to as 'Cuba's only privileged class. *AFTER UN CHILDREN'S SUMMIT: ANOTHER DECADE OF BROKEN PROMISES? United Nations, May 8 (RHC) -- As 60 heads of state prepared to arrive in New York for the United Nations Children's Summit, a coalition of children's advocates affirmed that the much-heralded gathering is in danger of simply ushering in another decade of broken promises by world leaders. The Child Rights Caucus, grouping more than 100 national and international non-governmental organizations, stated Tuesday that the summit requires stronger commitments from governments in order to substantially improve the condition of children's lives around the world. Bill Bell, of the London-based organization Save the Children, pointed to the "millions of children who are today denied basic rights and suffer unconscionable abuse because governments have failed to live up to their commitments." According to UN statistics, over 125 million children are presently not in school, 250 million are involved in child labor and ten million die every year from malnutrition and preventable diseases. The advocacy groups accused the United States of posing a major obstacle by refusing to sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child - an international treaty that has been ratified by all countries except the US and Somalia. Washington is concerned about the obligations the convention would impose on the government in a country where millions of children don't have health care protection, while many in the US government interpret the family planning and reproductive health clauses as advocating abortion. Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened the summit Wednesday with a stinging rebuke to "the grown-ups" of the world for failing "deplorably" to uphold the right of every child to grow up free of poverty and war and receive a quality education. Annan called on summit participants - on what he called "the adults in this room" - to "not make children pay for our failures any more." *HAMAS PROMISES MORE ATTACKS FOLLOWING ANOTHER SUICIDE BOMBING Gaza City, Ramallah, Washington, May 8 (RHC)--The radical Palestinian Hamas movement has vowed to continue suicide bombings against Israelis as long as Israeli occupation continues, affirming that Tuesday's attack was also in reprisal for Israeli atrocities during the violent incursions into the West Bank that began in late March. With numerous analysts and observers agreeing that violence will not stop violence, Israel was preparing Wednesday another tough response to the Palestinian suicide bombing in a suburban pool hall, reportedly weighing options including a large-scale military operation and expelling Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Just 12 hours after the pool hall bombing that killed 15 Israelis, another bomber detonated explosives at a bus stop in northern Israel - critically wounding himself, though causing no injuries to others. Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi also blamed the recent Israeli offensive for the renewed suicide attacks, affirming that it should be clear by now that there will be no peace or security for the Israelis with peace, security and human rights for the Palestinians. The bombing came as in Washington visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon went out of his way to embarrass the divided George W. Bush administration - openly thanking the Americans for scuttling the proposed UN investigation into charges of Israeli atrocities in the West Bank's Jenin refugee camp. US Secretary of State Colin Powell had played an important role in setting up a UN fact-finding mission for Jenin, which later fell through when Tel Aviv refused to cooperate and Washington threatened to veto any Security Council resolution condemning Israel for its refusal. The British news daily The Guardian asserted that Sharon's words put the US administration in an awkward situation by suggesting that Washington had acted privately to thwart a mission it had supported in public. *COLOMBIA: FARC TAKES PARTIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR CIVILIAN DEATHS IN BATTLES WITH RIGHT-WING PARAMILITARIES Bogotá, May 8 (RHC)--The Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces insurgency has accepted partial responsibility in the deaths of 117 civilians during intense fighting against right wing paramilitaries. While expressing condolences to the people of the north west village of Bojaya, where the fighting and the civilian casualties occurred, the guerrillas said it was never their intention to harm the community - accusing the right wing paramilitaries of putting civilians in danger by using them as human shields after they had been routed from their original positions. A powerful gas-cylinder bomb launched by the rebels hit a church where civilians had taken refuge amid the fighting. The rebel organization affirmed that the paramilitaries gunned down anyone trying to leave the church or the town. The guerrillas also joined many voices criticizing the government for abandoning the region some 2 years ago and ignoring numerous warnings that the community was in grave danger. Last Monday, Colombian Interior Minister Armando Estrada admitted that authorities had had ample warning from the governmental Human Rights Office concerning the imminent danger facing the town - claiming that his office had forwarded the warning to regional authorities. The Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces also accused the Colombian army's 17th Brigade for allowing right wing paramilitary death squads to operate in the region, even using helicopters. The 17th Army Brigade has been named in several human rights investigations as having close ties with the paramilitaries. The military took five days to get to Bojaya, by which time it had become a ghost town. *DECLASSIFIED PAPERS REVEAL DETAILS ON FBI's PERSECUTION OF ALBERT EINSTEIN New York, May 8 (RHC)--Further revelations of the FBI's ideological persecution of Albert Einstein are about to be revealed in a new book. "The Einstein File: J. Edgar Hoover's Secret War Against the World's Most Famous Scientist" is the result of a lawsuit that forced the FBI to release documents that until now had been kept secret. The author, investigative journalist Fred Jerome, asserts in the book that the father of the theory of relativity was suspected of being a communist, a Soviet spy, and of belonging to a "red" conspiracy to take control of Hollywood. Federal agents were even ordered to search the contents of Einstein's garbage cans according to Jerome, who based his affirmations on nearly 1,500 pages of recently declassified documents. Some of those documents, published Tuesday by "The New York Times,' included FBI suspicions of the scientist based on his public support for American citizens who struggled with those in Spain to overthrow the Franco dictatorship. According to the FBI, the US Committee for the Freedom of Spain, which Einstein supported, was a communist organization. Federal authorities eventually had to give up due to the lack of evidence, but Einstein's file remained open until his death in 1955. *INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS/RED CRESCENT DAY CELEBRATED IN CUBA Havana, May 8 (RHC)--Today is International Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. Here in Cuba, the day is commemorated with special events and educational seminars on the importance of the organization. Founded in 1863, the International Red Cross embraces the principles of humanity, impartiality and independence. The organization helps victims of war and natural disasters -- with a particular emphasis on assisting people in need. The Cuban Red Cross has played an important role in public health work. Since the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the organization has taken on new tasks, working closely with the island's Ministry of Public Health. *CUBAN NATIONAL BALLET RETURNS FROM TOUR OF CHINA Havana, May 8 (RHC)--Cuba's National Ballet Company returned to Havana last night after a successful tour of China. Over the past several weeks, the prestigious ballet troupe performed a series of sell-out performances in Beijing, the capital, and Shanghai, China's second largest city and main cultural center. Speaking with reporters upon her arrival at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, Alicia Alonso, the ballet company's director, said she was excited to be back home. Cuba's Prima Ballerina Assoluta told journalists that she was extremely impressed by her visit to the People's Republic of China and especially her meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin. She said that the Chinese leader attended the debut performance in Beijing and later met with her and members of the Cuban delegation. The last time the Cuban National Ballet appeared in China was 38 years ago. During its tour this time, the ballet performed the work "Don Quixote," choreographed by Alicia Alonso herself, Maria Elena Llorente and Marta Garcia, and based on the original play by Marius Petipa. Chinese critics praised the excellent technique of the Cuban ballet troupe, which is considered one of the world's best. Alicia Alonso said that Chinese officials requested an exchange of dancers with Cuba, particularly male dancers. The director of Cuba's ballet troupe noted that the Shanghai Ballet Company is planning to perform at the 18th Annual International Ballet Festival of Havana, slated for November. Alicia Alonso said that during a stop-over in Paris, on her way back to Havana, she heard the news that she had been named a Good Will Ambassador by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO. *BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB PREPARES FOR MEXICAN CONCERT TOUR Santiago de Cuba, May 8 (RHC)--The internationally-renowned musical group Buena Vista Social Club is getting ready for a tour of Mexico. According to a spokesperson for the group, the tour begins next Wednesday, May 15th, and includes Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City. The legendary musicians who make up the Buena Vista Social Club have been performing around the world since they came together in 1996. The project was the idea of Cuban musician Juan de Marcos González, whose efforts were financed by British producer Nick Gold and U.S. musician Ry Cooder, who directed the group. The Buena Vista Social Club gained notoriety when the group walked away with the Grammy Award in 1998 for the best recording in Traditional Tropical Music, presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Two years ago, a documentary on the Buena Vista Social Club was nominated for an Oscar. (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-4871 2002-May-09 05:55:55