>Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit > >Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 24 May 2000 > > > -GRANMA REVEALS NEW COVERT ACTIONS BY USA AND POLAND > -INFORMATICS 2000 UNDERWAY IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL > -BUSINESS MISSION FROM FRANCE ON A VISIT TO CUBA > -DELEGATION FROM LIBERIA ARRIVES IN CUBA > -CUBAN BUSINESS GROUP LABIOFAM WINS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION > -9th CARIBBEAN TRADE FAIR SET FOR SANTIAGO DE CUBA > -REPORT FROM CUBADISCO 2000, 4th INTERNATIONAL RECORD FAIR > -Viewpoint: HAVANA AND WASHINGTON ON THE ROAD TO RAPPROCHMENT? > > >GRANMA REVEALS NEW COVERT ACTIONS BY USA AND POLAND > >Havana, May 24 (RHC)-- Wednesday's edition of the Cuban news daily Granma >reveals new counterrevolutionary activities carried out by the U.S. >Interests Section and officials from the Polish Embassy in Havana. > >The events took place last week in the western province of Pinar del Rio, >when Political Counselor from the Polish Embassy -- Krzysztof Jacek Hinz -- >together with Dagoberto Valdes, a Cuban layworker who heads the so-called >Center for Civic and Religious Training in Pinar del Rio, inaugurated an >exhibition of anti-socialist and pro-capitalist art. > >In its front page article on Wednesday, the Cuban daily explains that the >Polish government used its diplomatic pouch to smuggle the artwork and >other counterrevolutionary materials into the country. The exhibit, which >was first shown in a Havana church, was then transferred to a Daughters of >Charity facility in Pinar del Rio. The subversive exhibit, points out >Granma, was displayed without the knowledge of Cuban authorities. > >Granma recalled how after its May 16 editorial on a Polish >counterrevolutionary delegation, priests of the Pinar del Rio dioceses made a >careful and respectful statement. However, they erroneously described >Dagoberto Valdes, as "a person of proven integrity, committed to his >homeland." In this regard, adds the Granma article, the priests ignore the >background of Dagoberto Valdes, who is "a vulgar provocateur at the service >of Cuba's enemies." > >On April 26th, Valdes met at a restaurant in Pinar del Rio with two >officials from the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. James P. Doran, the >First Secretary and Consul of the Interests Section and an agent of the >Central Intelligence Agency, and Lawrence N. Corwin, the First Secretary of >Culture and the Press at the U.S. diplomatic office in the Cuban capital, >traveled to Pinar del Rio and met for several hours with Valdes. > >The Cuban daily reports that during the meeting with the two U.S. >officials, Valdes urged them to continue working with intellectuals and >described his own work as "open warfare against the Cuban government." >Valdes also took the opportunity to slander Cardinal Jaime Ortega during the >meeting. > >Dagoberto Valdes has connections with counterrevolutionaries both in Cuba >and those in southern Florida. Granma notes that Valdes is a contributing >writer to the Miami-based El Nuevo Herald, "the mouthpiece of the >Cuban-American mafia" -- a privilege only accorded to well-known, so-called >"dissidents." > >According to the Cuban newspaper, the opinions of Valdes as the director of >the Center for Civic and Religious Training in Pinar del Rio are not shared >by the vast majority of the Catholic dioceses in this western province. The >article points out that Cardinal Jaime Ortega has expressed opposition to >provocations by those who have tried to use the Catholic Church as an >instrument against the Cuban Revolution. At the same time, the Granma >article clearly states that Havana has good relations with the Church in >Cuba and with Vatican authorities, who have also said they are opposed to >the use of the Catholic Church by counterrevolutionaries. > >The article in Wednesday's edition of Granma explains that the Polish >Ambassador to the island was not part of the clandestine organization of the >exhibit and that he quickly shut it down once he heard about it. > >With the closing of the exhibit, concludes Granma, the Polish adventure in >Pinar del Rio came to an end, to be continued by the usual adventures of >U.S. diplomats on the island. > > >INFORMATICS 2000 UNDERWAY IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL > >Havana, May 24 (RHC)-- The role of informatics in the fields of education >and culture, among other issues, was brought to the attention of >participants in the Informatics '2000 Convention on Tuesday. > >Informatics '2000, or the 7th International Convention and Fair on >Informatics, is into its third day of sessions here in Havana. > >On Wednesday the 3rd International Congress on Medical Informatics - one of >the fourteen events included in the convention - opened its doors at >Havana's Convention Center with a lecture entitled 'Informatics and Cuba's >Health Care System' by Cuban Deputy Health Minister Yamila de Armas. During >her conference, Dr. De Armas offered an overview of the island's efforts to >develop the use of informatics in health care and measures taken to achieve >this goal. The Cuban official focused on the training of personnel in this >field with the support of other institutions such as the Ministry of >Education and referred to the already implemented university and virtual >library programs. > >Another master conference on Wednesday morning was that of World Health >Organization Representative in Cuba Dr. Sala Mandill, who focused on virtual >inter-hospital communication, or what is called tele-medicine and its role >in access to equal quality health care. > >When asked about the Cuban development of tele-medicine, Dr. Mandill >responded: 'In Cuba, I think that you have already an excellent start with >tele-medicine, linking approximately fifteen hospitals, for example the set >up in the Isle of Youth is a very good example to examine and to follow. I'm >sure that the authorities really evaluated and followed that example in >other places. The same objectives are also here in Cuba. Medical experts who >appear on a list are shared by a number of general hospitals. I think that >the future of tele-medicine in Cuba is quite excellent and I'm very pleased >that the health authorities are awake to this possibility and are already >involved in proper planning for it'. > >On Thursday, the more than 1300 delegates from 40 nations at the event will >be dealing with issues such as the impact of the Internet in developing >nations. > > >BUSINESS MISSION FROM FRANCE ON A VISIT TO CUBA > >Havana, May 24 (RHC)-- A visiting business delegation from the French >company, MEDEF, visited tobacco plantations and factories in the western >province of Pinar del Rio. > >Headed by the President of the France-Cuba Committee of MEDEF, Jean >Dominique Ciomolli, the French delegation began bilateral contacts on >Wednesday with Cuban authorities, including the President of Cuba's Chamber >of Commerce, Hector Perez Paez, and the island's Minister for Foreign >Investment and Economic Cooperation, Marta Lomas. > >The French delegation's agenda also includes meetings with the president of >the Cuban Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, and Foreign Minister Felipe Perez >Roque. This involves their participation in the inauguration of repair work >on the Havana tunnel, to be carried out with French cooperation. > > >DELEGATION FROM LIBERIA ARRIVES IN CUBA > >Havana, May 24 (RHC)-- A Liberian delegation, headed by the General >Secretary of the country's National Patriotic Party, John Whitfield, has >arrived in Cuba for an official visit aimed at reviewing the current state >of bilateral relations. > >While on the island, the visitors will meet with high-ranking Cuban >government officials and tour centers of historical and social interest. > > >CUBAN BUSINESS GROUP LABIOFAM WINS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION > >Havana, May 24 (RHC)-- The internationally recognized Cuban pharmaceutical >group, LABIOFAM, won a world competition in Peru with a larvicide, known as >GRISELESF. The high-quality biological pest-control agent is used to >eliminate mosquitoes. > >Other major pharmaceutical firms at the competition were Germany's BAYER and >U.S. ABBOT. > >This Havana-based firm has been successful in use of GRISELESF, in Africa >and Central and South America, against the carrier of serious diseases such >as malaria and dengue. > >LABIOFAM produces more than 90 percent of all veterinary products used in >Cuba. Many of these products are also exported to other nations, including >the world famous BIORAT to eliminate rats. > > >9th CARIBBEAN TRADE FAIR SET FOR SANTIAGO DE CUBA > >Santiago de Cuba, May 24 (RHC)-- Over 520 firms from some 20 nations have >already confirmed their participation in the 9th edition of the Caribbean >Trade Fair, ExpoCaribe '2000. The trade fair is set for June 18th through >the 25th in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba. > >Luis Gutierrez Madrigal, from the Organizing Committee of Fairs and >Exhibitions in the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, stated that 129 foreign >companies will take part in this year's event, primarily from Caribbean >nations. > >The ExpoCaribe fair, held every year since 1992, serves as a unique >opportunity to promote and strengthen economic and trade relations between >Caribbean countries. > > >REPORT FROM CUBADISCO 2000, 4th INTERNATIONAL RECORD FAIR > >Havana, May 24 (RHC)-- The 4th International Record Fair, Cubadisco '2000, >got underway on Wednesday at Havana's Pabexpo Pavilion. > >Sponsored by Cuba's Music Institute, in collaboration with Spain's General >Association of Editors and Authors, this year's event is dedicated to the >Dominican Republic. > >The festival, which runs through May 28th, gathers several musical groups >and soloists, as well as record promoters and labels. > >Cubadisco '2000 includes -among other activities- the presentation of a >dictionary of Spanish and Hispanic American music, as well as seminars, >roundtables, and concerts by renowned Cuban and foreign artists. > > >Viewpoint: HAVANA AND WASHINGTON ON THE ROAD TO RAPPROCHMENT? > >Another important political figure in the United States has expressed his >disagreement with his country's policy towards Cuba and the economic >blockade imposed on the island for almost four decades by nine consecutive >US administrations. > >Minnessota's Governor, Jesse Ventura, is the second US State governor that >has publicly called for an end to Washington's financial and economic >blockade against the people of Cuba. The first came from Illinois Governor >George Ryan, who visited Havana a few months ago and was able to see for >himself the Cuban reality. > >Ryan said that there were other governors interested in the normalization of >relations between Havana and Washington that would publicly express their >positions in the future. Governor Jesse Ventura's statements serve to >confirm George Ryan's announcement. > >Prior to Ryan's visit to Cuba, the US Chamber of Commerce had also supported >the lift of economic sanctions and its President, Tom Donahue, also visited >the island and ratified the organization's position. > >After these events, the powerful US media began, little by little, to follow >more closely the issue of bilateral relations. Some important newspapers and >radio and TV networks are now more frequently reflecting the current trend >in favor of a radical change in the US policy towards Cuba. What is more, >some changes to that policy could soon be introduced by the US Congress >where legislators are considering a project that would allow sales of food >and medicine to the island. Although this initiative failed in both 1998 and >1999, it has now more supporters in the US Congress. > >The case of the six-year-old boy Elian Gonzalez, has served to bring >together for the first time in a common position both Havana and Washington, >supported by the majority of the American people: that the child should be >with his father and his family in Cuba. In spite of many obstacles, >including the acts and threats of Cuban-American ultra right-wing groups in >Miami, an improvement of relations between Cuba and the United States seems >to be, for the first time, on the horizon. > > >(c) 2000 Radio Habana Cuba. 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