>facilities "not as luxury or architectural ostentation, but practical and >functional to carry out their role." > >He also highlighted the importance of a country with only 11 million >inhabitants that is one of the 10 sports powers of the world. > >"As I said in the meetings at Lausanne and Rio de Janeiro in front of the >International Olympic Committee, we have the moral right to organize the >games," he added. > >Fernandez recalled that Cuba has a long and outstanding history in the >organization of international sports events, including 1982 Central American >and Caribbean Games and 1991 Pan American Games, besides world cups and >championships. > >Fernandez, also Vice President of the Cuban Council of Ministers, pointed >out that poor nations have the right to be host of Olympic games and >attacked the tendency to give this possibility only to rich and developed >countries. > >"Some steps have been taken for Olympic solidarity, as the invitations or >so-called "white card" to athletes from poor nations. > >Nevertheless, I think there must be deeper solutions to lessen the >differences," he expressed. > >Fernandez attacked the commercialism entering the sports world, which is a >contradiction of the principles designed by Baron Pierre de Coubertain, >creator of the modern Olympic Gamers. > >"I hear offers of $100-120 thousand for each gold medal in Asia Minor >countries. In this way, money becomes the goal of sports and their basis in >goodwill, friendship and relations among peoples is forgotten, he >emphasized. > >JCT/CCS > > . > >COOPERATION AGREEMENT STARTS NEW ERA IN CUBA-CARICOM RELATIONS > >CANOUAN, ST. VINCENT, Jul 5 (PL) The signing of a commercial and cooperation >treaty between Cuba and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), will start a new >era in their relationship, it was informed at a press conference today. > >This treaty appears to be one of the 21st CARICOM Summit's most significant >achievements, which concludes today after four days of discussion about >regional common issues among the member-nations of this unifying >organization. > >Minister of Government Ricardo Cabrisas represented Cuba in the signing of a >new treaty to strengthen cooperation in areas of trade, culture, sports, >agriculture, fishing, and science and technology. > >Cuban ambassador for Eastern Caribbean and Bahamas residing in Barbados, >Lazaro Cabezas, told The Herald that the treaty goes beyond the original >concept to establish a Joint CARICOM-CUBA Commission in 1992. > >Director of Regional Negotiation Machinery Communications (RNM), Henry Gill, >remarked that this new agreement gives CARICOM the possibility of a >potential market in Cuba. > >Gill commented that commercial and economic relations would strengthen >through merchandise interchange and services promotion and expansion, >elimination of obstacles, and encouragement to investments and joint >ventures for economic development. > >Important topics for the region were treated in this CARICOM summit, such as >the hundred-year maritime dispute between Surinam and Guyana, the >post-election situation in Haiti and the Economic Cooperation and >Development Organization (ECDO) actions against nine of these isles. > >According to ECDO, many of these isles provide fiscal conditions that damage >developed nations' economies, but CARICOM maintains this accusation is >unmerited as it overlooks all the efforts of these countries to survive. > >CARICOM was created July 4th 1973 in Chaguaramas, Port Spain, Trinidad and >Tobago, and its general secretary is Trinitarian Edwin Carrington, who has >been in this charge since 1992. > >FVS/CCS > > . > >CHINA: CUBAN SUGAR MINISTRY EXAMINING FURTHER EXCHANGES > >BEIJING, Jul 5 (PL) Cuban Sugar Minister, Ulises Rosales del Toro, began his >third day of his official visit to China today by thanking Yang Cilin, >Chinese president of Export and Import Bank (EXIMBANK), for the role played >in supporting different economic projects between both countries. > >The Cuban Sugar Minister arrived to this capital on Monday at the invitation >of Minister Chen Shineng, from Light Industry's State Bureau of >Administration. > >The program of the Cuban delegation today included an exchange of ideas >about possible cooperation projects with many Chinese corporations in the >Sugar Industry, mainly by-products. > >Rosales del Toro met with directors of the Electronic Equipment Corporation >Construction Materials Corporation and with a group of executives from >companies of Tianjin light industry. > >Sources of the delegation stated that possible cooperation projects include >the production of bagasse boards, paper and sweets and exchange of >specialists. > >The Cuban delegation used these meetings to express the Cuban interest in >fertilizers and herbicides produced in China for use in sugarcane >plantations. > >JCT/CCS > > . > >21ST CARICOM SUMMIT MAKES POLITICAL DECISIONS > >CANOUAN, ST. VINCENT, Jul 5 (PL) The 21st CARICOM Summit made its first >political decisions, deciding that Jamaica's Governor Percival Patterson >will mediate border differences between Guyana and Suriname and that a >special envoy would be sent to Haiti, announced St. > >Vincent Prime Minister James Mitchell. > >Patterson met with Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo and Surinam's President >Jules Wijndenbosch, and all of them attended the 21st Summit of Heads of >State and Government of the Caribbean Community from Sunday until today in >this five square-mile island in the archipelago of Saint Vincent and the >Grenadines. > >The differences over the common frontier between Guyana and Suriname dates >back to the 18th century Corentyne River and its basin. The area is >currently being explored for its huge oil reservoirs. > >Problems between the countries worsened June 3 when Suriname was forced to >evacuate an oil platform of the Canadian CGX Energy Company, authorized by >Guyana to carry out exploration offshore its Atlantic coasts. > >Consequently, mutual accusations took place, military operations initiated >as ships were put into action, and alleged aerial violations were denounced. > >Three negotiation attempts sponsored by the prime minister of Trinidad and >Tobago, Basdeo Panday, failed and Jagdeo rejected an offer to attend a >presidential summit proposed by Wijdenbosch unless Suriname withdrew the war >ships and recognized the concession to CGX Energy. > >Some Guyana anglers were expelled from territorial waters and Jagdeo >protested here Monday the presence of Suriname military at the 21st CARICOM >Summit. > >According to Guyana, the presence of the military officer was an offense as >he used force against CGX ENERGY employees, while Suriname denied having >used weapons at the platform. > >Suriname holds that with the platform, Guyana violated its sovereignty and >tried to establish an unacceptable precedent which would produce >confrontations, while the other party claims the area is its own, and that >the UN acknowledges that. > >Mitchell said CARICOM decided to send its special envoy -St. Lucia's former >Prime Minister John Compton- to Haiti again to make a further report on the >elections that took place there May 21. > >Yesterday, Compton presented a report to the CARICOM Summit, but the >Caribbean leaders wanted more information about the issue before reaching >conclusions. They are especially interested in the second round of elections >scheduled for next Sunday, although they considered the observations made at >the Summit by Haitian President Rene Preval on the country's situation were >very productive. > >At CARICOM Summit, participants also showed interest in the observations by >Organization of American States (OAS) general secretary Cesar Gaviria and >head of the OAS delegation observing the Haitian elections, Orlando >Marville. > >OAS, the European Union and the United States, who had observers at Haiti's >elections, were said to have opinions on the vote counting in the first >round and tried to apply isolationist sanctions, but these were rejected by >CARICOM. > >GM/CCS > > . > >ALADI: REGIONAL TRADE INCREASES 20 PER CENT FIRST TRIMESTER > >BY OSVALDO BURGOS > >MONTEVIDEO, Jul 5 (PL) Regional trade showed a marked trend of recovery by >registering a trade increase of 20 per cent for 2000's first trimester as >compared to 1999, according to data given to Prensa Latina. > >This tendency is proven by figures for the infra-regional trade of four of >the 12 Latin American Association of Integration's (ALADI) member-countries >(Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru). > >Although the rest of ALADI members have not provided data yet, the present >year's trimester seems to confirm the tendency for trade increase, >particularly considering the 12 countries' 20 per cent drop compared to >1998. > >The 1998-99 data does not show the sudden commercial drop in some of the >member countries, Mexican 44 per cent decrease in exports, Bolivia's 45, and >Ecuador's 49. > >Future confirmations of commercial increase will depend on the ALADI >policies fostered, since they also form part of other blocks such as the >South Common Market (MERCOSUR) and the Andean Community of Nations (CAN). > >According to consulted sources, ALADI reaches its 20th anniversary >demonstrating its continuity, shown by the agreements signed among them, as >well as by the opportunities that partners have for bilateral and group >relations. > >ALADI is preparing for its Foreign Affairs Ministers meeting on August 11, a >day before the 10th anniversary of the founding Montevideo Treaty, to make a >deep analysis of the program. > >This high level meeting is held every two years, and this is the first time >that Cuba will participate. > >An ALADI meeting of members in charge of integration affairs will take place >Thursday and Friday of this week. > >A seminar on history and integration perspectives, October 19-20 at this >capital, is one of the activities ALADI has planned for its 20th >anniversary. > >DIG/CCS > > . > >MEXICO CONFISCATES COCAINE: THREE TONS IN TWO DAYS > >MEXICO, Jul 5 (PL) Mexican press reported that more than three tons of >cocaine were confiscated in Mexico over the last two days. > >The Attorney General's Office (PGR) revealed yesterday that more than 67 kg >of cocaine was confiscated in Sonora and an alleged drug trafficker was >detained. > >On Monday, Mexican soldiers and PGR anti-drug agents seized three tons 446 >kg of cocaine in the neighboring eastern state of Sinaloa. > >The cargo was transported in the ship "Top Flight," reported as stolen by >the Hemispheric Information System to Mexican authorities on June 15. > >According to the press, the crew abandoned ship, leaving the vessel with its >engines running and refrigeration equipment off. > >Also on Monday, an undetermined amount of cocaine was found in a vehicle >driven by Sergio Manuel Delegadillo, 40, who was detained and handed over to >the Public Ministry. > >RRC/CCS > > . > >GUATEMALA: INDIGENOUS TOWNS ANNUAL ASSEMBLY BEGINS IN QUETZALTENANGO > >GUATEMALA, Jul 5 (PL) Half a thousand national and foreign delegates began >the five-day Native Towns Representatives International Conference today in >the Guatemalan department of Quetzaltenango. > >The meeting will discuss six main topics: indigenous towns' rights, the >Guatemalan peace process, biodiversity, ecology and economic globalization. > >Its organizers stated that when analyzing the national situation, the >participants would define actions and strategies in relation to indigenous >town rights. > >Delegates of the Guatemalan Widows National Coordinator, Rigoberta Menchu >foundation, Maya Education National Council and Quetzaltenango Municipality, >among others are represented. > >This is the annual assembly of Indigenous Treaties International Council >(CIT), an organization with a consultant character in the United Nations >system and whose offices in Guatemala were installed in 1994. > >LPL/CCS > > . > >VENEZUELAN MILITARY OFFICER SANCTIONED BY INVESTIGATORY COUNCIL > >CARACAS, Jul. 5 (PL) Venezuelan National Guard Captain Luis Garcia Morales >was arrested yesterday in the Military Police Regiment after an Armed Forces >Investigation Council ordered his dismissal from active service. > >Garcia was found guilty of failure of discipline due to his political >statements demanding the resignation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and >the creation of a civil-military Board to take power in the country. > >The failure of discipline was demonstrated by a video delivered to press and >publicly exhibited by media and opposition organizations. > >The officer attended a press conference dressed in his military uniform and >accompanied by his lawyer, a retired Colonel tied to previous governments, >who also made strong attacks on Chavez. > >Garcia's case was followed by a political incursion from Air Force Colonel >Silvano Bustillos, who declared "resentment at institutions" in a public >letter addressed to Army Chief Lucas Rincon. > >He attacked both the army chain of command and the head of state. > >On Tuesday, Bustillos publicly granted an interview to an opposition >reporter during which he spoke in the same terms. He said an Investigation >Council would soon judge him. > >Questioned by the press, Attorney General Javier Elechiguerra explained that >although expressing opinions does not constitute a crime, those who are >under regulations - such as the army - must respect their positions. > >Elechiguerra denied that Garcia and Bustillos' statements constitute a coup >d'etat movement. > >National Legislative Commission President Luis Miquilena also commented on >the events and stated that the situation in the armed forces is completely >stable. > >BBC/LPB/CCS > > . > >DESPITE ECONOMIC ADVANCES, POVERTY INCREASED IN LATIN AMERICA > >MEXICO, Jul 5 (PL) The number of people living in poverty conditions in >Latin America increased by 50 per cent in the last decade, in spite of the >advances achieved in the region in this period, La Jornada daily headlined >today. > >According to Finance National (NADIN) General Director Carlos Sales, the >challenge now is to obtain economic advances by a better distribution of >richness and to offer better job possibilities by means of small and >mid-sized enterprises. > >For this specialist, the world's crisis is very far from a recovery because >half the planet's population, around 3 billion inhabitants, survives with >the equivalent of two US dollars per day. > >Around 300 million people survive on less than 1 dollar a day, according to >the daily. > >Currently, we need to count on uncorrupt, transparent and efficient >governments, and with simple and functional judicial systems, NADIN director >said. > >Within this context, there is the need for effective government intervention >in economy, not to substitute for the private sector, but to guarantee >proper market functioning, he commented. > >Sales said that Latin American "macroeconomic revolution" must be >accompanied by a "micro revolution" that makes possible a larger human >incorporation in economic welfare. > >LPL/CCS > >(c) 2000 Prensa Latina, S.A., NY Transfer News. 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