>from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Radio Havana Cuba-25 July 2000 02:00 > Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit > Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 25 July 2000 02:00 >. > >*CUBA'S STRUGGLE AGAINST WASHINGTON'S HOSTILE POLICIES WILL CONTINUE >*TRAFFICKING OF HUMAN BEINGS FROM CUBA TO FLORIDA: > AN INDUSTRY THAT GROWS DAILY >*YOUNG PASTORS FOR PEACE CARAVANISTAS PLAY BALL IN HAVANA >*U.S. MAYOR CALLS ON WASHINGTON TO LIFT SANCTIONS AGAINST CUBA >*MEMBERS OF CUBAN-AMERICAN ALLIANCE ARRIVE IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL >*CUBA AND FAO SIGN THREE COOPERATION PROJECTS >*CUBAN WORKERS CONTRIBUTE OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS > TO HEALTH PROGRAMS >*FURNITURE INDUSTRY SURPASSES 50 PERCENT OF ANNUAL PRODUCTION PLAN >*Viewpoint: THE WORST AND MOST DIFFICULT IS YET TO COME > . > >*CUBA'S STRUGGLE AGAINST WASHINGTON'S HOSTILE POLICIES WILL CONTINUE > >Havana, July 24 (RHC)-- Cuba's struggle against Washington's >hostile policies will continue. According to a front-page editorial >published in Monday's editions of the Cuban news dailies Granma, >Juventud Rebelde and Trabajadores, the Cuban Adjustment Act grants >residency and special treatment to illegal Cuban immigrants who reach >U.S. territory. > >The editorial points to many recent cases of Cubans whose lives were >placed in danger while attempting to benefit from such treatment, not >given to immigrants of any other nationality. Challenging Washington >to grant the same treatment to others -- including Mexicans, whose >country, along with Canada and the United States, forms part of the >North American Free Trade Agreement -- the editorial states that the >Cuban Adjustment Act should be completely eliminated. > >Regarding Washington's blockade and economic war against Cuba, >the editorial recalls that the 1948 Convention to Prevent Genocide >and the 1949 Convention for the Protection of Civilians During Times >of War -- both signed by Cuba and the United States -- clearly >prohibit any country from denying another nation food and medicine. > >In terms of recent moves to lift restrictions on the sale of food >and medicine to Cuba, the editorial states that without U.S. >government or private credits -- which would not be allowed -- and >due to the damage the blockade has inflicted on the Cuban economy, >Cuba would be unable to purchase food and medicine under those >conditions. > >The editorial states that on the morning of July 26th, Cuba's >national holiday, there will be a massive march in the capital to >once again destroy Washington's lies and hypocrisy and send the >message of the Cuban people to all corners of the world. > >Forty years have demonstrated that efforts to destroy a >revolutionary process that has brought so much social justice, >education and ethics to the Cuban people have not been and will never >be successful. > > . > >*TRAFFICKING OF HUMAN BEINGS FROM CUBA TO FLORIDA: AN INDUSTRY THAT >GROWS DAILY > >New York, July 24 (RHC)-- The trafficking of human beings from Cuba >to Florida is an industry that is growing daily, according to the >national newspaper USA Today. An article in Monday's edition of the >news daily asserts that people being taken to the United States are >rarely arrested, while those actually carrying out the contraband >operations were not arrested or charged until just recently. > >USA Today writes that the rapid manner in which Cuban baseball player >Andy Morales made a second attempt to reach U.S. shores reveals a >great deal concerning the audacity of the traffickers in human beings >and the special status that U.S. immigration authorities grant to >illegal Cubans. > >According to the newspaper, the U.S. Coast Guard arrested 206 Cubans >off the coasts of Florida in 1996, while so far this year, the number >of those detained stands at 1334. The article quotes an immigration >law expert who said that had Andy Morales been Haitian, he would have >been immediately deported. > > . > >*YOUNG PASTORS FOR PEACE CARAVANISTAS PLAY BALL IN HAVANA > >Havana, July 24 (RHC)-- Young caravanistas with the Pastors for >Peace Friendshipment Caravan played ball with their Cuban >counterparts Sunday morning. > >In the first of three games slated during their stay here in the >Cuban capital, the Cuban youngsters -- ages 11 and 12 -- won 17 to 9, >with 10 hits and two errors, compared to nine hits and five errors on >the part of the U.S. caravanistas. > >The youngsters -- from Los Angeles, California -- form part of the >67 members of the 10th Pastors for Peace Friendshipment Caravan that >arrived in Cuba last Friday. The caravan crossed the border into >Mexico on Wednesday, without requesting U.S. Treasury Department >authorization. > >Following a simple ceremony at the ballpark Sunday morning, Pastors >for Peace leader, the Reverend Lucius Walker, threw the first pitch >of the game. > >The remaining two games will be held on Tuesday and Thursday. >Sports equipment for Cuban school children was included in the >humanitarian donations the caravanistas brought to Cuba. > > . > >*U.S. MAYOR CALLS ON WASHINGTON TO LIFT SANCTIONS AGAINST CUBA > >Havana, July 24 (RHC)-- The mayor of the U.S. city of Oakland, Jerry >Brown, has called on Washington to lift sanctions against Cuba. > >Mayor Brown is currently visiting Cuba, aimed at establishing a >sister city association between his city in eastern California and >the eastern Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba. > >During a meeting Monday morning with the president of the Cuban >Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, the Oakland mayor recalled that two >years ago, the Oakland Municipal Council passed a resolution calling >on U.S. President Bill Clinton to eliminate all unilateral sanctions >imposed on the Caribbean island during the Cold War Era. > > . > >*MEMBERS OF CUBAN-AMERICAN ALLIANCE ARRIVE IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL > >Havana, July 24 (RHC)-- Officials from the Cuban Institute of >Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) welcomed members of the Cuban- >American Alliance, an organization based in the United States. > >The director of the Cuba Office at the Foreign Ministry, Jose >Cabanas, met with members of the group Monday morning. They >discussed the current situation on the island, relations between >Cubans living in the U.S. and Cuba, and the return of six-year-old >Elian Gonzalez. > >Cabanas stressed the importance of the Cuban-American community's >support in the struggle for the return of Elian to Cuba. He praised >their work to end the almost 40-year-old blockade against the island >and the criminal Cuban Adjustment Act, which encourages illegal >departures from Cuba. > >The president of the Cuban-American Alliance, Delvis Fernandez, said >that during the illegal kidnapping of Elian Gonzalez in Miami, the >vast majority of Cuban- Americans were in favor of his immediate >return to Cuba. He stated that this was not reflected by the mass >media, which only gave press to the ultra-right wing minority in >Miami. > >During their stay on the island, members of the Cuban-American >Alliance will meet with Cuban officials to discuss issues related to >the Cuban economy, tourism, the National Assembly and future >relations between Cubans abroad and on the island. > > . > >*CUBA AND FAO SIGN THREE COOPERATION PROJECTS > >Havana, July 24 (RHC)-- Cuba and the United Nations Food and >Agriculture Organization (FAO) have signed three important >cooperation agreements. > >The projects, including international aid, were signed by the Cuban >Minister for Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Marta Lomas >and the FAO representative in Cuba, Fernando Robayo. > >Financed with nearly 600,000 dollars provided by Holland, one of >the projects is aimed at supporting Cuba's natural resource >conservation program in the Zapata Swamp. > >The other two projects sponsored by the FAO, worth 200,000 and >235,000 dollars, are aimed at the recovery of the fruit sector in >Cuba and setting up a national strategy to fight forest fires. > >On hand at the signing ceremony were the Ambassador of the >Netherlands in Havana, Cornelia Minderhoud, and United Nations System >Coordinator in Cuba, Luis Gomez Echeverri, as well as officials from >the Cuban Interior Ministry and Agriculture Ministry. > > . > >*CUBAN WORKERS CONTRIBUTE OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS TO HEALTH >PROGRAMS > >Cienfuegos, July 24 (RHC)-- Cuban workers in the sectors of >gastronomy, commerce and services have contributed more than 500,000 >dollars over the past four years to the National Cancer Treatment >Program. > >Irma Teresa Consuegra, General Secretary of the National Union >of Gastronomy, Commerce and Services Workers, explained that during >the current year, workers of the CIMEX Corporation have pledged to >donate 180,000 dollars to the public health sector. Of that amount, >the workers have already contributed more than 71,000 dollars. > . > >*FURNITURE INDUSTRY SURPASSES 50 PERCENT OF ANNUAL PRODUCTION PLAN > >Batabano, July 24 (RHC)-- The Cuban Furniture Industry has already >surpassed 50 percent of its production plan of over 100,000 pieces of >furniture for the upcoming school year. > >The industry produces furniture for boarding schools island-wide, >providing them with bunk beds, school desks and computer tables, as >well as 40,000 mattresses. > >Furniture is also produced for tourists, destined for hotels in Cayo >Largo, such as the Linda Arena Hotel, which is in its final phase of >completion. > >The Cuban Furniture Industry employs more than 500 workers and its >annual production plan surpasses eight million Cuban pesos. > > . >The following is an English-language version of an editorial that >appeared in Cuban newspapers and was broadcast on radio and >television on Monday, July 24th: > >*Viewpoint: THE WORST AND MOST DIFFICULT IS YET TO COME > >The return of Elian Gonzalez was a victory for the people of Cuba and >a serious reversal for the right wing extremists in Miami. > >Throughout the affair, the people of the United States showed their >support for the Cuban boy and his family and spoke out against the >aggressions of their past and present administrations against this >island. > >Here in Cuba, the people were able to demonstrate complete solidarity >and untiring strength in the face of the myths and lies perpetrated >about them and their country. Their high level of education, morals >and political consciousness enabled the Cuban people to prevail, >although it would be naive to think that the struggle is over. > >The kidnapping of Elian Gonzalez was the fruit of the Cuban >Adjustment Act. Eleven people died on the boat that took him to sea. >Who knows how many others have drowned and how many more will perish. >Scores of other children have had their lives put at risk in these >crossings since Elian returned. People who deal in human beings for >profit, often using vessels that are not seaworthy, organize these >dangerous trips. A group of 37 people were recently found on an >uninhabited island in the Bahamas after five days without food and >water. One of them was an unconscious little girl who was flown to a >hospital in Florida. And not a word was heard afterwards. >The government of the United States consistently denies all >information relating to children that have been illegally taken to >the country and rarely prosecutes those responsible for this trade in >human beings. In fact, the U.S. intercepts very few vessels on the >open seas, in clear violation of migratory accords between both >nations. The Cuban Adjustment Act continues to entice these people >with promises of automatic residency and an improved economic >situation in the U.S. if they reach dry land. > >Such are the promises inherent in this Act, that a Cuban woman >recently took her daughter on the risky journey, only a few days >after the child had undergone heart surgery; an operation that would >have cost tens of thousands of dollars in the country to which she >was going, supposedly to improve her economic situation, but which >was performed free-of-charge in Cuba. > >No one knows how many Haitians and Dominicans perish at sea in their >attempt to reach the U.S. For them, reaching dry land does not >provide them with the same guarantees. Three hundred Mexicans die >every year attempting to cross the wall that separates their country >from the United States. Yet, along with Canada, Mexico is a partner >with the U.S. in the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA. >Free trade obviously does not apply to the movement of nationals. >Thus, the U.S. allows the trade of Cubans and denies the same right >to other economic migrants. Either the whole region should be >granted the same treatment or the Cuban Adjustment Act should be >revoked. > >The genocidal and criminal blockade imposed on Cuba has the sad glory >of being the longest in history. The U.S. government has clearly >lost control of the unjust economic measures brought against the >island. The recent initiative to authorize the sale of food and >medicine to Cuba reflects the desire by an increasing number of >legislators to put an end to this genocide, which is clearly defined >in the 1948 and 1949 international conventions relating to genocide >and civilians in time of war -- conventions to which both the United >States and Cuba are signatories. The deprivation of food and >medicine to civilians is prohibited by international law -- >even during times of war. > >The Cuban-American right wing mafia fiercely opposes the lifting >of restrictions on the sale of food and medicine, but even if current >efforts in this regard succeed in the U.S. Congress, it would be >impossible to reconcile this with the laws and amendments that make >up the blockade. A country that continues to suffer losses that have >already reached some $100 million is in no condition to purchase food >and medicine while an economic war continues to be waged against it. >Yet, we are expected to be grateful for the smallest scrap tossed to >us in the supposed reduction of the blockade. The conditions under >which the restrictions on the sale of food and medicine have been >partially lifted are unacceptable and resolve absolutely nothing. > >On the morning of July 26th, to commemorate the attack on the >Moncada Barracks and honor those who were killed that day -- the >beginning of our Revolution -- a huge march will take place in Havana >to demand an end to the economic war that affects every one of the 11 >million Cubans every day of their lives. We will not abandon our >efforts midway, but will struggle until the very end of this >political battle. We will fight every one of the lies and every act >of hypocrisy. > >To the people of the United States, we will grant every consideration >and respect. We do not fight against them, but against an >indefensible and criminal policy. We defend the right of the people >of the United States to visit us -- to come and see for themselves, >to learn the truth about our island. We defend their right to sell >agricultural and industrial products to us and to invest in our >economy if they so desire. > >The size of our economy is unimportant, but the right of U.S. >citizens and residents to enjoy cultural and economic exchange with >any nation on earth is a right that only an unethical policy would >ignore. For 41 years, we have demonstrated that the policy of >attempting to destroy a Revolution of such equality, social justice, >education and ethical values was and will continue to be useless. It >will simply never happen. Any attempt to overturn these gains will >have enormous political and human costs for our enemy. > >The Cuban Adjustment Act kills. The genocidal blockade and the >economic war against the island of Cuba must and will end. > >(c) 2000 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: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >============== > >nytcari-07.25.00-02:10:24-14191 " JC > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
