From: NY Transfer News <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 05:36:27 -0400 (EDT)
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Subject: [CubaNews] RHC News Update-24 April 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 24 April 2001
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*SUGAR HARVEST AT FEVER PITCH IN ADVANCE OF COMING RAINS
*CUBAN DOCTORS HAVE DRAMATIC EFFECT ON HEALTH OF NATIONS THEY SERVE
*CUBAN MEDICAL ADVANCES PRAISED BY PAN-AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION
*BE MACHO AND DIE, YOUNG SAYS CUBAN PSYCHOLOGIST
*VENEZUELA TO JOIN FREE TRADE OF AMERICAS ONLY IF IT BENEFITS ITS PEOPLE
*BOLIVIAN COCA FARMERS, CAMPESINOS BRUTALLY REPRESSED BY POLICE
*UN SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS SANCTIONS AGAINST UNITA IN ANGOLA
*GUATEMALANS EXPRESS THEIR CONCERN FOR LACK OF JUSTICE
*Viewpoint: WASHINGTON STILL COVETS THE PANAMA CANAL
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*SUGAR HARVEST AT FEVER PITCH IN ADVANCE OF COMING RAINS
Havana, 24th April (RHC)--Cuban Sugar Ministry officials are moving fast to
bring in the remains of the island's sugar crop before the rainy season
makes harvesting difficult.
With production levels of the island's principal export earner already down
from last year due to unseasonable rains, cane cutting and milling are
expected to continue well into May. Harvesting has usually come to an end by
the end of April.
In the province of Las Tunas the situation is especially urgent, with plenty
of cane still waiting to be cut. Harvesting machines from all over the
country are converging on the area to make up a 90,000 ton deficit in
expected production. The 14 mills operating in Las Tunas are not working to
their full capacity, in spite of the fact that cane yields are at their
highest with the weather now perfect for cutting.
With international sugar prices almost double last year's level, the Sugar
Ministry has decided it is economically viable to put the extra effort and
expense into extending the harvest period. Once the rains start, however, it
will be impossible to continue cutting and the island's current production
shortfall may not be made up.
*CUBAN DOCTORS HAVE DRAMATIC EFFECT ON HEALTH OF NATIONS THEY SERVE
Havana, 24 April (RHC)--According to statistics published in Guatemala, the
intervention of Cuban doctors in that country has resulted in significant
decreases in infant mortality.
The Guatemalan Ambassador to Cuba, Hugo Guzman, told IPS News that with some
500 Cuban doctors working in his country, there have been gigantic steps in
developing the nation's health system. At the time of Hurricane Mitch in
November 1998, when the first doctors were sent by Havana to help the
nations of Central America recover, the Guatemalan infant mortality rate was
40 per 1000 live births. It now stands at 18.6 -- a figure directly
attributable to the work of the Cubans. Similar successes have been logged
in Honduras, as well as in areas of Africa.
Having recognized the need to do something on a more long-term basis, Havana
decided to offer young people from the poorest regions of Latin America and
Africa the chance to become doctors. The unwritten commitment of each and
every student is to return to their countries and practice their skills for
a period of ten years in the poorest and most needy of their communities,
thereby replacing the Cuban doctors. Thus, young people from 24 different
nations and 67 different ethnic and cultural groups are now studying
medicine in Cuba at the Latin American School of Medicine.
Most of the students would have found it impossible to study medicine at
home without the financial grant they have obtained from Cuba to do so here
in Havana. The six-year course provides everything: lodging, clothing, food,
books and a small amount of spending money.
Located on the edge of Havana, the school is rapidly bringing itself up to
its capacity of training 5,011 students to become doctors. Recently, 12
students from low-income communities in the United States joined the school.
The Vice-Rector of the school, Luis Angel Selva, reports that the success
rate after the first course was 79.8% which, he said, was very high. Each
and every student who graduates from the school, he added, would be able to
take any exam given to them on like subjects both at home or abroad.
*CUBAN MEDICAL ADVANCES PRAISED BY PAN-AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION
Havana, 24th April (RHC)--The director of the Pan-American Health
Organization, George Alleyne, arrived in Havana Monday to participate in the
Fifth Regional Congress on Health Sciences. He was met at the airport by
Cuba's Minister of Public Health, Carlos Dotres.
During a press conference given with Prensa Latina news agency, Alleyne --
who is Jamaican -- praised the development achieved by Cuba in the field of
medicine and the island's support of his organization as well as the World
Health Organization. He said that Cuba is a beacon of experience for the
underdeveloped nations of the Third World.
Alleyne added that in conjunction with Cuba, the Pan-American Health
Organization was strongly backing the development of virtual health
libraries available to anyone with Internet access, as well as via networks
established by health authorities. Havana has been a leader in this field
and the delegates to the congress are expected to be given the chance to
experience the island's advances first-hand.
The Fifth Regional Congress on Health Sciences will continue through Friday
of this week at the capital's Convention Center.
*BE MACHO AND DIE, YOUNG SAYS CUBAN PSYCHOLOGIST
Havana, 24th April (RHC)--To be a man in today's macho society is not easy,
reports a Cuban psychologist, who says that men's health can be severely
affected by the expectations of the society in which they live.
Patricia Ares Muzio, who is coordinating a group of family studies for the
Faculty of Psychology in Havana, reports that even those men who don't seek
to maintain a macho image are prevented from changing by their peers. This
leads to situations in which not only do women lose on a social level but
men's health also suffers -- both mental and physical.
A large number of young men lose their lives performing acts of machismo
involving alcohol, sex, driving and dares, added Ares. Such men also live on
average 7 years less than women and are more prone to suicide, she stated.
They lose the opportunity to express their feelings, enjoy open
communication with others, enjoy home life to its fullest and be totally
involved in the raising of their children.
Today's women are seeking a different type of man, says Ares Muzio. They
don't want the machismo of the past. They want men who are more in touch
with their own feelings, as well as those of their partners.
Women in Cuba have full equality under the law and many want their partners
to share equally in home-making tasks; they want somebody to talk to and
they want fathers truly to raise their children and not just be there when
they are conceived.
*VENEZUELA TO JOIN FREE TRADE OF AMERICAS ONLY IF IT BENEFITS ITS PEOPLE
Caracas, April 24 (RHC)--Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has emphasized
that his country will only sign on to the Free Trade Associaton of the
Americas if it is beneficial for the people.
In statements to reporters upon his return to Caracas from the Summit of the
Americas in Quebec, the Venezuelan leader said that the so-called regional
free trade area does not yet exist and that its creation is not written in
stone. Hugo Chavez affirmed that before it is adopted by Venezuela, it would
be taken to a popular plebiscite -- noting that true participatory democracy
is practiced in his country.
The Venezuelan president said that he plans to hold debates on the concept
of a regional free trade zone -- with the participation of workers, students
and experts in economic affairs.
He expressed his doubts that an agreement among all 34 countries in Latin
America and the Caribbean can be worked out by December 2005, noting that he
reluctantly signed the document this weekend in Quebec "with reserve."
Chavez stated that there are a number of problems with the Free Trade Area
of the Americas as it is currently conceived. Among those problems are trade
barriers and protectionist measures set up by the United States.
*BOLIVIAN COCA FARMERS, CAMPESINOS BRUTALLY REPRESSED BY POLICE
La Paz, April 24 (RHC)--Bolivian campesinos and coca farmers -- protesting
the government's eradication policies -- were brutally repressed by police
and security forces on Monday after they arrived in La Paz, the capital.
Following a two-week, 400-kilometer march from Cochabamba, the campesinos
entered a militarily occupied city, according to several eye-witnesses.
One human rights activist and a leader in the Bolivian parliament, Sacha
Llorenti, said that the repression was -- in his words -- "savage and
indiscriminate." He stated that security forces attacked the farmers --
numbering nearly 1,000 -- as they were entering La Paz, on the final stretch
of their march.
Police were also reportedly waiting for the marchers when they arrived in
the Bolivian capital, and met them with tear-gas and rubber bullets. One
downtown park -- the San Francisco Plaza -- was occupied by police, who
prevented the campesinos from holding a rally they planned.
A leader of the Bolivian coca farmers, Evo Morales, told reporters that the
campesinos would give the government another 24 hours -- until tomorrow,
Wednesday -- to meet their demands or they would begin blocking roads in the
central region of El Chapare.
In related news, police and security forces forcibly broke up a roadblock
set up by campesinos on the main highway linking Bolivia andArgentina.
Police used tear-gas to disperse the protesters who had been holding the
road since last week.
*UN SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS SANCTIONS AGAINST UNITA IN ANGOLA
Luanda, April 24 (RHC)--The decision to extend sanctions against UNITA
forces for another seven months has been well received in Angola. Monday's
edition of the daily "Jornal de Angola" headlined the United Nations
Security Council decision, which was adopted unanimously.
International sanctions against the terrorist group will be extended until
October, when they will once again come up for consideration.
According to the Luanda newspaper, UNITA continues its paramilitary attacks
against civilians -- which have been carried out for more than 25 years.
"Jornal de Angola" reports that Jonas Savimbi and his terrorist band have
recently begun to steal cattle and commit other crimes, in addition to armed
attacks on civilians.
It was noted that direct attacks by UNITA against government military
positions have greatly decreased -- given that unarmed civilians are much
easier targets to kill.
*GUATEMALANS EXPRESS THEIR CONCERN FOR LACK OF JUSTICE
Guatemala City, April 24 (RHC)--Dozens of humanitarian and religious
organizations in Guatemala have expressed their grave concern about what
they describe as the lack of justice in that Central American country.
A statement issued by the Monsignor Gerardi Movement calls on the Guatemalan
government to stop the violations of human rights and begin to respect the
government-rebel peace accords signed in December 1996.
Made up of 29 organizations and more than 20 Catholic congregations, the
Monsignor Gerardi Movement takes its name from Bishop Juan Gerardi, who was
brutally murdered in Guatemala City in April 1998. Speaking on behalf of the
Movement, Bishop Mario Rios Montt, who succeeded Monsignor Juan Gerardi, had
stern words for the Guatemalan government. Bishop Rios Montt said the
Gerardi murder trial currently underway is getting nowhere, and is facing
further obstacles to find justice. Observers note that one month after the
trial finally began -- following death threats against judicial authorities
-- little or no concrete progress has been made.
Religious and human rights activists plan to commemorate the third
anniversary of the assassination of Bishop Juan Gerardi who was killed three
years ago on April 26th. Among the activities planned over the next several
days will be peaceful demonstrations, candlelight vigils and a special
Memorial Mass.
*Viewpoint: WASHINGTON STILL COVETS THE PANAMA CANAL
Washington has not abandoned its intentions to return to the Panama Canal
since the last US soldier left the former U.S. military enclave on December
31, 1999.
The U.S.'s obsession to repossess the canal zone has led it to exert a
variety of pressures on Panama, including blackmail, insults and arrogance.
The Panamanian government recently admitted that the White House pressured
it into an agreement that would allow what they call, "visiting US forces"
to enter Panama under special status in return for advances on other
bilateral issues.
Panama's Foreign Minister, Jose Miguel Aleman, asserted that a recent
proposal by Canal administrators to negotiate the participation of US
federal agencies in the Canal zone was conditioned by the US embassy in
Panama on the establishment of the so-called "visiting forces" agreement.
The Mireya Moscoso administration has considered the agreement
inappropriate, noting that it is an unacceptable concession of the country's
sovereignty, particularly for Panama -- a nation that had a large part of
its territory occupied by the US military for nearly a century.
However, the Panamanian government is willing to receive US cooperation,
particularly to help clean up the contaminated target range used by the U.S.
military since the 1920s.
Before leaving Panama, Washington unsuccessfully tried to establish a
so-called multi-national anti-drug center in the canal zone. The facility
was designed as a cover for an extended presence of US military there after
the year 2000.
During the process of returning the canal to Panamanian authorities, as
stipulated by the Torrijos-Carter accords, U.S. lawmakers made absurd claims
that China might gain control of the canal. Their concern arose over the
presence in the area of Hutchinson Whampoa, a Chinese transportation company
that had signed a contract to operate in the Canal. The absurd hypothesis
was later laid to rest by the U.S. State Department itself.
Washington's intentions become even more obvious when we examine the
Pentagon's conceptions of the Panama Canal. It is not by mere chance, say
experts, that the more than 3000 hectares that made up the Canal's shooting
range are impossible to decontaminate. However, according to the
Torrijos-Carter accords, Washington was expected to return the area free of
any life-threatening materials. But the Pentagon claims that it lacks the
necessary technology to clean the area without damaging the local ecology.
What we are seeing is an old trick: creating obstacles aimed at discrediting
Panama's ability to manage the Canal, a waterway used by some 14,000 vessels
annually, endowing it with strategic value for international trade as well
as for U.S. geopolitical goals.
The Canal has continued to function properly under Panamanian management;
all of Washington's insinuations and speculations have collapsed in the face
of the capabilities of Panamanian Canal authorities.
We must not forget that the Panama Canal was a strategic center in U.S.
military doctrine. Some 40,000 Latin American troops were trained at the
notorious School of the Americas, which for many years was based in the
Canal zone. Many of those trained at the so-call "School of Assassins" were
among the region's best-known killers.
Panama and the region must remain vigilant to insure that the Canal remains
under the control of those who truly own it.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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