From: NY Transfer News <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 02:37:53 -0400 (EDT)
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Subject: [CubaNews] RHC News Update-26 April 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 26 April 2001
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*FIDEL CASTRO ON ANTI-CUBA "HUMAN RIGHTS" RESOLUTION
*ARGENTINES PROTEST GOVERNMENT'S VOTE AGAINST CUBA IN GENEVA
*UKRAINIAN UN AMBASSADOR THANKS CUBA FOR ASSISTANCE TO CHERNOBYL VICTIMS
*UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION NAMES CUBAN EXPERT TO RIGHTS STUDY PANEL
*US FEDERAL COURT REFUSES TO STOP MILITARY EXERCISES IN VIEQUES
*MEXICAN SENATE APPROVES INDIGENOUS RIGHTS LEGISLATION SOME CALL INADEQUATE
*GREENPEACE LAUNCHES BOYCOTT AGAINST OIL FIRMS SUPPORTING US ON EMISSIONS
*RADIO HAVANA CUBA HONORED BY LATIN AMERICAN STUDENT ORGANIZATION
Viewpoint:
*WORLD BANK, IMF SHOULD FORGIVE DEBTS OF WORLD'S POOREST COUNTRIES
.
*FIDEL CASTRO ON ANTI-CUBA "HUMAN RIGHTS" RESOLUTION
Havana, April 26 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro has asserted that the
most appropriate place for the recent anti-Cuba resolution adopted at the
United Nations Human Rights Commission is the toilet. During a special
appearance Wednesday evening in a televised roundtable discussion on the
resolution, the Cuban leader emphasized the lack of dignity, sense of
independence and honesty on the part of the four Latin American nations that
voted against Cuba, taking particular aim at Argentina.
Pointing to Argentina's explosive social and economic crisis, immense
foreign debt and massive unemployment, and comparing that country's social
indicators with those of Cuba, Fidel Castro said that Argentine Foreign
Minister Adalberto Rodriguez Giavarini closely cooperated in lobbying
against Cuba with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell -- whom he called the
commander-in-chief of Latin America's lackeys.
With respect to Costa Rica, which withdrew its consul in Havana due to
Cuba's criticism of that country's anti-Cuba vote, the Cuban leader said
this Central American nation has more to lose than Cuba -- it loses its
dignity, its integrity and its prestige. He said that in terms of the
realities of this world, the government of Costa Rica hasn't even learned to
read, while in terms of independence and vision of the future, it knows less
than Cuban elementary school students.
The leader of the Cuban Revolution thanked Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Brazil
for abstaining, while praising the Venezuelan people and their President,
Hugo Chavez, for voting in favor of Cuba without hesitation. In reference to
Europe, President Castro said the anti-Cuba vote came as no surprise,
although -- in reference to France's original threat to abstain in the UN
vote if the resolution did not mention the harmful effects of the U.S.
blockade against Cuba,it revealed the Old Continent's increasing reluctance
to toe Washington's line obediently.
He said Europe is worried about the threat of another arms race stemming
from Washington's Star Wars Project, about the U.S.'s withdrawal from the
Kyoto Protocol on global warming, and about the new U.S. administration's
Cold War language with respect to China and Russia. The Cuban leader also
took particular aim at Canada, whose Prime Minister, Jean Chretien,
attempted to justify Cuba's absence at the Third Summit of the Americas.
He said late Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau would disapprove of
Ottawa's Cuba policy, and that Trudeau would never have ventured to say, as
did Chretien, that he spent 4 hours trying to give advice to someone who
hadn't requested it. He said Trudeau would also never have sought
justifications for excluding from an international gathering a dignified
country that hadn't asked to participate.
In reference to the Third Summit of the Americas, Fidel Castro challenged
Canada and other regional leaders to democratically submit the proposal to a
popular referendum -- to allow the voices of the masses to be heard. And in
reference to the Summit's so-called Democracy Clause, the Cuban leader said
it was essentially motivated by fear in the face of growing social
explosions in this hemisphere.
*ARGENTINES PROTEST GOVERNMENT'S VOTE AGAINST CUBA IN GENEVA
Buenos Aires, April 26 (RHC)--Argentine youth from the ruling political
party, the Radical Civic Union, have strongly criticized their government's
vote against Cuba at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
Speaking with reporters in Buenos Aires, the president of the party's youth
organization, Marcelo D'Ambrosio, had harsh words for the administration of
President Fernando de la Rua. He said that Argentina's vote in favor of
Washington's anti-Cuba resolution in Geneva was a violation of the historic
and fundamental principles of his political party -- emphasizing that
respect for self-determination and non-interference into the internal
affairs of other nations are basic principles.
D'Ambrosio paid a visit to the Cuban diplomatic mission in the Argentine
capital and met with Havana's Ambassador to Buenos Aires, Alejandro
Gonzalez. The Argentine political leader expressed his solidarity with the
Cuban people, stressing that the government in Buenos Aires does not
represent the sentiments of the Argentine people.
Ambassador Alejandro Gonzalez said that Cuba deeply appreciates the
solidarity received from many sectors of Argentine society -- including
social, political and cultural organizations.
*UKRAINIAN UN AMBASSADOR THANKS CUBA FOR ASSISTANCE TO CHERNOBYL VICTIMS
United Nations, April 26 (RHC)--The Ukrainian Ambassador to the United
Nations, Volodymir Yelchenko, has expressed his country's appreciation to
Cuba for the "generous assistance" given to victims of the Chernobyl nuclear
accident.
Marking the fifteenth anniversary of the nuclear disaster -- which occurred
on 26 April 1986 -- Yelchenko noted that Cuba immediately offered medical
assistance to victims of the accident. The Ukrainian ambassador took part in
a panel with his counterparts from Belarus and the Russian Federation, who
also thanked Cuba for helping citizens of their countries affected by the
nuclear disaster.
The Cuban Revolution has given special medical treatment to more than 15,000
adults and children who are suffering from the effects of the accident that
took place 15 years ago today. Cuba has also provided highly advanced
technological assistance and offers its facilities at the Tarara Beach
Resort, located on the outskirts of Havana. All of the services supplied by
Cuba are provided free of charge.
On the same panel, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the
Coordinator for International Cooperation on Chernobyl, Kenzo Oshima, called
on other nations of the world to follow the example of Cuba. Oshima stated
that his office works with a task force made up of 19 agencies of the United
Nations -- to mitigate the long-term effects of the disaster.
*UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION NAMES CUBAN EXPERT TO RIGHTS STUDY PANEL
Geneva, April 26 (RHC)--The Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights
Commission has designated a member of the Cuban delegation to conduct an
important study regarding human rights and societal responsibilities.
Miguel Alfonso, a professor at the Superior Institute of International
Relations in Havana, told Prensa Latina News Agency that he feels highly
honored by the designation. Alfonso stated that his selection by the
Commission is a recognition of Cuba's seriousness and dedication in the area
of human rights.
The designation of Cuba's delegate was made official with a vote,
specifically requested by the European Union. Cuba received an overwhelming
34 votes in favor, only 14 votes against and four abstentions.
According to Prensa Latina, Miguel Alfonso will conduct a study regarding
individual and collective human rights as well as the duties and
responsibilities that each person has to society. The Cuban delegate to the
United Nations commission emphasized the study has particular importance for
Third World countries which are searching for alternatives to the definition
of individual rights imposed on the rest of the world by Washington. The
Cuban Revolution has always insisted that real human rights consist of
guaranteed health care, education and basic human needs.
*US FEDERAL COURT REFUSES TO STOP MILITARY EXERCISES IN VIEQUES
Washington, April 26 (RHC)--A U.S. Federal Court in Washington has refused
to stop U.S. military exercises in the Puerto Rican island-municipality
Vieques. Judge Gladys Kessler ruled against a legal challenge submitted by
Puerto Rican Governor Sila Maria Calderon affirming that the U.S. Navy's
target practice in Vieques violates U.S. and Puerto Rican laws on noise
pollution.
Judge Kessler, however, did ask the Navy to not program any additional
exercises until the Department of Health examines the effects of the target
practice on the health of Vieques residents. The ruling came after the
Federal Judge accepted jurisdiction in the case and refused a U.S.
government petition to grant jurisdiction to a federal court in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Ricans, meanwhile, have launched another civil disobedience campaign
to protest another round of target practice to begin Friday. A group of
Vieques residents and Puerto Rican political leaders have penetrated the
Navy's exclusion zone in the island-municipality, including the Mayor of
Vieques, Damaso Serrano, and Puerto Rican Senator Norma Burgos.
Serrano, a Vietnam War veteran and member of the ruling Popular Democratic
Party, said he will remain in the target practice zone until he's arrested,
and that after he's arrested he won't post bail. Senator Burgos is vice
president of the annexionist New Progressive Party, but is increasingly seen
as a dissident within that political organization.
Among the Vieques residents who have penetrated the exclusion zone is Mirtha
Sanes, sister of the Puerto Rican civilian killed by a stray U.S. bomb in
April, 1999. The U.S. Navy is planning to begin another round of target
practice this weekend with the launching of 600 bombs and the firing of one
thousand 500 shells from 5-inch cannons.
*MEXICAN SENATE APPROVES INDIGENOUS RIGHTS LEGISLATION SOME CALL INADEQUATE
Mexico City, April 26 (RHC)--The Mexican Senate has unanimously approved a
constitutional reform initiative in the arena of indigenous rights and
culture, but according to many sources if falls short of the demands of
Zapatista rebels in Chiapas. According to Zapatista legal advisor Magdalena
Gomez, the measure only went half-way with respect to the original San
Andres Accords signed in 1996 by the Zapatistas and the Congressional
Chiapas Peace Commission.
Gomez, an attorney who specializes in indigenous affairs, pointed out that
the text substituted approving the use and control of natural resources in
indigenous lands and territories, to the use of those resources where the
indigenous population resides or occupies. The change implies that
indigenous populations will have no control over land right outside their
communities, even if that land is legally theirs.
Gomez also said that the text does not guarantee the full exercise of the
indigenous populations' autonomy and self-determination. Though the vote was
unanimous, the left-of-center Party of the Democratic Revolution placed on
record their recognition that the text does not respect the original
proposal.
The influential Mexican news daily La Jornada also sustained that the reform
constitutes a clear reduction of the objectives agreed to in San Andres,
stating in an editorial that it will soon be known if the determination of
legislators to minimize indigenous demands was a correct decision or a
tragic and historic error. The Zapatistas have yet to issue a public
statement on the issue, as the Lower House of the Mexican Congress gears up
to debate the legislation.
*GREENPEACE LAUNCHES BOYCOTT AGAINST OIL FIRMS SUPPORTING US ON EMISSIONS
Paris, April 26 (RHC)--Greenpeace has launched an international boycott
against five U.S. oil firms that support Washington's unilateral withdrawal
from the Kyoto Protocol on global warming. In a press release from Paris,
Greenpeace has called on consumers to boycott the products of Exxon/Mobil,
Chevron, Texaco, Conoco and Phillips until these firms withdraw their
support of President George Bush's refusal to abide by an international
agreement favoring the protection of the environment.
The international ecology organization said these firms must now decide
which is more important: the consumers who pay their salaries, or George
Bush who takes their campaign donations. Greenpeace said U.S. citizens can
express themselves at the ballot box, but consumers outside the United
States must do so in the market.
*RADIO HAVANA CUBA HONORED BY LATIN AMERICAN STUDENT ORGANIZATION
Havana, April 26 (RHC)--Radio Havana Cuba, the international shortwave voice
of the Cuban Revolution, has received a special distinction from the
Continental Organization of Latin American Students (OCLAE).
During a ceremony to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Radio Havana Cuba,
OCLAE President Ihosvani Diaz Romero stated that the work of the shortwave
radio station has been instrumental in forging unity among Latin American
students and youth.
Romero recalled that over the past four decades, Radio Havana Cuba has
disseminated the truth about the island's revolutionary process and laid
bare the dirty maneuvers of U.S. imperialism.
The Director of Radio Havana Cuba, Milagro Hernandez, told those gathered
for the special ceremony that future projects include improving the radio
station's programming and a more in-depth treatment of issues related to the
Third World, especially Africa.
Radio Havana Cuba, which will commemorate its 40th anniversary on May 1st,
International Worker's Day, broadcasts on shortwave frequencies in nine
languages. Its first transmissions, as an experimental, short-wave radio
station, were broadcast during the U.S.-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion in
April, 1961.
.
Viewpoint:
*WORLD BANK, IMF SHOULD FORGIVE DEBTS OF WORLD'S POOREST COUNTRIES
Differences between words and deeds are becoming ever more irreconcilable in
this global village. The president of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, has
proclaimed that his institution will work "in the medium and long term to
fight poverty and to help institute structural reforms" in Third World
nations. In an interview published in the French newspaper Le Monde,
Wolfensohn explained however, that the World Bank would have to close down
if it were required to forgive the debts of the 62 poorest countries.
"We don't have money for that, it would mean 29 billion dollars alone for
the World Bank and that is its capital" argues the guru of Third World
finances after reminding readers that 65% of those debts have already been
forgiven and repayment has dropped from seven to two percent of the Gross
Domestic Product of the debtor nations.
Coincidentally, just days ago the organization "Drop the Debt" revealed that
the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in fact DO have the capacity
to cancel the nearly 51 billion dollars owed by the world's poorest
countries.
Based on research done by a London accounting firm, Drop the Debt reported
that forgiving one hundred percent of the debt would cost the IMF 368
million dollars a year and the World Bank 353 million dollars.
According to Adrian Lovett who heads Drop the Debt, the old excuse of being
unable to do it has been completely discredited. Lovett also stressed that
the losses could be tempered by various options, including reserves used to
generate extra earnings, without affecting the capacity of the two financial
institutions to fulfill their objectives.
Last year World Bank president Wolfensohn declared that the United States
and Europe fail to understand that if there is not massive investment in the
developing world, there can be no peace for the next 20 years.
At that time the financier told the French daily Liberation that the
problems of the poor nations are everyone's problems. Currently three
billion human beings live on less than two dollars a day, and more than a
billion of those must survive on less than a dollar a day.
Meanwhile in Paris, economists have just confirmed something already known:
development assistance dropped last year by 1.6% compared with the year
before.
Paradoxically, obtaining official development assistance -- an obligation
assumed by the rich countries in l970 -- is today like begging for alms that
barely alleviate the situation, while too often that aid is used as an
instrument of blackmail and pressure.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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