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Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 21:09:11 -0400 (EDT)
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Subject: [CubaNews] Radio Havana Cuba-28 August 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 28 August 2001
.
*WORLD CONDEMNS ISRAELI ASSASSINATION OF ALI MUSTAFA
*US "PERTURBED" BY ISRAELI INCURSIONS INTO WEST BANK AND GAZA
*SPANISH PAPER QUESTIONS US CLAIMS IN CASE OF MIAMI 5
*CENTRAL BANK TO WITHDRAW US COINS FROM CIRCULATION IN OCTOBER
*CUBAN SUPPORT FOR SPANISH ANTI-FASCISM REMEMBERD
*WASHINGTON THREATENS TO BOYCOTT UN CONFERENCE ON CHILDREN'S RIGHTS
*FUJIMORI CHARGED WITH MURDER OF MRTA GUERILLAS IN JAPANESE EMBASSY
OCCUPATION
*ECUADOR: RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HOLD GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR SAFETY
*NGOs MEET TO DISCUSS HUMAN RIGHTS PRIOR TO DURBAN CONFERENCE ON RACISM
*TWO-HEADED TURTLE IN GOOD HEALTH
*Viewpoint: THE US COMMITMENT TO RACISM - PAST AND PRESENT
.
*WORLD CONDEMNS ISRAELI ASSASSINATION OF ALI MUSTAFA
Havana, August 28 (RHC)--The Cuban Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned
Monday's assassination of Palestinian leader Abu Ali Mustafa by an Israeli
army hit squad. A statement published in Tuesday's edition of Granma, called
the killing an act of barbarity and repulsive terrorism authorized by a head
of state and carried out with US sophisticated arms in open impunity before
the international community.
Countries around the world continued to denounced Mustafa's death as 50,000
mourners attended the funeral of Mustafa in Ramallah where he was killed.
Thousands of others were prevented by Israeli security forces from attending
the funeral but symbolic services were carried out across the region. In
Amman, an estimated 10,000 people gathered to remember Mustafa who replaced
George Habash as Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine last year.
In Egypt, the Minister of Foreign Relations, Ahmed Maher, said the
assassination violated all laws and norms observed by civilized states. He
added it was a crime that ensured a worsening of the tension in the Middle
East and could only further contribute to regional instability.
The President of the Iranian parliament, Mehdi Karrubi, condemned the
silence of the international community before the crimes of the Israeli
regime, and the country's foreign minister, Hamid Reza Asefi, called the act
a brutal terrorist crime.
Media across the Arab world harshly criticized the killing. The Syrian
newspaper, al-Thawra termed the assassination "state terrorism." In Lebanon,
the daily an-Nahar said that Ariel Sharon couldn't have sent a stronger
message to the Palestinian people. The Daily Star said that rather than
destroy Palestinian liberation movements the killing had strengthened and
unified them. The United Arab Emirates' Gulf News reported that Mustafa was
not the extremist terrorist portrayed by Tel Aviv, but in fact a moderate.
It added that Israel had decided to act as judge, jury and executioner of
all Palestinian citizens. The Egyptian daily, al-Akhbar, went so far as to
say that Sharon had received a nod of approval from US president George W
Bush before carrying out the assassination.
Israeli newspapers also widely criticized the killing of the Palestinian
leader. The daily Haaretz wrote that Abu Ali Mustafa was an important and
recognized figure in the Palestinian national movement, and that his
assassination illustrated confusion at the highest levels of government as
to the methods by which to prevent further shedding of blood. It was clear
proof that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's efforts to halt the Intifada had
failed. Palestinians were now more united than ever. The daily Maariv
agreed, saying that in death Mustafa had gained a heroic status that he
never attained in life, and even the right-wing Yediot Aharonot reported
that although in principle it agreed with the "elimination" of Mustafa, one
had to ask if the act was in good judgment.
As if in response to these comments, ten Palestinian organizations have
promised to avenge the assassination of Abu Ali Mustafa, including his own
group, the PFLP, as well as the Democratic Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. The United States is also to be
targeted, said statements from a combined communiqu�. The US provides the
weapons with which Israel kills Palestinians and is thus equally responsible
for Mustafa's death, it said.
A bomb was already deactivated today in front of the US consulate in
Florence, Italy. It had a note attached to it that condemned Zionism and US
support for Israel.
In related news, Amed Qurey, President of the Legislative Council of
Palestine, concluded his official visit to Cuba today. He described his
visit as very important for bilateral relations between the two countries.
Qurey, who was invited here by the Cuban National Assembly, emphasized the
cooperation of the Cuban leaders and especially that of Cuban President
Fidel Castro, who is considered a friend of Palestine and a symbol of
struggle worldwide.
The officlal condemned the assassination of Abu Ali Mustafa, the secretary
general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and reiterated
that the Palestinian people maintained a firm loyalty to the principles of
the struggle for the legal recovery of their occupied territories.
The farewell delegation at the Jos� Mart� International airport in Havana
included Ramon Pez Perro, President of the International Relations committee
of the National Assembly and Imad Jada, Palestine's ambassador to Cuba.
*US "PERTURBED" BY ISRAELI INCURSIONS INTO WEST BANK AND GAZA
Havana, August 28th (RHC)--Hours after the assassination of Abu Ali
Mustafa, Israeli forces invaded portions of the Occupied Territories
Tuesday, first entering the Palestinian town of Beit Jala-Belen in the West
Bank after most of the population had fled. The Israeli army said that shots
had been fired across the border at Israeli positions and that the incursion
was for "security reasons" and that they did not intend to "reoccupy" the
town. A Palestinian policeman was killed in the move, bringing to 573 the
number killed by Israeli troops since the new Intifada began last September.
A total of 154 Israelis have also died.
Later Tuesday, 22 Palestinians were injured and some 14 houses were
deliberately destroyed by Israeli troops who entered the Gaza Strip in the
southern area of Rafa. In both the West Bank and Gaza incursions, tanks were
used with helicopter support.
US State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher told the press that
Washington did not support the incursions and that it was "perturbed" by Tel
Aviv's actions. It had asked Sharon to withdraw his forces, saying that
actions of this type only make matters worse.
The Palestinian National Authority said that the occupation of Beit
Jala-Belen and Rafa were a clear indication of how far Israeli prime
minister Ariel Sharon was prepared to go in his "politics of terror." The
military move was condemned by governments around the world who are
increasingly concerned by Sharon's hawkish posture.
*SPANISH PAPER QUESTIONS US CLAIMS IN CASE OF MIAMI 5
Madrid, August 28 (RHC)--According to the Spanish Daily El Pais, the
newspaper with the largest circulation in Spain, the imprisonment in Miami
of five Cuban citizens proves that the cold war against Cuba by the US
continues, even after 40 years. The paper made reference to several
anomalies pertaining to the five Cubans detained and stated that a special
legal application had to be made to allow the prisoners to receive
diplomatic visitors from Cuba.
Access to visitors is a human right under the Vienna Convention that applies
to citizens imprisoned in another country and applies even to prisoners of
war in solitary confinement.
El Pais pointed out that the process has been used by the worst elements of
the exile Cuban community in Miami to manipulate international condemnation
of Cuba and its president, Fidel Castro.
The Miami-based Cuban American National Foundation is leading a campaign
that is costing millions of dollars, sending their representatives to
various countries. including Spain where, according to El Pais, they do not
receive any support.
*CENTRAL BANK TO WITHDRAW US COINS FROM CIRCULATION IN OCTOBER
Havana, 28 August (RHC)--The Central Bank of Cuba announced today that
effective October 15th it will withdraw US issued coins which have been
circulating in Cuba since August 1993. It is international practice not to
accept foreign coins in exchange transactions because of the cost involved
in handling small change.
The Cuban Central Bank explained that a dispensation was granted in August
1993 for the free circulation of the US dollar. The convertible peso had not
been issued and although the Bank circulated the Cuban coins as equivalent
to U.S. currency, these peso coins were not sufficiently in circulation
until recently.
There are two official Cuban currencies, the Cuban peso and the convertible
peso. The Cuban peso current exchange rate is 21 pesos to the U.S. dollar
and the convertible peso is equivalent to one dollar. U.S. currency in
circulation in Cuba at the moment are coins of 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents, as
well as the dollar.
*CUBAN SUPPORT FOR SPANISH ANTI-FASCISM REMEMBERD
Ciego de Avila, August 28 (RHC)--The Vice President of the Solidarity
Delegation from Seville in Spain stated today that the growing cultural and
economic exchanges with Cuba are to the advantage of both countries. He told
Prensa Latina that the cooperation with the island is not only structural
but also cultural. This is evident in the visits and performances of
different Andalusian flamenco dance companies that frequently perform in the
Cuban provinces.
He said that Seville annually donates $550,000 US to the island for the
development of cultural and social projects in the capital and the
neighboring provinces of Pinar del Rio, as well as in Holguin, Ciego de
Avila and Granma.
He pointed out that Seville and Havana have been twin cities since 1992 and
that there is ongoing contact between the Spanish city and the Cuban
Ministry of Culture, the Casa de las Americas and the Literary and Music
Institutes.
Vice President Copete remembered the support that Cuba gave the Spanish
during the Civil War against Franco between 1936 and 1939 and stated that
cooperation with the island is some compensation for the support Cuba gave
to the antifascist side during the war.
*WASHINGTON THREATENS TO BOYCOTT UN CONFERENCE ON CHILDREN'S RIGHTS
Havana, August 28 (RHC)--In what political observers are saying is becoming
a Washington trademark, the George W Bush administration is threatening to
boycott yet another international gathering -- this time a United Nations
special session on the rights of children.
The US objects to references in the agenda that could be interpreted as
supporting abortion, said a State Department spokesperson, Charles Hunter on
Tuesday, adding that a decision would be made later as to whether the US
will send a delegation or not. The conference is set to begin on September
19 in New York.
The announcement comes a day after US Secretary of State Colin Powell
declared he would not attend a UN conference on racism scheduled to begin at
the end of this week, because of terminology relating to Israel's treatment
of Palestinians and colonial-era slavery reparations that other nations
insist remain on the agenda and in the final declaration.
According to UNICEF representatives, the text in question does not directly
refer to abortion but to "procreative medicine" which, according to
Washington, is an allusion to the voluntary interruption of a pregnancy.
One of the first foreign policy actions of the US president upon taking
office in January was to forbid the financing of organizations that
supported abortion anywhere in the world.
*FUJIMORI CHARGED WITH MURDER OF MRTA GUERILLAS IN JAPANESE EMBASSY
OCCUPATION
Lima, August 28 (RHC)--Family members of the 14 Peruvian Tupac Amaru
Revolutionary Movement guerillas who were killed after they occupied the
Japanese Embassy in Lima in 1996, have formerly accused ex-President Alberto
Fujimori of ordering their assassination.
The guerillas all died when the Peruvian army stormed the embassy in April,
1997. Most of them were later found to have been summarily executed after
laying down their arms or being wounded. After exhuming the bodies of those
killed, laboratory reports show that at least three of the Tupac Amaru
fighters were shot through the head at close range.
Relatives of the guerillas' leader, Nistor Cerpa Cartolini, have long
maintained that Fujimori and his security chief Vladimiro Montesinos ordered
that none of the Tupac Amaru members should survive an assault on the
Japanese embassy. Montesinos is now in prison accused of human rights
abuses, murder, corruption and a variety of other crimes. Fujimori is in
exile in Japan.
A former Japanese diplomat who was one of the hostages in the embassy,
revealed a few months ago that he had seen at least two guerillas alive
after the army assault, and that later he learned that they had been
reported killed in the fighting.
Reports of this nature were coming out of Peru almost immediately after the
military raid in 1997, but it was impossible to prove the accusations with
Fujimori at the height of his power. It is only now, following the
impeachment of Fujimori and the arrest of Montesinos that such suspicions
have been confirmed.
*ECUADOR: RIGHTS ACTIVISTS HOLD GOVERNMENT RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR SAFETY
Quito, August 28 (RHC)--In Ecuador, defenders of human rights who have
had their lives threatened by paramilitary groups said Tuesday that they
held the government responsible for their safety.
In a letter from 11 directors of social, political and humanitarian
organizations, they demanded that Ecuador's president, Gustavo Noboa,
guarantee their continued legal and public activities in defense of human
rights according to the nation's Constitution and international law.
The letter was in response to threats received from the so-called "White
Legion" organization over the last few months. The signers said that they
had worked for decades without problems from any previous government. They
have received anonymous phone calls, visits and letters.
They said they were publicizing the fact to ensure that their activities
were known in defense of human, social and national rights against economic
policies supported by the government and United States regional
interference. The letter continued to say they were holding not only Gustavo
Noboa but also the Foreign Minister, Heinz Moeller, the Defense Minister,
Hugo Unda and Government Minister, Juan Manrique, personally responsible for
their safety.
The letter accused these officials of "notorious inaction" and "complacent
tolerance," saying that Manrique had complained that there was nothing he
could do when he is clearly in a position of authority regarding internal
security. Thus, said the signatories to the letter, anything that happens to
them would be suspect in the light of criticism of government policies
relating to the US sponsored Colombia Plan and multinational oil company
interests.
International human rights organizations have expressed their concern and
take the threats received by the activists very seriously.
*NGOs MEET TO DISCUSS HUMAN RIGHTS PRIOR TO DURBAN CONFERENCE ON RACISM
Durban, August 28 (RHC)--Organizations for the defense of human rights
gathered to meet in Durban, South Africa, Monday prior to the United Nation
conference on racism scheduled to begin this Friday, the 31st August.
South African president Thabo Mbeki opened the session, which 7,000
delegates are attending. The President of the coalition of South African
non-government organizations (NGOs), Mercia Andrews, was quick to point out
that they would be talking about Palestine, about the blockade of Cuba,
about poverty and globalization, and especially about indemnity from those
countries that profited from slavery. The reference was made in response to
the United States boycott of the UN meeting, due to the inclusion of what
Washington termed as "anti-Israel" language in the agenda as well as a
proposed discussion on slavery and possible reparations from former colonial
nations.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, said
that Friday's meeting, which will be attended by many heads of state, will
recognize the importance of speaking about the past, the horrors of the
slave trade and the crimes committed by colonial powers. Only by confronting
one's past can one face one's future, she added.
Prior to the inauguration of the NGO meeting today, songs criticizing Israel
were sung and statements made denouncing the assassination of Palestinian
leader Abu Ali Mustafa on Monday. Israel abandoned a youth forum organized
in preparation for the Friday conference because of a Palestinian proposal
to declare Israel a nation occupying the territory of another.
*TWO-HEADED TURTLE IN GOOD HEALTH
Pinar del Rio, 28 August (RHC)--Approximately 25 days after it was born in
Cayo Siju, a two-headed turtle found by technicians at the Coloma biological
station is doing well.
The experts assume that the rare creature made its appearance some time
around July 30th, in nest number 20 in Cayo Siju, an area for protected
species, although they did not discover it until five days later when they
were monitoring protected turtle nests at the station.
Station technicians say that the turtle is developing well, eating with both
mouths and although it hasn't been decided where its future habitat will be,
it is very possible that the little turtle will find a home in the national
Aquarium.
*Viewpoint: THE US COMMITMENT TO RACISM - PAST AND PRESENT
Washington confirmed on Monday that US Secretary of State Colin Powell will
not participate in the United Nations Conference on Racism, set to begin
this Friday in the South African city of Durban. According to sources from
the U.S. State Department, Powell declined to attend the South Africa
meeting due to what he termed as "anti-Israeli" language in the meeting's
agenda. Powell also said that there were many other parts of the document,
which his government deemed to be offensive.
The decision came as no surprise, given the debate that has surrounded the
conference over the past two weeks. Washington has rejected out of hand the
notion of equating Zionism with racism as proposed by the vast majority of
nations that will be represented in Durban.
Israel's Zionist policy against the Arab world, particularly the Palestinian
people, claimed another victim yesterday, as the Secretary General of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Abu Ali Mustafa, was murdered
by an Israeli hit squad in Tel Aviv's open policy of targeting Palestinian
leaders for assassination.
The assassination of the Palestinian leader has caused consternation the
world over as a new act of state-sponsored terrorism by Israel that has
brought the Middle East even closer to all-out war. Cuba has joined the
international community in condemning Israel as well as Washington, which
provides the sophisticated weapons that Israel uses against the people of
Palestine.
An official statement issued by the Cuban Foreign Minister condemned the
terrorist action and stressed that such an unspeakable crime is only
possible due to the traditional tolerance of international institutions in
dealing with Tel Aviv's crimes against the Arab people, as well as the
long-standing, unconditional support of Washington for Israel.
The United States has decided not to show up in Durban to avoid
international criticism for its direct responsibility in numerous cases of
racism outside as well as inside U.S. territory.
It should be noted that just this past Saturday in the U.S. State of
Minnesota, some fifty members of the Ku Klux Klan, wearing their customary
white-hooded garment, clamored for "White Power." Racism is a daily practice
in the United States, despite claims that "segregation" was officially
eliminated 30 years ago.
A recent study conducted by the University of Albany revealed that
discrimination against minorities, mainly blacks, Hispanics and Asians, in
the United States is like a social cancer. The study, conducted in 50
metropolitan areas, concluded that the profound intolerance against minority
groups in the U.S. has resulted in a lack of opportunities for those people,
and thus their inclination to criminal activities. According to official
statistics, African-Americans represent only 12 percent of the U.S.
population but make up 46.2 percent of the more than 2 million inmates in
U.S. jails.
No doubt the United States will be sorely missed during this upcoming 3rd UN
Conference on Racism, for Washington has many questions to answer before the
international community for both its past and present actions.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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