From: NY Transfer News <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2001 01:12:41 -0400 (EDT) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [CubaNews] NY Transfer's RHC News Update-31 August 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 31 August 2001 . *CUBA CALLS FOR SLAVERY REPARATIONS AT CONFERENCE ON RACISM *CUBAN DELEGATION TRAVELS TO INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT FAIR IN CHINA *CUBA REJECTS CONDEMNATION FOR THE ARREST OF EMIGRANTS RETURNED BY US *EXCHANGE BETWEEN CUBAN AND COLOMBIAN JOURNALISTS WINS PRAISE *HOTEL MANAGED BY WOMEN RECEIVES TOP CUBAN AWARD *FROM ORIENTE, A NEW LINE OF NATURAL HEALING PRODUCTS *FORMER BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT HUGO BANZER ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION *WOMEN MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD AT DURBAN *EU COMMISSION FILES MORE CHARGES AGAINST MICROSOFT *PERUVIAN MUSEUM ANNOUNCES 27% OF ITS COLLECTION IS PHONEY *EAST TIMOR: FIRST INDEPENDENT ELECTION CONCLUDES PEACEFULLY *UNITED NATIONS ASKS AUSTRALIA TO ALLOW REFUGEES TO DISEMBARK Viewpoint: *DURBAN PROVIDES COLONIAL POWERS WITH FORUM FOR REDEMPTION . *CUBA CALLS FOR SLAVERY REPARATIONS AT CONFERENCE ON RACISM Durban, August 31 (RHC)--The Cuban foreign minister, Felipe Perez Roque, said in Durban, South Africa today that Cuba supported the right of Third World nations to seek compensation for colonial enslavement of their populations. Attending the United Nations Conference on Racism, which was inaugurated today by UN General Secretary, Kofi Annan, Perez Roque added that his words would antagonize Western nations who preferred to avoid the issue. The United States has boycotted the conference to protest the issue of slavery reparations being included in the agenda, as well as accusations against Israel of employing apartheid-like laws and programs against Palestinians, while European nations have downplayed the importance of the Durban gathering and not sent any heads of state. Cuban president Fidel Castro, who is leading a large delegation from the island to the conference, said that it was vital to hold such meetings to raise the level of consciousness on such issues. He added that the 1992 Rio conference on the environment was an important tool in bringing a focus to bear on the problems the world faced relating to pollution and natural resources. South African president Thabo Mbeki spoke to the more than 6,000 delegates from some 150 countries, saying that the conference was essential to gather together resistance to the racism of rich whites over poor blacks. In his address to the conference, Kofi Annan urged the delegates to put away their differences with each other and to focus on dealing with what he called the "worst elements in each of our societies." While acknowledging the crimes committed against Jews in the past and saying he understood why Israel would be so sensitive to criticism, he added that by the same token one cannot expect the Palestinians to accept forced evictions, occupation, blockade and now extrajudicial executions. His words were met with a storm of applause. In an indication of what international NGOs called a lack of respect for the past and present, only one European foreign minister is attending the conference: Germany's Joschka Fischer. *CUBAN DELEGATION TRAVELS TO INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT FAIR IN CHINA Havana, August 31, (RHC)--A delegation of Cuban business people left Cuba today to attend the Xiamen International Investment Fair, which starts on the September 8. In an interview with Prensa Latina, the Vice Minister of Cuban Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation, Ernesto Senti, who is leading the mission, said that there are 20 members of the delegation from all sectors of Cuban business. The group will first go to Beijing where it will attend a bilateral business meeting hosted by the Association of Industry and Commerce in China. Also in Beijing, the Cuban delegation will be received by high-ranking officials of the Commission of Economy and Commerce of the city, the State Corporation of Engineering and the National Machinery Corporation. Other activities in this Chinese city will include visits to special technological development zones, production and export businesses where they will discuss business opportunities in Cuba for Shanghai business people. *CUBA REJECTS CONDEMNATION FOR THE ARREST OF EMIGRANTS RETURNED BY US Havana, August 31, (RHC)--Yesterday's televised roundtable accused George W. Bush of being too tolerant toward the growing illegal trafficking of persons between Cuba and the US. According to the panelists, in the month of August alone, seven people died, six on August 1 and the other on the 17th, as a direct result of the US Cuban Adjustment Law. Cuba has rejected accusations by the US that it has violated bilateral migratory agreements by imprisoning the three Cubans who were returned to the island by coast guards at the beginning of the month. The detainees were imprisoned for stealing a vessel in order to leave the country illegally. Washington is not fulfilling its promise to issue 20,000 legal visas annually and to return the rafters intercepted on the high seas. The three repatriated Cubans left the island in early August but their stolen vessel had no food and they looked for help from the US Coast Guard who returned them to the island where they were arrested. Eighty-seven launches used for illegal trafficking have been seized so far this year by Cuban authorities. *EXCHANGE BETWEEN CUBAN AND COLOMBIAN JOURNALISTS WINS PRAISE Bogota, August 31 (RHC)--The President UPEC, the Cuban Union of Journalist's, Cuban National Assembly member, Tubal Paez, today praised the continued exchange between Cuba and the directors and representatives of the major media outlets in Colombia. In an interview with Prensa Latina in Bogota at the end of the last day of his visit to Colombia, Paez emphasized the interest among Colombian journalists in topics relating to the reality of Cuban life. He also had meetings with the director of the Bogota newspaper The Weekly Voice, Carlos Lozano, and the news head of the privately owned radio station Cadena Radial, Juan Gossain. During an interview for national radio, the leader of Cuban Communication workers reiterated the importance of the Congress of Latin American and Caribbean journalists to be held in Havana next October. According to Paez, members of Cuba's Union of Journalist are eager to debate themes relating to neoliberal globalization with Colombia and other countries in the region *HOTEL MANAGED BY WOMEN RECEIVES TOP CUBAN AWARD Camaguey, August 31, (RHC)--The Grand Hotel in the eastern province of Camaguey has been awarded the National Quality Prize. The prize includes a trophy, a diploma and $5,000 which must be used for improvements in maintenance and management of the hotel. The competition included 79 hotels in the Islazul chain. The prize-winning, three-star Grand Hotel in Camaguey is managed completely by women and it is recognized within the Islazul chain that the success of the hotel is due to its all-woman management team. The Hotel was judged on customer satisfaction, the quality of service and the social impact of the work, management and opportunities for improvement within the system. *FROM ORIENTE, A NEW LINE OF NATURAL HEALING PRODUCTS Santiago de Cuba, August 31 (RHC)--The Oriente Pharmaceutical Laboratory in Cuba's eastern province plans to diversify its normal production line to incorporate natural products derived from bees and plants. Although the main work of the laboratory is the production of medicines and cures, the factory also works on the development of natural substances which they reconstitute as the fundamental ingredient of their products. These products made from natural substances are in very high demand from the Cuban population. Among the products is the natural revitalizer Jalex, rich in vitamins, proteins and mineral salts, and the diet supplement Jalca, used to treat osteoporosis because of its high calcium content.The pharmaceutical company in Oriente produces hundreds of different kinds of tablets, bandages and medical solutions and more recently a line of natural healing products. *FORMER BOLIVIAN PRESIDENT HUGO BANZER ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION La Paz, August 31 (RHC)--In Bolivia, a public accusation of possible corruption levelled against former president Hugo Banzer has caused a political uproar. Banzer, who retired due to ill health recently, has been blamed by former Defense Minister Fernando Kieffer for the illegal purchase of a Beechcraft airplane for the inflated price of $3 million. The plane was destined for use by the nation's Civil Defense. In a TV interview denying involvement, Kieffer said that the ex-president personally negotiated the terms of the sale with the purchasing company, Panagra. He added that he was neither present at nor a participant in the negotiations. The former defense minister said that he had remained silent about the deal because he assumed that Banzer would take responsibility now that someone else was being accused of promoting it. However, no words had been forthcoming from Banzer -- who is in the United States undergoing treatment for cancer -- and Kieffer said he decided to speak up for what he added was "the good of the country" and well as for what he said was his honor and his family. Following the revelation, the principal opposition party, the National Revolutionary Movement, demanded an independent parliamentary investigation into the affair. It is now seen as unlikely that Banzer will go down in history as the impeccable statesman that his party, the National Democratic Action, were hoping he would. The former president's son-in-law, Luis Alberto Valle, is under investigation for corruption and abuse of power as the previous mayor of the capital, La Paz. As he is currently a member of the Bolivian parliament he cannot be prosecuted, but the investigation is going ahead in spite of accusations that the new government of Jorge Quiroga is protecting Valle. According to the Bolivian daily La Prensa, the case is a test to see how the new president will abide by his promise to combat corruption on every level. In other news relating to Bolivia, the government has announced that it will completely shut the country down on September 5 to ensure that a national census is carried out with the utmost efficiency possible. Everyone will be required to stay at home, the borders closed, and all transportation halted, announced the National Statistics Institute Friday. *WOMEN MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD AT DURBAN Durban, August 31 (RHC)--Women from every corner of the globe have arrived in Durban, South Africa, to testify on violence, economic injustice, cultural genocide and other forms of racism against them in the UN Conference on Racism. A World Women's Court on Racism that was convened by NGOs across the world will present evidence collected by organizations in South Africa, Algeria, Croatia, the United States, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Palestine, Senegal, Thailand and the Ukraine. A non-governmental organizations, the Committee for the Human Rights of Asian Women, has convened these international courts every year since 1992. They provide a public forum for women to expose abuse against them. Naomi Kipuri from Kenya described the discrimination suffered by the ethnic Keniata Masai whose women have to travel 20 kilometers every day to collect water, while tourists bathe in fresh water only meters from their communities on land that belonged to their ancestors. Native American Pamela Kingfisher, of the Cherokee nation, described how her people had been forced from their lands in a system preventing women from passing their lands on to their children. Instead, their children were taken from them to be educated in U.S. schools where their culture was ignored. She explained she had lost her language because her mother was one of these displaced children. Korean Kim Jon-in from the Korean Association for Human Rights denounced the racial discrimination against Koreans in Japan, and a 74-year-old Filipina woman, Fidencia David, described how she had been turned into a sex slave by invading Japanese soldiers during the Second World War when she was only 14 years old. None of these abuses were new, said organizers, which made the racism of today even worse. Delegates to the UN conference on racism said the gathering begs the question: What is race? Since the human genome has been discovered and mapped, it has been found that 99.8% of all human beings share exactly the same genetic make-up. What biologists and geneticists have suspected all along has now been proven: the human species is one race, and physical differences provide no scientific justification for racial discrimination. *EU COMMISSION FILES MORE CHARGES AGAINST MICROSOFT Habana, August 31 (RHC)--Share indexes fell on Wall Street yesterday with the news that the European Commission would be expanding its charges against Microsoft Corporation for including Media Player in its program, which limits user preferences. The operating systems of Window 2000 and Windows XP both include such software, which gives them an unfair advantage over competitors, says the new complaint. Media Player permits one to see and hear audio and video files on the computer. The Commission said it would not attempt to block the distribution of the new Windows XP system, but would energetically pursue Microsoft under anti-trust legislation. Due to its current monopoly on the world market, Microsoft maintains an unfair advantage over its competitors, claims the Commission. The charges brought against Microsoft are separate from those brought against the software giant in the US, in which 17 states have filed anti-monopoly cases against it. Microsoft was found guilty as charged in a June court ruling. The Wall Street effect on the second most important corporation in the US was to drive prices down, ending the day with a slide of 100 points. Microsoft's share price dropped from $5.18 to $3.15 after the announcement was made. *PERUVIAN MUSEUM ANNOUNCES 27% OF ITS COLLECTION IS PHONEY Lima, August 31 (RHC)--According to the Peruvian Institute for the Defense and Protection of the Consumer, a large number of the most important gold items that are housed in the Museum of Gold in Lima are fakes. A total of 4,257 pieces have been found to be phoney, with doubts shed on another 92 pieces, according to a report issued by archaeologists working with the Catholic University. A sign in English and Spanish has been posted on the museum's door warning visitors that not all of the pre-Incan funeral masks, idols and plates they will see are made of real gold. The museum was set up by Miguel Mujica Gallo who died recently at the age of 91. Toward the end of his life he acquired pieces that were not genuine, apparently taken advantage of by unscrupulous people who found it easy to fool an aged man rapidly losing his sight. Some 27% of all the items he left have been found to be not genuine. The revelations have illustrated the importance in Peru of illicit traffic in archaeological objects -- both real and false. Member of parliament Luis Iberico, who heads an investigating commission, announced that a whole network of traffickers in pre-Colombian objects probably exists in what he called a "serious fraud." He commented that the case of the Museum of Gold was likely to be only the tip of the iceberg, as there were frequent complaints about such traffic in fraudulent objects. He further questioned whether the false items found were purchased as such or whether they are copies of the genuine items that were stolen from the museum and sold abroad. The Museum of Gold, which also houses one of the most important collections of textiles, ceramics, metals and weapons in the world, is one of the major tourist attractions in Lima. *EAST TIMOR: FIRST INDEPENDENT ELECTION CONCLUDES PEACEFULLY Habana, August 31 (RHC)--The president of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, has congratulated the special representative to the United Nations in East Timor, Brazilian Sergio Vieira de Mello, for a job well done in ensuring peaceful elections on Thursday. The former Portuguese colony that was annexed by Indonesia has shown it has the "political maturity and noble challenge" to construct a new independent and democratic country, said the Brazilian leader. He pledged his nation's help in the reconstruction and development of East Timor. Militia extremists ran amok in East Timor in 1999, destroying a large part of the capital Dili and killing thousands. Sixteen parties were represented at the polls yesterday. The results will be made known on September 5. *UNITED NATIONS ASKS AUSTRALIA TO ALLOW REFUGEES TO DISEMBARK Canberra, August 31 (RHC)--The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mary Robinson, has asked the Australian government to allow the immediate disembarkation of 460 undocumented refugees stranded on a Norwegian cargo ship out at sea after being rescued following the sinking of their boat earlier this week. She said they should be allowed to land for humanitarian reasons. Australian Prime Minister John Howard garnered great criticism Tuesday by turning away the cargo ship. There are 43 children among the mostly Afghani, Iraqi and Iranian refugees, many of whom were reported by the ship's captain to be suffering from dehydration and dysentery when they were rescued. The New Zealand government has offered to accept some of the refugees if Australia and Norway follow suit. One of the most surprising aspects of the case is the fact that East Timor has offered to take in the refugees and look after them on a temporary basis. Immigration rights observers say that this has shamed Canberra into taking action. This is the first time in its history that Australia has turned away a vessel containing refugees. However, say immigration activists, once they are on dry land, undocumented arrivals are placed in holding camps while their cases are reviewed -- sometimes for more than a year. Conditions are very bad in the camps and suicides have occurred, they report. Viewpoint: *DURBAN PROVIDES COLONIAL POWERS WITH FORUM FOR REDEMPTION The third World Conference Against Racism began Friday in South Africa, the nation that seven years ago put an end to decades of brutal racial discrimination. The U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, the first African American to hold the position, refused to attend the conference in Durban and instead took sides with Israel's criminal regime, which objected to the conference including discussion of its racism against the people of Palestine. Israel has ordered the slaughter of Palestinian leaders and rejoices at the killing of more than five hundred Arabs in Gaza and the West Bank during the second uprising, or Intifada, of the people of Palestine. The United States said in the event it decides to attend the conference at Durban, it would only be sending a low-rank delegation. Washington's indecision is purposely aimed at minimizing the significance of the gathering and thus influencing other nations -- particularly rich ones -- to follow their lead and express themselves in a similar manner. Italy is the only European nation sending its foreign minister to the conference. No head of state or high government official from any northern industrialized country is participating. Some fifteen heads of state -- most of them from the African continent -- are attending, including Cuban president Fidel Castro, who is the only one from Latin America, and the President of the Palestine National Authority, Yasser Arafat. Although the draft of the final declaration, which was discussed in previous meetings, does not equate Zionism to racism; it shows concern for acts of racial discrimination perpetrated by the Israeli state against Palestinians. It should be recalled that the United Nations had previously passed a resolution equating Zionism and racism, which was later repealed in 1991 under pressure from Washington. Other issues for discussion that are dividing North and South are slavery and the compensation and apologies requested by African states from former colonial powers that refuse to address their responsibilities. The size of its delegation and the fact that it is led by its head of state indicates how seriously Cuba takes the conference on racism. It would serve the world well if the colonial powers would also take the gathering as seriously and face up to the terrible crimes of their past. Thus, they might improve their relations a little more with the Third World and settle down to help them develop in the spirit of contrition intead of arrogant posturing. (c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
