From: NY Transfer News <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [CubaNews] NY Transfer's RHC News Update-28 Sept 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 28 September 2001
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*CDRs CELEBRATE THEIR ANNIVERSARY WITH NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
*CUBA PREPARES THE WAY FOR HIGHER QUALITY EDUCATION
*ECONOMISTS AT FTAA MEETING IN NICARAGUA PUT SPOTLIGHT ON CUBA
*CUBA AND CHINA MAINTAIN 38 COOPERATION PROJECTS
*CUBA INCREASES THE USE OF ATMs
*US REP. CYNTHIA McKINNEY JOINS THE SKEPTICS, DEMANDS EVIDENCE
*ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF INTIFADA, ISRAELIS KILL 5, WOUND 125+
*ITALIAN PM BERLUSCONI FORCED TO APOLOGIZE FOR RACIST STATEMENTS
*AID AGENCIES WARN OF PENDING HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE IN AFGHANISTAN
*Viewpoint: JUSTICE OR VENGEANCE?
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*CDRs CELEBRATE THEIR ANNIVERSARY WITH NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
Havana, September 28 (RHC)--Today, September 28th, marks the 41st
anniversary of the creation of the Committees for the Defense of the
Revolution (CDR).
The decision to form neighborhood vigilance committees was announced
by the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, on September 28,
1960. Having just returned from the United Nations, Fidel was
addressing a rally at the Plaza de la Revolucion when several bombs
exploded nearby. Reassuring the crowd that the young revolutionary
process would be defended, the Cuban leader said block committees
would be formed in every corner of the island.
The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution not only guard
against criminal and counterrevolutionary activities -- similar to
neighborhood watch groups -- but also organize clean-up campaigns,
recycling programs, blood donation drives and many other activities.
This past year, Cuba has set a world record in blood donations, with
575,034 donations -- an average of one blood donor for every 19
Cubans. Health officials point out that Cuba has thus fulfilled the
goal for all nations set by the World Health Organization -- that
there should be one donor for every 20 citizens.
The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution also recently
carried out a massive recycling campaign -- collecting more than 13
types of recyclable materials. Local CDR organizers emphasized the
importance of reusable materials, especially in poor Third World
countries with few resources.
*CUBA PREPARES THE WAY FOR HIGHER QUALITY EDUCATION
Cienfuegos, September 28 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro spoke
during the inauguration ceremony of a new teacher's training school
Thursday evening in Cienfuegos. The leader of the Cuban Revolution
said the aim of improving the quality of educational institutions on
the island is in full swing.
In addition to the teacher's training school, a school to train arts
instructors was also inaugurated in Cienfuegos. Fidel Castro said
that workers restored an old building constructed in 1927, noting
that the training school for arts instructors was enlarged to
accommodate 600 students. The Cuban leader added that an amphitheater
has been built, along with facilities for sports activities, a
computer lab, a library and 27 classrooms.
Cuban President Fidel Castro told the audience of students and
professors Thursday evening that the new schools in Cienfuegos and
other parts of the country will help guarantee the cultural and
educational development of the country's youth. He said there were 15
such schools across the island with a total enrollment of 7921
students.
The leader of the Cuban Revolution said that the country was well on
the road to guaranteeing higher quality education for its entire
people.
*ECONOMISTS AT FTAA MEETING IN NICARAGUA PUT SPOTLIGHT ON CUBA
Managua, September 28 (RHC)--Economists taking part in a meeting on
the Free Trade Area of the Americas -- underway in Managua, the
Nicaraguan capital -- say that Havana should be included in the
discussions because Cuba is part of the Americas.
Mentor Villagomez, Ecuadorian Under Secretary of the Economy, told
reporters that nations of the hemisphere must take a political
position and bring Cuba aboard in the debate on regional trade and
economy. Villagomez, who is also the president of the Trade
Negotiations Committee of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, noted
that the United States excluded Cuba from the first Summit of the
Americas, held in Miami six years ago. But he pointed out that over
the past several years, a number of Latin American leaders have been
calling for Cuba's participation in the debate.
Several economic analysts attending the meeting in Managua emphasized
that the Free Trade Area of the Americas is actually an economic
attack by Washington against the sovereignty of Latin America and the
Caribbean.
*CUBA AND CHINA MAINTAIN 38 COOPERATION PROJECTS
Beijing, September 28 (RHC)--Cuba and China are currently
developing 38 bilateral cooperation projects, according to the Cuban
Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, Rosa Elena
Simeon.
The Cuban official, who is on a working visit to Beijing, the Chinese
capital, said that both nations are jointly cooperating in the fields
of technology and sciences, medicine and agriculture.
Rosa Elena Simeon arrived in China this week at the invitation of
that country's Minister of Science and Technology. During her stay in
Beijing, she will visit places of economic and social interest.
*CUBA INCREASES THE USE OF ATMs
Havana, September 28 (RHC)--Cuba continues to increase the use of
automatic teller machines with another 27 ATMs that will join a total
of 101 in the country.
In statements to reporters in Havana, the President of Cuba's Central
Bank, Francisco Soberon, said the new equipment would offer service
in highly-populated urban areas. That is why, he pointed out, all
ATMs are currently located in Havana, Varadero, central Villa Clara
province, Santiago de Cuba and Moa, as well as the Isle of Youth.
Soberon said that some 20,000 ATM transactions are reported daily. He
noted that the service particularly benefits retired pensioners plus
certain economic sectors such as tourism, since visitors may use a
number of ATMs which give access to different international cards --
as long as they are not drawn on U.S. banks... a consequence of
Washington's blockade against the island.
*US REP. CYNTHIA McKINNEY JOINS THE SKEPTICS, DEMANDS EVIDENCE
Washington, September 28 (RHC)--African-American Congresswoman
Cynthia McKinney has joined her colleague Barbara Lee in demanding
evidence linking Osama Bin Laden to the September 11th terrorist
attacks. The Democratic Representative from the state of Georgia has
asserted that before the use of force occurs, the American people
must also see this proof.
The Ranking Member of the International Operations and Human Rights
Subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee, and also
member of the House Armed Service Committee, stated that the US has
lost thousands of people already, and that as the Bush administration
begins its preparations for war every American and the families of US
soldiers and victims of the hijackings deserve to know that justice
for those responsible, not just convenient scapegoating, is what
motivates Washington's actions.
Regarding the anti-terrorism measures the Bush administration is
trying to push through Congress, McKinney said many of those
proposals are the very same types of state powers that Washington
routinely criticizes other nations for possessing in the State
Department's annual report on international human rights: prolonged
and arbitrary detention, denial of access to legal counsel and
limited judicial review of government decision making, just, she
added, to name but a few.
The legislator said she is greatly concerned that the US is about to
engage in an extremely hazardous military campaign of unknown
duration, with unrealistic objectives and perhaps even ultimately
harmful and long-term consequences for the nation. McKinney said that
before granting more powers and massive resources to law enforcement,
the military and intelligence communities in Washington should be
examining why the threat of these and other attacks was not detected
given the abundant information on Bin Laden's terrorist network -
much of which, she added, surfaced 7 months ago during the trial of
suspects charged with the US embassy bombings in Africa.
She said, however, that what frustrates her most is that no one in a
position of leadership in the United States has yet sought seriously
to ask why the nation has been attacked in this way, why have US
cities, embassies and military forces been systematically targeted by
terrorist organizations. Congresswoman McKinney said: "Finally, I
pray that common sense and reason will prevail."
Meanwhile, other doubts have surfaced in the US Congress following
approval a blank check for Bush. Representative Barney Frank, a
liberal Democrat from Massachusetts, wants to ensure that if the
government gets the new surveillance powers proposed there are also
new remedies against government activities like the lengthy
wiretapping of the late Reverend Martin Luther King by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation under Director J. Edgar Hoover.
Representative Bob Barr, a conservative Republican from Georgia, said
some of the previsions in the proposal need careful scrutiny, while
liberal Democrat from California, Maxine Waters, said it's necessary
to draw the line when it comes to civil liberties. Waters said she
feared the definition of terrorism in the bill is too wide, adding
that it's very unusual to find herself in agreement with Mr. Barr.
*ON FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF INTIFADA, ISRAELIS KILL 5, WOUND 125+
Ramallah, September 28 (RHC)--On the first anniversary of the
Intifada in occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli troops killed 5
Palestinians and wounded at least 125, several of them seriously. A
ten year old child is among the fatal victims.
With the latest victims, the number of Palestinians killed in the
past year now stands at 639, with 169 Israelis killed. Some 23
thousand Palestinians, one percent of the population, have been
wounded over the past 12 months. The number of fatal Palestinian
victims is double the number killed during the four years of the
first Intifada between 1987 and 1991.
Since the third month of the current Intifada, 50 percent of the
Palestinians who lost their lives were not involved in clashes with
Israeli security forces, while 56 were victims of Tel Aviv's
selective assassinations. A Deutsch Press news correspondent in Tel
Aviv wrote Friday that when right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon entered Jerusalem's Al Aqsa shrine on September 28th of last
year - escorted by hundreds of Israeli police - it was difficult to
imagine what his stubborn visit to a Muslim holy place was going to
provoke.
Besides the human casualties, Israeli tanks have destroyed hundreds
of millions of dollars worth of buildings and homes. Sirens blasted
for 3 minutes in Palestinian territories while thousands took to the
streets to commemorate the first anniversary. Close to 10 thousand
marched in Ramallah alone.
*ITALIAN PM BERLUSCONI FORCED TO APOLOGIZE FOR RACIST STATEMENTS
Rome, September 28 (RHC)--Amid on-going international uproar,
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has apologized for his
racist statements about Islamic culture. Speaking before the
country's Senate, Berlusconi said he was sorry for having hurt the
sensitivity of his Arab and Muslim friends, though asserting that his
words were taken out of context and misunderstood.
Previously, the Foreign Minister of Iran, Kamal Jarrazi, had stated
that Berlusconi's affirmation that western culture has superior
values in comparison to Islamic culture is irresponsible and
motivated by his ignorance. The government of Egypt Friday insisted
that Italy needs to urgently clarify what it called the conservative
Prime Minister's "strange statements," and to specify whether those
statements are the Italian government's official point of view.
French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin joined the chorus of
condemnation, while the president of France's National Assembly,
Raymond Forni, decided to suspend an encounter with his Italian
counterpart, Senator Marcello Pera, to protest the statements. German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder termed as absurd comparisons between
cultures. Numerous news dailies in the Arab world are calling
Berlusconi the "new Mussolini," terming as unbelievably barbaric the
Italian Prime Minister's racist statements.
*AID AGENCIES WARN OF PENDING HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE IN AFGHANISTAN
Geneva, September 28 (RHC)--International humanitarian agencies
continue warning of the pending humanitarian catastrophe if
Afghanistan is attacked and aid doesn't arrive soon. In Geneva,
United Nations regional coordinator Michael Sacket Friday said the
humanitarian situation in the country was already terrible, but that
if aid doesn't arrive before the beginning of rain and snow in
mid-November, the situation will be horrible.
Sacket said Afghanistan had already suffered 20 years of war and 3
years of drought before the terrorist attacks against the United
States, noting that 5 and a half million Afghans, of a total
population of 25 million, were already completely dependent on
external aid. He said now another 2 million find themselves in that
situation since international organizations abandoned the country.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees believes that as many as one
and a half million Afghans are fleeing the country, mainly towards
Pakistan. Pakistan has closed its border with Afghanistan, but it's
estimated that between 10 and 20 thousand people have been able to
cross that 2 thousand 200 kilometer border in mountain areas
impossible to control. The government of Pakistan has warned that the
number of Afghan refugees in the country could reach 4 million.
*Viewpoint: JUSTICE OR VENGEANCE?
The propaganda offensive unleashed by the US government and media to
whip up support for Washington's war preparations seems unrelenting,
though now and then a voice of reason breaks through.
In the midst of their justifiable pain and anger, the families of
some of the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11 have
felt it necessary to sound a warning in the face of the colossal war
machine that has been put into motion by the United States.
For example, Phyllis Rodriguez, whose son Craig, died in the New York
Trade Center, has warned that a vengeance attack against those
responsible will just bring death and suffering to the children of
others. The parents of another person killed in the Pentagon have
pleaded with the US president not to carry out such military action
in a letter entitled "Not in Our Son's Name."
The words of Ms. Rodriguez, who understands only too well the
consequences of such violence, should be heeded by those who are
counseling the White House to mobilize its troops, because to respond
with hatred and bullets is to employ the same methods as the
terrorists.
"My son's death," said the grieving mother, "will not be vindicated
in that way."
Unfortunately, so far the calls for calm and for true justice to be
taken against the terrorists through adherence to international law,
have fallen on deaf ears .
The Pentagon and its ally, Great Britain, have deployed tens of
thousands of troops, hundreds of warplanes and fleets of battleships
and aircraft carriers to countries bordering Afghanistan, in addition
to those already stationed in the Persian Gulf and Diego Garcia
island in the Indian Ocean.
US government representatives demand support from distant capitals in
what they are describing as "an international crusade against
terrorism," despite an appalling lack of information on just who was
in fact responsible for the crimes of September 11.
While those who support war add more fuel to the flames, they reveal
their indifference to the fact that the first victims of a military
reprisal against Afghanistan would be more than a million refugees
and would bring starvation to millions more who are already living on
the edge because of Afghanistan's extreme poverty worsened by
succeeding devastating droughts.
Many outside the United States - as well as growing numbers within
the country itself - see that truth. This weekend demonstrations
against US war plans have been called in San Francisco and
Washington. Such anti-war protests have already been held around the
world as for example in Greece where on Thursday thousands of people
filled the streets of Athens in protest against the US's announced
reprisals, and Naples, Italy, where 20,000 marched. Surveys show that
more than 80% of Latin Americans, while condemning the attacks, are
against waging war, and even the British, who lost hundreds of their
citizens in the World Trade Center, register more than 60% against
the kind of military response planned by George W. Bush.
It has become clear that peoples around the world are already
suffering as a result of the terrorist attacks. Hundreds of thousands
have lost their jobs in the subsequent down-turn of the airline
industry, and tourism across the globe has dramatically slowed
causing layoffs everywhere. The effect on the world's economy has
been devastating for all but the US defense contractors whose share
values have risen by an average of 12% on world stock exchanges.
Vengeance will do nothing to end terrorism. The rule of international
law must be invoked and those responsible for the unjustifiable
actions of September 11 must be found and punished under that law. To
do anything less would make us accomplices to further terrorism.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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