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Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2001 06:02:03 -0400 (EDT)
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Subject: [CubaNews] NY Transfer's RHC News Update-04 Oct 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 04 October 2001
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*CUBA DEMANDS A SINCERE STRUGGLE AGAINST TERRORISM
*COMMEMORATION OF 1976 PLANE BOMBING SET IN VENEZUELA, PANAMA, BARBADOS
*VIETNAM PRAISES CUBA'S ADVANCES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
*"GRANMA" CELEBRATES ITS 36th ANNIVERSARY
*BRAZILIAN COLLEGE OFFERS INTENSIVE HISTORY COURSE ON CUBA
*OTTO REICH NOMINATION STILL IN TROUBLE IN WASHINGTON
*ALTERNATIVE NOBEL PEACE PRIZES AWARDED
*VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES AGRARIAN REFORM BILL
*BRAZIL DENIES ASYLUM TO ARMY GENERAL WANTED BY AUTHORITIES IN PARAGUAY
Viewpoint:
*AS WASHINGTON SEEKS WAR ALLIES, CUBA REMEMBERS VICTIMS OF TERRORISM
.
*CUBA DEMANDS A SINCERE STRUGGLE AGAINST TERRORISM
Havana, October 4 (RHC)--An extraordinary session of Cuba's National
Assembly today demanded an international struggle against terrorism
that is sincere, consistent and free of double standards, racism,
hegemonic arrogance and fraudulent manipulation. In reference to the
October, 1976 terrorist bomb against a Cuban civilian airplane, Cuban
legislators recalled that 25 years ago Cuba was the victim of a
premeditated and heinous crime that shocked the nation and remains in
the collective memory of the Cuban people.
An official declaration by the National Assembly recalled that those
who conceived, planned and directed this act of genocide have a long
history of terrorism that began in the 1960s under the auspices of
the CIA and that the role they played in this act of cold-blooded
murder is well known by the US government. The declaration notes that
one of the terrorists, Orlando Bosch, resides undisturbed in the
United States, while another, Luis Posada Carriles, went to work for
the White House immediately after the terrorist attack, under the
direct orders of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North.
Cuba's National Assembly affirmed that alongside the Cuban people and
the rest of the world the island's legislature condemns the brutal
attacks of last September 11th and reaffirms its solidarity with the
American people while demanding that the war against terrorism be
genuine and in response to a real desire to eradicate these acts
wherever and however they occur.
While recalling the thousands of Cubans who have lost their lives or
suffered irreparable damage as a result of terrorist acts perpetrated
against Cuba for more than 40 years by groups who operated, and
continue to operate, from inside US territory -- with the complicity
or tolerance of that country's authorities -- Cuba's National
Assembly insisted that Cuba has every reason and the necessary moral
strength to demand that justice also be done in the case of the crime
committed on October 6, 1976.
The National Assembly's extraordinary session was convened to pay
homage to the 73 victims of that crime. Cuban legislators also took
the opportunity to ratify 9 of 12 United Nations anti-terrorism
conventions; three had previously been ratified. Cubans will also
hold a mass political rally on October 6 at Havana's Revolution
Square.
*COMMEMORATION OF 1976 PLANE BOMBING SET IN VENEZUELA, PANAMA, BARBADOS
Caracas, October 4 (RHC)--A Cuban delegation has left for Caracas,
Venezuela to participate in a ceremony to remember the victims of the
Cubana flight that was brought down by Venezuelan and Cuban origin
terrorists in 1976.
The delegation is comprised of high school and university students
and family members of the 73 who died when their plane was bombed
shortly after takeoff from the Caribbean island of Barbados 25 years
ago.
Students at the University of Panama are also commemorating the
anniversary in an act of solidarity with Cuba in the amphitheatre of
the Law School. There is a special interest in the crime in Panama
due to the fact that one of the men who masterminded the bombing is
the international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, who is today
incarcerated in a Panamanian jail awaiting trial for planning the
assassination of Cuban President Fidel Castro last year.
And in Barbados, solidarity groups will gather at the memorial to the
tragedy built by the government of Barbados which Fidel Castro
inaugurated on a visit to the island.
*VIETNAM PRAISES CUBA'S ADVANCES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
Hanoi, October 4 (RHC)--According to VNA news agency, the Deputy
Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Gia Khiem, has praised both Cuba's
information technology and its biotechnology industries and called
upon both countries to devise specific plans to promote bilateral
cooperation in these fields.
Khiem was speaking Wednesday in Hanoi at a reception for the visiting
Cuban Minister of Science, Technology, and Environment, Rosa Elena
Simeon Negrin.
He added that the results of the bilateral working sessions were very
promising and that both countries had determined to improve
co-operation in science and technology, agriculture, information
technology, and construction.
VNA reported that the Deputy Prime Minister expressed his hope that
the two countries would continue to boost scientific and
technological cooperation for socio-economic development in their
respective countries.
For her part, the Cuban minister conveyed President Fidel Castro's
best regards to Prime Minister Phan Van Khai and other Vietnamese
leaders and expressed her satisfaction with the work that has been
performed to the benefit of both nations.
*"GRANMA" CELEBRATES ITS 36th ANNIVERSARY
Havana, October 4 (RHC)--The 36th anniversary of the founding of the
Cuban newspaper Granma was celebrated Wednesday in a ceremony
conducted by the Confederation of Cuban Workers, presided over by its
General Secretary, Pedro Ross Leal. Also present was Communist Party
official Jos� Ram�n Balaguer.
Cuba's newspaper of record, which also represents the opinion of the
island's Communist Party, was founded on the October 3, 1965, the
same day as the creation of the Central Committee of the Cuban
Communist Party. It runs a daily mixture of political, cultural and
analytical material and is the newspaper with the largest circulation
on the island.
*BRAZILIAN COLLEGE OFFERS INTENSIVE HISTORY COURSE ON CUBA
Rio de Janeiro, October 4(RHC)--Some 600 Brazilian professors and
students from the Estadual Cuba College in Rio de Janeiro are taking
an intensive course on Cuban history this week, with the help and
support of the Jos� Mart� Cultural Association and the local
education authorities, reports Prensa Latina news agency.
The college, which offers night classes to young workers, is situated
on Governor's Isle at the confluence of the city's Bahia de Guanabara
River. It is offering a course on what history Professor Vera Gomes
says is a Cuba that provokes many passions, but never indifference.
The subject is designed to increase students' knowledge of the island
and its social system, to engender analysis and discussion of events
in Brazil, said Ana Lucia de Conceicao Ronton, another professor at
the college.
As elsewhere in the world, there is a great deal of debate in Brazil
on the pros and cons of the Cuban social and economic system, said
Gomes, but few know of the island's history and struggles, or about
its successes, such as its remarkable literacy program, she added.
The event also includes Cuban food and art as well as music and a
photographic exhibition of today's Cuba.
*OTTO REICH NOMINATION STILL IN TROUBLE IN WASHINGTON
Washington, October (RHC)--The nomination of Otto Reich, George
Bush's controversial nominee to a top State Department post, still
faces opposition in the U.S. Senate, according to reports from
Washington. The approval of Reich as Assistant Secretary of State for
Inter-American Affairs is being delayed because of his role in the
Iran-Contra scandal of the 1980's.
Senator Christopher Dodd, Chair of the Senate Sub-Committee on
Hemispheric Affairs, has refused to consider the nomination, which
must be approved by the congressional body. A spokesman for Dodd told
reporters on Capitol Hill Wednesday that the senator believes Bush
should withdraw Reich's nomination and propose a less controversial
figure.
But administration officials have insisted that Reich is their man
for the job. At a luncheon meeting with members of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee on Wednesday, Secretary of State Colin Powell was
firm in his support for the nomination, stating that he needed Otto
Reich in his post at the State Department.
Senator Joseph Biden, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, has so far refused to call for hearings on the nomination.
Reich, a Cuban-American who political analysts say is known for his
extreme right-wing positions, directed the Office of Public Diplomacy
at the State Department during the Reagan administration. He was
accused of involvement in illegal, undercover activities against the
Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Reich later worked for the
passage of the anti-Cuba Helms-Burton Law, is a strong supporter of
Washington's blockade against the island and has lobbied for even
tighter restrictions against Cuba.
*ALTERNATIVE NOBEL PEACE PRIZES AWARDED
Stockholm, October 4 (RHC)--The 2001 Alternative Nobel Peace Prizes
have been awarded to Brazilian liberation theologian Leonardo Boff,
Venezuelan musician Jose Antonio Abreu, the Israeli pacifist
organization Peace Now and the British anti-nuclear group Trident
Ploughshares. Stockholm's Foundation for an Upright Life, which
grants the alternative awards, stated that they went to people whose
activities are directed against the roots of the violence and
instability affecting the planet.
Boff was honored, said the foundation, for establishing a connection
between human spirituality, social justice and environmental
protection, and for his decades-long commitment to the poor and
excluded. Abreu was distinguished for having developed in Venezuela a
national network of children's' orchestras, taking the joy and
benefits of music to numerous poor communities.
Peace Now was distinguished for its courage and dedication in efforts
to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The foundation
noted that since its founding in 1993, Peace Now is one of the few
voices in Israel advocating the Israeli withdrawal from occupied
territories. Trident Ploughshares received the award for its
exemplary, transparent and non-violent actions against nuclear
weapons.
The Alternative Nobel Prizes, considered a criticism of the
traditional Nobel Awards given by the Swedish Academy, were
established in 1980. The Foundation for an Upright Life stated that
the traditional awards betray the legacy of their founder, Alfred
Nobel, because they mostly distinguish powerful western institutions
-- particularly the scientific awards -- instead of honoring
achievements that benefit humanity, as Nobel had originally
conceived.
*VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT APPROVES AGRARIAN REFORM BILL
Caracas, October 4 (RHC)--Venezuela's Council of Ministers has
approved an agrarian reform bill that includes the confiscation of
idle land. Coinciding with approval of the measure, Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez warned the country's large landowners to
prepare themselves for what he called the democratization of the
ownership of productive land. He called large landed estates an enemy
of the nation.
The agrarian reform measure is part of a package of 40 bills that
Chavez can approve by decree in the framework of the special powers
the National Assembly granted him for a period of one year, which
ends on November 14. Large landowners in the western state of Zulia
are attempting to take the government to court to prevent agrarian
reform, and have vowed to defend their land with weapons.
*BRAZIL DENIES ASYLUM TO ARMY GENERAL WANTED BY AUTHORITIES IN PARAGUAY
Brasilia, October 4 (RHC)--Brazil has officially denied political
asylum to former Paraguayan army General Lino Oviedo, opening the
door for his extradition back to Paraguay. Oviedo is accused in his
country of the 1999 assassination of Vice President Luis Maria Argana
and the deaths of seven protesters several days later during a
massive protest in the capital, Asuncion. He has also been convicted
and condemned to 10 years in prison in Paraguay for having led a 1996
military uprising against then-President Juan Carlos Wasmosy.
Brazil's Supreme Court will now consider Paraguay's petition to
extradite Oviedo, who has been under house arrest in Brasilia since
last July. He was arrested in June of last year and was held in a
military police station before he was granted house arrest.
News agencies are noting that the home of a relative where Oviedo is
under house arrest is close to the residence of former Paraguayan
dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who did receive political asylum in
Brazil in 1989 when his regime was toppled by members of the military
who had formerly supported him.
Viewpoint:
*AS WASHINGTON SEEKS WAR ALLIES, CUBA REMEMBERS VICTIMS OF TERRORISM
The United States continues searching for allies for its military
campaign against terrorism, despite the rising number of voices
warning that violence will only provoke more violence and the deaths
of more innocent people rather than changes in the conditions that
gave rise to on September 11.
For this reason US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld traveled to
Oman on Thursday after visiting Saudi Arabia, where he had to soothe
his hosts by assuring them that Washington will not attack any Arab
country in the war it is preparing.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has become one of the
most enthusiastic supporters of the US war effort, announcing that
the beginning of military actions is imminent. He will soon travel to
Russia to try and convince his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to join
in this modern crusade against the contemporary "infidels."
The massing of military forces, unprecedented for a war against a
single country, much less to capture a single man, has added to the
climate of intolerance being created on an international level,
prompting the leader of the anti-Taliban opposition, Ismail Jan, to
plead with Washington to exhibit restraint by not attacking
Afghanistan but rather the centers of terrorist power.
And there's the rub. The causes of terrorism may not be where the US
government is looking for them.
In this international atmosphere, Cuba has begun a week-long homage
to the victims of one of the Caribbean's worst terrorist attacks: the
brutal bombing of a Cuban airliner 25 years ago in Barbados.
This cold-blooded act, which cost the lives of 73 innocent victims,
including Cuba's entire junior fencing team, was financed and
organized with the complicity of the US CIA in Langley, Virginia.
That is why on Thursday Cuba's Parliament convened a special session
to honor those who died as result of that criminal explosion, as well
the victims of innumerable other acts of terrorism committed against
the island. The Cuban lawmakers also took the opportunity to ratify
all anti-terrorism accords put forward by the United Nations.
On Saturday, in Havana's huge Revolution Square, Cubans will join
their voices to those of the millions worldwide who are demanding
justice for ALL the victims of terrorism, and calling for an end of
ALL the centers of terror. As they honor the fallen victims of
terrorism, they will also be proclaiming themselves in opposition to
an absurd and useless war, a war that in the end, would be nothing
more than an arrogant act of vengeance.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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