From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 00:55:46 -0400
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Subject: RHC Weekend-20 October 2001
RHC Weekend-20 October 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - Weekend News Update - 20 October 2001
.
*20,000 RALLY IN CIENFUEGOS AGAINST WAR AND TERRORISM
*RUSSIAN MOVE TO CLOSE LOURDES IS INEXPLICABLE - FORMER SOVIET INTELL CHIEF
*CUBAN TOURISM INCOME SEEN LOWER DUE TO INTERNATIONAL CRISIS
*CANADIAN FIRMS TO PARTICIPATE IN HAVANA'S 19TH INTERNATIONAL FAIR
*NEW MEDICAL FACULTY TO BEGIN OPERATIONS IN HAITI
*ANTI-GLOBALIZATION ACTIVISTS DENOUNCE EFFORTS TO DEMONIZE THEIR CAUSE
*5,000 MORE AFGHAN REFUGEES CROSS INTO PAKISTAN, THOUSANDS MORE DENIED ENTRY
*ISRAELI TROOPS KILL 8 PALESTINIANS IN UNPRECEDENTED MILITARY OPERATIONS
*PROMINENT MEXICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST ASSASSINATED
*US WAR, ECONOMIC SLUMP PUT WORKERS AT THE END OF THE LINE - LABOR LEADER
*Viewpoint: BUSH TRIES TO "SHANGHAI" REGIONAL ECONOMIC SUMMIT IN CHINA
.
*20,000 RALLY IN CIENFUEGOS AGAINST WAR AND TERRORISM
Cienfuegos, October 20 (RHC)-- More than 20,000 residents of the
municipality of Rodas, located in central Cienfuegos province,
participated in an open tribune Saturday morning to reaffirm their
strong opposition to terrorism and war.
Participants also demanded justice in the case of the five Cuban
nationals, who are being held in a Miami prison for simply defending
their people and homeland against terrorist plots organized and
carried out against Cuba from the United States.
The patriotic activity was also an opportunity to reaffirm the Cuban
people's unconditional support for their Revolution and leaders.
Cubans from all walks of life, representing the students' movement,
as well as community activists, campesinos, children pioneer and
workers' organizations also demanded justice in the case of the
notorious international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles and his
accomplices, who are being held in Panama for plotting to kill Cuban
President Fidel Castro during the 9th Ibero-American Summit last
November.
Coinciding with celebrations of Cuban Culture Day, artists and
intellectuals expressed their support for the Battle of Ideas being
waged by the entire Cuban people. It was recalled that on October 20,
1868, the march that later became the Cuban National Anthem was sung
publicly for the first time, calling on the entire people to rise up
against Spanish colonialism.
*RUSSIAN MOVE TO CLOSE LOURDES IS INEXPLICABLE - FORMER SOVIET INTELL CHIEF
Havana, October 20 (RHC) - A former Soviet intelligence chief has
affirmed that Russia's intention to shut down its Lourdes Electronic
Radar Station in Cuba is inexplicable and unbelievable. The Cuban
news daily "Granma" Saturday published excerpts of an October 18
Russian TV interview with retired army General Nicolai Leonov, former
analysis chief with Soviet Intelligence.
Leonov said that for the past 4 decades Moscow has been asserting
that the station was created to follow the US government's compliance
with strategic weapons reduction accords, asking: "Have we been lying
for the past 40 years?" The former intelligence chief pointed to
Washington's several dozen sophisticated spy stations around the
world, including in Norway and Turkey, noting that the US government
has no plans to dismantle any of them.
And he termed as incomprehensible Russia's move when there's talk of
a war of civilizations and even a third world war, and when US forces
are deploying in countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Leonov said that 6 months ago it didn't seem as if President Vladimir
Putin's government was going to follow the treasonous and footstool
policies of former President Boris Yeltsin, but that now he's not
certain.
Wrapping up the interview, the former Soviet intelligence chief said
anything that US President George W. Bush tells Putin will be a lie
or empty words, and that he is certain of this because of his 40
years of experience studying US foreign policy and US leaders.
*CUBAN TOURISM INCOME SEEN LOWER DUE TO INTERNATIONAL CRISIS
Havana, October 20 (RHC)-- Cuban Tourism Minister Ibrahim Ferradaz
has said the island cannot meet its goal of welcoming more than two
million foreign visitors this year, due to the negative impact of the
current international crisis and the tragic events of past September
11th in the United States.
During a press conference Friday evening, Ferradaz pointed to a
reduction by five percent in the number of visitors since September
-- compared to the same period last year. He also noted that the
situation has worsened during the first two weeks of October, with a
13 percent drop.
The Cuban tourism minister told reporters that he would now predict a
five to seven percent growth this year, lower than the previous
estimate of 12 percent.
The Cuban tourism official said that the island has not escaped the
crisis that affects world tourism, following the terrorist attacks in
New York and Washington and the subsequent U.S.-led war against
Afghanistan. He expressed optimism, however, saying that Cuba sees
the current crisis as a circumstantial and not permanent phenomenon.
In this sense, Ferradaz affirmed that Cuba still constitutes a very
attractive, secure tourism destination for foreign visitors who want
to escape the many dangers of today's world.
The Cuban tourism minister ruled out a price reduction to attract
visitors. "The current fear," he affirmed, "is not resolved with
reduced prices, but with higher levels of security."
Ibrahim Ferradaz pointed to measures that are being adopted to reduce
the impact of the crisis on the island's tourism sector, among them
the temporary closing of 20 of the island's 225 hotels. He added that
this time would be used to carry out some maintenance and repair
works. Regarding the workers at these 20 hotels, the Cuban tourism
minister said they would not be economically affected. While the
tourism installations are temporarily closed, the workers will
receive their full salaries and take courses in their fields of
endeavor.
*CANADIAN FIRMS TO PARTICIPATE IN HAVANA'S 19TH INTERNATIONAL FAIR
Havana, October 20 (RHC)- Business delegations from some 50 Canadian
companies have already confirmed their participation in Havana's 19th
International Fair, set to begin next weekend.
The Canadian Embassy in the Cuban capital confirmed the participation
at the Havana fair of a high-ranking delegation from the province of
Manitoba. Also on hand will be business executives from firms based
in Ontario, Quebec and others based here in Cuba.
The embassy's statement ratified Canada's interest in maintaining a
strong presence in the Cuban market, and thus, the growing interest
among Canadian firms to explore business opportunities on the island
and set-up mixed enterprises in different economic areas.
*NEW MEDICAL FACULTY TO BEGIN OPERATIONS IN HAITI
Havana, October 20 (RHC)-- As of November, a new faculty of medical
sciences will open in Haiti, fruit of Cuba's cooperation in the
fields of health and education with the sister Caribbean nation,
considered among the world's poorest.
The medical faculty in Haiti is the first of a total of 20 that will
be opened in other underdeveloped nations, with the assistance of
highly-qualified Cuban professionals.
Based in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, the medical faculty
will have the capacity for some 100 students, while professors will
be made up of Cuban health and education professionals from the
eastern province of Santiago de Cuba.
*ANTI-GLOBALIZATION ACTIVISTS DENOUNCE EFFORTS TO DEMONIZE THEIR CAUSE
Berlin, October 20 (RHC) -- Anti-globalization activists gathering
in Berlin have denounced recent efforts to demonize their cause. The
Association for the Taxation of Finanancial Transactions to Help
Citizens, known by its acronym ATTAC, pointed to a recent "Wall
Street Journal" editorial that practically equated anti-globalization
protesters in Seattle and Genoa with Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban
regime.
At its international gathering in Berlin, the president of ATTAC in
France, Bernard Cassen said the political establishment is attempting
to use the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States to
discredit those opposing the current economic world order. With
sarcasm, Cassen said it turns out that the US government is searching
for the accomplices of one its own intelligence agencies - in
reference to the CIA-sponsorship of Osama Bin Laden and the Islamic
fundamentalists who installed the Taliban regime.
Pointing to the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent on a war
against the planet's poorest nation and in efforts to bailout
important economic sectors, the French anti-globalization activist
recalled that just weeks ago the Group of 7 industrialized nations
were distressed by the proposal to earmark one billion 300 million
dollars to the struggle against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in
Africa.
ATTAC, which wraps up its international congress on Sunday, has some
50 thousand members in several European countries and is considered
the largest organization against the inequalities generated by free
market globalization.
*5,000 MORE AFGHAN REFUGEES CROSS INTO PAKISTAN, THOUSANDS MORE DENIED ENTRY
Islamabad, October 20 (RHC) -- The United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees announced Saturday that Pakistani authorities allowed
5,000 Afghan refugees into the country, but that thousands more were
refused entry. At the southwest border crossing in Shaman there were
reports of clashes between refugees and Pakistani security forces.
According to one witness, the displaced Afghans began throwing rocks
at border guards, who responded by attacking them with bamboo clubs.
Approximately three and a half thousand crossed the border on Friday,
but UN personnel affirmed that Pakistan has now closed its border
again fearing a massive influx of refugees.
The most recent Afghan refugees to arrive in Pakistan are saying that
the Afghan city Kandahar - considered a bastion of the Taliban regime
- is empty after having been targeted by intense US bombardments.
Saturday's refugee flow is being called the most intense since air
strikes against Afghanistan commenced last October 7th.
*ISRAELI TROOPS KILL 8 PALESTINIANS IN UNPRECEDENTED MILITARY OPERATIONS
Jerusalem, October 20 (RHC) -- Israel has stepped up attacks against
autonomous Palestinian zones in the West Bank, killing 8 Palestinians
Saturday despite calls for moderation from the international
community. The Israeli army has killed a total of 19 Palestinians in
military operations that began last Thursday following the
assassination of ultra right-wing Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam
Zeevi.
With today's operations - called unprecedented since the beginning of
the Intifada a year ago - Israeli occupation forces have completely
blockaded the West Bank. The death toll is expected to continue
rising considerably since the Palestine National Authority has
refused to extradite suspects in the tourism minister's
assassination.
According to observers, Israel's intensification of its military
operations in occupied Palestinian territories is complicating
Washington's efforts to retain the support of moderate Arab nations
in its war against fundamentalists in Afghanistan.
*PROMINENT MEXICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST ASSASSINATED
Mexico City, October 20 (RHC) -- Prominent Mexican human rights
activists Digna Ochoa was assassinated late Friday in Mexico City by
unidentified assailants who shot her to death inside her office. The
37-year old activist and attorney, who had defended imprisoned
Zapatista rebels, campesino activists and university students accused
of belonging to guerrilla groups, among others, had received numerous
death threats since 1996.
In 1999, unidentified individuals forced themselves into the victim's
home, tied her up and interrogated her for 9 hours before leaving her
tied up near an open gas line - though she was able to free herself
and miraculously escape death. Three months after this attack the
Interamerican Human Rights Court called on the Mexican government to
adopt special measures to protect her. Ochoa previously worked with
the Miguel Agustin Human Rights Center, whose members have also
received numerous death threats.
The center's director, Edgar Cortes, said that since 1996 Mexican
authorities have been ignoring the threats. A note left near Ochoa's
body contained threats against other members of the human rights
organization and against the center-left Party of the Democratic
Revolution.
*US WAR, ECONOMIC SLUMP PUT WORKERS AT THE END OF THE LINE - LABOR LEADER
Washington, October 20 (RHC) -- US labor leader John Sweeney has
charged that amid the war against terrorism and the economic slump
the interests of workers have been placed last on the list of
priorities.
The president of the AFL-CIO labor confederation said the recent
Senate filibuster that defeated legislation providing immediate aid
for the 140 thousand airline workers who will be laid off as a result
of the September 11 terrorist attack "signals an intention to serve
workers last and least at the table of economic recovery."
The measure, authored by Missouri Democrat Jean Carnahan, went down
to defeat last October 11 when supporters could muster only 56 of the
required 60 votes to break a filibuster. Sweeney called the action an
outrage, saying it is especially shameful that the White House, which
lobbied furiously against relief, and 44 Republican senators would
undermine support and turn the nation's back on aviation workers
whose jobs and livelihoods were directly destroyed in the attacks.
*Viewpoint: BUSH TRIES TO "SHANGHAI" REGIONAL ECONOMIC SUMMIT IN CHINA
As the U.S. war against Afghanistan prepares to enter its third
week, the White House and the Pentagon are still searching for
international support.
U.S. President George W. Bush traveled to the Chinese city of
Shanghai on Thursday for a summit meeting on Asian-Pacific economic
cooperation. But he certainly didn't have economic matters on his
mind. The planned agenda of this 21-member nation economic block was
changed abruptly -- one could say it was "shanghaied" -- by
Washington. Bush felt it was an opportune moment to discuss what he
likes to call an international anti-terrorist coalition, designed to
support U.S. military operations against Afghanistan.
However, in his one-on-one meetings with the leaders of other nations
and during sessions of the summit, he was not able to avoid
differences from arising in relation to the events taking place in
Central Asia.
The U.S. president held a long personal meeting with his Chinese
counterpart, Jiang Zemin. The Chinese leader took advantage of the
opportunity to express his concern for the civilian victims of
Washington's war against Afghanistan, as well as the need for the
United Nations to carry out a role in the struggle against terrorism.
In order to obtain the support of China and other members of the
regional economic group, the White House has attempted to ignore or
minimize its past differences with China. Washington has tried to
downplay its tense relations with Beijing -- stemming from the recent
incident in which a U.S. spy plane was forced down after violating
Chinese airspace.
Relations have been strained between China and the United States ever
since NATO planes "mistakenly" bombed the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade
in 1999. It would appear that Beijing has every right to question the
accuracy of Washington's so-called "smart bombs" -- considering that
the same ones being used against Afghanistan were launched against
targets in Yugoslavia. These bombs are, obviously, not so
intelligent.
Other areas of disagreement between the two countries include
Washington's continued support of Taiwan -- including military
assistance -- as well as U.S. demands that China not provide what it
calls nuclear technology to Pakistan.
And Beijing has clearly distanced itself from Washington's plans to
build a space-based missile defense system, which China says is a
clear violation of disarmament treaties signed between Washington and
Moscow.
But during the sessions of the Asian-Pacific economic forum in
Shanghai, several other countries expressed their disagreement with
U.S. military attacks against Afghanistan. Indonesia and Malaysia,
both with very large Islamic populations, also sounded a sour note.
While the United States is trying make it appear that all is well in
its efforts to obtain more international support for its crimes, it
would seem that not everything went as well as they had hoped in
Shanghai.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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