From: NY Transfer News <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2001 22:07:09 -0500 (EST) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [CubaNews] RHC Weekend-03 November 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - Weekend News Update - 03 November 2001 . *GLOBAL CAPITALISM IN CRISIS LONG BEFORE SEPTEMBER 11, SAYS FIDEL *HAVANA TRIAL OF GUATEMALANS ACCUSED OF TERRORISM CLOSED PENDING SENTENCE *CUBA PREPARES FOR HURRICANE MICHELLE *CUBA AND MOZAMBIQUE SIGN BILATERAL COOPERATION ACCORDS *PRESIDENT OF PRINCIPALITY OF ASTURIAS CONTINUES OFFICIAL VISIT TO CUBA *HAVANA'S INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR WINDS UP IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL *NATURAL TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN CENTRAL CUBA *FAO: HUNGER ATROCIOUS REALITY IN A WORLD OF ABUNDANCE AND SQUANDER *GUNTER GRASS BLASTS GERMAN GOVERNMENT'S ATTEMPTS TO CENSOR CRITICISM OF BOMBARDMENT OF AFGHANISTAN . *GLOBAL CAPITALISM IN CRISIS LONG BEFORE SEPTEMBER 11, SAYS FIDEL Havana, November 3 (RHC) - Cuban President Fidel Castro has asserted that global capitalism was in crisis long before the September 11th terrorist attacks. In a televised address to the nation Friday evening, the Cuban leader noted that by the mid-1990s only an insignificant portion of economic operations in capitalist societies were related to world production and trade - pointing to the 3 billion dollars daily involved in speculative operations in stock markets which had no relation whatsoever to the actual profits and income of business firms. As, in his words, this "virtual wealth" was created, it was reinvested, spent and wasted as billions of human beings neither participated in nor enjoyed these riches in any way whatsoever. President Castro said these billions supplied raw materials and cheap labor, but did not consume, could not be consumers and did not constitute a market. An elementary analysis, affirmed the Cuban leader, was sufficient to comprehend that this situation was unsustainable. He said the architects, specialists and administrators of the new international economic order, economists and politicians, now look on as their fantasy falls to pieces, yet they barely understand that they have lost control of events. In his Friday evening address to the nation, Fidel Castro pointed to the 1997 crisis of the so-called Asian tigers, the 1998 crisis in Russia, Brazil's 1999 crisis and the beginning of the crisis in the United States in which a sustained decrease in the rate of industrial production began half way into the year 2000. Using the statistics of the most important financial agencies, numerous public statements by the world's political and financial leaders and articles in some of the world's leading economic journals, among other sources, President Castro factually demonstrated how global capitalism worldwide has been in steady decline for more than a year. Though the September 11 attacks and the war against Afghanistan aggravated an already announced crisis, the facts, he continued, demonstrate that the economic slump is not a consequence of those events. Such claims, said the Cuban leader, can only be made out of total ignorance or an attempt to hide the real cause. He said the crisis is a consequence of the resounding and irreversible failure of an economic and political conception imposed on the world: free market neoliberalism and globalization. And, he said, the crisis also means the aggravation of major problems that are far from being solved, including poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, unemployment, the lack of education and the struggle for environmentally sustainable development. The Cuban leader, speaking on national TV and radio, detailed the consequences of this crisis for the Cuban economy, but noted that Cuba's experience following the collapse of the European socialist camp and the USSR - which led many, he added, to predict that Cuba would suffer the same fate - will allow the island to ride the waves. Recalling, among other feats, that in the 1990s the Cuban Revolution was successful in bringing the exchange rate down from 150 Cuban pesos per one US dollar to 20 per one, Fidel Castro said the foreign currency exchange offices for the public will not be closed, all bank deposits will be absolutely respected, farmers' markets will remain open, state prices of goods and services, whether rationed or not, will not go up a single cent, and the prices of the 700,000 Chinese television sets that will be distributed and sold to the population in national currency will be calculated at the exchange rate of 20 pesos to the dollar, as was previously established. The Cuban leader, addressing the nation Friday evening, said some future dreams will have to wait, but these will be fulfilled, noting that the most important investments have already been made, that Cuba has an immense human capital and is politically more united and stronger than ever, and that the Cuban nation is much better prepared to confront this situation. Finally, in reference to the dangers, the chaos and the devastation unleashed by the US bombardment of Afghanistan - as, said the Cuban leader, Cuba predicted - if the culprits of the horrendous and unjustifiable terrorist attack against the United States are those that the US government is trying to punish and remove, there is no doubt that the way in which they are doing it will lead to the creation of alters where the alleged murderers will be worshiped as saints by millions of men and women. It would be better, said Fidel Castro, to build an enormous altar to peace where humanity can pay homage to all the innocent victims of blind terror and violence, be it an American or an Afghan child. [The complete text of Fidel's speech in English and Spanish is available on NY Transfer at http://www.blythe.org/nytransfer-subs/Caribbean ] *HAVANA TRIAL OF GUATEMALANS ACCUSED OF TERRORISM CLOSED PENDING SENTENCE The trial in Havana against 3 Guatemalans accused of terrorism was closed Friday pending sentence. The district attorney's office reduced by more than half the petition for 20, 25 and 30 year prison sentences against the defendants, charged with infiltrating into Cuba 432 grams of explosives to be used in terrorist attacks against tourism installations. District attorney Luis Palenzuela said the reductions are due to the cooperation offered by the Guatemalans in the investigation of the case, as well as their guilty plea and their expressions of regret for having participated in the plot. During the trial, Cuban authorities provided evidence, including confessions of the defendants, of the existence of a Central American terrorist network financed by Miami's Cuban-American National Foundation to commit terrorist attacks in Cuba. Participating as an observer in the trial, Guatemalan ambassador in Havana, Hugo Rene Gonzalez, expressed confidence that his compatriots will receive fair sentences and that they'll be able to serve their prison time in Guatemala. He said Cuba and Guatemala are already negotiating an accord that will allow persons convicted of crimes in both nations to serve their sentences in their country of origin. *CUBA PREPARES FOR HURRICANE MICHELLE Havana, November 3 (RHC)-- Cubans are preparing for one of the most dangerous storms to threaten the island in many years. Meteorological forecasts over the next 24 to 48 hours put Hurricane Michelle on a direct course toward Cuba. Civil defense authorities are already evacuating low-lying areas of the Cuban capital and residents of older, precarious buildings are being moved to more secure structures. Communities are being mobilized throughout the island and local Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) are busily tying down anything that could be affected by the storm's accompanying high winds. Hurricane alerts have been issued from western Pinar del Rio all the way to the province of Ciego de Avila in the central part of the island and people are preparing for what appears to be a very powerful storm, with lots of rain and potentially devastating winds. During last night's special radio and television appearance here in Havana, Cuban President Fidel Castro assured the nation that authorities are doing everything possible to safeguard human life.Stay tuned to Radio Havana Cuba... we'll give you updates on the weather situation and the development of Hurricane Michelle as the information becomes available. *CUBA AND MOZAMBIQUE SIGN BILATERAL COOPERATION ACCORDS Havana, November 3 (RHC)-- Cuba and Mozambique signed bilateral cooperation accords Friday night, at the conclusion of an official visit to the island of Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano. The agreements covered wide areas of cooperation, including the promotion and protection of mutual investments, trade and tourism, as well as health and education. Following the signing ceremony, held at Havana's International Convention Center, the African leader affirmed that relations between Mozambique and Cuba are truly exemplary. He told reporters that he was impressed that two, underdeveloped countries have found so many areas of mutual cooperation -- despite extremely difficult moments internationally. During his six-day official visit to Cuba, the Mozambican president toured numerous places of political and historic interest. Joaquim Chissano visited Playa Gir�n -- also known as the Bay of Pigs -- site of the CIA-sponsored mercenary invasion of the island in April 1961. Speaking with reporters covering his visit, the Mozambican president said the liberation struggles of the African continent were greatly helped by Cuba's victory against the mercenary invaders. He noted that the struggle against Portuguese colonialism was just beginning in Mozambique when Cuba gained its independence, adding: "Had you not won [the fight against the U.S.-backed invasion], our success would have been impossible." At the beginning of his visit this week, the African leader toured the Latin American School of Medicine and the International School of Sports and Physical Education, both located on the outskirts of Havana. He praised Cuba's gains in health and education, noting that the Cuban Revolution has generously offered its help in these and other areas to his country and the rest of the Third World. The Mozambican president ended his official visit to the island on Saturday. *PRESIDENT OF PRINCIPALITY OF ASTURIAS CONTINUES OFFICIAL VISIT TO CUBA Havana, November 3 (RHC)-- The President of the Principality of Asturias, Vicente Alberto Alvarez Areces, toured areas of Old Havana on Saturday -- the fourth day of his official visit to the island. Yesterday, Friday, he met with Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe P�rez Roque and also toured the Salvador Allende Hospital in Havana, the Latin American School of Medicine and the Museum of Fine Arts. President Alvarez Areces arrived in the Cuban capital Wednesday evening and is accompanied by a large delegation of government officials and business representatives from the Spanish autonomous community. The Asturian delegation will end their visit to the island tomorrow, Sunday. *HAVANA'S INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR WINDS UP IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, November 3 (RHC)-- Havana's 19th International Trade Fair came to a successful conclusion on Saturday. More than 1800 companies from 60 countries took part in the Trade Fair, which ran through this past week in the Cuban capital. An awards ceremony was held Friday night with the presentation of gold medals to 40 of the best pavilions at the Fair. Cuba walked away with 17 of the medals -- awarded for its pavilions, product quality and representation. The President of the Organizing Committee of Havana's International Trade Fair, Abraham Maciques, delivered the closing address of this year's event. Maciques said that despite the difficult and complex economic situation in the world, the increased number of foreign participants at the Fair demonstrated growing business and commercial confidence in Cuba. *NATURAL TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN CENTRAL CUBA Cienfuegos, November 3 (RHC)-- In the central Cuban city of Cienfuegos, the Union Hotel will host the International Conference on Nature Tourism, TURNAT 2001, scheduled for November 5 to 9. The event will include a theoretical workshop on the sustainable development of nature tourism in Cuba and the Caribbean, in addition to other related topics. The event's organizers said TURNAT 2001 hopes to become the Caribbean market of nature tourism. Participants at the event will tour different nature tourist sites in that south-central Cuba. Cienfuegos has a botanical garden, thermal waterfalls and one of the country's largest bays.Last year, the event was held at the Vi�ales Valley, located in western Pinar del Rio province, an area famous for its plateaus and mountains. *FAO: HUNGER ATROCIOUS REALITY IN A WORLD OF ABUNDANCE AND SQUANDER Rome, November 3 (RHC) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization has charged that the drama of hunger continues to constitute an atrocious reality in a world of abundance and wasteful squander. In the FAO's Biannual Conference underway since Friday in Rome, the UN agency's general director - Senegalese Jacques Diouf - termed as totally insufficient the average yearly reduction of the number of undernourished people. At the current rate, said Diouf, it will take 60 years to reach the objective established for the year 2015 by the 1996 World Food Summit. In an even more hard-hitting denunciation, former Chilean President Patricio Aylwin charged that the deification of neoliberalism and the all-powerful free market has led to a lack of political commitment on the part of rich nations towards poor countries. Aylwin said the free market vision, combined with erroneous economic formulas, are behind some of the planet's most excruciating problems. He affirmed that hunger is not merely a question of agricultural production, but has to due with the unacceptably high levels of poverty - which he called a fundamental characteristic of free market globalization. The former Chilean President said that the reality of such an extensive poverty constitutes a moral scandal and seriously threatens social peace worldwide. *GUNTER GRASS BLASTS GERMAN GOVERNMENT'S ATTEMPTS TO CENSOR CRITICISM OF BOMBARDMENT OF AFGHANISTAN Bonn, November 3 (RHC) -- 1999 Nobel Literature laureate, German Gunter Grass, has warned against efforts to silence intellectuals in Europe criticizing the bombardment of Afghanistan. Denouncing that they are unjustly being called anti-American, Grass said it is particularly the task of US allies to raise questions about Washington's actions. He said that if he's someone's friend he should be able to contradict that friend when he commits a mistake, asserting that otherwise what you have is blind solidarity that limits the capacity to think. The Nobel laureate referred to German Interior Minister Otto Schily's warning against criticism of US actions in Afghanistan, calling them counterproductive in the war on terrorism. Grass said the effort to limit fundamental democratic rights and gag criticism can be considered a victory for the terrorists. He said the ambience since the September 11 attacks reminds him of the red scare hysteria during the McCarthy era. (c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ================================================================= _________________________________________________ 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: anti-
