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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 23:09:12 -0500
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: Radio Havana Cuba-21 November 2001
Radio Havana Cuba-21 November 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 21 November 2001
.
*FIVE CUBANS REMAIN LOCKED UP IN PRISON FOR FIGHTING TERRORISM
*FIDEL CASTRO TALKS WITH RETURNING WORLD BASEBALL CHAMPIONS
*RECOVERY EFFORTS CONTINUE IN WAKE OF HURRICANE MICHELLE
*ARGENTINE SUPREME COURT ORDERS FORMER PRESIDENT CARLOS MENEM FREED
*INTERNATONAL EFFORT TO PREVENT COLLAPSE OF COLOMBIAN PEACE PROCESS
*LONDON ADMITS THERE MAY NO ROLE FOR BRITISH TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
*UNITED NATIONS WARNS OF ON-GOING INSTABILITY IN AFGHANISTAN
*OBSERVERS WARN OF RENEWED FOCUS ON IRAQ BY US HAWKS
Viewpoint:
*WINNER OF HONDURAN ELECTION TAKES OVER AN IMPOVERISHED, TROUBLED NATION
.
*FIVE CUBANS REMAIN LOCKED UP IN PRISON FOR FIGHTING TERRORISM
Havana, November 21 (RHC)--Five Cuban political prisoners remain
locked up in a U.S. federal prison in Miami -- awaiting sentencing
next month. The prisoners have been convicted in U.S. courts for
allegedly endangering national security, but their only "crime" was
to provide information that would prevent terrorist actions against
the island.
The names of the five are household words in Cuba: Rene, Ramon,
Gerardo, Fernando and Antonio. And during Tuesday evening's
roundtable discussion -- broadcast live on Cuban radio and television
-- the latest information about their health and welfare was
discussed by a panel of experts and journalists.
The moderator of the roundtable discussion, Randy Alonso, reported
that the five are still being held separately in Miami's federal
prison. He said that all are in good health and high spirits --
awaiting a sentencing hearing that has been set for after December
10th.
Eduardo Dimas, a journalist with Cuban television, said that U.S.
lawyers representing the five have conducted themselves very well --
offering abundant evidence of their innocence on charges of espionage
and conspiracy. Dimas stated that the attorneys are arguing for a
dismissal of the charges against their clients.
Panelists on Tuesday evening's roundtable also noted that during
trial proceedings in Miami, a number of prominent witnesses --
including retired U.S. military officers and intelligence agents --
offered testimony in favor of dropping charges against the five
Cubans. One witness, a retired U.S. Army general, testified that Cuba
does not represent a threat to the United States. Other defense
witnesses pointed to the numerous terrorist attacks carried out
against Cuba over the years -- organized in the United States and,
specifically, in southern Florida.
Finally, panelists on the radio and TV roundtable concluded that if
Washington were truly serious about fighting terrorism, the five
Cubans who were merely trying to protect their country from terrorist
acts would be immediately set free.
*FIDEL CASTRO TALKS WITH RETURNING WORLD BASEBALL CHAMPIONS
Havana, November 21 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro visited
with the island's winning baseball team last night -- having just
arrived from Taipei and their victory at the 34th World Baseball Cup.
The Cuban leader shook hands with each of the players and talked with
them about their individual and team efforts. He told them that the
entire Cuban people were following each and every play -- despite the
fact that most of the games were played during the early morning
hours in Cuba, due to the time difference between Havana and Taipei.
The leader of the Cuban Revolution joked that even he lost sleep,
making sure he didn't miss a single game.
Fidel Castro congratulated the players on behalf of the Cuban people
and said that the island's victory at the World Baseball Cup comes at
the same time that Cuba is successfully recovering from the
devastation of Hurricane Michelle.
The head of the Cuban Sports Institute and leader of the team's
delegation in Taipei, Humberto Rodriguez, gave the Cuban president a
detailed, play-by-play account of the games leading up to the
decisive one against the U.S. team. He said that right before the
championship game, representatives of the U.S. team passed out little
American flags -- hoping that people in the stadium would wave them
in support of their team. Rodriguez said that when the game actually
got underway, the flags never saw the light of day. Instead, most of
the fans in Taipei's baseball stadium cheered for Cuba's team.
During his conversation with the players, Cuban President Fidel
Castro noted that the team worked hard for their World Cup victory
and that the island's regular baseball season opens December 16th. He
said the players needed a well-deserved break and that the opening
date might be moved back to give them more time to rest.
*RECOVERY EFFORTS CONTINUE IN WAKE OF HURRICANE MICHELLE
Havana, November 21 (RHC)--Recovery efforts continue in the
provinces hardest hit by Hurricane Michelle two and a half weeks ago.
According to reports from area residents and local authorities, the
affected areas are beginning to return to normal.
In Havana province, independent and cooperative farmers are
reportedly harvesting crops that can be recovered and trying to meet
the winter planting season. Planting also includes short-term crops
such as squash, sweet potatoes and corn.
The Ministry of Tourism reports that the efforts of hotel and tourism
workers during Hurricane Michelle were crucial for the protection of
important facilities.
In terms of communications, Cuba's telecommunications company ETECSA
has announced that basic telephone service will be totally
re-established on the island by November 30th.
And, as the beginning of the sugar harvest is just a few days away,
Cuba's Sugar Minister Ulises Rosales del Toro called on workers in
eastern Holguin province to strive for efficiency during the upcoming
harvest. Del Toro announced that the harvest could start earlier on
some plantations near the sugar mills that were severely affected by
the hurricane, allowing for the cutting of huge amounts of cane that
had been literally flattened by the storm's devastating winds.
*ARGENTINE SUPREME COURT ORDERS FORMER PRESIDENT CARLOS MENEM FREED
Buenos Aires, November 21 (RHC)--Argentina's Supreme Court Tuesday
ordered former president Carlos Menem freed from house arrest on
charges of running an illicit arms smuggling ring. The arrest nearly
six months agon marked the first time Menem had been touched
personally by numerous corruption scandals that marked his two
consecutive terms as president between 1989 and 1999.
The high court also ordered the release from prison of Menem's former
advisor and brother-in-law Emir Yoma in a 6 to 2 vote with one
abstention. The decision was accompanied by harsh criticism of
federal judge Jorge Urso, who had ordered Menem's house arrest
insisting that there was sufficient evidence linking the former
president to an illicit criminal association.
Investigators have been looking into how some 6,500 tons of weapons
worth 100 million dollars officially listed as bound for Panama and
Venezuela ended up in Croatia and Ecuador despite international arms
embargoes. Menem and several of his cabinet ministers signed 4
decrees between 1991 and 1995 authorizing the sale of weapons that
were diverted to the two countries under a UN weapons embargo due to
their involvement in armed conflicts.
Former defense minister Antonio Erman Gonzalez and army chief Martin
Balza were not released from prison due to criminal investigations
linked to the original charges of gun smuggling. Menem's release came
as no surprise to local media outlets, which recalled that the former
president had good relations with the majority of the 9 Supreme Court
justices. Menem himself had increased the number of justices from 5
to 9 during his presidency, a move that many say was aimed at
favoring himself and his colleagues in the face of eventual
corruption charges once his mandate came to an end.
*INTERNATONAL EFFORT TO PREVENT COLLAPSE OF COLOMBIAN PEACE PROCESS
Bogot�, November 21 (RHC)--The international community is
mobilizing to prevent a definitive rupture in rebel-government peace
talks in Colombia. The Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces
insurgency has threatened to immediately withdraw from the peace
process if authorities don't suspend the stepped up military
maneuvers near the rebel-controlled demilitarized zone.
Special UN envoy, Norwegian Jan Egeland, has issued a desperate call
to both parties, stating that a rupture in the peace process would be
tragic. Representatives of the so-called peace process "facilitator"
nations -- Canada, Cuba, Spain, France, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Sweden,
Switzerland and Venezuela -- have also mobilized in efforts to bring
to the two sides back to the negotiation table.
The rebels have refused to hold talks since last October 17th due to
military over flights of the demilitarized zone and stepped up
controls on land. President Andres Pastrana has refused to bow to the
rebel demand. Colombian Interior Minister Armando Estrada Tuesday
affirmed that the president had nothing more to say concerning the
issue.
*LONDON ADMITS THERE MAY NO ROLE FOR BRITISH TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
London, November 21 (RHC)--The British defense ministry has
admitted that its military force in Afghanistan may be pulled out
amid continuing uncertainty about what role, if any, UK troops could
play there. After Prime Minister Tony Blair Tuesday denied rumors
that the deployment of another 6,000 troops had been postponed due to
differences with Washington, the British news daily "The Guardian"
quoted a defense source who reportedly said that not only has
deployment of the 6,000 been postponed, but the 100 British troops at
the Bagram airbase north of Kabul may be pulled out.
"The Guardian" reported that a withdrawal would come as an
embarrassment to Blair, who has trumpeted the potential role of
British forces in stabilizing Afghanistan and distributing aid. There
have been persistent reports that the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance
is blocking deployment of more British troops and that the US is
unenthusiastic about Blair's plans to send further troops -
preferring to concentrate instead on the elimination of Osama Bin
Laden.
According to British international development secretary Clare Short,
Washington is not interested in a civil-military liaison between aid
agencies and US military commanders. Observers have also noted the
US's reluctance to commit ground troops to any post-Taliban
stabilization effort once the bombing raids achieve their objective.
*UNITED NATIONS WARNS OF ON-GOING INSTABILITY IN AFGHANISTAN
Kabul, November 21 (RHC)--The United Nations Wednesday warned that
various regions in Afghanistan remain unstable following the Taliban
flight. UN offices in the northern city of Mazar-I-Sharif and the
eastern city of Jalalabad have been cleaned out by thieves. The
looting of UN offices in the two cities included the theft of food
aid, vehicles and communications equipment.
According to UN spokesman Eric Falt, even the window frames were
stripped from some offices. Along with the four journalists shot and
killed Monday as they traveled on the main road east of Kabul, other
journalists have reportedly been robbed on the route around the city
of Sarobi, said to be a favorite site of highway bandits when
Afghanistan suffered years of lawlessness in the 1990s.
The road is the country's main link to Pakistan, supplying much of
its food aid and other supplies. Due to the road's dangerousness, the
UN is flying planes from Pakistan to Kabul at an insurance cost of
50,000 dollars for each flight, and charging journalists 2,500
dollars for a one-way seat. Meanwhile, mujahideen warlords aren't
waiting for next Monday's gathering in Berlin on Afghanistan's
political future. Mazar-I-Sharif is now effectively divided into
three sections, each run by a rival Northern Alliance commander.
UN officials say about 300 bodies have been found there in the past
week, victims of intra-alliance squabbling. Kabul, though with a
calmer situation, is also ruled by rival alliance factions that
observers say could cross swords. General Mohammad Fahim, the
alliance's defense minister, controls the central and eastern parts
of the city, while troops loyal to General Mohammad Karias Khalili
control Kabul's western sections.
*OBSERVERS WARN OF RENEWED FOCUS ON IRAQ BY US HAWKS
Washington, November 21 (RHC)--With the United States now saying
that Iraq could well be the next anti-terrorism target, some
observers are asserting that in Washington the hawks are gaining the
upper hand. According to the British news daily "The Guardian", the
caution of Secretary of State Colin Powell is loosing ground to
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon.
The article "Turning Towards Iraq" affirmed that the most public
advocate of killing Saddam Hussein is Richard Perle, the former
Reagan official once branded the Prince of Darkness, and Rumsfeld's
beyond-hawkish deputy Paul Wolfowitz. According to journalist Jason
Vest, writing for the "Village Voice," the Washington debate on
attacking Iraq goes well beyond madness.
Vest, a political reporter based in Washington, D.C. who also
contributes regularly to the alternative publications AlterNet, The
American Prospect and In These Times, affirmed that the Donald
Rumsfeld Pentagon is increasingly seen by some as an asylum where a
coterie of vengeful Cold War unilateralist relics plot a return to a
forceful, Reaganesque Pax Americana, broadening the war to encompass
military action against Iraq, Syria and Lebanon -- essentially fusing
Israel's national security agenda with that of the United States.
Viewpoint:
*WINNER OF HONDURAN ELECTION TAKES OVER AN IMPOVERISHED, TROUBLED NATION
When we speak of politics, the terms "win" and "lose" are relative.
Nowhere is that more true than in Sunday's elections in Honduras,
where the "winner" will assume responsibility for an impoverished and
backward country.
Honduras, among the region's poorest nations, falls just behind Haiti
and Nicaragua, with official figures listing 60 per cent of its six
million inhabitants living below the poverty line. Non- governmental
agencies however, maintain that up to 80 per cent of Hondurans are
living from hand- to-mouth. Of every one hundred Honduran residents,
44 have no access whatever to health services and 16 live in
overcrowded and unsanitary conditions spawning all types of disease.
The country still has not recovered from the devastation of Hurricane
Mitch, which smashed into Honduras in l998, destroying a large part
of the nation, killing more than six thousand people and leaving more
than a million and a half homeless. And on top of all that, this year
a prolonged drought scorched Honduras' already precarious crops
leaving tens of thousands of people in the northern and eastern
regions on the brink of starvation.
Another serious problem which the next president of Honduras will
inherit is a foreign debt of some six billion dollars, which means
that every person at birth already owes a thousand dollars that must
be paid immediately. The tragedy is that the debt is 330 million
dollars more than Honduras' Gross Domestic Product. That means that
if all of the country's produced wealth were added up for an entire
year, it still wouldn't be enough to pay what the nation owes its
foreign creditors.
The World Bank itself, one of the destroyed nation's main creditors.,
estimates that for each dollar that enters Honduras, the country
needs six dollars just to pay the yearly interest on the debt, while
the debt itself either remains the same or grows.
The non-governmental agency the Honduran Social Forum of Foreign Debt
and Development, revealed that the country paid four billion, 150
million dollars between l981 and l999 in interest, a figure that is
the equivalent of the entire debt in l999.
No matter how you look at it, each day Honduras sinks deeper into
poverty with no hope on the horizon. It is clear that the people are
going to demand much of the new government in the way to solving the
country's festering problems. Governing party representative Rafael
Pineda Ponce and conservative businessman Ricardo Maduro, the two
presidential candidates most likely to win, should think twice and
realize that the challenges will be much greater than the sweet smell
of success.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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