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Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2001 18:50:43 -0400
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Subject: Radio Havana Cuba-08 October, 2001
Radio Havana Cuba-08 October, 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 08 October 2001
.
*CUBA SAYS US ATTACK ON AFGHANISTAN IS WAR IN FAVOR OF TERRORISM
*CHE GUEVARA REMEMBERED ACROSS THE ISLAND ON ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH
*CUBA TO CONTINUE TO IMPORT MORE RICE FROM ABROAD THAN IT PRODUCES ITSELF
*US PEACE ACTIVISTS CONTINUE TO BUILD AN ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT
*COLOMBIA: PASTRANA DECIDES TO GIVE PEACE PROCESS ANOTHER CHANCE
*ISLAMIC GOVERNMENTS DEFINE THEIR POSITIONS ON US ATTACKS
*VIOLENT ANTI-US DEMONSTRATIONS IN PAKISTAN
*NEW EXODUS OF REFUGEES FROM AFGHANISTAN
*Viewpoint: THE WAR HAS BEGUN
.
*CUBA SAYS US ATTACK ON AFGHANISTAN IS WAR IN FAVOR OF TERRORISM
Havana, October 8 (RHC)--The government of Cuba has affirmed that
Washington's attack against Afghanistan is in reality a war in favor
of terrorism. A front-page editorial in the official Cuban news daily
"Granma" also questioned using the term "war," noting that this term
usually means a conflict between more or less equal sides in which
the weakest at least has a minimum of technical and economic
resources with which to defend itself.
In this case, asserts the editorial, one of the sides has absolutely
nothing, calling the conflict an attack by a country with the most
sophisticated technology and weapons of destruction against millions
who can't even read or write. A conflict, it continued, between a
country with a gross domestic product one thousand times greater than
the country under attack.
The official Cuban news daily affirmed that it's also a conflict in
which an entire country has been converted into a testing ground in
which experts will be able to determine the capability of a sinister
war machinery that costs hundreds of billions of dollars. This war,
asserts the editorial, will make it more difficult and complex to
eradicate terrorism when the international community possesses other
more efficient, rapid and lasting means to do so - saying the cure is
worse than the ailment.
"Granma" affirmed that after the triumphant fanfare, the patriotic
bravado and the expressions of arrogance and a spirit of cultural and
racial superiority, the unanswered questions will arise: Will
resistance cease? Will all the contradictions disappear? Or will the
true war begin, the war defined as long, as interminable?
*CHE GUEVARA REMEMBERED ACROSS THE ISLAND ON ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH
Havana, 8th October (RHC)--Cuba today commemorated the 34th
anniversary of the death of Ernesto Che Guevara, a man whose name is
synonymous with the Cuban Revolution, who was murdered by the
Bolivian army under orders from the CIA.
Captured fighting in the Bolivian jungle, Che was briefly questioned,
and when he refused to be interrogated was shot dead in a school
house in the hamlet of La Higuera. In statements relating to the
assassination, Philip Agee, a former CIA officer, said that there was
general rejoicing at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, where
Che's movements had been monitored and reported to the Bolivian
authorities from the moment the CIA knew he was back in South
America. Agee said that CIA agent Felix Rodriguez was present when
Che Guevara was killed.
In a letter written to Fidel Castro prior to his departure in
disguise for Bolivia, Che Guevara said that he had lived magnificent
times as they fought to liberate Cuba and that in his last minutes of
life he would have Fidel and the people of his adopted country of
Cuba on his mind.
More than 144,000 Cuban first grade schoolchildren received their
traditional neck-scarves from their parents and family today in an
annual ceremony across the island that remembers the Argentine
doctor.
*CUBA TO CONTINUE TO IMPORT MORE RICE FROM ABROAD THAN IT PRODUCES ITSELF
Havana, 8th October (RHC)--According to a report by Reuters news
agency, Cuba will continue to import most of its rice from Asia and
limit its own production, as long as international prices remain at
their current low levels.
In an interview with Reuters, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Dr
Alfredo Gutierrez, said that as rice has been selling as low as $135
a ton on the international market, Cuba will be careful about its use
of the island's arable land. Gutierrez indicated that rice produced
in Cuba so far this year amounts to some 74,000 tons. The country
needs some 700,000 tons of rice a year, of which more than 400,000
tons are imported. Rice -- which is a mainstay of the Cuban diet --
is distributed to the entire population through a subsidized food
program.
Cuba has attempted to revitalize the rice industry by encouraging
small farmers to grow the crop, said the Deputy Minister, with an
additional 200,000 tons expected to be produced by the end of this
year. He said it was the cheapest way to supplement the
government-subsidized rice program, but that it would never come
close to the 700,000 tons needed.
The Cuban Special period of economic stress has had a severe effect
on rice production on the island with large state-run farms not being
cost-effective for the government. The Acero plague has also affected
the crop, as well as drought and falling international prices.
Gutierrez said that he and the agriculture authorities are pretty
certain that the disease was deliberately introduced to the island by
the CIA, which given its history in this field, is not unlikely, say
reports. The Acero is now under control and the country's drought is
at an end.
*US PEACE ACTIVISTS CONTINUE TO BUILD AN ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT
New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, October 8 (RHC)--Despite surveys in
the United States reflecting overwhelming support for the attacks
against Afghanistan, peace activists continue efforts to build an
anti-war movement. Several thousand anti-war demonstrators marched in
New York City on Sunday just two hours after the first bombs were
dropped.
The political and social organizations that came together also
denounced the racist backlashes against Arab-Americans and the
erosion of civil liberties. One of the slogans of the day was "Our
grief is not a cry for war." Many of those who turned out blamed the
current situation on the arrogance of US foreign policy and the lack
of social justice worldwide.
Several hundred people protested in Los Angeles, where some activists
distributed copies of Cuban President Fidel Castro's speech of the
day before, condemning terrorism war. Activists in that city are
building for a major anti-war mobilization at Pershing Square in
downtown Los Angeles on October 27th.
Hundreds also rallied in Chicago, shouting "no more victims, justice
not war." Many protesters in Chicago acknowledged that their views
put them on the margins of public opinion right now. One participant
stated that the tragic events of September 11th brought home to some
Americans that some people abroad have issues with US foreign policy,
though admitting that there are a lot of people who just don't want
to hear that right now.
*COLOMBIA: PASTRANA DECIDES TO GIVE PEACE PROCESS ANOTHER CHANCE
Bogota, October 6 (RHC)--Colombian President Andres Pastrana has
announced that he will extend the demilitarized zone in the southern
part of the country until January 20 -- despite unprecedented
pressure to suspend peace talks with rebel forces. The vast area,
established in November 1998 to facilitate rebel-government peace
talks, is renewed every six months and would have expired on Tuesday.
In announcing that he would extend the demilitarized zone for only
three months this time, the Colombian president said government
controls on the area would be reinforced. Pastrana emphasized that
military patrols on all roads leading into and out of the area would
be stepped-up, adding that the Colombian Air Force would intensify
its strict control over the zone's air space.
Pastrana said he had decided to extend the timetable for the
demilitarized zone after learning that representatives of the
Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces had agreed to continue peace
talks. In an agreement reached with the High Commissioner for Peace,
Camilo Gomez, the rebels will meet with government representatives
this week to establish a work plan and study a cease-fire proposal.
Pastrana has come under harsh fire in recent weeks from all sides.
Politicians and presidential candidates are calling on him to suspend
the peace talks, saying that little has been accomplished over the
past three years. Others are highly critical of the president for not
doing enough to cut the ties between government armed forces and
right-wing paramilitary death squads. On Friday, Human Rights Watch
issued a report in Bogota, revealing details of connections between
three army brigades and the right-wing Colombian Self-Defense Units
in the southern Putumayo Department.
Addressing the nation on radio and television late Sunday evening,
Pastrana warned that if the demilitarized zone is not used for the
purpose of securing peace, he will not hesitate to terminate it at
any moment.
*ISLAMIC GOVERNMENTS DEFINE THEIR POSITIONS ON US ATTACKS
Cairo, Tehran, October 8 (RHC)--Washington's Arab allies, with
Muslim populations who are overwhelmingly opposed to the attacks on
Afghanistan, are having a difficult time assuming a clear posture on
the military strikes. A spokesperson for Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak stated Monday that Cairo understands the US's right to
respond if Washington has proof, but fears for the suffering of the
Afghan people.
News agencies reporting from the Egyptian capital are asserting that
sentiments on the streets are notably against the attack. Media
outlets in the Persian Gulf region approved the military strike, but
with reserve. The government of Qatar called the attack unfortunate,
while at the same time expressing support for an international
struggle against terrorism.
Iran, however, questioned Washington's objectives, insisting that
instead of eliminating terrorism the military offensive is going to
propagate terrorism. Though adversaries of the Taliban regime,
authorities in Iran said war can't destroy terrorism, only the
elimination of its root causes.
Malaysia, a nation outside the Middle East region with two-thirds of
its population practicing the Muslim faith, stated that a
conventional war against terrorism can't work, that even if
terrorists sought by Washington are captured, others will replace
them.
*VIOLENT ANTI-US DEMONSTRATIONS IN PAKISTAN
Islamabad, October 8 (RHC) -- Thousands of angry protesters in
Pakistan took to the streets of several cities. torching buildings
and battling police as they called for a holy war against the United
States. At least one person was killed and dozens wounded in the
southwestern city of Quetta, where some 15,000 demonstrators torched
four movie theatres and two United Nations offices and destroyed
vehicles. Besides tear gas, police could be heard using automatic
rifle fire as military vehicles deployed throughout the city.
Several thousand also mobilized in the northwestern city of Peshawar;
in the capital, Islamabad; in the eastern city of Lahore and in
Karachi in the south. Authorities in Pakistan continue insisting that
the majority of the population supports the government's cooperation
with Washington's war against terrorism and the US-led bombardment of
Afghanistan.
*NEW EXODUS OF REFUGEES FROM AFGHANISTAN
Kabul, October 8 (RHC)--The military strikes against Afghanistan
have sparked a new exodus of the civilian population, leading to
ever-growing fears of a humanitarian catastrophe. Thousands of
refugees are arriving at the borders of neighboring countries,
joining tens of thousands who had already converged on those borders
during the past few weeks.
Afghanistan's neighbors, however, continue refusing to receive the
refugees. Iran stated that it's incapable of guaranteeing the
necessary aid, even aid of an emergency nature. Iran, which shares a
900 kilometer-long border with Afghanistan, had already taken in some
2 million Afghan refugees.
Pakistan, with close to 3 and a half million Afghan refugees in camps
all along its border with Afghanistan, has also reiterated its
refusal to open those borders again. Nevertheless, some one million
refugees are expected to enter Pakistan through remote border
crossings impossible to control.
Thousands of refugees are also heading for the border with
Tajikistan. Some 10,000 Russian soldiers are deployed along the
almost one thousand kilometer-long border, though it's not certain if
Tajikistan officials will allow the refugees to enter this former
Soviet republic.
*Viewpoint: THE WAR HAS BEGUN
Yesterday, at 9:00 pm Afghanistan time, the war began, or rather the
military attack against Afghanistan began. The word "war" suggests a
conflict between more or less similar parties, where the weaker has,
at least, a minimum of technical, financial and economic resources to
defend itself. However, in this case, one of the parties has
absolutely nothing. Still, let us call it a war. That is what he who
ordered the beginning of the military operations called it.
This is really a sui generis war. An entire country is being turned
into a testing ground for the most sophisticated weaponry ever
invented. The experts and specialists at the research centers and
military workshops, who have invested tens of billions of US dollars
in the creation of deadly devices, will attentively follow every
detail of their products' performance.
Whatever the pretexts, this is a war, in which the most sophisticated
technology will be used against people who cannot read or write. A
country whose Gross Domestic Product is $20 billion a year will be
fighting another with approximately one thousand less. Therefore, for
economic, cultural and religious reasons this will be a war of
previous colonizers against the formerly colonized; of the most
developed against the least developed; of the richest against the
poorest; of those who call themselves civilized against those they
consider to be ignorant and barbaric.
It is not a war against terrorism, which should and could have been
defeated by truly efficient, swift and enduring means. It is a war in
favor of terrorism, since the military operations will make it more
complicated and difficult to eradicate. It is a cure worse than the
disease.
From now on, there will be an avalanche of news about bombs,
missiles, air strikes, advances of armored vehicles with troops of
ethnic groups allied with the invaders, the dropping of paratroopers
or the ground advances of elite forces of the attacking countries.
There will be news about occupied cities, including the capital, and
TV images of whatever the censors will permit. The fight will be
against the people of that country and not the terrorists. There are
no battalions or armies of terrorists. This is a sinister concept and
an insidious method of struggle against a ghost.
These events will be compounded by triumphant statements,
chauvinistic exaltation, boasting and other manifestations of
arrogance and of a spirit of racial and cultural superiority.
Then there will be the big question: will resistance stop and every
contradiction disappear or will the true war begin, that which was
defined as long and open-ended? This is certainly the main question
in the minds of those who are now taking pride in having launched
this dangerous war. Millions of refugees are already spreading
everywhere and undoubtedly, the greater difficulties are still to
come.
Let us wait for events to unfold.
Our people will be informed with the utmost objectivity of every
occurrence, providing more or less space in the press, radio and
television depending on their importance. At the same time, we shall
avoid major disruptions of our everyday activities and the usual
programs.
We shall remain focused on the enormous efforts being made in matters
related to our social and cultural development. We will be
particularly watchful and mindful of production and services, which
are today more important than ever, given all the problems that the
on-going events will bring to the already deteriorated world economy,
whose effects no country will be able to escape.
However, no other country is bettered prepared and organized, or more
aware than ours, to face whatever difficulties may arise. Likewise,
we shall continue to concentrate on our defense as we have always
done.
Once again, there will be hesitation and panic in the world. Later,
as the foreseeable problems begin to arise, there will be a growing
awareness and a universal repudiation of the war that has just begun.
Even the American people, who are today so shocked by the horrible
tragedy, will sooner or later understand.
The opposition and condemnation of terrorism and war, which have been
the basis of our stance, today shared by many people in the world,
has sustained an unexpected blow with the beginning of military
operations. But we shall persist in struggling with all our
capabilities for the only possible solution; the end of the military
operations and the eradication of terrorism through the cooperation
and support of all countries, and through the unaninous repudiation
and condemnation of international public opinion under the leadership
of the United Nations.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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