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Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 23:24:43 -0500 (EST)
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Subject: [CubaNews] RHC Weekend-1/2 December 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - Weekend News Update - 01/02 December 2001
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*DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF VIETNAM PAYS HOMAGE TO JOSE MARTI
*FIRST JOINT CONGRESS OF THE CUBAN ORTHOPEDICS SOCIETY AND THE
AMERICAN FRACTURE ASSOCIATION CONCLUDES IN HAVANA
*SOLIDARITY ENCOUNTER BETWEEN SPANISH-CUBAN INSTITUTIONS BEGINS
*EVERYTHING READY IN HAVANA FOR THE 23rd LATIN AMERICAN NEW FILM FESTIVAL
*AFTER AFGHANISTAN: WASHINGTON HAS BAGHDAD IN ITS SIGHTS
*US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MAY ALLOW FBI TO LEGALLY SPY ON GROUPS
*NELSON MANDELA CALLS FOR ACCESS TO MEDICATIONS FOR AIDS PATIENTS
*ISRAELI FORCES SURROUND PALESTINIAN CITIES
Viewpoint:
*BUSH AND AZNAR - BOSOM BUDDIES THROUGH THICK AND THIN
.
*DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF VIETNAM PAYS HOMAGE TO JOSE MARTI
Havana, December 1 (RHC)-- Visiting Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister
Nguyen Tan Dung placed a floral wreath before the Jose Marti Monument
at Havana's Revolution Square Saturday morning.
The Vietnamese dignitary, who began an official visit to the island
on Friday at the invitation of Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage, said
that the aim of his visit is to strengthen bilateral cooperation
relations, especially in the areas of trade and the economy. He also
expressed his interest in learning first-hand about the Cuban
experience in building socialism.
The Vietnamese deputy prime minister is accompanied by a large
delegation made up of his country's ministers of agriculture,
industry, culture, tourism, information, trade and construction, as
well as leaders of the Vietnamese Communist party.
During his stay on the island, which runs through Tuesday, the
Vietnamese deputy prime minister is scheduled to meet with
high-ranking Cuban officials, among them Foreign Minister Felipe
Perez Roque, Communist Party's Political Bureau member Juan Carlos
Robinson and Government Minister Ricardo Cabrisas.
*FIRST JOINT CONGRESS OF THE CUBAN ORTHOPEDICS SOCIETY AND THE
AMERICAN FRACTURE ASSOCIATION CONCLUDES IN HAVANA
Havana, December 1 (RHC)-- The First Joint Congress of the Cuban
Orthopedics Association and the American Fracture Association
concluded on Friday at Havana's Frank Pa�s Orthopedics Complex.
Among issues debated by the more than 800 delegates from 28 nations
was the use of fixers to treat hip and other fractures. It was
revealed that the United States, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Canada are
among 36 nations benefiting today from the external fixers called
RALCA, developed by renowned Cuban orthopedist Rodrigo Alvarez Cambra
in 1971.
The Cuban use of the technique, which has proven to be very effective
in cases of fractures, bone tumors, congenital malformations, bone
disease and joint obstructions, has avoided amputations and cured
serious diseases in more than 85,000 patients.
The production of high quality, recyclable RALCA external fixers in
Cuba saves the island 250 dollars a piece -- the cost for each fixer
on the world market.
*SOLIDARITY ENCOUNTER BETWEEN SPANISH-CUBAN INSTITUTIONS BEGINS
Havana, December 1 (RHC)-- The 8th Solidarity Encounter between
Institutions in Spain and their counterparts in Havana began today
here in the Cuban capital.
The event, which runs through Wednesday, December 5th, will also be
attended by representatives from institutions in Italy and France.
The aim of the gathering is to review the implementation of
cooperation agreements signed between municipal authorities from
various Spanish cities and local Havana authorities.
Participants will tour municipalities in the Cuban capital, where
cooperation projects are currently underway with those nations'
sponsorship.
*EVERYTHING READY IN HAVANA FOR THE 23rd LATIN AMERICAN NEW FILM FESTIVAL
Havana, December 1 (RHC)- Everything is ready for the 23rd Latin
American New Film Festival, which begins Monday in the Cuban capital.
The event's organizing committee reports that expectations are
running high among movie lovers, including Cubans as well as foreign
visitors who travel to the island this time of year to attend the
prestigious Havana film festival.
Films in competition include titles such as "Y Tu Mam� Tambi�n" (And
Your Mother, Too) by Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron and the Cuban
films "Nada" (Nothing) and "Noches de Constantinopla" or
Constantinople Nights.
As in the past, the Havana film festival also exhibits movies from
other parts of the world outside Latin America. Spanish productions
are highly valued by the Cuban public. Among the Spanish films at the
festival this year, movie lovers will have the opportunity to enjoy
"Juana la Loca" (Joan, the Crazy Woman) and "Lucia y el Sexo" (Lucia
and Sex) by Spaniards Vicente Aranda and Julio Medem, respectively.
The annual Havana film festival, which this year runs through
December 13th, is also a unique opportunity for filmmakers and arts
critics from Latin America to exchange information and learn from
each other experiences.
*AFTER AFGHANISTAN: WASHINGTON HAS BAGHDAD IN ITS SIGHTS
Washington, December 1 (RHC)-- According to news reports in the
United States, Washington has Baghdad in its sights and may use the
momentum of its so-called "war on terrorism" to attack Iraq in the
near future.
A top State Department official said on Friday that the United States
was "on a roll" in its campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan
and that President George W. Bush planned to force Iraq to open its
borders to United Nations inspectors looking for "weapons of mass
destruction."
At the same time, other administration officials hinted that Bush was
looking at options involving the building up of opposition groups to
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but that such an initiative would
take time to develop because "there isn't a ready-made opposition"
now.
Speaking with reporters in Washington, Deputy Secretary of State
Richard Armitage suggested that military action against Iraq was not
imminent, but would come -- in his words -- "at a place and time of
our choosing."
The remarks were part of what has been a steady drumbeat of bellicose
comments toward Iraq this week, including statements by the U.S.
president that have concerned some European and Arab allies. A number
of European leaders this week called on Bush not to pursue a military
course against Iraq. U.S. allies in Europe and the Arab World have
expressed concern that an attack against Iraq could harm efforts to
negotiate a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Other Arab leaders have also warned that a wider war in the Middle
East will incite the imagery of a Western assault on Muslim nations.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell denied
reports that something is on the verge of happening militarily
against Iraq, saying it "has no particular substance to it."
*US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT MAY ALLOW FBI TO LEGALLY SPY ON GROUPS
Washington, December 1 (RHC)-- U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
is reportedly considering a plan to relax restrictions on the FBI's
spying on religious and political organizations in the United States.
According to this morning's edition of The New York Times, the
proposal would loosen one of the most fundamental restrictions on the
conduct of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and would be yet
another step by the Bush administration to modify civil-liberties
protections.
The report notes that surveillance guidelines were imposed on the FBI
in the 1970's, following disclosures that the FBI had run a
widespread domestic surveillance program, called Cointelpro, to
monitor antiwar activists, the Black Panthers and the Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., among others. Since then, the guidelines have
defined the FBI's operational conduct in investigations of domestic
and foreign groups that operate in the United States.
The New York Times story says that some government officials who
oppose the change said the rules had largely kept the FBI out of
politically motivated investigations, protecting the bureau from
embarrassment and lawsuits. But Attorney General Ashcroft and the
current FBI director, Robert Mueller, reportedly favor the change.
The relaxation of the guidelines would follow administration measures
to establish military tribunals to try foreigners accused of
terrorism; to seek out and question 5,000 immigrants, most of them
Muslims, who have entered the United States since January 2000; and
to arrest more than 1200 people, nearly all of whom are not connected
to the events of September 11th.
Under the current surveillance guidelines, the FBI cannot send
undercover agents to investigate groups that gather at places like
mosques or churches unless investigators first find probable cause or
evidence leading them to believe that someone in the group may have
broken the law. Some officials are now saying they need broader
authority to conduct surveillance of so-called terrorists, no matter
where they are.
The proposed review of FBI guidelines has apparently created a rift
in the Justice Department. Several senior career officials have
complained that they had not been consulted about the proposed change
-- a criticism they have expressed about other Bush administration
counterterrorism measures.
When the Justice Department decided to use military tribunals to try
accused terrorists and to interview thousands of Muslim men in the
United States, the officials said they also were not consulted.
This morning's edition of The New York Times says that some
complaints seem to stem from the FBI's shifting status under Attorney
General John Ashcroft. Weakened by a series of blunders that took
place before September 11th, the FBI has been forced to follow orders
from the Justice Department. In the past, the FBI director had far
more independence and authority to make his own decisions.
Political analysts point out that the FBI and other intelligence
agencies have long carried out surveillance on domestic groups within
the United States -- and that these changes and new measures will,
from a judicial standpoint, merely make them legal.
*NELSON MANDELA CALLS FOR ACCESS TO MEDICATIONS FOR AIDS PATIENTS
Cape Town, December 1 (RHC)-- Former South African President Nelson
Mandela called on Saturday for AIDS victims to be given access to
drugs that fight the disease and said heads of state must take the
lead in raising awareness of the illness.
Today, December 1st, is World Aids Day and many activities are taking
place internationally to commemorate the date. In Cape Town, South
Africa, Nelson Mandela visited a clinic for AIDS patients and told
reporters that those who are HIV positive must receive the proper
treatment and drugs to help them resist the pandemic. The 83-year-old
African statesman took a number of infected and dying children into
his arms and later answered questions from Black and white school
children at a local community meeting hall.
Nelson Mandela told the children that that the government should
provide drugs to prolong the lives of people already infected with
HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS. He said, "We
must combine various strategies, firstly giving people the necessary
drugs to try and prevent the disease taking the upper hand."
South Africa has more people living with AIDS than any other country
in the world -- nearly five million people, or one in nine of the
country's population, are affected -- and the government has been
widely criticized for its handling of the crisis.
This week, AIDS activists and doctors took the South African
government to court in a bid to force it to provide a drug called
nevirapine that could cut the risk of pregnant women passing on HIV
to their babies by up to 50 percent. Government lawyers argued the
cost of providing such treatment would cripple the public health
system given the numbers of those affected with HIV.
The former South African president said that heads of state and
governments should lead the fight against AIDS, which has already
infected more than 40 million people worldwide.
Hundreds of gatherings are being held across South Africa to mark
World Aids Day, which will culminate with the Flame for Life
ceremony, in which Deputy President Jacob Zuma will light a candle in
Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.
*ISRAELI FORCES SURROUND PALESTINIAN CITIES
Jerusalem, December 1 (RHC)-- The Israeli army has reportedly taken
up positions around the West Bank cities of Jenin and Nablus.
According to both Israeli and Palestinian security sources, the
movement of troops and tanks came just 24 hours after a Palestinian
suicide bomber, who was from Jenin, blew himself up on a bus, killing
himself and three other people.
This latest development also took place as Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon was in Washington to prepare for talks with U.S.
President George W. Bush, who has criticized recent Israeli military
incursions into Palestinian areas.
Observers say that the Israeli move is also likely to complicate the
work of U.S. peace envoy, Anthony Zinni, who is in on a mission to
secure a ceasefire between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Israeli army radio quoted Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer as
saying that the two cities surrounded by Zionist troops are -- in his
words "terrorist hot spots." Palestinian officials said they were
bracing for a possible Israeli incursion into the cities.
The Palestinian National Authority said it was working "in its full
capacity" to stop attacks against Israeli civilians and had ordered
its security agencies to "bring the perpetrators to justice." The
Palestinian Authority also called on Israel "to stop its assaults and
to stop assassinations, which only increase tension."
Viewpoint:
*BUSH AND AZNAR - BOSOM BUDDIES THROUGH THICK AND THIN
The current visit to the United States by Spain's President Jos�
Mar�a Aznar has stirred euphoric reactions given his sharing of
similar positions with U.S. President George W. Bush, despite some
minor differences.
The Spanish visitor still walks the streets of New York, but before
his return to Madrid, the local press has not missed an opportunity
to stress Aznar's good relations with his U.S. counterpart.
When Bush paid his first visit to Europe last June, Aznar behaved as
the most gracious host in the world, offering the U.S. president a
stay at the Quintas de Mora Ranch, Aznar's holiday place.
During the Bill Clinton administration, the Spanish government
surprised local observers by immediately granting the U.S. a permit
to enlarge the Rota Naval Base, despite an ongoing dispute over who
would pay the salaries of Spanish workers at the military base.
During his current stay in Washington, Madrid's top representative
did not miss any chance to highlight his converging positions with
those of George Bush, which include the Spanish offer of sending
troops to Afghanistan in an open show of support for the so-called
"international anti-terrorist coalition," led by Washington.
It appears that the recent encounter in Washington between Bush and
Aznar focused largely on the war against Afghanistan and its
repercussions.
However, to Aznar's concern, the Pentagon has openly expressed its
disagreement with having any other foreign troops in Afghanistan, in
what is considered an attempt to clear the country of any witnesses
that may impede Washington's continued covert actions in the region.
Thus, the supposed privilege of sending troops to Afghanistan is thus
far being enjoyed only by Russia, whose soldiers are deployed in
Kabul with the alleged mission of supporting humanitarian efforts and
the refurbishing of the former Soviet embassy in that country.
Aside from the presence of Russian troops in Kabul before any other
European military force, nobody will be able deprive Aznar of his
moment of glory this week after reiterating his support to Washington
in its struggle against terrorism, at any time and with all its
consequences, as he himself has said.
During their meetings and meals together, Bush and Aznar discussed
the issue of the extradition of eight alleged members of the Al Qaida
organization, headed by Osama Bin Laden, who were recently detained
in Madrid. The Spanish leader conditioned the extradition on respect
for Spanish laws and the U.S.-Spain bilateral treaty, though he
hurried to say that Washington has not yet made an official
extradition request.
Article 7 of the Spanish-U.S. Extradition Treaty stipulates the
possible delivery of persons provided that Washington guarantees that
the death penalty will not be applied.
However, the United States has already announced that terrorist
suspects might go before military courts, ensuring that the severest
sentences would thus be handed down -- including, of course,
execution.
Aznar will soon return to Madrid to put the finishing touches on
Madrid's participation in the war against Afghanistan, which includes
13 planes for "humanitarian aid," though the announced 1500 troops
will have to stand by until Pentagon generals lift their current
prohibition before Spain can join in the further destruction of the
Central Asian country and its long-suffering people.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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