From: NY Transfer News <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 05:02:06 -0500 (EST) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (CubaNews List) Subject: [CubaNews] Radio Havana Cuba-21 December 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 21 December 2001 . *CUBANS AMONG THOSE WITH MOST MORAL AUTHORITY TO CONDEMN TERRORISM: FIDEL *CUBAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PLAN FOR NEW YEAR *NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE MEETS THIS WEEKEND IN HAVANA *CUBA COMMEMORATES 40th ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN *JARDINES DEL REY ESTABLISHES NEW RECORD IN TOURISM *SOCIAL EXPLOSION IN ARGENTINA FORCES PRESIDENT FROM OFFICE *FIVE KILLED IN CLASHES BETWEEN PALESTINIAN POLICE AND ISLAMIC MILITANTS *WASHINGTON EDITED THE OSAMA TAPE TO SPARE SAUDIS EMBARRASSMENT *BRITISH PEACEKEEPERS ARRIVE IN KABUL, DESPITE MESSAGE THEY ARE NOT WELCOME *TENSION BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN ON THE RISE *Viewpoint: THE TRAGIC COLLAPSE OF ARGENTINA . *CUBANS AMONG THOSE WITH MOST MORAL AUTHORITY TO CONDEMN TERRORISM: FIDEL Havana, December 21 (RHC) -- Cuban President Fidel Castro has affirmed that the Cuban people are among those with the most authority to condemn terrorism, having suffered this type of crime for more than 40 years. The statement came Thursday evening at the National Assembly of People's Power, where Cuban lawmakers had just approved further anti-terrorism legislation. The Cuban leader said the island's legislation is another contribution to international cooperation in the struggle against terrorism, insisting that cooperation and legal measures, not wars, are what's needed. President Castro also addressed the issue of the death penalty, included in the new legislation, and which he admitted is facing increasing opposition worldwide. Noting that in some countries where the death penalty doesn't exist there are extra judicial assassinations, Fidel Castro said circumstances in Cuba are extremely exceptional and justify maintaining capital punishment. He said that in contrast to a country like the United States where the death penalty is applied to minors and the mentally impaired, Cuba has only used capital punishment in cases of particularly revolting crimes. He admitted, however, that government studies have demonstrated that capital punishment is not a deterrent to crime, and that it is bound to be abolished in Cuba. President Castro said social studies and research have also concluded that prison sentences have a minimal impact in the reduction of crime, and that prisons, instead of educating, become schools of crime. The Cuban leader said this is why the government is developing new projects aimed at converting Cuba into a more just and humanitarian society. This type of society, he said, would be much closer to the type of socialism Cubans desire, but which Cuba is still far from achieving. *CUBAN PARLIAMENT DEBATES ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PLAN FOR NEW YEAR Havana, December 21 (RHC)-- During the 8th Ordinary Period of Sessions of the Cuban Parliament -- which got underway Thursday -- lawmakers debated the island's economic and social plan for the year 2002. The Minister of Economy and Planning, Jose Luis Rodriguez, presented the annual economic report to the Parliament. The report notes that the international economic and political crisis that already existed was further affected by the tragic events of September 11th in the United States. While the crisis severely affected the global economic situation, including the Cuban economy, the island was still able to increase its Gross Domestic Product by three percent -- a figure well above the average for Latin America this year. The production of petroleum increased by seven and a half percent during 2001; and the production of natural gas also increased significantly -- up two percent over last year. As a result, 52 percent of the island's electricity was generated with national fuel this year, while all of the cement needs of the island were provided with resources obtained inside Cuba. The report presented by the Ministry of Economy and Planning noted that another major factor negatively affecting the island's economy was Hurricane Michelle, which slammed into Cuba on November 4th. During the parliamentary session, a number of lawmakers raised the point that following the devastating storm -- the worst hurricane to hit the island in more than 50 years -- the government was forced to change budget plans and economic projections for the rest of the year. On Thursday, the Cuban Parliament debated and passed the Law Against Terrorist Actions -- designed to punish those who commit terrorist acts against Cuba, as well as those who try to use the island to carry out terrorist activities against any other country. Cuba's Parliament -- also known as the National Assembly of People's Power -- is made up of nearly 600 lawmakers and holds two ordinary sessions a year. The Parliament can meet extraordinarily as many times as requested by its president or by the Cuban Council of State. *NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF YOUNG COMMUNIST LEAGUE MEETS THIS WEEKEND IN HAVANA Havana, December 21 (RHC)-- The Tenth Plenary Meeting of the National Committee of the Young Communist League (UJC) will take place in Havana on Sunday and Monday, the 23rd and 24th of December. During a news conference on Thursday, Otto Rivero Torres, the First Secretary of the UJC, told reporters that delegates to the meeting will discuss activities to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Communist youth organization, as well as the 80th anniversary of the Federation of University Students -- which will both be celebrated in the year 2002. The head of the Young Communist League said that the organization has carried out intense work over the past year, increasing its membership by more than 30,000. Otto Rivero Torres noted that the UJC currently has some 96,000 members. *CUBA COMMEMORATES 40th ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL LITERACY CAMPAIGN Havana, December 21 (RHC)-- Tomorrow, December 22nd, marks the 40th anniversary of the conclusion of Cuba's historic Literacy Campaign. A special Open Tribunal -- or Tribuna Abierta -- will be held in the Havana neighborhood of Marianao. More than 100,000 are expected to take part in the activities. The Cuban Revolution launched the National Literacy Campaign in January 1961. Tens of thousands of young people, many still studying in high school, went into remote mountainous regions to teach campesinos how to read and write. Within just 11 months, the island's illiteracy rate was reduced from 25 percent to 3.9 percent -- becoming a model for other Third World countries. *JARDINES DEL REY ESTABLISHES NEW RECORD IN TOURISM Ciego de Avila, December 21 (RHC)-- Jardines del Rey, the popular tourist resort located on the northern coast of Ciego de Avila, has broken all previous records -- with some 150,000 visitors so far this year. Raul Naranjo Aday, from the Ministry of Tourism in Ciego de Avila, told reporters that the number of visitors to Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo has exceeded last year's total by more than ten percent. The Cuban tourism official said that the increase in visitors to the area was primarily due to better sales and the opening of El Senador Hotel. Naranjo Aday noted that nearly 15 flights arrive weekly at Ciego de Avila's Maximo Gomez International Airport from Canada, Europe and South America. He said that over the next ten days, by December 31st, another 10,000 tourists are expected in Jardines del Rey. According to the island's Tourism Ministry, the resorts and villas of Ceigo de Avila have brought in more than 90 million dollars this year. And it was announced that Jardines del Rey, which opened in 1993, has become the third most important tourist destination in Cuba -- following Havana and Varadero Beach. *SOCIAL EXPLOSION IN ARGENTINA FORCES PRESIDENT FROM OFFICE Buenos Aires, December 21 (RHC) -- An announced social explosion in Argentina has forced President Fernando de la Rua to resign, and has left 26 people killed, hundreds wounded and thousands arrested. The president resigned after opposition parties refused his request to form a coalition amid the most severe civil unrest in at least more than a decade. Protesters had laid siege to the country's Congress, killing one police officer hit with a pavement stone. The center of Buenos Aires had become a battleground where five people were killed and two banks and a McDonalds fast food outlet set on fire in clashes between police and protesters demanding that the most unpopular president in the country's history step down. When his resignation was announced, Argentineans reportedly celebrated in the streets of numerous cities. De la Rua's resignation came 24 hours after Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo agreed to step down after seeing 5,000 people banging empty pots and pans outside his home. The social explosion that numerous observers and analysts have been predicting for months has resulted in further discredit for the International Monetary Fund - widely blamed for the country's economic woes. Experts and media outlets around the world are asserting that the IMF was instrumental in engineering Argentina's financial collapse because of irresponsible lending which exacerbated its foreign debt problem. Argentineans have seen their pensions taken away, their bank accounts partially frozen, unemployment soar, inflation jump and their industries decimated. The widespread unrest was in response to more than four years of harsh austerity policies demanded by the IMF to repay the country's foreign debt. The Argentine crisis is also said to be another sign of the unsustainable nature of free market neoliberalism, fully embraced by former President Carlos Menem. It was recently revealed that every day 2,000 Argentineans drop below the poverty line, with children and pensioners increasingly going hungry in a country known for its beef and wheat, and not long ago considered one of the wealthiest in the world. Most now believe that a payment default on the country's 132 billion dollar debt and a devaluation of the currency are inevitable. These two measures, however, will bankrupt thousands and deepen the recession *FIVE KILLED IN CLASHES BETWEEN PALESTINIAN POLICE AND ISLAMIC MILITANTS Gaza City, December 21 (RHC) -- The Islamic militant group Hamas Friday announced a suspension of suicide bombings and mortar attacks in Israel, following clashes with Palestinian security forces that left 5 killed. In two days of clashes between Palestinian police and supporters of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group in the Gaza Strip, another 94 people were wounded. While Hamas said for the first time that it was suspending attacks against Israel until further notice to preserve Palestinian unity, the Islamic Jihad announced that it would not cease suicide bombings. Tensions continued running high in Gaza, with thousands of mourners Friday joining a funeral procession of a 17-year-old Islamic Jihad supported killed Thursday in a gun battle with Palestinian police. When the funeral procession passed the local Palestinian police station, gunmen opened fire at officers inside, drawing return fire. But despite Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's efforts to stem terrorist attacks against Israel, Tel Aviv and Washington continued insisting that he's not doing enough. The Palestinian Authority, however, is facing a growing popular revolt from many Palestinians complaining that he is only doing the bidding of Israel and the United States and is not acting in the interests of his own people. During the 15 months of the Intifada, Hamas' popularity among Palestinians has risen in response to Israeli terrorism in occupied territories, including the shooting of rock-throwing children and the demolition of Palestinian homes. Hamas is also popular for its network of Islamic charitable group that support welfare operations and clinics much more widely and efficiently than does the Palestinian Authority, funding Palestinian kindergartens and providing subsidies to the poor. Many Palestinians regard Hamas not as a terrorist organization, but as a group of freedom fighters struggling against a brutal Israeli occupation. *WASHINGTON EDITED THE OSAMA TAPE TO SPARE SAUDIS EMBARRASSMENT Washington, December 21 (RHC) -- The translation of last week's Osama Bin Laden tape omitted some comments that could have embarrassed or bothered the government of Saudi Arabia, according to numerous media outlets. CNN and NBC are among many networks reporting that Bin Laden named three prominent Muslim holy leaders in Saudi Arabia who applauded the September 11 terror attacks. CNN made its own translation of the tape, affirming that Bin Laden identified nine hijackers and not just the one hijacker identified in the official translation. According to Saudi dissident Ali Al-Ahmed, director of an organization that promotes human rights in Saudi Arabia, the translators missed a lot on the tape. According to CNN, one of the three Saudi clerics who publicly backed the attacks could be a government official. *BRITISH PEACEKEEPERS ARRIVE IN KABUL, DESPITE MESSAGE THEY ARE NOT WELCOME Kabul, December 21 (RHC) -- A vanguard of British peacekeepers arrived in Afghanistan Thursday evening just hours after political leaders in Kabul signaled that they were not welcome. Fifty-three Royal Marines landed at the Bagram air base, 25 miles north of Kabul, to pave the way for an estimated 1,500 British troops who will lead a multinational force of up to 5,000 - thought there is still no agreement with Afghan authorities just 24 hours before the new interim government is to take office. It has yet to be confirmed exactly how many peacekeepers will come, where they will live, what they will do and when they will leave. The Northern Alliance Thursday stated in the strongest terms yet that it wanted the force small and powerless. Alliance Defense Minister Mohammad Fahim said the foreign soldiers would have no right to disarm anyone and that two-thirds of them should be based out of sight at Bagram, an hour's drive from Kabul. Western powers are concerned that the issue will lead to a power struggle between Fahim and the interim authority's new leader, Hamid Karzai, who has welcomed the peacekeepers and wants to give them a broad mandate. According to news reports, interviews on the streets of Kabul suggest the peacekeepers will be welcomed by ordinary Afghans wearied by 23 years of bloodshed and fearful that factional fighting will resume in the country. *TENSION BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN ON THE RISE New Delhi, December 21 (RHC) -- India has decided to recall its ambassador in Pakistan amid a growing dispute over terrorism that New Delhi say is sponsored by Pakistani intelligence services. The announcement came after Pakistan refused to close down two militant groups that India blames for the terrorist attack against the country's parliament last week that left 13 people dead. One of the groups has been named by Washington as a "stateless sponsor of terrorism," with President George Bush Thursday freezing its assets and accusing the group of trying to disrupt relations between India and Pakistan. India is also suspending train and bus transportation links between the two countries. India has been reinforcing its borders with troop movements amid growing concern in the international community that the two nuclear powers are on the verge of engaging in a third war over Kashmir. *Viewpoint: THE TRAGIC COLLAPSE OF ARGENTINA How much poverty of spirit in these mediocre Argentinean rulers, many of them thieves, who have looted this potentially rich nation? A nation that was once considered a world bread basket, where cattle abound on it's vast plains. Scores of people dead, and hundreds wounded - some reports indicate as many as 800 - with thousands arrested. This is the sad legacy of Fernando de la Rua's government that has come to such an ignominious end - a government that once considered itself competent to judge the human rights performances of other nations. The Argentine experience is a mirror of what unrestricted free market capitalism is all about and what it can bring about as it is imposed on Third World nations by the world's rich and powerful. The recipe is simple. It is announced that the State is not good at governing (as it hinders the smooth flow of the market), so it is declared necessary to privatize to "save" the economy. This is what Argentina did by selling everything: the electric and phone companies, the steel plants, the port authority, the oldest, most prosperous government oil company, the oil fields, the banks, and even cemeteries. Everything was privatized, because this was how the International Monetary Fund and its experts said that it should be. And through the open door comes the market economy, "solving" everything with its magic wand. It was unimportant whether the "investors" were Argentines or foreigners - all were allowed to set up shop in Argentina, from a fried chicken stand to a deluxe restaurant. It all depended on the kind of money that you had. You could rent out a room in your house or buy a five-star hotel. The market allowed it all - if, of course, you had money (preferably lots of it). Well, it turned out that Argentine capitalists didn't have all that much money after all, and those who did figured why invest it there? There were far more attractive, safer markets. There were also tax heavens, where no one asks where the money comes from, whether from legal businesses or illicit drug or weapon sales. This is how a potentially rich Argentina was drained dry - a country of 36 million people and one of the largest in Latin America. Yet all that was sold and privatized in Argentina was not enough to pay the interest on its foreign debt or to maintain the fictitious parity of the peso against the dollar. The country was sold, but Argentines continued to suffer under a foreign debt of 133 billion dollars. What has happened in Argentina has two faces: the first is a tragic one, whose victims are the people, the other is the one of greed whose actors were cunning thieves, traffickers, and miserable rulers, unfit for their mission. Their work should have been one of sacrifice and integrity and of service to the community - to the people, and not just the rich - instead of grinding their great country into ruin and its people into destitution. (c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved. _________________________________________________ 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: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
