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Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2002 05:09:02 -0500
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Subject: RHC-Year in Review-31 December 2001
RHC-Year in Review-31 December 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - Year in Review 2001 - 31 December 2001
.
*THE ISLAND RECOVERS FROM HURRICANE MICHELLE
*FIDEL CASTRO'S NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AGENDA
*CUBAN PARLIAMENT PASSES ANTI-TERRORIST LAW
*CUBA HOSTS IMPORTANT CONGRESSES AND MEETINGS
*CUBA REAFFIRMS ITS PLACE AS SPORTS GIANT OF LATIN AMERICA
*PUBLIC HEALTH: CUBA'S SOCIAL PRIORITY
*CUBA STEPS UP ITS ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
*ECONOMY CONTINUES TO RECOVER DESPITE WORLD ECONOMIC RECESSION
*CULTURAL PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES DURING 2001
*Viewpoint: CUBA - 43 YEARS OF REVOLUTION
.
Major domestic news stories covered during the year 2001:
*THE ISLAND RECOVERS FROM HURRICANE MICHELLE
On November 4, Cuba was hard-hit by Hurricane Michelle, considered
the worst natural disaster to have affected the island over the past
50 years.
Michelle, a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir Simpson scale,
affected eight Cuban provinces: eastern Pinar del Rio, Havana, Havana
city, central Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus and
Ciego de Avila, as well as the Special Municipality of the Isle of
Youth, located in the Caribbean, south of Havana.
Most of the damage affected agriculture, mainly citrus fruit, sugar
cane, banana and coffee plantations; some 100,000 houses were
partially or totally destroyed and communications and electrical
power lines also were severely affected, while thousands of trees
were downed by the strong winds.
Cuban authorities, headed by President Fidel Castro, began recovery
efforts immediately after Hurricane Michelle left the island to the
north.
*FIDEL CASTRO'S NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AGENDA
The packed national and international agenda carried out by Cuban
President Fidel Castro first included a tour of Asia, Africa and the
Middle East, in which Algeria was his first stop. In Algiers, the
Cuban leader toured places of historic interest and signed new
bilateral cooperation agreements with Algerian President Abdelaziz
Bouteflika.
Teheran, the Iranian capital, was the second leg of Fidel's tour. The
leader of the Cuban Revolution also visited Malaysia and Qatar. Fidel
went on to visit Syria, responding to an invitation by President
Bachar El Assad. Fidel's tour ended with his visit to Libya, where he
met with Muammar el Kadafi, the leader of that north African country.
On his way back to the Caribbean, Fidel Castro made a stopover in
Portugal, meeting with President Jorge Sampaio.
On August 11, the Cuban leader traveled to Venezuela, where he was
awarded the Order of the Angostura Congress -- in recognition of his
life-long revolutionary struggle. Also in August, Fidel Castro
traveled to Durban, South Africa to take part in the UN Summit
against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Xenophobia.
In December, Fidel was in Venezuela once again, this time to
participate in the 3rd Summit of the Association of Caribbean States,
which was held on Margarita Island December 11 and 12.
*CUBAN PARLIAMENT PASSES ANTI-TERRORIST LAW
The Law against Terrorist Acts, passed by the Cuban National
Assembly of People's Power during its ordinary session held in
December, reaffirmed the island's commitment to fight terrorism --
emphasizing that the island has suffered innumerable terrorist
actions over the past four decades.
The new legislation is based on the ethical and political principles
of the Cuban Revolution and also contributes to the fulfillment of 12
United Nations conventions against terrorism, of which Cuba is a
signatory country.
Cuba's anti-terrorist law calls for severe sanctions against those
who commit terrorist actions -- with jail terms ranging from 18 years
to life, as well as the death penalty in extreme cases. The
legislation respects and maintains all guarantees and rights of those
accused and provides for defense attorneys, as stipulated under
current Cuban laws.
*CUBA HOSTS IMPORTANT CONGRESSES AND MEETINGS
In April, Havana hosted the 105th Inter-Parliamentary Conference,
with the participation of lawmakers from 120 countries. Two of the
four resolutions adopted by the conference reaffirm the importance of
preserving and respecting the principles of international law for
world peace and security. The resolutions also emphasize the value of
culture and education.
The Inter-Parliamentary Conference, held in Havana in April, adopted
a Cuban resolution condemning all terrorist actions. The meeting also
provided an opportunity to reflect on the negative effects of
neo-liberal globalization.
"A congress of honest journalists" was how Cuban President Fidel
Castro described the meeting in October of more than 400 media
professionals from 29 Latin American and Caribbean nations.
The gathering of regional journalists in Havana allowed for the
exchange of information on today's world of communications and its
impact on Latin America and the Caribbean. Participants also shared
views on the importance of alternative media.
Delegates to the congress agreed on the need for journalists to take
action and coordinate efforts in the area of opinion making. They
also discussed the importance of placing news and information at the
service of the majority, and not for a privileged few. Participants
at the meeting expressed their solidarity with colleagues who are
currently facing repression for defending the interests of their own
nations and those of humankind. And they paid homage to the over 600
journalists who have been murdered in our region over the past 25
years.
>From November 13 through 16, Havana hosted the Hemispheric Meeting to
Oppose the Free Trade Area of the Americas -- the FTAA. The meeting,
which was attended by nearly 800 delegates from 39 countries,
provided for an exchange of ideas on different strategies to fight
the U.S. project to annex the economies of the region.
During the event, representatives of 248 social, student, religious,
labor and human rights organizations approved a Final Declaration,
expressing the need to increase actions against neo-liberalism. The
document also condemns terrorism and demands the lifting of
Washington's 40-year economic and financial blockade against Cuba as
well as the dismantling of U.S. naval bases on Vieques and the Manta
Islands.
The Hemispheric Meeting to Oppose the Free Trade Area of the Americas
approved an Action Plan that calls for unity among regional
organizations in order to mobilize Latin American nations against the
U.S. project.
In his closing speech to the meeting, Cuban President Fidel Castro
said that the struggle against the FTAA is part of the international
battle against a similar project currently in the works at the World
Trade Organization. The leader of the Cuban Revolution also stressed
that the Free Trade Area of the Americas is nothing more than the
annexation of Latin America to the United States. He said that
annexationist plans are well known by our country, since similar
intentions have marked Washington's Cuba policy since the 19th
century.
Havana hosted the 10th Sao Paulo Forum in early December. The
gathering was attended by 517 delegates and observers --
representatives of Left and progressive political parties and
movements.
The Sao Paulo Forum ratified its commitment to national independence,
social justice, peace and democracy as well as its determination to
continue the struggle to implement a better political, economic and
social project.
The forum also expressed its support of the Latin American and
Caribbean people's right to self-determination, territorial integrity
and independence. And delegates to the Sao Paulo Forum called for the
social, economic and political transformation of our region.
*CUBA REAFFIRMS ITS PLACE AS SPORTS GIANT OF LATIN AMERICA
Cuba reaffirmed its place as the leading sports power in Latin
America and the Caribbean during the year 2001, as achievements in
boxing, track and field and baseball paved the way for the island to
look forward to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Over the past 12 months, Cuba won 43 medals in world competitions, of
which 14 were gold, seven silver and 22 bronze -- allowing the island
to maintain its position among the world's ten leading sports
nations.
Along with boxing, track and field and baseball, the island showed
impressive results in judo, wrestling, rowing, volleyball and other
sports disciplines. During the year 2001, some 900 Cuban sports
experts offered technical assistance and training in 45 nations,
mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean.
*PUBLIC HEALTH: CUBA'S SOCIAL PRIORITY
Cuba's Public Health system worked to meet its comprehensive health
plan and to continue its recovery process during the year 2001.
Over the past year, the island achieved a decrease in its infant
mortality rate to less than seven deaths for every 1000 live births.
Cuba's life expectancy is still over 76 years and deaths attributed
to infectious diseases have been lowered to only 0.8. Such figures
are only possible to achieve in highly industrialized nations.
The incidence of many illnesses decreased during the year, such as
HIV/AIDS -- which had experienced a slight increase over the past
five years. During the year 2001, HIV/AIDS decreased 10 percent with
respect to the year 2000.
The recovery of national public health programs, which were hard hit
by the economic crisis of the last decade -- known as the Special
Period -- was a significant achievement in the year 2001. Cuba
resumed organ transplants and minimum access surgery, while patient
attention was also improved.
In the international arena, Cuba has 3,845 medical professionals
serving in 53 countries, while more than 5,000 young people from 24
countries are currently studying to become doctors at Havana's Latin
American School of Medicine.
*CUBA STEPS UP ITS ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES
Havana was designated by the United Nations Environment Program as
the site for World Environment Day in the year 2001.
The UN decision was in recognition of the island's achievements in
that sector, such as the proclamation by UNESCO of the Alejandro
Humboldt National Park as a World Heritage Site. The
700-square-kilometer area, in eastern Guantanamo and Holguin
provinces, is considered to be the largest such park in the Cuban
National System of Protected Areas and the most significant due to
its large bio-diversity.
*ECONOMY CONTINUES TO RECOVER DESPITE WORLD ECONOMIC RECESSION
Amid the current world economic and political crisis, worsen by the
tragic events of September 11 in the United States, Cuba -- along
with other countries around the world -- has faced the threat of
financial losses.
Unlike the rest of Latin America, however, Cuba showed better
economic results by the end of the year 2001 -- achieving a three
percent growth of its Gross Domestic Product, well over the GDP of
Latin America as a whole.
Cuban economic achievements include an increase in oil and gas
production, which went up to 2.9 million tons of oil and 584 million
cubic meters of gas. This meant a 7.5 percent increase in oil and a
2.5 percent increase in gas over the year 2000.
*CULTURAL PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES DURING 2001
More than 200,000 Cubans visited Havana's 10th International Book
Fair and purchased over a half-million new books. The event gathered
57 exhibitors from 30 countries and 62 national publishing houses and
was a direct indication of the recovery of the island's book sector.
More than 600 delegates from 14 countries took part in the 2nd
International Congress on Culture and Development, held in Havana
during the past year.
The reopening of Havana's Fine Arts Museum was a significant cultural
event. After more than two years of general refurbishing, the museum
was re-inaugurated with facilities dedicated to Cuban arts and
universal arts.
In December, Havana's 23rd Festival of the New Latin American Film
offered 87 features from the region and the rest of the world.
Cubans paid tribute in December to Prima Ballerina Alicia Alonso,
commemorating the 70th anniversary of her artistic career. An
important moment for Alicia during the celebration was the opening of
the Classic Ballet School, which will train some 200 students. In
addition, 15 new schools to train arts teachers were inaugurated
across the island.
*Viewpoint: CUBA - 43 YEARS OF REVOLUTION
On January 1, the Cuban people rightfully celebrate the 43rd
anniversary of their Revolution. And it's a jubilant celebration --
having come to the successful conclusion of a difficult year, marked
by the devastation caused by the worst hurricane to hit the island in
50 years. This past year has also seen the consolidation of Cuba's
social achievements -- making the island's inhabitants one of the
healthiest and most educated in the world.
Forty-three years of revolutionary power -- under the very nose of
the most powerful empire on Earth -- continues to have enormous
significance for the people of Latin America and the rest of the
Third World.
Cuba's Socialist Revolution has demonstrated that one can find
alternatives to neo-liberal capitalism, which is based on
selfishness, inequalities and injustice. Cuba has also shown that
even a small and poor country can carry out radical economic and
social transformations, developing a model of participatory democracy
and a society based on equality and solidarity.
The Cuban Revolution arrived on the threshold of 2002 with a strong
and united people, entrenched in a spiritual revolution that has as
its main protagonists the island's young people -- involved in The
Battle of Ideas, with the universal thoughts of Jose Marti, Cuba's
National Hero, leading the way.
We'd like to take this opportunity to wish all of our listeners in
the Americas and throughout the rest of the world a very Happy New
Year. Cuba will continue the struggle for a more just society, for
real peace and a world where human dignity prevails. A world without
terrorism... where the sacred principles of self-determination,
independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected
among all nations.
In this extremely important struggle, you can be assured that the
Cuban Revolution will not let you down.
>From all of us at Radio Havana Cuba to all of our sisters and
brothers around the world: the very happiest of New Years!
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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