From: NY Transfer News <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2001 03:46:07 -0400 (EDT)
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Subject: [CubaNews] RHC Weekend-21 April 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
RHC Weekend - News Update - 21 April 2001
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*FIDEL CASTRO SENDS MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY TO PROTESTERS IN QUEBEC
*CUBAN PRESENCE FELT AT AMERICAS SUMMIT, DESPITE ISLAND'S EXCLUSION
*CUBA SAYS CANADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER HAS CAVED IN TO US ANTI-CUBA POLICY
*GOVERNOR OF THE VENEZUELAN STATE OF VARGAS ENDS VISIT
*MALAGA AND PINAR DEL RIO SIGN SISTERHOOD AGREEMENT
*CONGRESS ON SOCIAL SECURITY WRAPS UP IN HAVANA
*INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CLINIC BEGINS OPERATIONS IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA
*FOURTH SEMINAR ON FOREIGN RELATIONS TO HOLD SESSIONS IN HAVANA
*QUEBEC A BATTLEFIELD FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE DAY
*VENEZUELA TO SUBMIT RESULTS OF FREE TRADE SUMMIT TO POPULAR REFERENDUM
*MEXICAN ARMY WITHDRAWS FROM LAST MILITARY BASES IN CHIAPAS
Viewpoint on Quebec:
*A VIRTUAL STATE OF SIEGE, AS HEADS OF STATE PLAY GAMES WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES
.
*FIDEL CASTRO SENDS MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY TO PROTESTERS IN QUEBEC
Havana, April 21 (RHC)--Cuban radio and television aired a roundtable
discussion Friday evening which analyzed the recent vote at the United
Nations' Human Rights Commission. The discussion, attended by Cuban
President Fidel Castro and Cuban government officials, gave details on the
maneuvers in Geneva by the United States in pursuit of votes against Cuba at
the Human Rights Commission where 22 nations supported the U.S. effort
sponsored by the Czech Republic, 20 countries voted against it and ten
abstained.
Participants at the roundtable discussion commented on the repercussions
that followed Wednesday's vote which included the solidarity with Cuba
messages by outstanding Latin American personalities, condemning the
negative vote against the island or abstentions by their own governments in
Geneva.
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque gave a detailed analysis
disclosing the pressures by Washington against many Third World nations in
order to force them to vote against Cuba. Blackmail, economic threats and
other mechanisms were the weapons used by Washington to obtain its empty
victory. The Cuban foreign minister said that Cuba obtained a moral victory,
despite the fact that the United States was able to gather more votes.
Other panelists on the roundtable discussed the latest information on
ongoing demonstrations against the Summit of the Americas, underway in
Quebec, Canada.
The program's moderator, Randy Alonzo, read a message from Cuban President
Fidel Castro, sent to protesters at the 3rd Summit of the Americas underway
in Quebec, Canada.
Following is the text of Fidel's message to the demonstrators in Quebec:
We have just seen the images of the brutal way in which Canadian authorities
repressed peaceful demonstrations carried out by those who protest against
the crimes they plan to commit against the political and economic rights of
the people of Latin America and the Caribbean in Quebec. It is a shame. I
want to express to you
-- in the name of the Cuban people -- our sympathy and admiration for the
valiant and heroic actions of those who struggle for such a just cause.
This is the way they treat their own citizens, these governments that try to
fool the rest of the world -- calling themselves the defenders of human
rights. This is how they hope to clear their consciousness of the millions
of children, women, adults and elderly who rather than being saved, die each
year from sickness and hunger in the world.
They cannot sustain this unjust order imposed on humanity. We send you our
total solidarity. Cuba supports you. We embrace you and send our fraternal
greetings.
Fidel Castro Ruz, April 20th, 2001. Six o'clock in the evening.
*CUBAN PRESENCE FELT AT AMERICAS SUMMIT, DESPITE ISLAND'S EXCLUSION
Quebec, April 21 (RHC)--Quebec is feeling the presence of Cuba, despite the
island's exclusion from the Third Summit of the Americas. That presence has
not only been reflected in numerous posters carried by protesters at the
event, but also in inaugural speeches Friday by some of the 34 heads of
state participating.
Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso referred directly to Cuba's
absence, criticizing the island's exclusion. Cardoso said that there is not
just one America, but 34 Americas -- or, better yet, 35 Americas. The Prime
Minister of Barbados, Owen Arthur, went further, appealing to what he called
the historic responsibility of participants at the Summit to include Cuba in
the construction of the Americas.
Arthur said his country is in favor of building a hemispheric community in
which no one is excluded. Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien attempted to
justify Cuba's exclusion, saying that Cuba is to blame due to its refusal to
accept the rules of the democratic game. But today, opening the second day
of sessions, Chretien admitted that democracies are facing a crisis of
legitimacy.
Friday evening, during a live, televised roundtable discussion on national
Cuban TV, President Fidel Castro lashed out at Canada, condemning the brutal
manner in which Canadian authorities repress peaceful demonstrators
protesting against the crimes that the Quebec Summit plans to commit against
the political and economic rights of the peoples of Latin America and the
Caribbean.
*CUBA SAYS CANADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER HAS CAVED IN TO US ANTI-CUBA POLICY
Havana, April 21 (RHC)--Cuba has accused Canadian Foreign Minister John
Manley of aligning himself with Washington's anti-Cuba policy. The Cuban
Foreign Ministry said today that statements by Manley concerning Cuba's
political system barely differ from the arguments used by Washington to
justify the more than 40 year blockade against the island.
An official Cuban Foreign Ministry note said that the Canadian official's
interventionist and anti-Cuba language confirms his growing subordination to
and alignment with U.S. foreign policy, asking whether Canadian foreign
policy is now drawn up in Washington instead of Ottawa.
Havana deplored the abandonment of oftentimes pro-Third World sentiments in
the international arena that were the distinctive characteristic and pride
of Canada and the Canadian people. The official note characterized as ironic
listening to lessons from the foreign minister of a government that is
brutally repressing in the streets of Quebec the voices of an important
segment of Canadian society.
In the human rights arena, states the Cuban Foreign Ministry note, Canada
should first explain its questionable record in the respect of and attention
to the rights of indigenous Canadians.
*GOVERNOR OF THE VENEZUELAN STATE OF VARGAS ENDS VISIT
Havana, April 21 (RHC)--The Governor of the Venezuelan State of Vargas,
Antonio Rodriguez, concluded a four-day visit to Cuba on Saturday.
On Friday, the distinguished visitor and the delegation accompanying him
visited the Havana-based Latin American School of Medicine, where they
expressed their sincere gratitude to the Cuban government and people for
their invaluable assistance to Venezuela, particularly in the field of
health.
There are currently 136 Cuban health professionals offering their services
free-of-charge in Venezuela.
The governor of Vargas and his delegation arrived in Havana last Monday as
part of the systematic visits of Venezuelan officials to the island in the
framework of the integral cooperation agreement signed by Presidents Hugo
Chavez and Fidel Castro.
On Thursday, Governor Antonio Rodriguez participated alongside Cuban
President Fidel Castro in the patriotic rally marking the 40th anniversary
of the Cuban victory at the Bay of Pigs -- known in Cuba as Playa Giron.
There, in 1961, Cuban forces defeated the 1,500 invading mercenary troops in
less than 72 hours. The mercenaries were organized, trained and equipped by
the U.S. government. The Cuban victory at the Bay of Pigs 40 years ago is
considered to be Washington's first military defeat in the Americas.
On Friday, the Venezuelan governor signed a bilateral cooperation agreement
with Cuba's Minister for Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Marta
Lomas. The accord provides for Cuban professional and technical assistance
to that Venezuelan state with special attention to natural disasters, as
well as for bilateral exchange of scientific knowledge and expertise in
areas such as health, sports, tourism and agriculture.
The Cuban minister for foreign investment and economic cooperation expressed
Cuba's willingness to continue to work together with authorities in Vargas
toward a solution to existing social problems in the Venezuelan state, which
was devastated by heavy rains and severe flooding at the end of 1999.
The governor of Vargas told reporters in Havana that his visit allowed for
the analysis of new areas with potential for bilateral cooperation that were
not taken into account previously -- among them the development of city
gardens and cattle raising.
*MALAGA AND PINAR DEL RIO SIGN SISTERHOOD AGREEMENT
Pinar del Rio, April 21 (RHC)--Representatives from the Spanish region of
Malaga and Cuba's westernmost province of Pinar del Rio have signed a
bilateral sisterhood agreement aimed at strengthening friendship ties
between these two territories.
A high-ranking official from Malaga, Juan Fraile Canton, said the agreement
is further proof of Spain's solidarity with the largest Caribbean island. He
noted that Spain has a common history with Cuba, which dates back for
centuries with the arrival of the first Spanish conquerors on Cuban shores.
Under the sisterhood agreement, Malaga and Pinar del Rio will exchange
expertise and knowledge in areas such as agriculture, health, culture,
tourism, informatics and communications. It also provides for strengthened
and more advantageous bilateral economic relations for both sides. The
representative of Malaga stressed that the agreement is also a way to break
Washington's economic blockade against Cuba.
*CONGRESS ON SOCIAL SECURITY WRAPS UP IN HAVANA
Havana, April 21 (RHC)--The First International Congress on Social Security
wrapped up in the Cuban capital on Friday -- with the acknowledgement that
much remains to be done in the area of social security in the world.
More than 100 foreign delegates participated in the event. Also attending
was Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage. Luis Jose Martinez, from the
Inter-American Social Security Conference said that the event's conclusions
should not be seen in a pessimistic light, but rather as a challenge to work
toward achieving global social justice.
Martinez said that some progress has been made in the area of social
security, noting that current systems of social security contemplate rights
that were formerly unknown. The Inter-American Social Security Conference
official affirmed that most countries include social security rights in
their constitutions, though very few governments actually observe those
rights.
*INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CLINIC BEGINS OPERATIONS IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA
Santiago de Cuba, April 21 (RHC)--A new international health clinic was
inaugurated on Friday in the eastern Cuban province of Santiago de Cuba. The
new clinic is part of the health tourism program promoted by Cuba in
response to ever-increasing numbers of foreign visitors wishing to receive
medical treatment in Cuba.
The new medical institution is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and
skilled personnel. The inauguration of the clinic coincides with current
sessions in the Cuban capital of the 4th Congress of the Caribbean Medical
Association, which is focusing on medical assistance to foreign visitors.
*FOURTH SEMINAR ON FOREIGN RELATIONS TO HOLD SESSIONS IN HAVANA
Havana, April 21 (RHC)--Havana will be the site of the 4th International
Seminar on Foreign Relations (ISRI 2001), scheduled for April 25th through
the 27th.
Academics and experts from around the world will participate in the
scientific event, which will focus on issues such as globalization and
regionalism, the current world order and regional conflicts, integration and
the free market system.
*QUEBEC A BATTLEFIELD FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE DAY
Quebec, April 21 (RHC)--The Canadian city of Quebec turned into a
battlefield Saturday for the second consecutive day as regional leaders
gather in the Third Summit of the Americas. Canadian police used tear gas
and high-powered water hoses to keep demonstrators away from the
four-kilometer-long security wall that was torn down in several points on
Friday amid pitched battles with the police.
Unlike Friday, when police remained inside the security perimeter, on
Saturday they also deployed outside the wall with orders not to allow
protesters get near it.
Close to one hundred people were arrested Friday, with five police officers
injured. There are no definitive reports of arrests and injuries today.
Friday's protests forced a 90-minute postponement of the Summit's
inauguration, while Saturday clouds of tear gas once again made it difficult
to breathe in Quebec. The protests also forced U.S. President George Bush to
suspend a meeting with the leaders of 14 Caribbean nations who were unable
to arrive at Bush's hotel.
Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo and Said Musa, the Prime Minister of
Belize, were also unable to arrive at a gathering with Bush due to the
protests. The center of Quebec has been compared to a city under siege, with
most shop windows boarded up and police firing rubber bullets through clouds
of tear gas.
Canadian police have also resorted to illegal undercover operations,
dressing as activists and kidnapping at least one anti-globalization
activist, who was spirited away in a vehicle with no license plates.
*VENEZUELA TO SUBMIT RESULTS OF FREE TRADE SUMMIT TO POPULAR REFERENDUM
Quebec, April 21 (RHC)--Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is the only
regional leader at the Third Summit of the Americas in Quebec who has
favorably responded to a demand by anti-free market globalization activists,
stating that his country will indeed submit the results of the event to a
national popular referendum. This was one of the principal demands of the
alternative Summit of the Peoples, which wound up in Quebec Thursday
evening.
In an interview in the Canadian city with the Mexican news agency NOTIMEX,
Chavez affirmed that a miracle will be needed for the successful creation of
a Free Trade Association of the Americas before the year 2005. Warning of
the possibility of regional disintegration before integration, the
Venezuelan President said that in terms of a continental free trade
agreement, it's not important when, but how.
Following a gathering with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Chavez
said that there is still much to negotiate, and that there are still some
controversial issues. Among them, he stated, is the so-called "democracy
clause."
Chavez said that it's necessary to ask what type of democracy is referred
to, adding that democracy, it values and ethics, must be submitted to
another debate. The Venezuelan president asserted that during the First
Summit of the Americas in Miami in 1994, there was no democracy in
Venezuela.
*MEXICAN ARMY WITHDRAWS FROM LAST MILITARY BASES IN CHIAPAS
Mexico City, April 21 (RHC)--The Mexican army has withdrawn from the last
two of seven military bases in accordance with one of three demands by the
Zapatista rebels to renew peace talks. Members of the Congressional Chiapas
Peace Commission, the Chiapas Governor and Zapatista representatives
observed Friday as some 200 soldiers abandoned in a convoy of 30 vehicles
the military installations in Rio Euseba and Guadalupe Tepeyac.
Guadalupe Tepeyac was the headquarters of the Zapatista National Liberation
Army until the Mexican army took over the town in February, 1995, as the
rebels and the town's 60 families abandoned the site. Mexican authorities
are now waiting to see if the original residents return to their modest
homes partially destroyed by weather and weeds. The olive green colored
installations were immediately painted white as work began to convert them
into social development centers.
Members of the Congressional Chiapas Peace Commission plan to travel Monday
to the Mexican states of Queretaro and Tabasco, where the remaining 11
Zapatistas are being held in prison. Their release, the dismantling of the
seven military bases and approval of federal legislation on indigenous
rights, autonomy and culture are the three Zapatista demands to renew the
Chiapas peace process.
.
Viewpoint on Quebec:
*A VIRTUAL STATE OF SIEGE, AS HEADS OF STATE PLAY GAMES WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES
The popular struggle against neo-liberal globalization continues to gain
steam with new protests in the streets of Quebec. The presidents and heads
of state from 34 Latin American and Caribbean nations met to map out the
future of their peoples -- with or without their consent. And, as the
protests in Quebec clearly demonstrate, there are many who are not in
agreement with what their so-called "leaders" feel is best for them.
Watching the images on the screen, one is reminded of the demonstrations
against the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle just a little over a
year ago. Then too, the opening of the meeting was delayed by protests and
many of the world's presidents complained of feeling the residual effects of
tear gas filling the streets of Seattle. This time, Canadian authorities
seemed to use more tear gas and even more violent, repressive measures than
the Seattle police.
Tens of thousands are in the streets to let their governments know that they
simply won't take their neo-liberal economic policies anymore. The so-called
Free Trade Area of the Americas -- under the direction of the United States
-- is nothing more and nothing less than a Master Plan for the continuation
of exploitation. It is abundantly clear that such a plan will only benefit
the corporate giants of the United States, to the detriment of the peoples
of Latin America.
There are, of course, several leaders of countries in Latin America who
understand the plight of their peoples. One such leader is Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez, who stated in Quebec that whatever is decided among
the other heads of State regarding a Free Trade Area will not simply be
accepted by Venezuela, but will be taken to a popular referendum.
Other so-called leaders of the region are apparently accepting the recipes
of the United States and the International Monetary Fund -- and subjecting
their peoples to even more economic woes.
However, as Cuban President Fidel Castro said recently, Washington hopes to
use the free trade association as a means by which entire nations can be
swallowed up. But what they don't realize is that while the empire can gulp
them down, they won't be able to digest them.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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