From: NY Transfer News <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2002 09:12:37 -0500 (EST) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (CubaNews List) Subject: [CubaNews] Radio Havana Cuba-30 January 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 30 January 2002 . *COLOMBIAN PEACE SUMMIT GETS UNDERWAY IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL *MEXICAN PRESIDENT VICENTE FOX ARRIVES IN HAVANA THIS WEEKEND *POLLUTION REDUCED IN THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA *CUBA TO HELP CONSTRUCT FIRST FOOD PROCESSING PLANT IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA *NEW CD BY PABLO MILANES PRESENTED IN MADRID *PPG ANTI-CHOLESTEROL MEDICATION IN HIGH DEMAND IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC *BUSH STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS CALLS FOR MASSIVE MILITARY BUILDUP *ISRAELI ARMY RESERVISTS REFUSE TO SERVE IN WEST BANK AND GAZA *Viewpoint: JUSTICE IN THE STREETS . *COLOMBIAN PEACE SUMMIT GETS UNDERWAY IN THE CUBAN CAPITAL Havana, January 30 (RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro presided over the inauguration of a Colombian Peace Summit Tuesday evening, which the island's foreign minister, Felipe Perez Roque, described as "historic for Colombia, Latin America and the international community." The three-day meeting between Colombian government officials and leaders of the guerilla Army of National Liberation, known by its Spanish acronym as the ELN, is taking place at Havana's Convention Center. It is being attended by some 100 participants from all levels of Colombian society, as well as international observers, and is designed to confront the obstacles to peace in one of the oldest civil conflicts in Latin America. In expressing his hope for a successful outcome to the summit, the Cuban foreign minister also voiced his country's total opposition to any kind of outside intervention in Colombia's affairs and underlined how important it was to respect the South American nation's sovereignty and independence. Felipe Perez Roque said that Colombia could count on Cuba's support and that any foreign intervention would only aggravate the situation and lead to far more serious consequences. ELN spokesperson, Ramiro Vargas, and Bogota's high commissioner for peace, Camilo Gomez, are leading the two delegations. Representatives from France, Norway, Venezuela, Switzerland, Spain and the United Nations are also attending the Peace Summit, which wraps up tomorrow, Thursday. *MEXICAN PRESIDENT VICENTE FOX ARRIVES IN HAVANA THIS WEEKEND Havana, January 30 (RHC)-- The president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, will make an official visit to Cuba on February 3rd and 4th, at the invitation of his Cuban counterpart, Fidel Castro. The visit is designed to increase economic, social and cultural ties between both nations. Mexico is the country that has the longest lasting diplomatic relationship with Havana, going back some 100 years. It was also the only nation in the region that ignored pressure from Washington to break diplomatic relations in the early 1960s. In an exclusive, live interview with Radio Havana Cuba's Barbara Betancourt on Wednesday morning, the Mexican head of state said that he was looking forward to not only tasting Cuban coffee but also the friendship of the Cuban people. He said there was still much to do to bring both nations closer together in economic, commercial, diplomatic and cultural aspects. And the Mexican president added that he wanted to seek common positions with Cuba wherever possible. President Vicente Fox will be accompanied by a large delegation, which will include many trade and commerce representatives. *POLLUTION REDUCED IN THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA Santiago de Cuba, January 30 (RHC)-- Pollution in the eastern mountains of Santiago de Cuba registered a 33 percent reduction in 2001 compared to the previous year thanks to an action plan to preserve and improve the environment. According to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, the surface of forest areas in Santiago de Cuba has increased 1.3 per cent or 1,995 hectares due to the reforestation process taking place in the region. The decontamination of the mountains and the protection of the environment is of great importance for the eastern part of the region due to the fact that the province of Santiago de Cuba represents a third of the mountainous region where some 20 per cent of the population live. The authorities are also educating the population in an attempt to stop people from cutting trees, as well as how to avoid forest fires. *CUBA TO HELP CONSTRUCT FIRST FOOD PROCESSING PLANT IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA Malabo, January 30 (RHC)-- Cuba will help construct the first food processing plant in Equatorial Guinea next month, according to the island's Ministry of Agriculture. A delegation from the Guinean Chamber of Commerce is scheduled to arrive in Havana this week and meet with Cuban authorities on the food processing plant. Relations between Cuba and Equatorial Guinea were suspended in the 1980's and later improved in 2000 with the signing of cooperation agreements in the health sector, as well as exchanges of professors and experts in the agricultural field. The Cuban embassy in Malabo was closed in 1990 for economic reasons, reopening in April of 2001. *NEW CD BY PABLO MILANES PRESENTED IN MADRID Madrid, January 30 (RHC)-- "Pablo Querido" is the name of Cuban singer/songwriter Pablo Milanes recent CD which features stars such as Argentinian Fito Paez, renowned Mexican Armando Manzanero and Peruvian Tania Libertad. The CD which was presented on Wednesday in Madrid, has an written introduction by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez which reads: "This CD is a house without doors which Pablito Milanes carries with him everywhere and invites his friends worldwide to sing alongside him." The launching of Pablo's CD in Madrid also included the participation of renowned Spanish singer Joaquin Sabina and Argentinian Alberto Cortés. *PPG-5 ANTI-CHOLESTEROL MEDICATION IN HIGH DEMAND IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Santo Domingo, January 30 (RHC)-- The sale of the Cuban anti-cholesterol medication PPG-5 has increased in the Dominican Republic where it is sold in 1,500 drug stores throughout the country. According to the manager of the Dominican medical firm, Manuel Hidalgo, they have been purchasing 2,000 boxes of the medication from Cuba's Dalmer laboratories each year, with the amount increased to some 7,000. Recent studies have demonstrated that the use of PPG-5 medication prevents vascular diseases and improves blood circulation, which is also known to stimulate sexual activity, mainly in men. PPG or policosanol is a product that is made out of sugar cane derivatives aimed at reducing the level of cholesterol in the blood. A recent report revealed that PPG is also highly in demand in Chile. *BUSH STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS CALLS FOR MASSIVE MILITARY BUILDUP Washington, January 30 (RHC)-- U.S. President George W. Bush has called for a massive military buildup in response to what he called "terrorist threats" against the United States. During his annual State of the Union speech, delivered Tuesday night before both houses of Congress, the U.S. president warned that Washington's 'war against terrorism' is "only the beginning." Observers on Capitol Hill said Bush seemed to be outlining a rationale for future military action -- specifically naming three countries as possible targets: Iraq, Iran and North Korea. Calling the countries "an axis of evil," the U.S. president told Congress that he was ready to act quickly against what he said were countries threatening the 'American Way of Life.' The Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces chose not to even mention the Enron scandal, which many say is linked to the Bush administration. And observers say he conveniently neglected to mention the situation in the Middle East and Washington's unconditional support of Tel Aviv, which has been widely condemned internationally. In response to last night's State of the Union address, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said that the U.S. president "should back up his assertions with evidence instead of repeating old and unfounded claims." He added that Bush "intends to divert public opinion from the Middle East issue and to prepare the domestic grounds for continuing his support of Israel in its brutal oppression of the Palestinian nation." Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a top adviser to the Iranian government, said that Tehran would not be threatened by the U.S. president's "aggressive language." In Baghdad, a leading Iraqi lawmaker said that Washington was laying the groundwork for another U.S. assault on Iraq. Salim al-Qubaisi, head of the Iraqi parliament's Foreign and Arab Relations Committee, said that the Bush administration has been threatening Baghdad from time to time "to prepare world public opinion for a new aggression against Iraq." North Korea's news agency published a commentary on Wednesday, calling Bush's reference to the country as a threat nothing more than an attempt to justify Washington's military presence in South Korea. Even South Korea's president jumped in, responding to the U.S. president's words by stressing the importance of peace with its neighbor to the north. In Seoul, President Kim Dae-jung said that his country's economic future depends on North-South relations." *ISRAELI ARMY RESERVISTS REFUSE TO SERVE IN WEST BANK AND GAZA Jerusalem, January 30 (RHC)-- More than 60 Israeli Army reservists, half officers and all of them combat veterans, have publicly refused to continue serving in the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- charging that Israeli occupation forces are abusing and killing Palestinians. A petition signed by the reservists and published in the daily newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" states that the reservists will no longer serve "for the purpose of occupying, deporting, destroying, blockading, killing, starving and humiliating an entire people." According to reports from observers in Tel Aviv, there have been cases in the past of Israelis resisting military service or refusing to serve in certain areas for reasons of conscience. But what makes this case unusual is that such a large number of reservists have publicly come forward at the same time. And organizers of the petition -- two young army lieutenants who have both served previous tours of duty in occupied territories -- say their goal is to collect 500 signatures and launch a broad social campaign against Israeli atrocities. Reserve Lieutenant David Zonshein, one of the two men who drafted the petition, told reporters that Israeli troops are ordered to shoot people and destroy houses that could have people inside. In statements to the daily newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth," Zonshein and other reservists said that troops had opened fire on Palestinian children and other civilians who posed no apparent danger to their lives. Another former combat soldier who refused to serve during Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982 said the current refusals are similar to previous conflicts. Ram Rahat, a 45-year-old accountant, said it demonstrates that people who have gone through army reserve duty in occupied territories "and see the reality of what is going on there, are starting to get fed up with it." *Viewpoint: JUSTICE IN THE STREETS Argentinean Foreign Minister, Carlos Ruckauf, was recently the center of worldwide press attention: first of all because he rushed to Washington begging for financial help to bail out his country and secondly because Buenos Aries province, where Ruckauf was governor for the last two years, is unable to meet its financial commitments. Ruckauf flew to the U.S. capital carrying with him a letter from President Eduardo Duhalde addressed to his counterpart, George W. Bush, asking for financial help for Argentina. As their country's economy implodes, Argentinean leaders are desperately turning to the United States for help and it can be expected that in exchange Buenos Aries will look even more to Washington when determining foreign policy. For Ruckauf, it couldn't have been easy to hold conversations in Washington while Argentina's largest province, Buenos Aires, was forced to announce that it was unable to pay its Euro debt in the equivalent of 25 million dollars. But many in Argentina blame the foreign minister for missing funds and bad administration during his term as governor of Buenos Aires from December of l999 to January of 2002. Both Ruckauf and Duhalde are facing difficulties as they solicit help. The Argentinean president had to publicly admit that he cannot meet the commitment he made when he took office, to return to citizens their frozen dollar savings accounts. Former president Fernando de la Rua, on December 3rd, froze all dollar accounts in an attempt to stem the massive flight of capital. The new president also had to admit that a bankrupt nation is in no condition to placate the masses of irate citizens who rushed to banks around the nation demanding to withdraw their life's savings. In the end, Dunhalde pledged to slowly unfreeze the accounts, but in devalued pesos, further enflaming an already angry public. It's not by chance that street demonstrations have erupted throughout the nation with protesters blocking traffic and demanding jobs. Housewives, retirees and others have taken to banging on pots and pans to demand change. Neither Duhalde from the presidential palace nor his foreign minister, Ruckauf, who is now on an international mission to gather financial aid, appear to have the political support of Argentineans who are angrily demanding work and the restitution of their savings. The rapidly growing numbers of massive street demonstrations underscore the lack of confidence Argentineans have in their political leaders. Nor do Argentineans now appear willing to believe that the United States and the International Monetary Fund are key to the economic salvation of their country. It has become clear that IMF economic policies have only helped to sink Argentina...along with corruption, incompetence and the demagogy of politicians. (c) 2002 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] __________________________________________________
