Radio Havana Cuba-19 April 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 19 April 2002 . *HAVANA CALLS VOTE AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION A MOCKERY AND AN INSULT *CUBA CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY OF BAY OF PIGS VICTORY *JIMMY CARTER HOPES VISIT WILL HELP IMPROVE US-CUBA RELATIONS *US TEACHERS, HEALTH CARE WORKERS DEFY WASHINGTON'S TRAVEL BAN ON CUBA *IRANIAN VICE PRESIDENT TOURS HAVANA *CUBAN FILM DIRECTOR HUMBERTO SOLAS HONORED BY CHICAGO FILM FESTIVAL *OAS SECRETARY GENERAL CESAR GAVIRIA TRIES TO BLAME COUP ON HUGO CHAVEZ *FRENCH COURT JOINS EFFORTS TO QUESTION HENRY KISSINGER ON RIGHTS ABUSE *ISRAEL FACES DOWN INTERNATIONAL OUTRAGE AT DEVASTATION OF JENIN *US PROTESTORS BARRED FROM DEMONSTRATING NEAR CORPORATE OFFICES *BUSH DEFEATED IN VOTE ON OIL DRILLING IN ALASKAN WILDLIFE REFUGE Viewpoint: *BAY OF PIGS ANNIVERSARY PROMPTS REFLECTION ON US BUSINESS AS USUAL *CAN THE EUROPEAN UNION HONESTELY SAY IT RESPECTS HUMAN RIGHTS? . *HAVANA CALLS VOTE AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION A MOCKERY AND AN INSULT Havana, Geneva, April 19 (RHC)-- Cuba has called the vote against the island at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva a mockery and an insult, insisting that its promoters lack the moral authority to sponsor such a condemnation. Havana noted that the resolution elaborated by Washington, but sponsored by Uruguay, Peru and other Latin American nations, was not supported by 30 of the commission's 53 members in the 23 to 21 vote with 9 abstentions. Terming as "inconceivable" the submissive attitude of some Latin American countries, the government of Cuba insisted that the vote is nevertheless a moral victory for the island, and that the Cuban Revolution feels strengthened in its resolve to continue struggling against the US's genocidal blockade against the island. In Geneva, the representative of the Cuban delegation, Juan Antonio Fernandez, also recalled that despite the servile attitude of some of the region's governments, Cuba is accompanied by an immense legion of Latin American and Caribbean peoples. [Those voting for the resolution were: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, England and Uruguay. Voting against were: Algeria, Bahrain, Burundi, China, Cuba, People's Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Indonesia, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sudan, Syria, Togo, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zambia. The nine countries abstaining were: Armenia, Brazil, Ecuador, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Thailand and Uganda. -- NY Transfer] *CUBA CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY OF BAY OF PIGS VICTORY Havana, April 19 (RHC)-- Today, April 19th, marks the 41st anniversary of Cuba's victory at Playa Girón, also known as the Bay of Pigs. On this date in 1961, mercenary forces -- trained and organized by the United States -- were soundly defeated, less than 72 hours after having launched their invasion of the island. Cubans across the island commemorated another anniversary of Playa Girón with special events and celebrations. School children held ceremonies to pay homage to those who were killed during the mercenary invasion, while militia and army veterans were honored for their selfless sacrifice to defend the Cuban Revolution. The Cuban people's victory at the Bay of Pigs -- 41 years ago today -- constituted the first military defeat of U.S. imperialism in Latin America. *JIMMY CARTER HOPES VISIT WILL HELP IMPROVE US-CUBA RELATIONS Atlanta, April 19 (RHC)-- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter says that he hopes his upcoming visit to Cuba will help improve relations between Washington and Havana. Invited by Cuban President Fidel Castro, the former head of state is scheduled to visit the island between May 12th and 17th. Speaking with reporters in Atlanta on Thursday, Jimmy Carter expressed hope that his upcoming visit will provide "an opportunity to explore issues of mutual interest" and "exchange ideas about how to improve relations between the United States and Cuba." The former U.S. president will travel to the island accompanied by his wife, Rosalyn, and a delegation from the Carter Center based in Atlanta, Georgia. During his term in office, from 1977 to 1981, the Carter Administration established "Interests Sections" in Havana and Washington. The former president also lifted travel restrictions on U.S. citizens wishing to visit the island -- restrictions that were quickly re-imposed as soon as Ronald Reagan took over the White House. Political analysts believe that while Jimmy Carter will visit Cuba as a private citizen, his opinions and suggestions as an 'elder statesman' may help influence policy makers on Capitol Hill. *US TEACHERS, HEALTH CARE WORKERS DEFY WASHINGTON'S TRAVEL BAN ON CUBA Havana, April 19 (RHC)-- A group of 13 teachers and health care professionals from the United States has defied threats by the U.S. Treasury Department to bring legal action against them for traveling to Cuba. According to Janet Caldwell, an English teacher from Portland, Oregon, she and other members of her delegation arrived in Havana earlier this week to study Cuba's health and education systems. She said the group originally numbered 25, but that 12 people withdrew when the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control ruled that their trip was "illegal." The Treasury Department informed participants that if they went ahead with the trip, they could be charged with a felony and face prosecution. The educational delegation was coordinated by Let Cuba Live, a solidarity organization that promotes better relations between the United States and Cuba. But planning was transferred to a Massachusetts-based travel agency -- Common Ground Travel and Education Services -- when they were told that a licensed agency had to put the trip together. A spokesperson for Let Cuba Live, Renee Cote, announced that this is the first time that the U.S. government has ordered a trip connected with the group to stop. She said that Let Cuba Live has organized three trips to Cuba, the most recent by a delegation of 40 teachers two years ago. The organization also sent a group of organic farmers and gardeners to Cuba in 1996. Members of the delegation now in Cuba hope that Washington will not prosecute them when they return to the United States. Speaking with reporters in Havana, Janet Caldwell -- the teacher from Portland -- said her trip is research-based and should not be subject to threats from the U.S. government. She said she traveled to Cuba to learn about educational strategies regarding literacy and cannot see any reason why she should be prosecuted as a criminal. Let Cuba Live issued a statement, requesting that the U.S. Treasury Department change its decision and acknowledge that the group is doing professional research in its related field, which is a requirement for traveling to Cuba under U.S. law. *IRANIAN VICE PRESIDENT TOURS HAVANA Havana, April 19 (RHC)-- Iranian Vice President Mohsen Mehr Alizadeh continues his official, four-day visit to the island. During his stay, the vice president of the Islamic Republic of Iran is touring places of social and political interest. His visit is expected to also contribute to strengthening bilateral ties between Havana and Teheran. Cuba and Iran established diplomatic relations in February 1979, following a popular uprising that overthrew the Shah of Iran in January of that year. Iran is an active member-state of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Group of 77. *CUBAN FILM DIRECTOR HUMBERTO SOLAS HONORED BY CHICAGO FILM FESTIVAL Chicago, April 19 (RHC)-- One of Cuba's best known film directors, Humberto Solás, has been awarded yet another honor -- this time by the Chicago Film Festival. The award for his lifetime work was presented by Pepe Vargas, director of the Chicago Film Festival. The 61-year-old film director worked together with Tomás Gutiérrez Alea on some of the most acclaimed Cuban films following the triumph of the Revolution in 1959. He was also one of the founders of the island's New Film Movement. The Cuban director was honored by the Cannes Film Festival in 1982. The latest film by Humberto Solás, "Miel para Ochún," is being screened during this year's Chicago Film Festival. Critics have highly praised the film, which features awarding-winning actor Jorge Perugorría, who appeared in "Fresa y Chocolate" ("Strawberry and Chocolate") in 1994. *OAS SECRETARY GENERAL CESAR GAVIRIA TRIES TO BLAME COUP ON HUGO CHAVEZ Washington, April 19 (RHC)-- Venezuela has asserted that the country's political polarization is not the fault of President Hugo Chavez, but rather, of the historic persistence of social injustice. This was Venezuelan Foreign Minister Luis Davila's response to Organization of American States secretary general Cesar Gaviria during a heated debate leading up to a resolution on the situation in Venezuela that did not explicitly condemn the recent right wing plot to overthrow Chavez. He reiterated that the polarization Gaviria was referring to is the result of 40 years of a corrupt democracy that left 80 percent of the Venezuelan people living below the poverty line in an oil-rich country. Gaviria stated that Chavez's so-called "rhetoric" had created a dangerously polarized situation in Venezuela, placing the blame on the followers of Chavez's Bolivarian Movement. Davila also rejected a proposal put forth by US Secretary of State Colin Powell that Gaviria serve as a mediator between Chavez and the right wing opposition - much as he had done in Peru shortly before former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori fled the country amid his administration's unprecedented political scandal. But the Venezuelan foreign minister said that finding solutions to Venezuela's problems correspond exclusively to the legitimate Venezuelan government and the Venezuelan people. The OAS secretary general also called on Venezuelan to prohibit the participation of the military in the country's political arena, leading Davila to remind him that the Venezuelan constitution allows members of the military to vote in electoral processes. *FRENCH COURT JOINS EFFORTS TO QUESTION HENRY KISSINGER ON RIGHTS ABUSE Paris, April 19 (RHC)-- A French court has joined efforts to question former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger concerning human rights violations during Latin America's dictatorships. French Judge Sophie-Helene Chateau has petitioned British authorities for permission to interrogate Kissinger during his visit to London next week, following a similar petition from Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzon -- instrumental in former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's 1998 arrest in the British capital. Chateau is heading investigations into the forced disappearance of five French citizens in Chile during the Pinochet regime. The moves by French and Spanish investigators have been welcomed by protesters planning to disrupt the former secretary of state's speech to 2,500 business leaders at a convention in Britain on April 24. The London-based organization Globalize Resistance is using leaflets, posters and the Internet to generate support for a demonstration against the Harvard-educated National Security Adviser to former US President Richard Nixon. The activists staged a mock trial of Kissinger earlier this week. *ISRAEL FACES DOWN INTERNATIONAL OUTRAGE AT DEVASTATION OF JENIN Tel Aviv, April 19 (RHC)-- Israel is defiantly facing down international outrage over its army's devastation of the West Bank Palestinian Jenin refugee camp. Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson Gideon Meir branded as "liars" the United Nations officials who expressed shock and horror over the devastation in Jenin after finally being allowed to visit the refugee camp on Thursday. Special UN envoy Terje Roed-Larssen said the images of destruction were so terrible that they were beyond comprehension. Even Israel's left-of-center media outlets are expressing indignation over the downpour of criticism from the international community, though the country's news dailies are also reporting that Israeli diplomatic and military circles recognize that they've lost the propaganda war in the battle of Jenin. Meanwhile, the Red Crescent delegation in Jenin Friday charged that the Israeli army has buried numerous bodies in two mass graves outside the refugee camp, and that access to the are has been denied because the Israeli army has declared it a closed military zone. *US PROTESTORS BARRED FROM DEMONSTRATING NEAR CORPORATE OFFICES Washington, April 19 (RHC)-- Anti-globalization activists in Washington D.C. are furious over a police prohibition preventing them from gathering outside three major corporations during this weekend's planned protest against the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and against Israeli violence in occupied Palestinian territories. Police have told protesters that they can't assemble outside the Washington offices of the Coca Cola firm and two other large transnationals, which members of the Mobilization for Global Justice have called unconstitutional. The organization had been preparing street-theatre skits featuring stilt-walkers, an inflatable globe and soda pop outside the offices of Coca Cola, Citibank and the Monsanto Corporation. But D.C. police issued a march permit last week, weeks after it was requested, that keeps the demonstrators away from those offices. Calling the move a complete denial of the activists' First Amendment rights, coalition member Adam Eidinger said some demonstrators will proceed as planned with or without a permit - accusing police of deliberately and unnecessarily setting up a confrontation. Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected by organizers to protest Saturday through Monday over a host of issues, including US foreign policy in Colombia as Colombian President Andres Pastrana presses for more US involvement in the country's civil war. Protest organizers said they picked the companies to draw attention to the deaths of union organizers at a Coca Cola bottling plant in Colombia, Citibank profits from Colombia's foreign debt and Monsanto products used to spray illicit drug crops that they say are destroying the environment. Eidinger said the activists view the police mandate to block these protests as an example of how corporate interests routinely trump those of citizens. *BUSH DEFEATED IN VOTE ON OIL DRILLING IN ALASKAN WILDLIFE REFUGE Washington, April 19 (RHC)--US President George W. Bush suffered an important defeat in a Senate vote Thursday that went against his oil drilling plans for Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This was the first time that Bush has seen his rhetoric on terrorism fail since September 11th. The President had used the destruction of the World Trade Center as a reason to drill for oil to render the country as energy independent as possible in case of further "terrorist attacks". This tactic was apparently seen as just a ploy by the 54 who voted against the legislation. Bush has frequently forced through legislation by referring to the attack on the Twin Towers, which no lawmaker wishes to appear to contest and consequently risk serious political fallout. Potential Democratic presidential contender, John Kerry, led his party's opposition to what critics were calling Bush's scheme to support the oil industry and not the country. Bush is himself a former oil man and has very close connections to the industry. Research into the amount of oil that could be extracted from Alaska indicates it would only keep the behemoth of US oil consumption going for 18 months and was therefore not the essential priority as portrayed by the President. Kerry - who unsuccessfully tried to introduce legislation requiring improved motor vehicle consumption - said that the mathematics he learned in elementary school prove that Arctic drilling wouldn't make any difference for the nation's national security. Viewpoint: *BAY OF PIGS ANNIVERSARY PROMPTS REFLECTION ON US BUSINESS AS USUAL Today, April 19th, is remembered by Cubans as the date the Bay of Pigs invasion was completely crushed by the Cuban militia and army 41 years ago. The day - with all the memories it evokes - always gives cause for reflection, but especially this year in the light of what happened a week ago in Venezuela. For who says that a US invasion nowadays is just a Cuban delusion? Certainly not with the current administration chomping at the bit to discover new enemies or harass old ones after September 11th. We clearly saw last week how far the United States was prepared to go to get rid of President Hugo Chavez - even if the rest of the world sat agape at how hypocritical, or perhaps half-witted, Washington was in defense of its actions. Venezuela was, last week, given a brief lesson as to how the United States views Caracas' remarkably democratic constitution. This same view of democracy was expressed in Cuba in the 1961 invasion. Both countries responded with their own lessons on the virtues of true democracy - that of the people. Since the Bay of Pigs, we have been constantly under attack - either physically or economically - because Washington simply doesn't like our form of government. Not because we threaten the US, or arm and train its enemies, or seek to blockade it - all of which it does to us. No, simply because our social system is not compatible with the bottom-line system of a corporate business empire that relies on exploiting the working majority to the immense profit and power of the few fat cats running Washington's show. Small wonder, therefore, that Cuba seeks to defend itself by sending its citizens to the US to report on Washington-sponsored terrorist organizations in Miami to ascertain the damage and deaths their constant belligerent actions are likely to cause the island. Which of course brings us to the five Cubans imprisoned in the US for appallingly long terms. They sought to defend their country, as would any US citizen in similar circumstances. Indeed, if they were US citizens they would have been paraded around the country by now and recorded in the annals as some of the nation's greatest heroes. The word "democracy" for Washington politicians is simply a useful catchword - like "terrorist." It was used 41 years ago to defend the Bay of Pigs invasion and only last week in the attempted coup d'état against the people of Venezuela and their leader. It was also used to justify the barbarity of the prison terms given to five good men who sought to defend the very meaning of Democracy. Today, we celebrate the defense of our democracy. Of our system of social justice. It may not be perfect, but it has been built upon the sacrifice of worthy, honest people such as these five and those who died four decades ago. They will never be forgotten as we continue to strive for our very existence against the obscure servants of US dominance who since 1961 have sought to rewrite democratic history from their little cubicles in Langley, Virginia. *CAN THE EUROPEAN UNION HONESTELY SAY IT RESPECTS HUMAN RIGHTS? At the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva today a group of the richest countries in the world connived to try to accuse Cuba of human rights violations. As the world is aware, and statistics can prove, more and more money is spent on weapons, military affairs and deployment. As a result the number of countries that are now at risk of war is increasing. The rich countries are indeed creating an international military culture and encouraging governments to develop an economy designed for war. Is that not considered to be against Human Rights? For if it isn't, then we could say that after 50 years, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights has become obsolete. We should ask ourselves why the Human Rights Commission in Europe has taken so long to condemn the massacre in the Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin? Or why, for instance, it has not condemned Spain for supplying Israel with weapons? It has been demonstrated that during the first half of 2001 Spain sold armaments to Israel for some half a million euros, even though Israel has continuously disregarded all international resolutions on the rights of refugees and exiled peoples. Is it not cynical that European states should also imitate Washington in supplying helicopters and missiles to massacre Palestinians, destroy their homes, and wreak havoc on their territory? In fact, the European Union passed a 1998 "code of conduct" aimed at supposedly controlling the arms traffic. However, the Spanish Government does not follow this code as more than 25% of Spanish arms exports goes to countries in conflict. The situation is so out of control that non-governmental organizations in Europe are urging the European Union to develop a practical program to prevent armed conflicts and to control the purchasing of weapons by countries involved in conflicts. So, for that reason alone, is it not a hypocrisy that some European countries voted today against Cuba at the Human Rights Commission in Geneva? (c) 2002 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytcari-04.19.02-23:59:56-29003