Radio Havana Cuba-24 April 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 24 April 2002 . *HAVANA'S AMBASSADOR TO CARACAS DENOUNCES FASCIST ATTACK AGAINST EMBASSY *CUBA'S AMBASSADOR IN LIMA THANKS PERUVIAN CONGRESS FOR POSITION REGARDING RECENT VOTE AT HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IN GENEVA *REGIONAL MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE OF FAO GETS UNDERWAY IN HAVANA *ISRAEL DELAYS ARRIVAL OF UN DELEGATION TO INVESTIGATE CHARGES OF MASSACRES AND ATROCITIES IN PALESTINIAN JENIN REFUGEE CAMP *UNCERTAINTY AND FRUSTRATION RISE ANOTHER NOTCH IN ARGENTINA AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS *LE PEN JEERED DURING EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT GATHERING *FORMER NICARAGUAN PRESIDENT ARNOLDO ALEMAN ESCAPES STRIPPING OF PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY TO FACE CORRUPTION CHARGES *MASSIVE FRAUD IN COLOMBIAN LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS, CHARGES COLOMBIAN SENATOR *Viewpoint: LOYALTY CAN ONLY EXIST WHEN ACCOMPANIED BY TRUTH AND JUSTICE . *HAVANA'S AMBASSADOR TO CARACAS DENOUNCES FASCIST ATTACK AGAINST EMBASSY Caracas, April 24 (RHC)-- Cuban Ambassador to Venezuela Germán Sánchez termed as fascist the attack against Havana's embassy in Caracas by a group of counterrevolutionaries on April 12th. Cuba's top diplomat in Venezuela told reporters that during the attempted right-wing coup against President Hugo Chavez nearly two weeks ago, the mob -- made up of Venezuelans and Cuban-born residents in Caracas -- attempted to violently break into the embassy, destroying a number of vehicles and shouting threats at diplomatic personnel. Germán Sánchez said that the actions were horrendous and deplorable, reminding him of the acts carried out during the times of Mussolini, Adolfo Hitler and Augusto Pinochet. The Cuban ambassador strongly denounced the use of Venezuela's right-wing media to incite the mob to violence. Sánchez specifically pointed to Marta Colomina, a journalist and vehement critic of Hugo Chavez, as well as retired Vice Admiral Ivan Carratu, who served as an assistant to former Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez. Havana's ambassador to Caracas also accused attorney Ricardo Koesling and Cuban-born counterrevolutionary Salvador Romani of being the main organizers and promoters of the mob violence outside the embassy. The Cuban diplomat reaffirmed the right of his country's embassy -- as it is the right of all embassies in the world -- to provide refuge to anyone persecuted for political reasons. At the same time, he categorically denied that officials from President Hugo Chavez' government were inside the Cuban embassy at the time of the attacks. He further noted that the fundamental principles of international law were violated by those who carried out the attempted fascist coup, by allowing the mob to continue its attacks against the embassy without interference. Finally, Cuban Ambassador Germán Sánchez confirmed that each and every one of the embassy personnel was prepared to defend the sovereignty and diplomatic integrity of their country, even at the risk of sacrificing their own lives. *CUBA'S AMBASSADOR IN LIMA THANKS PERUVIAN CONGRESS FOR POSITION REGARDING RECENT VOTE AT HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IN GENEVA Lima, April 24 (RHC)-- Cuban Ambassador to Peru, Benigno Pérez, has expressed his appreciation to the Peruvian Congress "for saving the diplomatic honor of the country" during the recent debate on an anti-Cuba resolution at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. Speaking at a reception held at Cuba's embassy in Lima, Ambassador Pérez noted that congressional representatives approved a resolution that called on the Peruvian government to abstain in the vote to condemn the island for alleged human rights violations. Peru joined Brazil in abstaining during last week's vote in Geneva, which only squeaked by with the narrow approval of two votes -- 23 in favor and 21 against. Havana's ambassador to Lima referred to the similarities between the position of Peru's Congress regarding this year's vote at the UN Human Rights Commission and the position adopted in 1961 by then-Peruvian Foreign Minister Raúl Porras. During the debate on Cuba's membership in the Organization of American States -- when Latin American nations were pressured by Washington to break diplomatic relations with Havana and expel Cuba from the OAS, the Peruvian foreign minister voted against the maneuver. Ordered by his government to vote in favor of Havana's expulsion from the regional organization, Raúl Porras refused and then resigned as Peru's foreign minister. Attending the reception at Cuba's diplomatic mission were high-ranking leaders of the governing party, Peru Posible, as well as congressional representatives from all political sectors in the country's Congress. *REGIONAL MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE OF FAO GETS UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, April 24 (RHC)-- The 27th Regional Conference of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) began meeting at the ministerial level on Wednesday in Havana. The conference will run through this Friday, April 26th. Jacques Diouf, Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, spoke at the inaugural session this morning. Experts and representatives from a total of 33 nations of Latin America and the Caribbean have already been meeting since Monday in the Cuban capital. Eighteen ministers of agriculture are attending the regional conference here in Havana. They are reviewing the activities of the FAO in the region over the past two years -- with a special emphasis on the trends and challenges in agriculture, forests and fishing, as well as topics related to food security. Other important items on the agenda include regional preparations for the World Food Summit, slated from June 10th through the 13th in Rome. According to the United Nations, more than one billion 200 million people in the world live below the poverty line, with some 220 million from Latin America and the Caribbean -- half of the region's population. UN officials expect that among the documents coming out of the regional conference by the end of this week is a rejection of the use of food as a political weapon against other nations. For its part, Cuba will denounce Washington's genocidal, 40-year-old economic blockade against the island. *ISRAEL DELAYS ARRIVAL OF UN DELEGATION TO INVESTIGATE CHARGES OF MASSACRES AND ATROCITIES IN PALESTINIAN JENIN REFUGEE CAMP Geneva, Tel Aviv, April 24 (RHC)-- Israel has delayed the arrival of a United Nations delegation established to investigate charges of Israeli massacres and atrocities in the Palestinian Jenin refugee camp. Israel's UN ambassador called on the world body to include more military and anti-terrorism experts, and less politicians in the delegation. Secretary General Kofi Annan has reportedly accepted the delay, but only until Saturday. Palestinian and Arab leaders believe the move is aimed at giving Israel further time to cover up the bloody events in Jenin. Three weeks after the unprecedented military operation began, the number of Palestinians killed remains unknown - with Palestinians speaking of hundreds but Israelis claiming only several dozen. Though Annan is not opposed to including more experts in the UN delegation, he has reportedly insisted that he won't change those persons already designated to carry out the investigation. The European Union, Russia and other diplomatic circles have expressed support for the delegation's members, which include a former Finnish president, a former UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the ex-president of the Red Cross, among others. *UNCERTAINTY AND FRUSTRATION RISE ANOTHER NOTCH IN ARGENTINA AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS Buenos Aires, April 24 (RHC)-- Uncertainty and frustration in Argentina rose another notch Wednesday with banking activities paralyzed for a third consecutive day and more doubts about the country's economic future following the resignation of Economy Minister Jorge Remes Lenicov. Authorities renewed payments to the country's 4 million pensioners and retired workers, which include 500,000 who haven't received their checks for March. Public workers who haven't received their salaries continue protesting and clashing with riot police in several Argentinean provinces, including San Juan. Parliament headquarters in the capital, Buenos Aires, is being guarded by 500 police since banks were ordered closed on Monday to prevent massive withdrawals that would lead to the collapse of Argentina's financial system. There are growing calls for President Eduardo Duhalde, designated to govern until December 2003, to step down and call elections. According to the Wednesday edition of the local news daily La Nacion, 94 percent of Argentineans don't believe Duhalde will be able to finish his mandate. Popular political leader and House Deputy Elisa Carrio affirmed that what's occurring in her country is an unstoppable process of decline and decay. Amid her crusade against government corruption, Carrio founded the center-left organization Alternative for a Republic of Equals, which has become the country's third most important political force and is expected to do well in any eventual elections. She said the Argentinean government has been overtaken by events. *LE PEN JEERED DURING EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT GATHERING Brussels, Paris, April 24 (RHC)-- France's ultra right wing leader Jean-Marie Le Pen was booed and jeered at during his appearance in the European Parliament in Brussels. As he entered the building, EU foreign affairs commissioner Chris Patten - at the time presiding over a debate on the situation in the Middle East - interrupted his speech to say that one of the most unfortunate aspects of European integration had just come through the door. Patten affirmed that cases like Le Pen should make Europe think twice before its inclination to give lessons on human rights and civil liberties. Then, when European Parliament president Pat Cox gave Le Pen two minutes to speak, numerous members - many standing up - began jeering and continued to do so even after the controversial French presidential candidate finished speaking in less than two minutes. At the same time, incumbent candidate Jacques Chirac has refused to participate with Le Pen in the traditional televised debate between presidential hopefuls, affirming that there is no debate possible in the face of intolerance and hate. Chirac and his advisors reportedly believed that accepting the debate would give the ultra right wing leader a certain amount of credibility and would damage France's image before the international community. Nevertheless, surveys have revealed that 25 percent of the French population supports Le Pen's ideas, while 60 percent believe that his ultra right wing organization National Front is destined to grow in importance. *FORMER NICARAGUAN PRESIDENT ARNOLDO ALEMAN ESCAPES STRIPPING OF PARLIAMENTARY IMMUNITY TO FACE CORRUPTION CHARGES Managua, April 24 (RHC)-- Former Nicaraguan President Arnoldo Aleman has escaped being stripped of his parliamentary immunity to face charges of corruption. Four members of Aleman's Liberal Constitutionalist Party occupying the seven seats in the National Assembly's leading committee Tuesday voted to file away a judicial petition to remove the former president's immunity to face court proceedings in a case involving the theft of 1.3 million dollars in public funds. One Sandinista voted in favor of pursuing the petition, while a member of the Christian Path Party abstained and the seventh member - Aleman himself - did not attend. Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega affirmed that the move is illegal, vowing to take the case to the Supreme Court. According to Ortega, the congressional committee is bound by law to put the case on the parliamentary agenda and designate a special commission to determine whether or not to proceed with the suspension of a legislator's immunity. The committee also refused to proceed with immunity hearings against Aleman's former secretary and spokeswoman, one a legislator in the National Assembly and the other a member of the Central American Parliament. The decision came a day after another former member of the Aleman government and the former president's personal friend, Byron Jerez, was arrested on charges of fraud. *MASSIVE FRAUD IN COLOMBIAN LEGISLATIVE ELECTIONS, CHARGES COLOMBIAN SENATOR Bogota, April 24 (RHC)-- A senator in Colombia has charged that there was voter fraud at 17,000 of the little more than 50,000 voting stations during last month's legislative elections, in which at least 32,000 electoral officials were involved. Colombian Attorney General Edgardo Maya recently confirmed previous denunciations of voter fraud by Senator Jimmy Chamorro, which prompted an on-going congressional investigation. According to Chamorro, one of the principle acts of corruption that occurred at more than 25 percent of the country's voting stations was the marking of ballots with voter registration numbers of persons who never voted - as, he said, he was able to confirm in a review of the National Documentation Archives, where the names and the numbers didn't coincide. Other legislators have denounced the disappearance of ballots and surprising disparities between the original unofficial vote count and the final count as published by the electoral bulletins. 102 senate seats and 165 lower house seats were disputed last March 10th. *Viewpoint: LOYALTY CAN ONLY EXIST WHEN ACCOMPANIED BY TRUTH AND JUSTICE Nobody is obliged to remain loyal in the face of injustice and immorality, observed President Fidel Castro last night in response to comments made by Mexican President Fox's office that criticized the Cuban leader for divulging the contents of a conversation he had had with his Mexican counterpart last month. Rather than confront the real issues - that of the mendacity and deception of its foreign minister and the betrayal of Cuba by the Fox administration in Geneva last week - the Mexican government prefers to turn public attention away from its dishonest and shameful treatment of Fidel Castro and the nation he represents by calling attention to the fact that the Cuban leader had broken protocol by revealing the truth. First and foremost, the conversation that Fidel Castro had with Vicente Fox was between two heads of state discussing official business. It was by no means a personal chat of such an intimate nature that it should never have been divulged. Secondly, the ramifications of the Mexican leader's subsequent actions and comments went far beyond a supposed gentleman's agreement over the privacy of a conversation. Fox brought up the issue of privacy when the conversation was well under way and he did so because he knew that what he was doing was less than honorable. He was pressuring a world leader invited along with other world leaders by the United Nations to limit his participation in a very important summit because it quite simply did not sit well with the US President that Fidel Castro be seen in the same room with him. No matter the far more important issues of poverty and starvation to be discussed. The stratagem of Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda in attempting to destroy a 100-year relationship between two nations because of his obsession with one of its leaders is despicable. His obeisance to Washington is clear. Today, Wednesday, a number of Mexican senators will be demanding Castañeda's removal for putting the integrity of their nation on the line by openly lying to the press, and for his abject capitulation to the demands of the Bush administration. There is nothing more ethical, loyal, honorable and honest than the four decades in which Cuba has struggled to build a just and independent society, faithful to the memory of those that fought and died for such values. This country may still have a long way to go, but it has eliminated hunger, disease, illiteracy and exploitation with a philanthropy that doesn't just concentrate these gains at home but seeks to share them with the entire human race. It is hardly for the likes of relentless political opportunists such as Castañeda to be giving the leader of such an equitable nation lessons in integrity, gallantry and morality. (c) 2002 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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