Radio Havana Cuba-12 February 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 12 February 2001
.
*FIDEL AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATE BY AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF ZACATECAS
*ARGENTINEAN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT DENIES IT LEAKED INFORMATION
*PEREZ ROQUE URGES MEXICO TO PROTECT ITS BUSINESSES IN CUBA
*POSADA CARRILES OBTAINED FALSE DOCUMENTS IN EL SALVADOR
*BRAZILIAN DELEGATION ARRIVES IN HAVANA
*VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT PRAISES CUBAN MEDICAL COOPERATION
*EXPERTS SAY OIL PRODUCTION WILL REACH SIX MILLION TONS BY THE YEAR 2005
*IBM ACCUSED OF HELPING THE NAZIS DURING WORLD WAR TWO
*SITUATION IN ECUADOR ENCOURAGES DRUG TRAFFICKING, COUNTERFEITING
Viewpoint:
*EDUCATORS ARE THE FORGERS OF HUMAN CAPITAL - BUT FOR WHAT PURPOSE?
.
*FIDEL AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATE BY AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF ZACATECAS
Havana, February 12 (RHC)-- History has shown that there are no weapons
capable of changing humanity, according to Cuban President Fidel Castro. The
Cuban leader spoke to an official Mexican delegation at Havana's
International Convention Center after receiving an Honorary Doctorate Degree
from the Autonomous University of Zacatecas.
The Cuban president recalled that Mexico was the only Latin American country
that did not give in to U.S. pressures to break diplomatic relations with
Cuba after the triumph of the Revolution in 1959.
He added that the Cuban people have been forced to confront continuous
military and biological aggressions from the United States, citing the
example of a dengue epidemic introduced in 1980, which killed 150 people,
mostly children.
President Fidel Castro emphasized that the Cuban people could resist ten, 20
or even 50 years of Washington's blockade and affirmed that those who talk
about a so-called "post-Castro era" do not understand the ideas of
sovereignty, justice and history. He stated that it is "not Castro but the
Cuban people who will continue with the Revolution."
Expressing words of appreciation for the Honorary Doctorate, President
Castro recalled important events in the history of the Mexican Revolution
and the resistance of the children of Chapultepec. He said that Mexico was
the second homeland for Cuban revolutionaries who organized the struggle for
independence.
The Honorary Doctorate was given to the leader of the Cuban Revolution by
Mexico's Rector of the Center for Higher Education, Rogelio Cardenas, who
defined Fidel Castro as "the most important personality of the century and
outlined his priority in health, education and sports for his people."
The Cuban president also received the keys to the city of Zacatecas.
*ARGENTINEAN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT DENIES IT LEAKED INFORMATION
Havana, February 12 (RHC)-- The Argentinean Secretary for Culture and
Communications, Dario Loperfido, said Monday that his department was not
responsible for publishing information that led to his government's current
conflict with Havana.
Over a week ago, based on information that Buenos Aires was going to vote
against Cuba before the United Nations Human Rights Commission this year,
President Fidel Castro criticized Argentina for its posturing against the
island in an effort to obtain economic favors from Washington. The
Argentinean foreign minister, Adalberto Rodriguez Giavarini, exhibited his
anger in responses from Washington where he was meeting with U.S. government
officials at the time.
The information on Argentina's intention to vote against Cuba, came from the
press agency Noticias Argentinas that cited unnamed sources. Many felt that
the information that Buenos Aires would be once again voting against Cuba in
the U.N. came from the government's Culture and Communications Department.
In the meantime, internationally-known footballer and former captain of the
Argentinean team, Diego Armando Maradona, who is in Cuba to recover from
cocaine addiction, added his voice to those Argentineans supporting the
statements of Fidel Castro in which he qualified their government as licking
the boots of the yankees. The comment that brought such angry rebuttals from
Buenos Aires was nothing new, said Maradona. He said he was annoyed that his
government had reacted so strongly to the comments of the Cuban president
when everyone knew that they were indeed kowtowing to Washington for some
time now.
The Argentinean foreign minister recalled his ambassador to Cuba for
consultations and cancelled a trade delegation due to arrive in Havana, in
actions that have affected relations between both nations.
*PEREZ ROQUE URGES MEXICO TO PROTECT ITS BUSINESSES IN CUBA
Havana, February 12 (RHC)-- The Cuban Foreign Minister, Felipe Perez Roque,
Monday urged the Mexican government to protect those of its companies doing
business with the island against the sanctions imposed by Washington's
economic blockade.
In statements of solidarity with the new Mexican government, Perez Roque
said that he would like to stimulate a growth of business between the two
countries in spite of the U.S. Helms Burton Law which seeks to penalize
foreign companies doing business with Cuba. The foreign minister was
speaking to a delegation from the Mexican city of Zacatecas.
Perez Roque said that the announcement that Mexican President Vicente Fox
will be visiting Cuba this year has been greeted with enthusiasm by Havana.
The opportunity will be made to further strengthen ties with the only Latin
American nation that has stood behind Cuba throughout the 42 years of the
Revolution in defiance of great pressure from Washington.
Cuba would support Mexico City in its desire to come to an accord with
Washington in respect to those of its citizens that cross the border into
the U.S. HG said Cuba supports the free movement of Mexican citizens under
the NAFTA treaty with Canada and the U.S. which guarantees the free movement
of products but not people.
Meanwhile, Cuba's Foreign Ministry named its First Deputy Foreign Minister,
Jorge Bolaños, as the new ambassador to Mexico.
*POSADA CARRILES OBTAINED FALSE DOCUMENTS IN EL SALVADOR
San Salvador, February 12 (RHC)--Luis Posada Carriles, the international
terrorist currently under arrest in Panama for planning the assassination of
Cuban President Fidel Castro, obtained false identification in El Salvador
and traveled all over the region with the documents.
According to an article published by the Salvadoran daily, La Prensa
Grafica, Posada Carriles obtained false Salvadorean papers in 1986 and a
passport in 1991 along with a Salvadoran driving license in 1999.
The Salvadoran District Attorney's office has also determined that Posada
Carriles - who is wanted in Cuba for the bombing of a Cubana airliner with
the loss of 73 lives - also obtained other false documents on which he
traveled many times, including to and from Miami and Los Angeles.
An extradition request has been made by Havana to Panama in an attempt to
have Posada Carriles tried for his numerous crimes in Cuba where he was
born.
*BRAZILIAN DELEGATION ARRIVES IN HAVANA
Havana, February 12 (RHC)-- A Brazilian delegation composed of 47 leaders
of the country's social movements has arrived in Cuba to get a first-hand
look at the political and social realities on the island.
The visitors, who are part of a solidarity project called BRAS-Cuba -- made
up of nearly 30 organizations -- are on the island at the invitation of the
Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, ICAP.
The group was organized by the well-known Brazilian theologian Frei Betto,
who has previously promoted other groups from that South American country to
visit Cuba.
In addition to the Brazilian delegation, over 40 Brazilian youths have
arrived to study medicine at Havana's Latin American School of Medicine as
part of the island's integral health program.
*VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT PRAISES CUBAN MEDICAL COOPERATION
Caracas, February 12 (RHC)-- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had words of
praise for Cuba's health cooperation while speaking on the telephone with
patients who received medical treatment on the island as part of the
integral health program.
On the weekly radio program "Alo Presidente," the Venezuelan leader referred
to the agreements signed last year with Cuba -- granting medical treatment
to Venezuelans on the island.
Sunday's radio program was broadcast from the Andean city of Bailadores,
located in the Venezuelan state of Merida.
*EXPERTS SAY OIL PRODUCTION WILL REACH SIX MILLION TONS BY THE YEAR 2005
Havana, February 12 (RHC)-- Cuban experts estimate that the gradual increase
in oil production on the island will lead to a production of six million
tons for the year 2005.
Sources from CUBAPETROLEO said on Sunday in Havana that the increase in oil
production has stabilized electrical service to the people.
Cuba has been applying the horizontal exploration technique in its wells
since 1997. For this year, four million tons of oil is expected. The
island's potential oil exploration is located on the northern coast from
Guanabo Beach to the city of Cardenas, some 140 kilometers from the Cuban
capital.
Cuba has established risk-free oil exploration contracts with foreign
companies, both on land as well as the island's exclusive zone located in
the Gulf of Mexico.
*IBM ACCUSED OF HELPING THE NAZIS DURING WORLD WAR TWO
New York, February 12 (RHC)--The giant multinational computer company IBM,
which employs some 300,000 people worldwide, has been accused of helping the
Nazis during the Second World War.
Joining the list of many German, Swiss and other European companies, IBM's
card punching technology was freely sold to the German government enabling
it to carry out tasks more efficiently - especially in relation to its
extermination of the Jews.
In a book written by Washington investigator, Edwin Black, he describes how
IBM's card punching machines were very effective in gathering together
information on Jews destined for concentration camps.
Five Jewish families have filed suit against the huge corporation in a New
York court. Their attorney, Michael Hausfeld, who successfully prosecuted
German companies for using slave labor, said in statements to the press that
Hitler would not have been able to so quickly identify and deport so many
Jews so quickly without the technology provided by IBM.
*SITUATION IN ECUADOR ENCOURAGES DRUG TRAFFICKING, COUNTERFEITING
Quito, February 12 (RHC)-- The trafficking of illicit drugs and the
counterfeit of dollars are increasing to such an extent that authorities in
Ecuador have become very worried.
In a desperate economic climate, this increase of criminal activity is being
directly attributed to the dollarization of the nation's economy and the
application of the U.S. sponsored anti-narcotics plan in neighboring
Colombia.
Last week a man was arrested in possession of $60,000 on forged bills, two
Colombians were detained with 12 kilograms of cocaine, and two Israeli
citizens were caught transporting 1.5 kilograms of liquid cocaine having
entered from Colombia.
In only two northern Ecuadorian provinces alone, say authorities, $75,000 of
counterfeit bills were confiscated by banks in one week of normal business
transactions.
Prior to the dollarization of the economy most counterfeit was detected by
trained tellers in exchange bureaus that existed across the nation. Now that
everyone is obliged to use dollars it is easy for large amounts of forged
bills to circulate. In 2000 $1,394,323 forged bills were detected in the
country. But with the onset of dollarization the flow of counterfeit dollars
has increased by 30% say banks.
And the much-touted Washington sponsored anti-drug Colombia Plan that has
been sharply criticized in the region has increased the flow of narcotics
into Ecuador as traffickers seek easier routes away from US trained
anti-drug squads in neighboring Colombia. The dollarization of Ecuador's
economy also helps with the sale and distribution of the drugs.
Viewpoint:
*EDUCATORS ARE THE FORGERS OF HUMAN CAPITAL - BUT FOR WHAT PURPOSE?
On the final day of Havana's "Pedagogy 2001" conference, Cuban President
Fidel Castro told some 6000 Latin American educators that the teacher is the
forger par excellence, of human capital, the fundamental wealth of any
nation. He said that teachers produce a currency that is worth much more
than all the dollars and gold in the world.
When we examine what Cuba has achieved in the area of education, it becomes
clear that the country has taken the words of their leader to heart. One
only has to look at the reduced numbers of teachers and professors trained
in the most developed countries who are not educated to serve the needs of
everyone equally, but rather to nurture the talent necessary to service
private industry. Thus, the wonderful wealth of knowledge and education is
turned into a piece of merchandise like any other - at the service of those
who can afford it. This is why in most countries today, education is divided
into various levels of excellence: depending on just how much excellence one
can afford - for example, the most exclusive schools are created to provide
the human resources for finance and trade.
It is common knowledge that the best paid educators are those who work in
the finest educational institutions . The wealthy rarely send their children
to public schools and if they do, they are public schools built to serve the
rich. Naturally, those who have money don't want their children associating
with the poorest sectors of society, where they could see for themselves the
product of poverty and marginalization.
This system also affects teachers, who find it more desirable to work in a
school that pays well, has resources and pleasant working conditions. And,
of course, those teachers themselves come from the best schools and hold
similar ideas. Few private school owners want to hire teachers or professors
whose ideology is not in line with their own.
When President Fidel Castro speaks of human capital he is referring to the
idea of quality and justice which is the basis of all just social systems.
In Cuba, for example, anyone can study as much as they like, as long as they
take on the attending responsibility. The island's system is built to
satisfy the needs of all the people, by providing quality education
completely free-of-charge.
This wealth - which is created on a massive scale in Cuba - is also at the
service of other people's of the world, because among the most important
things Cubans learn at school is solidarity, humanitarianism and a sense of
true global justice.
(c) 2001 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: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
=================================================================
nytcari-02.13.01-11:54:23-9849
_________________________________________________
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]
__________________________________________________
