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subject: Radio Havana March 23. US manipulations at UNHRC
Radio Havana Cuba-23 March 2001
Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit
Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 23 March 2001
.
*ROBERT McNAMARA SAYS BAY OF PIGS INVASION A US "MISTAKE"
*USA SUBVERTING THE UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
*MEXICAN PARTIES, NGOs CALL FOR RESPECT OF CUBA'S SOVEREIGNTY
*ARGENTINEAN LEGISLATORS JOIN IN SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA
*CUBA'S EXPORTS GREW BY 18 PERCENT DURING 2000
*ZAPATISTA REBELS ACCEPT OFFER FROM LOWER HOUSE OF CONGRESS
*US ENVIRONMENTALISTS ACCUSE BUSH OF ASSAULTING LAND, AIR AND WATER
Viewpoint:
*WASHINGTON's MANIPULATIONS AGAINST CUBA AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS
COMMISSION
.
*ROBERT McNAMARA SAYS BAY OF PIGS INVASION A US "MISTAKE"
Havana, March 23 (RHC)--Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert
McNamara has asserted that Washington's Bay of Pigs invasion against
Cuba was a mistake that never should have occurred. The affirmation
came in a letter sent to the Americans and Cubans gathering in Havana
who played roles in that 1961 event.
McNamara, who was Defense Secretary during the John F.
Kennedy administration, apologized for not being able to participate
in the gathering with the delegation of other former U.S. government
officials, diplomats, CIA agents and members of the invasion Brigade
2506.
International media outlets are commenting extensively on the U.S.
and Cuban declassified documents that have been revealed at the
gathering. One CIA document dated April 23rd, 1959 -- just 4 months
after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution -- warned that Fidel Castro
should not be underestimated, calling him a natural-born leader with
a strong personality, great courage and deep-seated convictions.
In relation to the U.S. documents that confirm Washington's efforts
to assassinate Fidel Castro and to overthrow the Cuban Revolution
even through the use of terrorism, the intelligence analyst Peter
Kornbluh -- a participant in the gathering -- stated that the papers
confirm the United States intention was to regain control of Cuba.
Cuba has declassified 110 documents containing some 600 pages
demonstrating that Cuban intelligence was fully aware of the military
training bases for the eventual invasion force in Florida, Nicaragua
and Guatemala. The conference continued on Friday, and will wrap up
with a tour of Playa Larga and Playa Giron, at the Bay of Pigs, where
the invasion force disembarked.
.
*WASHINGTON SUBVERTING THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, SAY US GROUPS
Washington, March 23 (RHC)--Three U.S. organizations have accused
Washington of trying to use the Geneva-based United Nations Human
Rights Commission to attack Cuba and subvert the noble principles of
human rights.
In an open letter sent to the president of the UN Human Rights
Commission, leaders of the three organizations charged that the
United States was politicising the work of the UN agency. The Antonio
Maceo Brigade, the Cuban-American Worker's Alliance and the Miami
Coalition joined their voices to condemn Washington's latest
manoeuvres to attack Cuba and, ultimately, attempt to destroy the
Cuban Revolution.
The letter points out that Cuba's human rights record has
included outstanding work in the area of health care, education and
other social needs -- provided to the people free of charge. The
Miami-based organizations praised the Cuban Revolution's protection
of real human rights and underscored Cuba's efforts to eliminate
racial discrimination and sexism.
Finally, the open letter to the United Nations Human Rights
Commission calls on the UN agency to fully investigate the United
States -- which is the main violator of human rights in the world.
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*MEXICAN PARTIES, NGOs CALL FOR RESPECT OF CUBA'S SOVEREIGNTY
Mexico City, March 23 (RHC)--Political parties and civic groups in
Mexico have called on President Vicente Fox to respect the
sovereignty of Cuba and not be fooled by Washington's campaign at the
UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva.
Representatives from the Revolutionary Institutional Party (PRI), the
Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), and the Worker's Party (PT)
have sent a statement to the International Relations Commission of
the Mexican Parliament.
According to José Francisco Yunes, a representative from PRI,
relations between Mexico and Cuba must be based on the principles
of self-determination and equality between states. Yunes told
reporters in Mexico City that both Mexico and Cuba understand the
meaning of international cooperation, particularly in the area of
human rights -- adding that such principles must be respected with
objectivity and justice and not applied selectively.
In addition, the Mexican Movement of Juárez and Bolívar issued a
statement -- calling on the government of Vicente Fox to not join in
Washington's manoeuvres against the people of Cuba. The statement
says that the United States, aside from carrying out military and
economic aggressions throughout the world, also uses the theme of
human rights, distorting its definition to try to discredit
countries, like Cuba, that are merely defending their sovereignty.
.
*ARGENTINEAN LEGISLATORS JOIN IN SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA
Buenos Aires, March 23 (RHC)--A number of Argentinean legislators
joined an event in solidarity with Cuba on Thursday. Fifty
congressional representatives from different political parties and
tendencies gathered in a theatre of the National Congress in Buenos
Aires. Cuba's Ambassador to Argentina, Alejandro González, was a
special guest of honor.
The legislators presented the Cuban ambassador with a statement
of solidarity, signed by 46 Argentinean lawmakers and supported by a
number of other congressional representatives. Calling on the
administration of Fernando de la Rua to abstain in the upcoming vote
regarding alleged human rights violations in Cuba at the UN Human
Rights Commission.
Speaking at the solidarity event, one representative from the
governing Alliance coalition, Jorge Giles, explained that the
statement also raises the issue of last year's vote in favor of
Washington's anti-Cuba resolution -- which was also heavily
criticized in Argentinean political circles.
Another legislator from the government coalition, Ramón Torres
Molina, stated that he and others like him "believe strongly in the
politics of solidarity and neutrality" -- arguing that the
Argentinean government should remain neutral and simply abstain in
the vote on Washington's resolution. He said: "We are Argentineans
and we continue being the people of Comandante Ernesto Ché Guevara."
Havana's Ambassador to Buenos Aires, Alejandro González, stated that
he was proud to be present at the solidarity event and represent the
people of Cuba. He said that the people of Latin America know about
the Cuban Revolution's real human rights record -- in the area of
health, education and social needs. Alejandro Gonzalez added that no
government has the legitimacy to ignore the sentiments of their
people and join in an attack against Cuba. And Cuba's ambassador to
Argentina said that such governments should place their attention on
resolving the problems of their own people, guaranteeing real human
rights in their own country.
.
*CUBA'S EXPORTS GREW BY 18 PERCENT DURING 2000
Havana, March 23 (RHC)--Cuba's exports during the year 2000 grew by
18 percent, according to a new report released by the Ministry of
Foreign Trade. The increase, particularly in non-traditional goods,
is seen as additional evidence of the country's positive economic
recovery and social development.
According to Ricardo Cabrisas, Cuban Government Minister without
Portfolio, Cuba is on the right road to economic recovery -- reducing
the existing trade deficit and converting exports into the key toward
improving a balance in foreign capital.
The new report from the Ministry of Foreign Trade shows that
Europe continues to be the region with the highest exchange of trade
with Cuba -- 45 percent of the total. The Americas come in second
with 40 percent (up 28.5 percent with respect to 1999), followed by
Asia at 14 percent and Africa with one percent.
Cuba's main trading partners are Venezuela and Spain with 14 percent,
Canada with nine percent, China with eight and Russia weighing in at
seven percent. During the year 2000, Cuba maintained trade relations
with 173 countries -- the same number of countries as in 1999.
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*ZAPATISTA REBELS ACCEPT OFFER FROM LOWER HOUSE OF CONGRESS
Mexico City, March 23 (RHC)--Zapatista rebels in Mexico City have
accepted an offer from the lower house of Congress to address Mexican
legislators from the tribune on the full floor. The House of Deputies
approved the initiative in a narrow vote, with 220 in favor, 210
against and 7 abstentions.
Legislators from the Party of the Democratic Revolution, the Labor
Party and the Ecology Green Party supported the initiative, while
President Vicente Fox's National Action Party opposed it and the
former ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party divided its vote. A
similar measure, however, was defeated in the Senate, also in a close
vote, with 52 against and 47 in favor.
TThe vote came as rebel commander Marcos was addressing thousands
of supporters in a demonstration that was to signal the Zapatista
caravan's return to Chiapas, after having accused hard-line
legislators of blocking the indigenous rebel's demand to address
Congress on the issue of legislation on indigenous autonomy, rights
and culture.
The Mexican Congress had originally agreed to only allow the
Zapatistas to address 10 House Deputies and 10 Senators, and not on
the full floor -- a proposal the indigenous rebels called
humiliating. The encounter with the House of Deputies is scheduled to
occur on Tuesday.
Observers are noting, however, that reactivation of the Chiapas
peace process is up against a formidable challenge with numerous
hardliners of the ruling National Action Party refusing to accept the
San Andres Accords on Indigenous Rights and Culture without
modification. The Accords were signed by the Zapatistas and the
Congressional Chiapas Peace Commission over 5 years ago, but never
recognized by the former Ernesto Zedillo administration.
.
*US ENVIRONMENTALISTS ACCUSE BUSH OF ASSAULTING LAND, AIR AND WATER
Washington, March 23 (RHC)--Environmental activists in the United
States are accusing President George Bush of attacking the
environment from land, air and water. Bush has abandoned his campaign
commitment to regulate carbon dioxide emissions, is coming out
against norms to reduce the quantity of arsenic in drinking water,
rejects the current prohibition on the felling of trees and
construction of highways in a significant portion of the
country's forests, and rejects approval of norms that would force
mining companies to find solutions to environmental problems caused
by their operations.
The U.S.'s largest environmental NGO, the Sierra Club, has announced
a two month campaign to warn the population, while there is also
concern among Democrats and even moderate Republicans. Democratic
Senator Tom Daschle said Bush must be stopped. Organizations like the
Natural Resources Defense Council stated that they knew Bush was
going to be bad on the environment, but not this bad -- predicting
that his administration will be more harmful towards the environment
than former President Ronald Reagan.
The Bush administration, through the Environmental Protection
Agency, announced this week its intention to either delay or discard
norms to reduce the maximum accepted amount of arsenic in drinking
water, as proposed by the World Health Organization and the European
Union. That same agency has admitted that active and/or abandoned
mines are contaminating 40 percent of the sources of rivers in the
western United States, but is refusing to order the mining companies
to clean up their mess.
And it seems probable that Bush is going to repeal a decree
prohibiting the construction of highways and the felling of trees in
55 million acres of federally owned forests. Non-governmental
organizations have pointed out that during the last elections mining,
oil and gas firms donated to Republicans more than triple the amount
donated to Democrats.
.
Viewpoint:
*WASHINGTON's MANIPULATIONS AGAINST CUBA AT UN HUMAN RIGHTS
COMMISSION
Cubans know first-hand about the many attempts by the United States
to obtain a vote against Cuba in the United Nations Human Rights
Commission. The same thing happens every year. Washington continues
actively to solicit a negative vote in Geneva against Cuba as a
pretext to allow it to step up its anti-Cuba campaign.
The U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva has been the United
States' preferred venue in which to accuse Cuba unjustly of supposed
human rights violations in order to give Washington's anti-Cuba
policy some kind of legitimacy.
Over the past nine years, the U.N. General Assembly has
overwhelmingly condemned Washington's aggressive policy against Cuba.
If Cuba had refused to stand up to its powerful neighbor, it would
have had no problems; in fact, the United States would have helped
the island in many areas. But instead, Washington insists on
continuing its desperate attempts to frustrate the desire of the
Cuban people to be truly independent and to be in solidarity with the
rest of the Third World.
The rulers of the United States realize that what is going on in Cuba
is truly different. To them, Cuba is a dangerous sign of real change
in the world politic, since it dares to implement policies completely
different from those of the United States. And even when they realize
that their system is not compatible with other countries, they don't
hesitate to force it on nations at the point of a gun.
Though Cubans understand all that, they remain convinced that there
is no other way, and they continue struggling for a better world for
all, no matter what the cost.
(c) 2001 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved.
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rhc-eng-8744 2001-Mar-24 11:22:16 " JC
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