Radio Havana Cuba Feb 24/25
RHC Weekend-24/25 February 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit RHC Weekend - News Update - 24/25 February 2001 . *FIDEL CASTRO INAUGURATES INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SPORTS *CUBAN PRESIDENT ATTENDS CLOSING CEREMONY OF 3rd HABANO CIGAR FESTIVAL *PANAMANIAN URGES TIGHTER SECURITY FOR POSADA CARRILES GANG *TO REALIZE MARTI'S VISION OF JUSTICE FOR ALL IS GOAL OF CUBAN SOCIALISM *NEW INFORMATION ON BAY OF PIGS TO BE DECLASSIFIED IN HAVANA *GUYANA'S AMBASSADOR TO CUBA CALLS FOR BROADENED BILATERAL COOPERATION *ZAPATISTA REBELS BEGIN HISTORIC MARCH TO MEXICO CITY *EL SALVADOR GRIPPED WITH FEAR AND DEPRESSION AFTER ONGOING EARTHQUAKES *Viewpont: HAVANA CONTINUES TO COMPLY WITH CUBA-USA MIGRATORY ACCORDS . *FIDEL CASTRO INAUGURATES INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF SPORTS Havana, February 24 (RHC) -- Cuban President Fidel Castro inaugurated late Friday the International School of Physical Education and Sports. Located on the outskirts of Havana, in the San Jose de las Lajas Municipality, the institution has enrolled 586 students from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean -- though it's total capacity is one thousand 500 students. The Cuban leader said that this new institution is not only one pillar of support for the development of sports in other Third World countries, but also has the objective of strengthening the ties of brotherhood between the region's nations. President Castro spoke, moreover, of the necessity to struggle against the commercialization of sports. He said converting sports into a merchandise is just as tragic as converting health care into a merchandise, and that today Cuba is practically alone in the struggle against the commercialization of sports. The Cuban leader said athletes in countries with few sports installations and trainers oftentimes have no other alternative than to sell themselves to other nations and embark on the path of professionalism. Addressing other issues in a little more than one hour speech, Fidel Castro called for a common Latin American position -- a dignified, honorable, courageous and independent position -- opposing Washington's efforts to condemn Cuba next April at the United Nations Human Rights Commission. He said that for the shame of those countries that prostrate themselves before the United States government, Cuba -- with no forcibly disappeared, no political assassinations and no cases of torture -- is an example. President Castro wound up the speech by reiterating that the Cuban Revolution will survive his death because the Revolution's ideas are embodied in the hearts and souls of the Cuban people. And, he added, those ideas are not only the patrimony of the Cuban people, but of millions and millions worldwide. *CUBAN PRESIDENT ATTENDS CLOSING CEREMONY OF 3rd HABANO CIGAR FESTIVAL Havana, February 24 (RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro attended an auction of tobacco humidors, marking the closing of the 3rd International Habano Cigar Festival. During the ceremony, held Friday night at the world famous Tropicana Cabaret, seven humidors made of leather, cedar and silver were auctioned. Added to these was one humidor made of mahogany and maple, with room for 21 boxes of 25 cigars each -- donated by the Swiss company Michel Perrenoud. The humidors contained boxes of different brands of top quality Habano cigars, all of them autographed by the Cuban leader. Another donation came from the English Export Company Hunter Frankaus, consisting of a small box of Habano cigars of the Henry Clane brand. The auction of this particular box, which was made between 1912 and 1931, began at 500 and ended at 20,000 dollars. Fidel's presence at these events has become a tradition, since all revenues-- which this year amounted to 607,500 dollars -- are earmarked for the island's public health system. The Cuban leader thanked the 500 people present at the ceremony and said that the money collected will pay for the vaccination of over 50,000 Cuban children against poliomyelitis and tetanus. Renowned Cuban musician Francisco Repilado, better known as Compay Segundo, was selected Habano Man of the Year in the category of communications. Other awards went to Cypriot George Fridmus in the sales category; and Gregorio Socorro, from the Canary Islands, in the trade category. Emilia Tamayo, from El Laguito tobacco factory, was the first woman ever to receive the Habano Woman of the Year prize in the production category. The 3rd International Habano Cigar Festival, which began last Monday, was dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the Cohiba cigars, as well as 5th anniversary of the Cuaba and Vegueros brands. *PANAMANIAN URGES TIGHTER SECURITY FOR POSADA CARRILES GANG Panama City, February 24 (RHC)-- A former Panamanian legislator has called for increased security for international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles. According to Rigoberto Paredes, Posada Carriles was taken from his prison cell to a local hospital for a medical check-up on
The European Parliament rejects Plan Colombia
- Original Message - From: info [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2001 6:30 PM Subject: [mobilize-globally] The European Parliament rejects Plan Colombia Subject: [MLNews!*] NYTimes.com Article: A Foolish Drug War Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2001 22:26:08 EST From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subj:[CIA-DRUGS] NYTimes.com Article: A Foolish Drug War Date: 2/24/01 6:57:47 PM Mountain Standard Time From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (fcmacar) Reply-to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] A Foolish Drug War February 10, 2001 By ANA CARRIGAN TOLIMA, Colombia -- Secretary of State Colin Powell recently affirmed the Bush administration's support for Plan Colombia - the plan inherited from the Clinton White House that pledged $1.3 billion to fight drugs in Colombia. But this plan - based almost entirely on military strategies - could well lead to America's next proxy war in Latin America. In Putumayo, the province with about half of the coca crop, recent aerial spraying of herbicides has already caused social and environmental havoc. In Strasbourg, France, last week, the European Parliament, worried by the human rights consequences of America's support for this approach and for an army that maintains links to drug-financed paramilitaries, voted 474 to 1 to reject Plan Colombia. But there are workable alternatives being developed by local governments in Colombia that are on the front lines of this drug war. In six southeastern Colombian provinces where some 80 percent of the Colombian drug crop is grown, new governors have proposed several promising initiatives. The governors oppose Plan Colombia because they fear their provinces will be overwhelmed by its traumatic impact. They also say no one in the region was consulted when it was designed by officials in Bogot and Washington. The governors want to use manual eradication of the coca crops rather than widespread fumigation. And, most important, they are identifying pragmatic ways to help peasant communities with livelihoods now tied to drug crops. These regional leaders know military approaches have not worked. Parmenio Cullar, a former justice minister and the new governor of Nario Province, said in a recent interview: "We all want this plague to be eradicated. But in 20 years, Colombia's anti-narcotics policies have not reduced, much less eliminated, drug production. We have to recognize that the problem of drugs in Colombia is tied to the poverty of the peasants." Manual eradication with the voluntary labor of the peasant growers uproots crops peacefully, without environmental harm. Persuading these growers to eradicate their drug crops is the easy part because they are sick of drug-related violence and scared of the fumigation and mass displacement that follow. But alternative eradication methods do not address the central economic problem that is driving coca production. Colombia's traditional rural economy is in crisis. Take coffee, for example. Since Colombia opened its agricultural markets in the early 1990's, the coffee harvest has been reduced almost by half. Ten years ago, agricultural imports to Colombia were 700,000 tons, and today they are 7 million tons. One million rural jobs have been lost during the past decade. A quarter of a million peasants have turned to coca production. Any long-term solution has to provide sustainable crops or employment. Recently, two of the governors held exploratory talks with European diplomats in Bogot to discuss the kinds of programs they intend to present to European governments in Brussels this spring, when Europe will decide how to spend $800 million over five years. There are a few infrastructure projects on their list: a highway linking Tolima, Huila and Nario to the Pacific coast; improvements to the Pacific port of Tumaco. They have identified competitive products for export: rubber, African palm, cocoa, and wood. And they say milk production, tropical fruits and cotton could be linked to microenterprises in rural towns. One small town near the Narino-Ecuador border, for example, currently employs 1,000 people producing specialty foods for Japan. As for the war, the governors have reason to believe that once peasant communities have some economic alternatives to coca production, the guerrillas in the region will not be able to oppose the citizens' collective will. Last week, Plan Colombia's operations in Putumayo were temporarily suspended, in part because of local protests. The Bush administration now has an opportunity to evaluate this project's performance. There is still time to turn this ill-conceived plan around and get behind the development proposals of the local governors. With American support, their integrated vision of a drug-free, more peaceful Colombia is still possible. Ana
News Analysis: NMD: A Move to Endanger World Peace, Security
News Analysis: NMD: A Move to Endanger World Peace, Security By Tang Shuifu The new U.S. administration, in defiance of worldwide opposition, is obstinate in its insistence on continuing to develop and deploy the controversial National Missile Defense (NMD) system. Such a move, analysts say, will not only spark a new arms race and create a proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, but will also threaten world peace and security in the 21st century. After the failure of two of three NMD tests, former President Bill Clinton decided on September 1 last year to leave a final decision on NMD deployment to his successor. However, immediately after assuming office on January 20, President George W. Bush announced he would honor a campaign pledge to deploy the NMD system. The proposed NMD, a replica of the "Star Wars" project, formulated during the Reagan administration in 1980s, is designed to provide protection for all 50 U.S. states from ballistic missile attacks coming from so-called "countries of concern," such as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran, which the United States claims are developing long-range ballistic missiles. Compared with the previous government's plan, the Bush administration stand on NMD, which is projected to cost about 60 billion U.S. dollars, is more aggressive and risky. Clinton said the NMD shield would cover 50 states. But Bush claims the system will not only protect the U.S. territory, but also American allies. Besides, Bush also plans to enlarge the land-based NMD to the sea-based and space-based system. Meanwhile, Clinton stressed that in making the NMD deployment decision, the United States should take into account the cost, the technical feasibility, the extent of the missile threat, and the effect on arms control agreements. However, the Bush administration not only insists NMD should be deployed as soon as the system proves workable, but also warns that if Russia does not agree to revise the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, signed by the United States and the former Soviet Union in 1972, Washington will withdraw from the treaty. The United States, the country armed with the world's most powerful and advanced nuclear and conventional arsenal, has repeatedly claimed that NMD is intended to counter the increasing threats posed by missile proliferation. To say the least, the United States has over-exaggerated the threats of missiles from "countries of concern." Judging from the economic and technological weaknesses of these countries, analysts say it is difficult to imagine these countries developing, much less deploying, missiles capable of reaching the U.S. territory in the foreseeable future. The NMD program is opposed by many countries in the world, including Russia and China. Some experts say the defense system, part of the U.S. global military strategy, principally targets Russia and China. The United States, in pursuit of its absolute superiority as the only superpower in the world, desires to use the system to deprive Russia and China as well as other countries of a nuclear deterrent capability. At the same time, America's allies, including France, Germany, Italy and Canada, have also rejected NMD, saying that instead of promoting security and stemming the spread of nuclear weapons, the system will threaten the security and stimulate nuclear proliferation. Even Britain, the best friend of the United States in Europe, seems unsure. British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said "there is no perception" in Britain of a threat that warrants such a missile defense shield. The United Nations Assembly has also passed a resolution on safeguarding the ABM Treaty twice in succession. The development, deployment and transfer of anti-missile systems with potential strategic defense capabilities cannot ensure security or prevent missile proliferation. Such an action, on the contrary, will damage security and boost the spread of missiles; not even mentioning it is in violation of the ABM Treaty. The ABM Treaty has served as a cornerstone of global strategic balance and stability since it was concluded. Even today, the treaty still provides a security framework for multilateral nuclear disarmament and for further bilateral reductions of nuclear arsenals by the United States and Russia. The strategic significance of the treaty goes far beyond the scope of the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship. If, however, the treaty is amended, as requested by the United States, it would certainly lose all its significance, and global strategic balance and stability would be the victim. On February 6, the Pentagon announced it would conduct the fourth test of the NMD system in May or June. The Pentagon's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization may also test a new booster for NMD as early as March. All signs indicate that the United States has accelerated its development and testing of the NMD system. Observers say once NMD is deployed, it could further strengthen the
Ex-Navy Seals on pay-per-kill mission. Plan Colombia's mercenaries
Report from Iquitos, Per... EX-NAVY SEALS ON PAY-PER-KILL MISSION. PLAN COLOMBIA'S MERCENARIES. THE NARCO NEWS BULLETIN Issue # 9 A Narco News Global Alert Monday, February 19, 2001 http://www.narconews.com/iquitos1.html By Peter Gorman IQUITOS, PERU--As we go to press, Colombia's President Andres Pastrana has just met for the first time since November with Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). It is possibly the last chance at the peace tables for the rebels before he unleashes his US-trained-and-armed jungle fighters on them, and follows four extensions to the peace-table-or-else ultimatum Pastrana set for early January. Some observing the ongoing civil war in that country view Pastrana's unwillingness to forego the peace process in favor of all out war as a sign of enlightened leadership. Skeptics, however, see it more as a sign that his US-trained troops are not quite ready for action. In fact, before heading into war Pastrana has several pieces of his military puzzle to line up, a process that may take several more weeks, and if the skeptics are right, until those pieces are in place additional olive-branches-extending the already passed January 1 deadline for peace talks-will be offered to the FARC as a cover for preparing for battle. Preparing for the Coming War Pastrana needed four things to occur before he could feel confident that a war with the FARC could be won in a decisive manner. First, of the three battalions of hand-picked and US-vetted Colombian military troops to be trained by US-Special Forces personnel, only one has finished its training and is fully prepared for battle in the dense jungle of Southern Colombia, the FARC stronghold. The two additional batallions won't be ready for several more weeks, leaving Pastrana currently shorthanded in well-trained jungle troops. Secondly, while the 46 armed-Blackhawk and Huey helicopters promised as part of Clinton's initial $1.3 billion dollar Plan Colombia have been delivered, Colombia has insufficient troops to fly them. So Pastrana, by stalling the commencement of hostilities against the FARC, is also buying time for US advisors to train Colombian chopper pilots. A third element that Pastrana needed to have in place before going to war has recently been taken care of: Peru, which under former president Alberto Fujimori had refused to permit either the US or Colombian troops to use Peruvian military bases near the Colombian border (leading to the US-arranged coup of Fujimori; see The Narco News Bulletin, Jan 1, 2001), has changed its stance since new interim-president Valentin Paniagua has taken over Peru's reins. Paniagua, through his Interim Prime Minister Javier Perez de Cuellar, the former UN Secretary General, announced on January 16, that Peru has done an about face and will now back Plan Colombia in any way it can. Since then, the US has quietly begun moving advisors-and is preparing to move military equipment-to a base near the Putumayo river, the Peru-Colombia border adjacent to where the heaviest fighting is expected to take place. Mercenaries: Last Piece of the Puzzle There is one more piece to the puzzle that Pastrana needs in place before taking on the 17-20,000 strong FARC in the jungle turf they know so well: someone to clean up the mess and eliminate them as they flee. That piece of the puzzle is also falling into place, though both the US and Colombia, along with now-complicit Peru, deny it. During the past two months, the Peruvian jungle city of Iquitos, the closest Peruvian city to southern Colombia with an international airport, has become the receiving point for several gunboats said to be part of the US-backed Peruvian "Riverine" Program. That program is one in which the US provides boats and training to Peru's jungle military in order to help them better intercept coca base making its way through the Peruvian Amazon to the Colombian port of Leticia, just a five minute boat ride across the Amazon from Peruvian soil. But while the Riverine Program has been in place for several years, it is only during the past few weeks that those boats have begun to be moved from Peru's Amazon to the Putumayo. The boats, as large as 38-feet with 4 guns, are equipped with cutting edge marine electronics, from radar to listening devices, and armed with anti-aircraft guns along with mounted machine guns. But unlike when they were genuinely used as part of the Riverine Program, they are no longer going to be manned by Peruvian forces but by teams of retired Navy SEALS, often considered the Pentagon's best stealth fighting force. The retired SEAL teams-who have also been arriving in Iquitos during the past several weeks-have been brought in to ostensibly work the boats' complicated electronics devices and systems. In truth, their job
Re: News Analysis: NMD: A Move to Endanger World Peace, Security
source, Bill? - Original Message - From: Bill Howard [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Undisclosed-Recipient:@mandy.eunet.fi; Sent: Sunday, February 25, 2001 6:22 PM Subject: News Analysis: NMD: A Move to Endanger World Peace, Security News Analysis: NMD: A Move to Endanger World Peace, Security By Tang Shuifu The new U.S. administration, in defiance of worldwide opposition, is obstinate in its insistence on continuing to develop and deploy the controversial National Missile Defense (NMD) system. Such a move, analysts say, will not only spark a new arms race and create a proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, but will also threaten world peace and security in the 21st century. After the failure of two of three NMD tests, former President Bill Clinton decided on September 1 last year to leave a final decision on NMD deployment to his successor. However, immediately after assuming office on January 20, President George W. Bush announced he would honor a campaign pledge to deploy the NMD system. The proposed NMD, a replica of the "Star Wars" project, formulated during the Reagan administration in 1980s, is designed to provide protection for all 50 U.S. states from ballistic missile attacks coming from so-called "countries of concern," such as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Iran, which the United States claims are developing long-range ballistic missiles. Compared with the previous government's plan, the Bush administration stand on NMD, which is projected to cost about 60 billion U.S. dollars, is more aggressive and risky. Clinton said the NMD shield would cover 50 states. But Bush claims the system will not only protect the U.S. territory, but also American allies. Besides, Bush also plans to enlarge the land-based NMD to the sea-based and space-based system. Meanwhile, Clinton stressed that in making the NMD deployment decision, the United States should take into account the cost, the technical feasibility, the extent of the missile threat, and the effect on arms control agreements. However, the Bush administration not only insists NMD should be deployed as soon as the system proves workable, but also warns that if Russia does not agree to revise the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, signed by the United States and the former Soviet Union in 1972, Washington will withdraw from the treaty. The United States, the country armed with the world's most powerful and advanced nuclear and conventional arsenal, has repeatedly claimed that NMD is intended to counter the increasing threats posed by missile proliferation. To say the least, the United States has over-exaggerated the threats of missiles from "countries of concern." Judging from the economic and technological weaknesses of these countries, analysts say it is difficult to imagine these countries developing, much less deploying, missiles capable of reaching the U.S. territory in the foreseeable future. The NMD program is opposed by many countries in the world, including Russia and China. Some experts say the defense system, part of the U.S. global military strategy, principally targets Russia and China. The United States, in pursuit of its absolute superiority as the only superpower in the world, desires to use the system to deprive Russia and China as well as other countries of a nuclear deterrent capability. At the same time, America's allies, including France, Germany, Italy and Canada, have also rejected NMD, saying that instead of promoting security and stemming the spread of nuclear weapons, the system will threaten the security and stimulate nuclear proliferation. Even Britain, the best friend of the United States in Europe, seems unsure. British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said "there is no perception" in Britain of a threat that warrants such a missile defense shield. The United Nations Assembly has also passed a resolution on safeguarding the ABM Treaty twice in succession. The development, deployment and transfer of anti-missile systems with potential strategic defense capabilities cannot ensure security or prevent missile proliferation. Such an action, on the contrary, will damage security and boost the spread of missiles; not even mentioning it is in violation of the ABM Treaty. The ABM Treaty has served as a cornerstone of global strategic balance and stability since it was concluded. Even today, the treaty still provides a security framework for multilateral nuclear disarmament and for further bilateral reductions of nuclear arsenals by the United States and Russia. The strategic significance of the treaty goes far beyond the scope of the U.S.-Russia bilateral relationship. If, however, the treaty is amended, as requested by the United States, it would certainly lose all its significance, and global strategic balance and stability would be the victim. On February 6, the Pentagon announced it would conduct the fourth test of the
Korean Central News Agency Feb 25
TODAY'S NEWS (February.25.2001 Juche 90) [CONTENTS] * S. Korean prosecution threatens to sternly deal with workers' struggle * Seminar on Juche idea held in Ukraine * Utterance of former Japan defence agency chief blasted * Kim Jong Il's birthday celebrated in S. Korea * Revocation of proposed revision of "Labour Law" demanded * Senior Japanese official's outburst under fire in S. Korea * DPRK women table tennis players prove successful * Condolences over death of Han Tok Su expressed For Spanish-speaking people * dirigente kim jong il dirige sobre terreno fabricas de industria ligera de sinuiju * comunicado conjunto sobre establecimiento de relaciones diplomaticas rpdc - belgica S. Korean prosecution threatens to sternly deal with workers' struggle Pyongyang, February 25 (KCNA) -- The South Korean prosecution "declared a war" against the workers' struggle against the restructuring of financial institutions and enterprises, after branding it as "mass egoistic violence", according to Yonhap News of South Korea. The prosecution will reportedly hold a "national meeting of prosecutors for public peace" in march in order to adopt and put into practice a "guideline for public peace operation" chiefly aimed to crack down upon workers' struggle. The prosecution decided to arrest and take legal actions against all the prime movers of "massive disturbances" without exception including strike and organize and operate "arrest squads" at local public prosecutor's offices and police offices across South Korea, not depending on police only for arrest of people. Seminar on Juche idea held in Ukraine Pyongyang, February 25 (KCNA) -- A national seminar on the Juche idea entitled "The Juche Idea is a Guiding Idea of the 21st Century" took place in Kiev on Feb. 17 on the occasion of leader Kim Jong Il's birthday. Genadi Dmitrivich Berdyshev, vice-chairman of the Ukraine-DPRK Association, in his congratulatory address said that it was of special significance in the movement for the revival of socialism in Ukraine to hold a national seminar on the Juche idea. Polishuk, chairman of the Ukrainian Association for the Study of the Juche Idea, in his report said that socialism has entered a new stage of its development because Kim Jong Il has wisely led the world socialist movement holding aloft the banner of the Juche idea. He continued: The Juche idea is a great guiding idea of the era which indicates a road for humankind to follow. Humankind, who has entered a new century, new millennium, will certainly revive socialism under the banner of the Juche idea. The 21st century will be a century in which the victory of the Juche idea would be proclaimed. Speakers noted that Korean socialism, to which the Juche idea has been applied, is most ideal socialism they should build in future. A letter to Kim Jong Il was adopted at the seminar. Utterance of former Japan defence agency chief blasted Pyongyang, February 25 (KCNA) -- Norota, former director general of the Japan Defence Agency, was reported to have asserted in a recent lecture that "the war for greater east Asia put an end to the colonial rule over Asia". This outburst has come under fire in a signed article of Rodong Sinmun today. The commentary says: The Japanese ultra-rightists do not feel guilty for Japan's past aggression at all but are keen on presenting a distorted picture of it. The Japanese imperialists' invasion of the continent was most vicious, barbarous and inhuman act of aggression in human history. The Japanese aggressor troops perpetrated such shuddering crimes as killing everyone, setting fire to and destroying everything and looting everything. The Korean people liberated the country through several decades of an arduous bloody struggle against the Japanese imperialists. After world war ii history meted out deserved punishment to them and accordingly, Japan still remains an "enemy state." But the Japanese reactionaries are totally denying this. They have deep-rooted ambition for aggression and are thirsty for revenge. They are dreaming of war of aggression, not peace, and working hard to dominate again Korea and other Asian countries, the commentary stresses. Kim Jong Il's birthday celebrated in S. Korea Pyongyang, February 25 (KCNA) -- The central committee of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) issued a press release on Feb. 21 on the functions held to celebrate the birthday of leader Kim Jong Il, according to Seoul-based Voice of National Salvation. According to the press release, the central committee of the NDFSK and its provincial and city committees had meetings to celebrate the day. The meetings said that Kim Jong Il is a great
Korean Central News Agency Feb 24
February.24.2001 Juche 90 [CONTENTS] * Rodong Sinmun on world trend to establish diplomatic relations with DPRK * Meeting held on Guyana's National Day * Floral basket to Kim Jong Il from Guinean President * National Day of Kuwait marked * Japan's redress for its past crimes demanded * S. Korean workers to stage stronger protest * Congratulatory visits to DPRK embassies * Japan urged to make sincere apology and compensation * Seminar held in Japan * Rodong Sinmun on Kim Jong Il's leadership over movement for national reunification * Collection of poems praising Kim Jong Il published in S. Korea * Messages of greetings exchanged * First meeting of inter-Korean subcommittee held Rodong Sinmun on world trend to establish diplomatic relations with DPRK Pyongyang, February 24 (KCNA) -- The establishment of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and western countries is a fruition of the independent foreign policy pursued by the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), says Rodong Sinmun today in a signed article. It says: Shortly ago, the DPRK established diplomatic relations with Canada and Spain and earlier with the Netherlands and Belgium. Last year Philippines, Italy and United Kingdom opened diplomatic ties with the DPRK and Australia resumed them with it. Independence, peace and friendship are the avowed idea of the foreign policy of the WPK and the DPRK government. The DPRK does not make any discrimination in improving diplomatic relations nor put any conditions. It is the WPK's stand to establish and develop good-neighbourly, friendly and cooperative relations with all the countries that respect the DPRK's sovereignty and are friendly towards it. The international concern for the DPRK is growing deeper as days go by and it has become an irresistible trend for many countries to desire improved relations with the DPRK. This is quite a natural and normal process. The normalization of the relations between the DPRK and various countries in the world would make a positive contribution to ensuring peace and security not only in northeast Asia but the rest of the world. The DPRK government will as ever make a positive contribution to the humankind's common cause of global independence by developing friendly, cooperative and good-neighbourly relations with all the countries in the world that respect its sovereignty and are friendly towards it. Meeting held on Guyana's National Day Pyongyang, February 24 (KCNA) -- A meeting was held here yesterday on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the proclamation of the cooperative Republic of Guyana in the name of the DPRK-Latin American and Caribbean Regional Friendship Association and the DPRK-Guyana Friendship Association. Participating in the meeting were vice-minister of culture Song Sok Hwan who is vice-chairman of the DPRK-Latin American and Caribbean Regional Friendship Association, members of the DPRK-Guyana Friendship Association and working people in the city. Speeches were made and a congratulatory message to Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo was adopted there. Floral basket to Kim Jong Il from Guinean President Pyongyang, February 24 (KCNA) -- A floral basket was presented to leader Kim Jong Il from Guinean President Lansana Conte on the occasion of his birthday (February 16). It was handed to the DPRK ambassador to Guinea by Cissoko, chief of state protocol of the presidential office who paid a congratulatory visit to the embassy upon the authorization of the president on Feb. 14. The chief of state protocol said that the great leader of the Korean people Kim Jong Il's birthday is not only their greatest national holiday but a holiday common to humankind. Kim Jong Il is the only great politician and great leader of the people in the world as he enjoys boundless respect and reverence not only from the Guinean people but from all other African people for his immortal feats performed in the human cause of independence, he noted, and stressed that the Guinean people would as ever send positive support to the just cause of the Korean people and stand on their side. National Day of Kuwait marked Pyongyang, February 24 (KCNA) -- A photo exhibition and a film show took place in Pyongyang yesterday on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the National Day of Kuwait. Present there were Choe Jong Hwan, vice-chairman of the Korean Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, members of the society and working people in the city. After a speech was made, the participants looked round photos introducing the development of Kuwait and saw its documentary film. Japan's redress for
China. People´s Daily Feb 26
Extracts. Sanya Strives to Become China's First Freon-Free City Hotels, government organizations, as well as bus drivers in Sanya, a well-known tourist destination on the southern tip of this Chinese tropical island of Hainan, have been busy replacing freon in refrigeration and using a new freezing agent. That is just part of a city-wide campaign launched to eliminate freon traditionally used as a freezing agent for refrigeration in air conditioners and other freezing equipment since the beginning of the year. The campaign will go through 2002, said a local official. Sanya, which falls under the jurisdiction of Hainan Province, is one of the country's best cities for tourism development and a role model for horticulture and ecological balance. It is also considered one of the cities that has the best air quality in the world. "Eliminating freon is an important step to maintain a fine ecological environment and steady growth in Sanya's tourism industry," said the official. Among punitive measures for violations, many shops engaged in freon business in the city are shut down, and freezing equipment and freezing agents that go against the freon-free standard will be confiscated, the official warned. The local administrative departments will not approve annual check-up documents of drivers who continue to drive vehicles with freon as the freezing agent. Developers for new or extension projects that will require the use of freon as a cooling agent can get neither construction approval nor credit support from commercial banks, said the official. Tung Visits PLA Garrison in HK Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Tung Chee Hwa Saturday paid a visit to barracks of the PLA forces in Hong Kong. During his visit, Tung watched military training and performances given by the soldiers. He was welcomed by officers and soldiers headed by Xiong Ziren, commander of the Hong Kong Garrison of the PLA military forces. *** Boao Forum to Promote Inter-Asian Cooperation The Boao Forum for Asia, to be established Tuesday, will provide a platform for Asian countries to improve cooperation and dialogue, experts said Sunday. The forum will help improve understanding among Asian countries through high-level dialogue, said Professor Yan Xuetong of Beijing 's Tsinghua University. Asia faces many problems in social, economic and cultural development, but an effective regional organization has not so far been founded to solve the problems through dialogue, due to the great diversity among Asian countries, he added. Asian countries have to integrate to a larger degree to face the challenges that globalization has brought about in both the economic and political aspects, Yan said. The emergence of a global economy will be one of the most important topics the Boao Forum will focus on, said Professor Yuan Ming of Beijing University. Most Asian countries face similar problems. For example, promotion of regional cooperation, reduction of poverty, control of population, improvement of education and protection of the environment, along with the handling of rapid economic growth, she said. Although Asia has made great economic achievements, it still faces great difficulties, she added. 3rd Reunion for Inter-Korean Separated Families Begin A hundred members of separated families from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) arrived in Seoul Monday morning, beginning a two-day family reunions with their relatives long lost during Korean War (1950-1953). A DPRK's Air Koryo plane arrived here around 10:30 a.m. Monday with 140 peoples, including 40 support personnel and journalists. It will return to Pyongyang one hour later with a 151-member delegation from South Korea, including 100 separated family members. Under an agreement on the third inter-Korean family reunions,the separated families from South Korea will meet their separated family members at Coryo Hotel in Pyongyang from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Monday while separated families from the DPRK will hold reunions at Lotte World Hotel in Seoul. Red Cross organizations of the two sides will host a welcoming dinner for separated families in Seoul and Pyongyang, respectively. On Tuesday, separated families in Seoul and Pyongyang will be allowed to spend four hours of individual reunions with their relatives. The separated families are expected to hold 10 hours of reunions on six occasions in Seoul and more than eight hours of reunions on five occasions in Pyongyang. The reunions are the third one since South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and DPRK leader Kim Jong Il held the landmark summit in Pyongyang in June last year. Last August and December, the two sides arranged two reunions for a total of 400 separated families. The 1950-53 Korean War left the peninsula thousands of families divided and severed all contact between the two halves. Some 110,000 South Koreans reportedly have asked the government for the chance to meet their long-lost
Libya. Panafrican News Agency Feb 25
PANA Kadhafi Hails African Diplomacy Panafrican News Agency (Dakar) February 25, 2001 Posted to the web February 25, 2001 Sidy Gaye Tripoli, Libya It is a calm and serene Moammar Kadhafi, clad in a magnificent indigo boubou with well-matched hat and shoes who, late Saturday, started "hailing" and "restoring confidence" to his guests at the opening of the 73rd session of the OAU Council of Ministers. Speaking calmly, the Libyan revolutionary leader set about a real exercise of moral rearming which did not leave his audience indifferent. Kadhafi, who is hosting for the third time in four years a session of African ministers of foreign affairs, was applauded at certain points, but above all listened to with reverence. The libyan leader, whose talents as an orator are recognised by all, kept the audience spellbound. He reviewed his 30 years of experience in regional organisations and lifted the veil on the latest talks he had with African heads of state with a view to ratification by all of the African Union treaty, which was adopted in July 2000 in Lome, Togo. Kadhafi asked the ministers to take stock of the "long and winding road that Africans have followed since 1963" for the unification of the continent. "There is no regional organisation in the world that compares with ours, which is well-structured and has worked with so much commitment and consistence for the total liberation and unification of all its members", he said. "Whatever the enemies, who thrive on artificial divisions, may say about our continent, one cannot find a regional organisation comparable to ours, be it in Europe, Asia or among our brothers in Latin America", Kadhafi said. "The European Union did not have that collective approach in its early days and only brings together, even today, 15 member states after more than half a century of attempts to have unity. The same could not be said of Asia where the initiative is strictly a regional one, whereas the first attempts in Latin America are hardly in their infancy. "I personally worked for 30 years with the Arab League where I have close friends, but I left it with memories of several impediments and a legal vaccuum. "During all these years, we were simply guests and vote took place without any legal basis. It is only after almost half a century of existence that we thought of drawing up a charter that people should learn to apply and comply with," he said. Kadhafi told the ministerial session that it was only in Africa where "people are constantly fighting for total unity since 1963 and where from the outset, a charter is approved, signed, applied and complied with". "This is one of the reasons why I am proud of Africa. The other reason is that on the occasion of the Lockerbie affair, which was turned into a world problem, African diplomacy was able to mark its presence. "It succeeded at the Ouagadougou summit in 1998 by imposing the will of once colonised, humiliated and dominated peoples on those obliged, against their will, to accept Libyan proposals". It was in view of all that, the Libyan leader explained, "the confidence we have has brought us to explore a new stage in our unification process". "The Constitutive Act of the African Union would today come into force if procedural problems did not prevent some countries from ratifying it with diligence", he said. Colonel Kadhafi, who said he had talks with "several heads of state on that question in the perspective of the Sirte summit", affirmed that countries like South Africa, Ethiopia and Algeria assured him of their commitment to ratify the constitutive treaty. No less than 20 countries have ratified the document, or were in the process to do so. Khadafi said that the number could increase during the Sirte II summit, scheduled to take place from 1-2 March. Kadhafi's Commitment to African Union Panafrican News Agency (Dakar) February 25, 2001 Posted to the web February 25, 2001 Tripoli, Libya ( The Leader of the Libyan Revolution, Col. Moammar Kadhafi, may mean different things to different people, but even his strongest critics can vouch to his stoic philosophy and tenacious attachment to African cause as demonstrated by his pet project, the African Union. The idea of pooling Africa's abundant human and material resources is not entirely new, but Kadhafi's desire to give a new impetus to this ideal has been engaging as it is compelling, pulling everyone in his direction since September 1999, when the African Union idea was born in the Libyan city of Sirte. Since coming to power through the 1969 Revolution under the Socialist policy, not even the collapse of the former Soviet Union has mediated the Libyan leader's professed people-oriented government, espoused in his Green Book, and his abhorence for capitalism, which he considers exploitative. Kadhafi's perpetually strained relations with the West, which accuses him of "exporting terrorism," have found expression in political and
Libyan News and Views Feb 26
Libyan News and Views Monday, 26 February, 2001: The Libyan leader, Colonel Mu'ammar al-Qddafi, has held talks with President Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian leader's first trip to Libya since succeeding his father last year. Libyan radio said the two men discussed the situation in the Arab world and the Palestinian uprising. It said President Assad also expressed support for Libya in opposing the UN sanctions imposed on it after the Lockerbie bombing in 1988. Mr Assad has now flown back to Damascus, where he's expected to meet the U.S. secretary of state, Colin Powell, Monday. [BBC] Monday, 26 February, 2001: Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi heaped praise on African states for supporting him in his struggle against Britain and the U.S. over the Lockerbie bombing, Libyan media reported. African leaders helped ease Libya's isolation in 1998 when they decided at an OAU summit to ignore the U.N. embargo imposed on Libya. "The will of Africa won over the will of the colonialist Western powers and forced them to accept Libyan conditions on the sitting and procedures related to the Lockerbie trial," Qadhafi was quoted as saying. Qadhafi was addressing about 50 foreign ministers and other officials at the start of a four-day meeting of the 53-member Organisation of African Unity in Tripoli on Saturday night. [Reuters] _ 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] __
