Washington Denies once more Visas to Wives of Cuban Political Prisoners

(acn) "Once again the US government lies," said the president of the Cuban Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, during a cultural gala on Wednesday night to celebrate the beginning of an international campaign for the release of Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Ramon Labañino and Rene Gonzalez, internationally known as the Cuban Five, who remain unjustly imprisoned in the United States nine years after they were detained for infiltrating terrorist anti-Cuba organizations based in Florida.Alarcon was making reference to the announcement made on Wednesday afternoon by the US State Department informing that Olga Salanueva and Adriana Perez had been denied - for the eighth time - visas to visit their husbands Rene Gonzalez and Gerardo Hernandez, respectively.Regarding the arguments used by the US authorities to deny the visas, Alarcon said: "They lie. These women can not be accused of committing espionage because not even their husbands were."During the gala, held at the Mella Theater in Havana coinciding with the ninth anniversary of the arrest of the Cuban Five in September 1998, messages in support of the Cuban political prisoners from US actor Danny Glover and writer Alice Walker were read.The event was also attended by Culture Minister Abel Prieto and relatives of the Cuban Five.The new international campaign to demand the immediate release of the Cuban heroes will run until October 8.


Hablan las niñas y los niños de Cuba:
"Yo cambiaría..."
Seremos como el Ché
Pioneros de la escuela Rolando García (San Miguel del Padrón, La Habana) hablan de lo que no les gusta del mundo.
http://www.cubainformacion.tv/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=755&Itemid=86,


Ricardo Alarcon, sept 12, 2007, CNN
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Now a look at some stories from around the world, Fidel Castro is joining those conspiracy theorists in alleging a cover-up about 9/11. Let's go to our Havana Bureau Chief Morgan Neill for a little closer look -- Morgan.

MORGAN NEILL, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Wolf, in the latest essay attributed to Fidel Castro, the ailing leaders writes that the world has been deliberately misled about just what happened on September 11th. In a somewhat rambling article Castro writes that the Pentagon was struck that day, not by an airplane, but by some kind of projectile.

Apparently unaware of or unconvinced by DNA evidence found at the site, Castro says that the passengers and the crew of that plane were never recovered. Castro also writes that the basements of the Twin Towers were filled with some 200 tons in gold bars and that shoot to kill orders had been given to stop anyone trying to go near that gold. Now Castro's comments fall a bit short of a conspiracy theory and that we're never told why the world has been misled about what happened on September 11th, only that it is so. The Cuban leader hasn't appeared in more than a year and articles like this one have become the main means to which he communicates both with the Cuban people and with the world.

BLITZER: Morgan Neil, our man in Havana, thank you very much. And earlier, I spoke with Cuba's third highest ranking official, the President of the Cuban National Assembly. I asked Ricardo Alarcon if he really believes there's a conspiracy regarding the 9/11 attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICARDO ALARCON, PRES., CUBAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: Castro was referring to various allegations by scientists, by even journalists that suggest that contradictions between the date that has been published or known about those events, the fact is that following investigation on that event as far as I know, didn't take place. Immediately after 9/11, the attention was diverted towards the international arena, unfortunately.

BLITZER: Well, let me interrupt President Alarcon. Let me interrupt. Because they did find the bodies, the DNA of the passengers from American Airlines flight 77 at the Pentagon. They did find wreckage of that American Airlines flight. That was all widely reported, and by even suggesting that there was a projectile or some sort of bomb, it's raising questions about President Fidel Castro.

And if you're standing by your president on this, it's raising questions at least in the minds of a lot of people around the world, including some who are friendly with Cuba, what is going on over there?

ALARCON: Well, again, he was referring to a comment and analysis made by others that are a fact that now have been discussed even in your country. And the basis of that would be a solo investigation. The presentation of every detained and every individual that may have been responsible by acts or by omission of what happened.

BLITZER: Because even Osama Bin Laden, in this most recent videotape that just came out the other day, he takes credit for 9/11. He says, we did it. We sent those 19 hijackers there. They have all those martyr videotapes that they have released.

Are you suggesting, and let me be precise, is President Fidel Castro suggesting that al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden are not responsible for what happened on 9/11?

ALARCON: No, he didn't say that. He didn't suggest that. It appears that this guy, Mr. Bin laden, has recognized, has said not only in the last tape, not in one area, that they were involved. But that was -- he was referring, if I am not wrong, specifically, Mr. Bin Laden, to the twin towers action or the destruction of these towers. It appears that they have recognized this group. We don't have any name for them. We don't have a way to confirm such information but it appears according to the tapes have been produced or presented.

BLITZER: Because this is going to raise questions about whether or not President Fidel Castro is really in touch with reality.

But let me move on and talk about his health right now. There have been a lot of rumors over the past weeks, especially in Miami and south Florida that he's already dead. When was the last time you personally saw President Castro?

ALARCON: The last time was in touch with him personally was more than a week ago because I traveled to Montreal and I just returned from the city. But I was in touch with him yesterday when he was working on that long article that was published today.

BLITZER: So you can say for sure he is alive. Is he making progress in his recovery? Because, as you know, we haven't seen him in a long time. How is his health right now?

ALARCON: Well, my information is that he's doing pretty well. I am not a physician, but I understand that he's going through his recovery process in the way that is normal.

BLITZER: Why not let us see him? Why not let the world get some pictures of him? What's wrong with that?

ALARCON: I think that's a private matter, if you want to be photographed or you want to appear in front of lights or if you are forced to follow a certain discipline of rehabilitation, exercise and so on. For that situation, it's better to spend more time reading and writing, as he's doing.

BLITZER: All right. Let's talk about the Cuban five. These are five Cubans who have been convicted here in the United States of conspiracy to commit espionage. They're serving long prison sentences. There's an international campaign to get them out. Danny Glover, the American actor, is now involved on behalf of their cause. We have had a debate on our program, THE SITUATION ROOM, in recent weeks, on this.

Why not let the judicial process in the U.S. continue its way? There's an appeal before the courts right now. A judge is going to make a decision in the next few months. Do you believe that they will get a fair hearing as this appeal process goes forward?

ALARCON: So far, they haven't got a fair hearing. This case was tried in Miami. Wolf, in those days, when they were discussing the venue for that trial, you were day in and day out covering the story in that very same city. Everybody saw around the world, how illegality and violence was prevailing in the world. And at the same time, the people were denied a change of venue for their trial. It was the beginning of a very clear case of miscarriage of justice and prosecutorial misconduct.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Ricardo Alarcon, speaking with me from Havana earlier.


Intervención en el Taller “Diálogos Políticos”, XXVII Congreso Internacional LASA 2007, Montreal, Canadá Septiembre 7, 2007El regreso de Mills Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=56126,


¿Socialdemocracia o Socialismo del Siglo XXI?
http://www.rebelion.org/noticia.php?id=56143,


Bureaucracy in Cuba: Between Distortion and Rigidity
http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/columnists/2007-09-13/bureaucracy-in-cuba-between-distortion-and-rigidity/,


México da por terminada la crisis diplomática con Cuba y Venezuela
El presidente mexicano ha recibido a los nuevos embajadores de Cuba y Venezuela REUTERS - México - El Pais
El presidente de México, Felipe Calderón, recibió ayer a los nuevos embajadores de Cuba y Venezuela, Manuel Francisco Aguilera y Roy Chaderton, respectivamente, sellando así la recomposición de sus relaciones con los dos Gobiernos izquierdistas tras un largo periodo de tensión diplomática.
El enfriamiento de las relaciones con Cuba comenzó durante el Ejecutivo del antecesor de Calderón, el también conservador Vicente Fox. El ex mandatario dejó a un lado una vieja alianza entre ambos países cuando apoyó en Naciones Unidas las condenas a la isla por la situación de los derechos humanos, que promueve EE UU. Las relaciones con Venezuela se resquebrajaron a raíz de un intercambio de insultos entre Fox y el presidente venezolano, Hugo Chávez, quien lo llamó "cachorro del imperio" por apoyar las políticas de libre comercio de Washington.
"Lo que ocurrió fue un pase de página (...). Le expresé [a Calderón] la voluntad, no sólo de normalizar la relación entre los dos países, sino algo más importante, que es mejorarlas", dijo el nuevo embajador de Venezuela y ex canciller, Roy Chaderton.
"Nosotros no olvidamos, ni nunca olvidaremos, que esta hermosa tierra siempre dio refugio y apoyo a los patriotas cubanos que lucharon por la libertad y la independencia de nuestro país", dijo por su parte el embajador cubano, Manuel Aguilera, tras presentar sus cartas credenciales a Calderón. Aguilera fue viceministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba en los últimos cinco años y embajador en Uruguay.
Los embajadores de México en Cuba y Venezuela serán respectivamente Gabriel Jiménez, que fue diputado federal y embajador en España, y Jesús Chacón, que era embajador en Colombia cuando se anunció su nombramiento.


Medium length documentary Salud! tells the story of Cuba's medical internationalism
http://www.cubaheadlines.com/2007/09/13/5768/medium_length_documentary_salud_tells_the_story_of_cubas_medical_internationalism.html,

El Hombre Nuevo para un Mundo Nuevo
De la tierra, y de lo más escondido y hondo de ella, lo recogeremos todo, y lo pondremos donde se le conozca y reverencie; porque es sagrado, sea cosa o persona, cuanto recuerda a un país, y a la caediza y venal naturaleza humana, la época en que los hombres, desprendidos de sí, daban su vida por la ventura y el honor ajenos. José Martí
http://www.kaosenlared.net/noticia.php?id_noticia=40998,


Salir de MicrosoftCuba armó un ejército de 4.000 programadores Linux
http://www.insurgente.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=11033,



(VIDEO) El presidente de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez lanza oficialmente la Misión Che Guevara
http://www.insurgente.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=11036,

Richardville plan aims to keep firms from dealing with terrorist countries Under a new proposed law, the state would withdraw its funds from companies that actively engage in business with terrorist countries designated by the U.S. State Department. Five nations meet the department's criteria: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria."We must make sure that Michigan funds are not being used to support countries that help to finance terrorists - the same terrorists our brave young men and women are protecting us from," said Sen. Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Emerging Technologies Committee. "Stopping investments in companies who do business with these countries is a good way to ensure that our money is not being used to support terrorists and their organizations."The Senate package also would require the Michigan Department of Treasury to establish a public Web site identifying the names of companies conducting business with terrorist countries.Sen. Richardville's bill specifically would ensure that major natural resources funds are not invested in companies that do business with the five terrorist countries. "Those who use our state's natural resources and support our efforts in helping to preserve Michigan's rich outdoor heritage should not have to worry that their hard-earned money is being used to support terrorist activities," he said.At least 16 other states have enacted divestment measures, and approximately 28 other states are considering such legislation.


From Solitude and Hope

DEISY FRANCIS MEXIDOR- Granma
There are topics that the sensibility of an artist cannot ignore. Desde la soledad y la esperanza (From solitude and hope), a book dedicated to the Cuban Five, held as political prisoners in the United States since 1998, was presented Wednesday at the International Press Center in Havana as part of a new global campaign demanding their freedom.
Edited by the Capitan San Luis publishing house, the volume includes a prologue by writer Roberto Fernandez Retamar and an epilogue by Ricardo Alarcon de Quesada, president of the Cuban parliament.
The book presents the essays of 17 writers, who from a literary perspective tell the story of an injustice that needs to be told and spread. Photos and other materials explaining the case combine with the work of 20 visual artists on the subject.
The book is accompanied by a CD with several of contemporary Cuban musicians and composers including Ernan Lopez Nussa, Silvio Rodriguez, Alejandro Valdes and Polo Montanez.
"This is a book is a hodgepodge with a very curious coherency; it represents a very emotional experience and offers a great number of arguments," said Cuban Minister of Culture Abel Prieto at the book launching attended by several of the artists and relatives of the Cuban Five.



Cubans wonder where their Web access went
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-cuba_martinezsep14,1,952491.story?ctrack=1&cset=true,



“Ayuda” bajo vigilanciaWASHINGTON.—
El gobierno de Estados Unidos podría contar en breve con una nueva arma para controlar a empresas y a la sociedad civil: un programa de inteligencia para "garantizar que el dinero de la asistencia oficial no termine en manos de terroristas".http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/2007/09/14/interna/artic02.html,


JUEZA EN LA FLORIDA RECONOCIÓ QUE GOBIERNO DE EEUU SE OPONE A REPATRIAR NIÑA A CUBA

POR FRANK MARTIN - WORLD DATA SERVICe- La jueza norteamericana Jeri B. Cohen que encabeza un proceso sobre la custodia de una niña cubana en Miami, Florida, reconoció que el gobierno de Estados Unidos ''está renuente a repatriar una niña a un país comunista'', o sea, Cuba, donde reside su padre, Rafael Izquierdo, quien reclama actualmente recuperar a su hija de cinco años de edad. ''Estados Unidos está renuente a repatriar una niña a un país comunista", expuso Cohen el miércoles durante el juicio que se sigue sobre el caso en Miami. También admitió que los empleados del estado de Florida -que quieren que la menor quede en Estados Unidos bajo la custodia de una familia cubanoamericana- " pudieran haber actuado de otra manera si el padre de la niña hubiera vivido en otro lugar que no fuera Cuba". La jueza, citada por el diario floridano Miami Herald, expuso que "en casi 10 años de presidir casos de bienestar infantil, nunca había visto que los abogados del DCF (del estado de Florida) pidieran que un padre perdiera para siempre su habilidad para criar a un hijo, a menos que ese padre hubiera fallado una y otra vez en cumplir con los requisitos de un plan parental ordenado por la corte". Opinó que teniendo en cuenta el estado de las relaciones entre Estados Unidos y Cuba, "el padre posiblemente no vería a su hija de nuevo si regresara a la isla sin ella". Cohen estimó además que los abogados del gobierno del estado de Florida no lograron ofrecer suficiente evidencia de que el padre de la niña abandonó a su hija. La niña salió de Cuba legalmente junto a su madre, a quien le fue retirada su custodia al intentar un suicidio.


Gloria EStefan invita en la televisión española Cuatro a celebrar la muerte de Fidel Castro Stefan llamó a firmar a brindar por la desaparición física de Fidel Castro frente a la aborregada concurrencia a la par que la entrevistadora decía que su nuevo disco es comprometido +++video>>> http://www.kaosenlared.net/noticia.php?id_noticia=40992,