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Transmission

Saturday, October 31, 2009

For up to the minute news: www.plenglish.com

CUBA-NATIONAL NEWS CUBA

Cuban Ballet Dazzles Spain Again

Cuban Tourism Booms for 6th Year

Cuba Develops Vaccination Campaign Against Seasonal Flu

Reflections by Fidel Castro: "Relevant News"



INTERNATIONAL NEWS

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Argentine President with Packed Agenda

Mexican Rural Leader Killed

Uruguayan Parties on Second Round Campaign

Caribbean to Enjoy Slow Recovery, CARICOM

Evo Morales Calls for Strengthened Autonomies

Venezuela, Brazil Sign Agreements for Integration

Only Return of Zelaya Legitimizes Honduran Polls

Bachelet Declares Day of Political Executed

UN Demands Immediate Solution to Haitian Crisis

Bolivia Urges for US Due Respect



US, CANADA, EUROPE



AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Mugabe Decries US, UK Sanctions

AU Satisfied with Mozambican Poll Results



ASIA AND AUSTRALIA

3rd Asian Indoors Games in Vietnam

S.Korea, LatAm to Talk Economics



*************************************

CUBA-NATIONAL NEWS CUBA

Reflections by Fidel Castro: "Relevant News"



Havana, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) Leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel
Castro asserted that the Cuban people's heroic resistance against the cruel
US blockade has not been forgotten by an overwhelming majority of the
world's 192 sovereign states.



In an article entitled Relevant News, released by Cubadebate website,
Fidel Castro highlights the record voting by 187 countries in the UN General
Assembly in favour of the lifting of the blockade.



He also refers to another two prominent events occurred in Cuba in
the past week: the visit by General Director of the World Health
Organization, Doctor Margaret Chang, and the commemoration of the 50th
anniversary of the physical disappearance of Commander Camilo Cienfuegos.



Prensa Latina posts below the full text version of the Cuban leader's
reflections:



RELEVANT NEWS



Significant events have taken place in our country lately.



On October 28, at 7:30 am, the commemoration of the 50th anniversary
of the physical disappearance of Camilo Cienfuegos; the sad event occurred
one stormy evening as he was traveling in a light aircraft from Camaguey to
the capital, along the north of Cuba.



He had fought his last victorious battle against the tyranny in
Yaguajay, at the end of December 1958. The mausoleum was dedicated in that
area where the remains of those who fell during the war in the Las Villas
North Front or after January 1st, 1959 have been laid to rest; they will
later be joined by those who fought with his Invading Column or connected
with it in the center of the island, and who are still alive. Somebody then
called him the Hero of Yaguajay and the title sticked to him. But he was
more than that: he was the Hero of the Antonio Maceo Invading Column. The
brave commander was advancing with his light column towards Pinar del Rio,
and he would have reached its mountains if he had not received an order from
the Sierra Maestra to stay in the center of the island and fight there with
Che under his command. It was not necessary to put him at risk in that
mission which was an incorrect interpretation of the historic circumstances.
On January 2, he started with Che the historic march to the capital. There
is so much to research and to reflect on that event!



Following a decision of the Party and the Government, as of this 50th
Anniversary his steel silhouette shines together with that of the Heroic
Guerrilla from the Revolution Square, guarding the statue of Our National
Hero Jose Marti.



Also on October 28, at 9:00 in the morning, as fate would have it,
the debate started on the resolution introduced by Cuba against the
economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the US to our
homeland. Numerous leaders from Third World countries spoke moving words
that gave testimony of their appreciation for the indomitable and supportive
country that for half a century has faced the ruthless and genocidal empire
which emerged in the proximity of our island. A great number of countries
felt that Cuba ó s resistance was a struggle for their own right to
sovereignty.



The discreet and supportive work of our people from the first years
of the Revolution, and its heroic resistance despite the United States ó
cruel blockade, was not forgotten by the overwhelming majority of the 192
sovereign states of the world.



The irrefutable arguments of our Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez
sounded like a terrible pounding in that room sitting at the very heart of
New York, and very close to Wall Street.



For the first time in many years of debate, every UN member state
took part in the discussion of the thorny and compromising issue.



Even the European allies --members of NATO-- and the developed,
consumer-oriented and rich countries that make up the European Community
felt obliged to express their disagreement with the economic blockade of
Cuba. Our foreign minister gave a vigorous reply to the justifying and
plaintive remarks of the US representative.



When the President of the Assembly took a vote on the resolution, of
the 192 states present only three delegations voted against Cuba: the United
States and its ally in the Palestinian holocaust, Israel, and the island of
Palau. An American lawyer with Israeli citizenship, the representative of
Palau, --a 281.2 sq. miles territory in the Pacific Ocean which spent nearly
fifty years under the Yankee administration-- sided with the United States
at the UN. Two other states abstained and 187 condemned the blockade.



However, as fate would have it, these were not the only remarkable
events for Cubans that day. That evening marked the end of the visit to our
Homeland of Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health
Organization (WHO), accompanied by Mirta Roses, Director of the Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO). Both represent the two most important
international agencies taking responsibility for that crucial task. Last
Tuesday I had the honor of meeting with them.



Since the issue of the A H1N1 influenza epidemic is of such great
interest to every nation, especially those of the Third World, which have
been the most affected by the consequences of plundering and exploitation, I
asked them to make space in their tight schedule to have this meeting.



Despite the concern and efforts of our ministry of Public Health and
its information programs intended for our people, I felt it could be
advisable to delve into the epidemic subject.



Public health was one of the causes that made a Revolution necessary
in Cuba. It is not my intention to relate the progress obtained which has
turned us into the country with the largest number of medical doctors per
capita in the world ó"an example of what can be done for other peoples ó"
even when this nation has been blockaded and attacked for half a century by
the mighty empire. Our Homeland was not only the victim of a ruthless brain
drain but also a target of biological aggressions by the US administration
that not only used viruses and bacteria against plants and animals but also
against the population. The dengue fever afflicted more than 300 thousand
people. Actually, serotype 2 was introduced in Cuba and the hemisphere when
it was not present as an epidemic in any other country.



Leaving out many data to make the story short, suffice it to remember
in this Reflection that the dengue is transmitted by the mosquito but the A
H1N1 influenza spreads more easily and directly through the respiratory
tract.



Our people should know that at the end of World War I, an influenza
epidemic took the lives of tens of millions of people at a time when the
population of the planet hardly exceeded 1.5 billion. On the other hand,
humanity had much less scientific and technical resources available than
today.



This reality, however, should not lead us to be overconfident. When
such epidemics break out, resources are needed to prevent and fight them, as
it was the case with yellow fever, polio, tetanus and others, and the
vaccines that for years have protected children and the population at large
from many extremely harmful diseases.



Today, there are also other types of vaccines, especially those
protecting the people from various flu viruses, which are given to those
cases at greater risk due to permanent or temporary causes.



Our people should be mindful that it is more difficult to have
vaccines against certain viruses because of their genetic mutations, as it
is the case of those related to the A H1N1 flu and others.



The highly developed and rich countries have quite sophisticated and
costly laboratories. Even Cuba, despite underdevelopment and the Yankee
blockade, has been able to establish several labs for the production of
vaccines and medications.



Internationally, there is a logical fear of the abovementioned flu,
given its dissemination capacity and its effects on certain more vulnerable
persons. Aside from the aspects related to the international cooperation
offered by our doctors, who have given Cuba great moral authority and
prestige, I was interested in examining with the Director General of the WHO
the issue of the A H1N1 epidemic. She confirmed to me that the difficulty
with the vaccine is that laboratories with the capacity to produce them in
Europe, the United States and Canada are turning out a much lower volume of
vaccines than are required; there was a great demand in the developed
nations and the first vaccines will not be available to the rest of the
countries until the end of the year; at the same time, their prices show a
marked growing trend. She has included Cuba among the countries which have
been given a priority due to its international cooperation and its capacity
to immediately vaccinate the most vulnerable through its network of
hospitals.



Dr. Chan knows that wherever the Cuban doctors are, they will
cooperate in the speedy vaccination of the people.



These are obviously positive news for our compatriots. However, we
must bear in mind certain circumstances.



It will be several weeks or maybe two or three months before the
first vaccines get here.



The main concern of the WHO is that the mutation capacity of the
virus may quickly overtake the effect of the vaccines and then it would be
necessary to start again the search for another effective vaccine. In my
view, this determines the importance of an adequate network of medical
services as we have in our country and of the systematic orientation to a
population with high educational levels to obtain its cooperation in the
relevant actions.



The lack of adequate medical services in many countries, including
the United States where nearly 50 million people do not have access to
medical care, raises considerably the number of potential victims. That
country has declared a state of Health Emergency. Two days ago, I listened
to a report that between November and March the A H1N1 flu could be the
cause of 90 thousand deaths in the United States since winter favors the
development of the epidemic. I wish such estimates are wrong and there is no
such damage. With a population that is at least 27 times that of Cuba, it
would be tantamount to over 3 thousand deaths in our country, and many
million people in the world, in spite of the scientific breakthroughs.



The initial symptoms of the A H1N1 appeared in Mexico in the first
quarter of the current year, and almost simultaneously in the United States
and Canada. From there it extended to Spain, one of the first European
countries where the epidemic spread.



When the current US President lifted the restrictions to Cuban
Americans for travelling to Cuba, the epidemic had already extended to many
states of the union. Thus, the four countries where the largest number of
tourists and other travellers originate were precisely those where the
epidemic had mostly spread in the world.



The first carriers of the virus here were travellers from overseas.
Relatively few people were infected in our country and for months we had no
virus-related deaths but as the virus extended to every province, mainly
those with a higher number of relatives resident in the United States, it
became necessary to purchase new laboratory equipment for the Pedro Kouri
Tropical Medicine Institute and to multiply our efforts, while still
fighting dengue.



So, we were faced with the intriguing situation that, on the one
hand, the United States authorized the travelling of the largest number of
virus carriers while, on the other, it banned the acquisition of equipment
and medication to fight the epidemic. Of course, I don ó t think it was the
intention of the US administration, but it is the reality resulting from the
absurd and shameful blockade imposed to our people.



With the equipment purchased elsewhere we are in a position to know,
with absolute precision, the total number of people affected by the epidemic
and those whose death may be related to the presence of the virus.



Fortunately, in addition to the services and the well-trained medical
personnel in our country, there is in the international market an antiviral
medication particularly effective when given to the people with clear
symptoms of carrying the virus and to those providing direct care to them.



We have that antiviral and also the necessary raw material to
continue producing a similar amount to that available; additionally, we
shall spare no effort to have the indispensable doses.



Even if many countries fail to provide the international agencies
with the relevant information about the epidemic, for lack of networks of
services and medical personnel, we know that our government is determined to
communicate with absolute accuracy to such agencies the number of cases and
deaths related to the epidemic, as we have always done with the public
health data of Cuba.



Fortunately, our country has an extensive network of healthcare
services. The possibility to provide immediate care to those afflicted by
the disease is real; we also have a sufficient number of medical doctors
with quality training, many of whom have fulfilled honorable and
unforgettable internationalist missions.



Fidel Castro Ruz



October 30, 2009



2:52 pm





Cuban Ballet Dazzles Spain Again



Madrid, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) The current tour of the National Ballet
of Cuba (BNC), led by Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso, seduces the
Spanish local media in packed theaters.



Idea newspaper of Granada extols young stars Anette Delgado and Joel
Carreño, who danced the first act of Giselle on the company's 61st
anniversary.



The paper talks on the choreography by Alicia, the Cuban ballet
school and the company's exquisite, refined technique that dazzles the
public.



A picture of Anette on La Opinion daily front page has the footnote
"Giselle Levitates at Palacio de los Congresos". The paper also has photos
and comments by Alicia on her career and the BNC world prestige.



Montañez daily of Santander issued a feature with the headline Dulce
Giselle (Sweet Giselle) on Alicia as BNC director and a sweet, mythical
figure of the 20th century dance perpetuated in a homogenous company with
exquisite breed.



Joel Carreño also shines with the power of his jumps and turns, and
along Annette, embodies in Giselle the history and grace of Cuban ballet.

emw ag



Cuban Tourism Booms for 6th Year



Havana, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) Cuba has hosted two million tourists
for sixth consecutive year, this time 15 days earlier than in 2008,
according to a Tourism Ministry report.



The text extols this figure achieved amid the world financial and
health crisis that made the World Tourism Organization forecast a general
five percent decline.



Destination Cuba offers the tourist peace, security and confidence,
with arrivals increasing 3.9 percent despite forecasts.

emw/ydg



Cuba Develops Vaccination Campaign Against Seasonal Flu



Havana, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) As of November 9 Cuba is to carry out a
vaccination campaign against seasonal flu aimed at people over 75 years of
age and other risk groups, reported an expert on Friday.



Doctor Manuel Santin Pena, national director of epidemiology of the
Ministry of Public Health, told journalists that persons in homes for the
elderly and handicapped, as well as those in psychiatric hospitals or
suffering from asthma, severe diabetes and chronic kidney diseases will also
be benefitted.



He pointed out that 902,000 doses acquired through the World Health
Organization (WHO) will be administered and explained that the antigen is
specific for three viral strains with probable circulation in the country,
although not absolutely effective for all viruses present during the winter
season.



For this reason, an immunized person with this vaccine can suffer flu
symptoms, the specialist explained and added that it is not specific for the
A(H1N1) influenza pandemic for which there are not other vaccines yet
available to the country.



The vaccine against seasonal flu will be applied as a single dose
through the primary system of medical attention throughout the country and
for which the necessary organizational measures have been assured.



He explained that there are no known important adverse reactions
although fever and general malaise can appear after inoculation. He also
recommended not applying this product to persons presenting temporary
infectious processes.



For several years the nation has been making efforts to vaccinate the
most vulnerable population prone to seasonal flu or influenza to prevent
complications in theses groups, but it is necessary to take into account
that respiratory viruses are unpredictable and behave deviously, he added.



We insist on maintaining and improving the strategy of prevention,
with measures including complying with hygienic measures, washing hands with
soap and water, covering the mouth and nose to sneeze or cough, preventing
contact with sick persons and not frequenting enclosed places, among others.

avp vm









INTERNATIONAL NEWS



LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Argentine President with Packed Agenda



Buenos Aires, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) Argentine President Cristina
Fernandez will carry out in the next two months a tight foreign agenda,
expected to begin November 12 in this capital with the visit of her
Venezuelan peer Hugo Chavez.



The trip of the Bolivarian leader is part of the bilateral mechanism
of four-



monthly meetings between both heads of State and it will be mainly
devoted to trade-related issues.



During his two-day visit, Chavez is expected to travel to Entre Rios
province, according to official sources, with Telam news agency saying that
"Venezuela intends to buy more than planned".



Israeli President Shimon Peres is scheduled to arrive here on
November 16 and two days later Fernandez will travel to Brazil to take part
in a bilateral Summit with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as part of the
mechanism of bilateral half-



yearly meetings.



One week later, the Argentine dignitary is scheduled to receive her
Palestinian peer Mahmoud Abbas, who will arrive to this capital on November
23.



On November 28, Fernandez is scheduled to go to the Vatican, to mark
along with Chilean President Michele Bachelet the 25th anniversary of the
signing of the Peace Treaty, which counted on the papal mediation.



Later, Fernandez is scheduled to travel to the Portuguese city of
Estoril, venue of the 19th Ibero-American Summit that this year will be in
session under the slogan: Innovation and New Technologies.



To close her foreign agenda, after December 15 she will travel to
Montevideo to attend the Mercosur Summit, where Argentina will be handed
over the pro tempore presidency of the regional bloc until July 2010.

cgm/mpm



Mexican Rural Leader Killed



Mexico, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina)General Secretary of the Union General
Obrera Campesina y Popular (UGOCP) of Mexico, Margarito Montes Parra, was
killed along with another 14 people, official sources said on Saturday.



The events happened on Friday around 15:50 local time in the Agua
Caliente ranch, at the 26th Km of the Hornos-Tesopaco road, in Cajeme
municipality in the northern state of Sonora, according to the attorney
general ó s office in Sonora.



The victims were attacked by five armed men who killed the rural
leader, his wife and his two sons, as well as technical secretary of UGOCP
Victor Alanis.



Montes Parra, 56, and the other victims were travelling in two vans,
each boasting over 100 bullet holes, according to reports.



Two years ago, in March 2007, the late leader's son Jorge Adrian
Montes was killed along with with two other people in Cocorit, municipality
of Cajeme, when he was only 26 years old, stressed the Universal daily.



The source added that the assassinated leader planed to forge a
partnership with Sonora fishermen and also had followers in Oaxaca and
Veracruz, where he worked for a long time.



Montes Parra was an agriculturist, who arrived to Oaxaca 23 years
ago. There he won the lands of Camelia Rojas cooperative farming in
Tuxtepec. He devoted his whole life to build the UGOCP, a union that
currently has 20,000 members. His return to Sonora was announced just a few
days ago.

cgm/ggr



Uruguayan Parties on Second Round Campaign



Montevideo, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) As of today, presidential tickets
of Uruguayan Broad Front (FA) and National Party (PN) are expected to hold
their first contacts with their members for the second round of elections.



FA (48 percent) and PN (29 percent) were the most voted groups in the
polls of October 25, though lacking simple majority to triumph in a first
round, so they will vie again for a win on Sunday, November 29.



The presidential ticket Jose Mujica-Danilo Astori, from the left-wing
party, will hold meetings in the interior of the country in the upcoming
week.



The nationalists will follow suit, but led by Jorge Larranaga. His
partner Luis Alberto Lacalle will not take part.



Senador Lucia Topolanski said that the FA strategy will focus on
direct dialogue with voters rather than on agreements with other party
leader, citing as the strongest argument to persuade the citizens a
five-year long stable government under Tabare Vazquez.



Leaders of a sector of the Colorado Party (PC) Diego Fau and Joaquin
Gamarra ratified their decision to vote for the Mujica-Astori presidential
ticket, while PC leader Pedro Bordaberry called on followers to vote for the
PN.



The Trade Union Plenary of Workers-National Convention of Workers
(PIT-CNT) also announced that it will back the FA and issue a public
statement in this regard, highlighting labor gains achieved under Vazquez '
FA.

rma wap



Caribbean to Enjoy Slow Recovery, CARICOM



Port-Au-Prince, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) The Conference of the CARICOM
Committee of Central Bank Governors admitted that the Basin's economic
recovery from the global crisis will be slower than expected.



The Conference blamed it to the US slump that cuts employment and the
flow of tourists and remittances, and proposed as solution improving
financial and economic cooperation and securing market stability.

emw/msl



Evo Morales Calls for Strengthened Autonomies



Tarija, Bolivia, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) Bolivian President Evo Morales
said general elections of December 6 will be the best opportunity to build a
country with autonomies based on confidence and mutual respect.



These remarks by Morales, a candidate to be re-elected for 2010-2015,
took place during a meeting Friday night with businessmen and professionals
of the state of Tarija, stressed local media stressed today.



Morales said that urban and rural movements and social sectors have
the same goal: "to develop Bolivia respecting the particularities of every
region".



He admitted to be surprised to meet such a large crowd of
professionals committed to change and supporting his candidature.



On December 6 the Bolivian people are expected to go to the polls to
elect the President and Vice President of the country, as well as the 166
members of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly, name that will be adopted
by the bicameral Congress in 2010.



On the same date, the regions of La Paz, Oruro, Cochabamba, Potosi,
Chuquisaca, and Gran Chaco, and dozens of native regions will decide about
their autonomous status.

cgm por



Venezuela, Brazil Sign Agreements for Integration



Caracas, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) Venezuela and Brazil have taken an
important step in the binational integration with the singning in the state
of Anzoategui, Venezuela, of 15 agreements in strategic areas, including
energy, food, industry and telecommunications.



The new cooperation instruments were signed during the visit of
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the 7th quarterly meeting
with his Venzuelan peer Hugo Chávez since 2007 to boost political and
economic ties between both countries.



In a join communique distributed here, both parties show their
satisfaction for the results of the meeting and said to be glad about the
signing of the said mechanisms, mainly the integration of Venezuela into the
construction of the Abreu e Lima oil refinery in Pernambuco, a giant that
according to predictions will have a processing capacity of 200,000 barrel
of crude daily by 2011.



Regarding the agro-food issue, Chávez und Lula set the building of a
abattoir/ fridge in the Venezuelan state of Apure to process nearly 500
cattle a day.



Previously, both presidents visited a soja plantation in Anzoategui,
where the technological transference of the neighboring nation will allow
sowing around 741 thousand acres of the useful leguminous plant to improve
milk and meat output.



Another promoted area was telecommunications, with the
interconnection by fiber optics of points located in Bolivar and Boa Vista,
as well as the Brazilian support to the adoption by Venezuela of a Digital
TV Terrena system.



Health, education, sports, construction and infrastructure, tourism,
border integration, and financing of social-economic projects were also
benefited with the signing of these collaboration mechanisms.



At the end of the meeting, Chavez appreciated support received from
Lula and Brazil, a country considered the first economic power in the region
and the 8th of the planet.

cgm wmr



Only Return of Zelaya Legitimizes Honduran Polls



Panama, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) Legitimacy of Honduran elections will
only be accepted by the people if the constitutional president, Manuel
Zelaya, returns to power before November 29, Honduran Foreign Minister
Patricia Rodas said.



In the framework of the Latin American Parliamentary Assembly,
(EuroLat) meeting in this capital, Rodas stated that without a timely
restitution of the president, the Honduran people will not accept the
electoral process.



Restitution of Zelaya to his post should be immediate, she added.



Congress is responsible to withdraw the mechanisms that imposed a
president who was not elected by anyone, she said in a clear reference to
Roberto Micheletti.



Rodas explained Friday to the EuroLat Political Commission details of
the coup against Zelaya on June 28.



The speech by Rodas to legislators of Europe and Latin America
occurred in the wake of revelation of an agreement between the de facto
government and the constitutional president.

avp mem



Bachelet Declares Day of Political Executed



Santiago de Chile, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) Chilean president, Michelle
Bachelet, renewed her commitment that ó never against will human life be
ridden roughshod over by the State, ó by establishing the National Day of
the Victims of Political Execution.



Never again, she added, will clashes be simulated to hide executions,
never again the truth will be hidden or lies will be told about the fate or
circumstances of the death of a loved one.



She insisted in the need ó that never again are Chileans to be tried
and condemned, ignoring all the rules of law, International Human Rights and
Humanitarian Rights. ó



During a ceremony in La Moneda Palace, Bachelet said that she assumed
this task ó with no spirit of revenge or sectarianism but as a moral,
ethical, political and social duty, as a task of national vindication. ó



The president signed a decree establishing this date as the National
Day of Victims of Political Execution and expressed the commitment of the
government to respect human rights.



She recalled that truth, justice and reparation have been pillars of
democratic governments against the crimes of the dictatorship and ó" she
emphasized ó" these pillars must be maintained. ó

avp jl



UN Demands Immediate Solution to Haitian Crisis



United Nations, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) The United Nations urged
Haitian authorities and political forces to guarantee stability and to
reorganize the government, after the Senate dismissed Prime Minister Michele
Pierre Louis.



The call, issued by the so-called United Nations Stabilization
Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), says that all parties involved "must work
together in a spirit of solidarity to meet the country's many challenges and
goals."



The appeal, made public in New York, acknowledges the good work done
by the removed head of government to recover Haiti from the havoc caused by
hurricanes last year.



The opposition harshly criticized Louis for allegedly misusing the
resources allocated to recovery works.



In addition, MINUSTAH warned that the current crisis in the
government has forced a rapid election of a new prime minister to prevent
instability from endangering the promising prospects for investment in Haiti
and the creation of jobs.



Two weeks ago, the UN Security Council extended the presence of the
peacekeeping forces in Haiti for another year. The mission is made up of
6,940 soldiers and 2,211 police officers.



MINUSTAH was deployed in Haiti in 2004 and is made up of soldiers
from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El
Salvador, Spain, the United States, France, Guatemala, Peru, Paraguay,
Russia and Uruguay, among other countries.

/jg/vc



Bolivia Urges for US Due Respect



La Paz, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) President Evo Morales noted that
Bolivian relations with the United States must relay on cooperation rather
than on interference by US diplomats as they did previously.



Any attempt to tighten relations will be welcomed if it is to achieve
economic and social improvement, said President Morales in a press
conference in Palacio de Quemado.



The statement comes as Bolivia and the United States revise their
links to establish normal political and economic ties.



According to Foreign Minister David Chequehuanca, head of the
Bolivian delegation to the talks, they have so far made progress and renewed
accords signed last May on drug enforcement and trade.



The US-Bolivian crisis began in September 2008, when President Evo
Morales expelled Ambassador Phillip Goldberg on charges of conspiracy.



The US retaliated by expelling Ambassador Gustavo Guzman and removing
Bolivia of the list of beneficiaries of US preferential tariffs.



Goldberg's recent appointment as Undersecretary for US Intelligence
by President Barack Obama confirms that the ex ambassador came to Bolivia to
conspire, according to President Morales.

emw/por















US, CANADA, EUROPE



AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Mugabe Decries US, UK Sanctions



Harare, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe lashed
at the US, EU and other Western powers for using their economic power to
impose sanctions on his country.



On a live TV broadcast address, the Zimbabwe statesman warned that
"one day we should start thinking of suing them at the International Court."



The leader of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front
(ZANU-PF) also denounced destabilization maneuvers by the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC).



President Mugabe accused MDC leader and Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai of boycotting the meetings of the National unity government, set
up last February amid discrepancies.



Tsvangirai and the MDC ministers withdrew from an October 16 cabinet
meeting, making Mugabe wonder if the premier really knows the meaning of an
accord.



The Southern African Development Community (SADC) send a mission made
up by the Foreign Minister of Mozambique, Zambia and Swaziland to Harare to
try and settle the situation.

emw/jcd



AU Satisfied with Mozambican Poll Results



Maputo, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) The recently concluded elections in
Mozambique were credible and carried out in line with the Constitution and
laws of this country, Chief of the observant mission of the African Union
(AU) Roberto Almeida said on Saturday.



Assessing the development of presidential, legislative and provincial
elections, Almeida said results will be a reflection of the sovereign will
of the people of Mozambique.



The National Electoral Commission of Mozambique said the positions of
every candidate in the polls held last Wednesday will be made public on
Monday.



According to the Mozambique Radio, preliminary results of the
elections indicate the re-election of current President Armando Guebuza,
with 75 percent of the votes of a total of 10 million electors.



Guebuza, the leader of the Liberation Front of Mozambique (FRELIMO),
was ahead by a considerable margin of the leader of Mozambique National
Resistance (RENAMO) Alfonso Dhlakama and of the representative of the
Democratic Movement of Mozambique, Daviz Simango.



Under the Constitution, in case no candidate to the presidency
obtains 50 percent of the votes, then a second electoral roun will be held.

cgm/obf







ASIA AND AUSTRALIA

3rd Asian Indoors Games in Vietnam



Hanoi, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) As of today, athletes from 43 countries
are attending the 3rd Asia Indoor Games (AIG) to run in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh,
Haiphong, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong and Quang Ninh provinces.



The ten-day event with 5,000 athletes, experts and officials,
comprehends 20 traditional and regional disciplines like kurash (a version
of freestyle wrestling), the Dragon and Leon dances, and computer games.



My Dinh National Stadium hosted Friday night the opening ceremony
with speeches by President Nguyen Minh Triet and Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad
Al-Sabah, head of the Asian Olympic Committee.



Sheik Al Sabah encouraged the participants to do their best and honor
friendship.



Vietnam's 500-member delegation hopes to win some 15 to 20 medals at
the biennial indoor event aimed at developing regional sports by encouraging
young athletes.

emw/sus



S.Korea, LatAm to Talk Economics



Seoul, Oct 31 (Prensa Latina) South Korea will host on November 10-11
a forum of Economy Ministers with peers from Latin America aimed at
facilitating mutual knowledge, launching co-operation and having a greater
presence in each other's markets.



The meeting will address issues including trade, investments, energy,
infrastructure, development and environment.



It will involve guests from Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador,
Uruguay, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, the Dominican
Republic and Guatemala.



The meeting will close with a communiqué reflecting the common will
to enhance bilateral exchange.

emw/lam





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