al WORLD QB grate nt Miarg, s mM ee > ee lo aie <)! A_PROCLAMATION WHEREAS, the South African system of Apartheid denies the black majority their most basic human rights and perpetuates an oppressive white rule amounting to no less than slavery; and WHEREAS, after y years of impri Nelson Mandela Still carries on the struggle for South Africa's freedom from the solitary confinement of his prison cell; and WHEREAS, the people of Wisconsin are committed to freedom and human dignity and the right to self-determination for all peoples; : NOW, THEREFORE, | ANTHONY S. EARL, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, do hereby declure Winnie Mandela, the wife of Nelson Mandela, an honorary citizen of the State of Wisconsin; and FURTHERMORE, I declare that this day, May 8th, 1985, shall be known as.) NELSON MANDELA DAY ABOVE: Wisconsin’s Proclamation declares May 8 Nelson Mandela Day, signed by Governor An- thony Earl honoring the ANC leader. It also declares Winnie Mandela, his wife, and a leading ANC ac- tivist, an honorary citizen of the state of Wisconsin. BELOW: Demonstrators fill Wisconsin’s state capi- tal calling for disinvestment of state funds in South Africa. They are backing an Assembly bill which Calls for such disinvestment. Cuba suspends agreements over U.S. radio broadcasts Special to the Tribune At 5:30 a.m., May 20, the United States began beam- ing into Cuba from a 50,000-watt transmitter in the Florida Keys. The 14-hour per day programming, containing virulent anti-Cuban material, spiced with: pre-revolutionary soap operas, contained an additional insult to the Cuban people: the radio station bears the name of Cuban patriot José Marti. The broadcast were also cynically timed for the 84th anniversary of another infamous date in Cuban history — the imposition by Washington in 1901 of the Platt Amendment which effectively made a U.S. colony out of Cuba which it had ‘“‘won’’ during the Spanish-American war a year earlier. After effects of this are still seen today in the U.S. occupation of Guantanamo base in eastern Cuba. Washington informed Cuba of its decision to begin broadcasting a mere 12 hours earlier in a note delivered by the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. Pointing to the provocative U.S. action, the Cuban government’s response was immediate and forceful. Havana charged the U.S. action was timed to respond to Cuba’s proposals that huge foreign debts owned by developing nations be cancelled and when several con- structive steps had been taken between the U.S. and Cuba to ease tensions. Accordingly, Cuba informed the U.S. it will take the following steps: e Suspend all dealings related to agreements signed between the two states on Dec. 14, 1984 concerning emigration; e Stop all trips to Cuba by persons of Cuban origin living in the U.S. except in authorized cases for strictly humanitarian reasons; ; e Reserve the right to reconsider the cooperation it had been unilaterally extending the U.S. in stopping illegal departures from Cuba to the U.S. and other mea- sures from which the U.S. has benefitted: e Reserves the right to begin broadcasting to the U.S. on medium-range am bands; e Holds the U.S. responsible for a situation which will complicate U.S.-Cuban relations in future and block any possibility of progress on bilateral issues. The Cuban note charges it will not submit to such “‘arm-twisting and blackmail’’ and will continue to ex- pose the shameful robbery of third world resources, exorbitant interest rates, the inflated U.S. dollar and other imperialist methods of pillage. It also reaffirmed its intention to continue to fight for a new international economic order to enable developing nations to free themselves from the grip of the transnationals. “If this is the price we must pay to defend our dignity and sovereignty, we will pay it with pleasure. ‘The Cuban people have resisted over 25 years of big stick policies, economic blockade and other aggressions by the United States,” the note concluded. ‘‘The present administration in Washington should not have the slightest doubt Cuba will continue resisting no matter how long. “Some day the U.S. people themselves will put an end to such egotistical, senseless and sterile policies,”’ it ended. , * * * In a report direct from Havana, the’Tribune learned that the broadcasts have been met with anger and scorn’ by Cubans who resent such information coming across from Florida as, ‘‘How the U.S. liberated Grenada,”’ and the poetry of the patriot José Marti being misused to insult the Cuban révolution. “It’s worse than Voice of America,’ our reporter remarked. : Asia conference urged MOSCOW — Speaking at a dinner in honor of visiting Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev called for an all-Asian security conference similar to the 1975 Helsinki con- ference on European security and cooperation. Gorbachev proposed pooling all past proposals for Asian security for discussion at such a conference, towards which India, current chair of the non- aligned movement, ‘‘could play a very important role’’. international Focus Tom Morris i raised to build a_ paediatric Vietnam needs ward which is now named after your help the late James Henry Hughes, Canadian Aid for Vietnam . Civilians, the Vancouver- . based group which has col- lected nearly $700,000 for humanitarian aid since its formation in 1966, has an- nounced a new project — one Well worth full support. A target of $100,000 has been set to help build a new district hospital at Ben Hai on the 17th parallel. CAVC’s association with this hospital goes back several years when thousands of dollars were a Canadian from Parksville, B:C. A word about Ben Hai pro- vince: During the U.S. war against Vietnam each inhabi- tant received on average 7 ton- nes of bombs and 80 shells. The first U.S. B-52, bomber over North Vietnam was shot down there in 1967. Its popula- tion was reduced to 2,700 in 1975 from 100,000 before the war. Ben Hai hospital will be a 200-bed unit comprising 10 CAVC in action. Shipment number 43 for Vietnam being loaded in Vancouver in 1974. Canadians are again called to aid Vietnam. buildings. Short of all building materials, especially reinforc- ing steel, Vietnam’s need is great, and is why CAVC’s con- tinuing campaign to help the heroic Vietnamese people is so important. A study just released by the Geneva-based International Union for Conservation of Na- ture and Natural Resources portrays a rural nation devas- tated by ‘“‘deliberate destruc- tion of the environment as a military tactic never before seen in the history of warfare.”’ It says one-third of Vietnam is now wasteland from bombing, bulldozing and chemical spray- ing. It warns of severe eco- logical consequences by the . year 2000 unless a massive program is undertaken to re- verse the damage. The 97-page study also cites alarming increases in toxin-re- ‘lated diseases and cancer among the population 10 years after the U.S. pulled out and reneged on its $3.5-billion promise of war reparations. Vietnam’s - need is great. Canadians, who worked so hard to end the genocide, can — again do their share in lending a hand for the long, difficult task of reconstruction. — Contact CAVC, Box 2543, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3W8 or - send your donation to that ad- dress made out to: Ben Hai Permanent Hospital Project. Its tax deductible number is 0455394-09-27. New storm warnings Ronald Reagan’s fist pounded the table in frustra- tion. And what was his prob- _ lem? The United States Con- gress, that’s what. It seems Reagan resents hav- ing to conduct foreign policy through the 535-member body — especially since Congress scuttled his $14-million contra bill last month. Last week Reagan sum- moned Republican congres- sional leaders and really beat up on them. ‘He made it clear he ‘wants something right away’’’, one participant. re- ported.’ That’s when the fist-pounding occurred. What Reagan got was agreement by key senators to tack money onto the 1986 de- fence budget for his anti- Nicaraguan war — $14-million now and another $18-million in 1986. The new proposal means the funds would go directly to the contras and be doled out by the National Security Council. It also means existing law ban- ning direct or indirect military aid to the contras would be re- pealed. « If successful, the new ploy would override April’s Congressional vote which de- cisively refused such aid. That’s Reaganite democracy in action. PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MAY 29, 1985 « 9