Yahoo! September 11, 2000
Former Pasadena Mayor Paparian Will Testify at Hearing on Cuba
Monday September 11, 7:02 am ET. Press Release. SOURCE: Law Office of William M. Paparian
PASADENA, Calif., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The following press release was issued today by the Law Office of William M. Paparian:
Former Mayor of Pasadena William Paparian has been called upon to testify at the U.S. International Trade Commission Hearing on the Economic Impact of U.S. Sanctions With Respect To Cuba in Washington, DC on September 19, 2000.
The International Trade Commission, an independent federal agency that reports on trade issues, was asked by the U.S. Congress to draw up a report on the long-standing U.S. sanctions against Cuba, which now face growing opposition from many American lawmakers.
Paparian served for 12 years in public office in Pasadena, California and it was while serving as the Mayor of Pasadena that first visited Cuba as the guest of the Mayor of Havana.
Paparian testified in May of 1998 as a witness at a hearing on U.S. Economic and Trade Policy Toward Cuba before the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Paparian has traveled frequently to Cuba to coordinate the delivery of critically needed medical supplies and equipment to the children of Cuba. He has worked closely with the Cuban Council of Churches and Havana's pediatric hospitals in responding to their medical needs.
In 1997 Paparian convened a conference on the future of U.S.-Cuba relations at Occidental College in Los Angeles that was co-sponsored by the United Nations Association and the Department of Diplomacy and World Affairs. He has hosted receptions for Fernando Remirez, First Deputy Foreign Minister
of the Republic of Cuba at the Rose Bowl and at the California Institute of Technology. The text of his November 1998 address before an international conference in Havana of Ibero-American public officials was published in the Havana Tribune.
Diver Appeals Eligibility Decision
SYDNEY, Australia, 9 (AP) - A former Cuban diving star appealed a decision Sunday barring him from competing for Canada at the Sydney Games.
Arturo Miranda asked the International Olympic Committee to reverse its decision, and his coach said he would take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if the IOC refused.
"I don't know what to expect,'' Canadian diving coach Mitch Geller said. "I don't know how the IOC operates or considers things. ... We are preparing for the next stage should the response be a negative one from the IOC. We'll look to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.''
The decision against Miranda, a 29-year-old native of Havana, came after Cuba filed a complaint.
If his appeal is denied, it would be the second time Miranda was left off an Olympic team just days before the games. He qualified for the 1992 Olympics with Cuba, but just 15 days before leaving for Barcelona was told, because of financial constraints, he wasn't going.
Miranda, a 3-meter springboard specialist, was the flag-bearer for Cuba at the 1991 Pan American Games in Havana. He has since moved to Canada and became a Canadian citizen, but did not receive a required release from Cuba to make him eligible to compete for his new country.
Castro Visits Ends in Harlem, N.Y.
By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer.
NEW YORK, 9 (AP) - Fidel Castro's first visit to New York in five years ended Saturday in Harlem, with 2,000 Cuban solidarity supporters cheering, chanting his name and singing "Happy Birthday.''
"Dear brothers and sisters,'' he told the invitation-only event at the historic Riverside Church, hugging several children who gave him a plastic-wrapped bouquet of flowers. "You have been extremely generous and kind with us.''
Following the event, which began Friday night at 8 p.m. and ended in the wee hours Saturday, Castro flew home, where he was greeted at the airport by other top officials, including Vice President Carlos Lage, Cuba's Radio Reloj reported.
The church full of admiring American supporters in Harlem erupted in applause when Castro told them about his encounter with President Clinton earlier in the week. In a much-discussed encounter, the two leaders shook hands Wednesday at a luncheon of the U.N. Millennium Summit.
"I feel satisfied by my respectful and civilized behavior with the president of the country that had been host of the summit,'' Castro told the crowd to applause.
It was the first time Castro had publicly mentioned the event at the summit, a gathering of about 160 world leaders. The news was especially encouraging to Americans who support the normalization of relations between the two countries.
Back in his olive green uniform after spending a week in the black suits he favors for presidential gatherings, Castro told the crowd at the end of a far-ranging address about the details of his first face-to-face encounter with the American president.
Suddenly, he found himself in a line of leaders being greeted by Clinton.
"I couldn't run away to prevent passing by that point,'' Castro said, growing animated at his speech, which early on was punctuated by the crowd's shouts of "Fidel! Fidel! Fidel!''
"With all dignity and courtesy I greeted him,'' the Cuban president said. "He did the same, and I moved ahead in line. It would have been extravagant and rude to do any other thing. The whole thing lasted less than 20 seconds.''
Castro was clearly moved by the affection shown him by the Americans who surrounded him, especially when they sang "Happy Birthday'' in belated recognition of his turning 74 in mid-August.
"It is only because of miracles that I have survived all these years,'' he told the crowd, alluding to the many assassination attempts against the communist leader during his 41 years in power.
"I came to Harlem because I knew it was here that I would find my best friends,'' he added. Among those in the church were U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters of Los Angeles and U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano of New York, and the Rev. Dr. Lucius Walker Jr. of Pastors for Peace, all longtime opponents of the
38-year-old U.S. embargo against Cuba.
Other guests included the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, the former head of the National Council of Churches, who campaigned vigorously for the repatriation of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba, even bringing the boy's grandmothers to Washington.
The Riverside Church is an institution in Harlem, where it played a major organizing role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. It was from this pulpit that the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against the Vietnam War and was one of South African leader Nelson Mandela first stops
in America after his release from prison a decade ago.
Castro has great fondness for Harlem and black Americans in general, having first visited the neighborhood during a 1960 trip to the United Nations for that year's General Assembly.
Refused at the Shelburne Hotel in midtown, the delegation of bearded guerrillas who had recently assumed power on the island moved to Harlem's Hotel Theresa. Thousands of Harlem residents crowded the streets to cheer them.
There, Castro met with black leader Malcolm X, and met separately with then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Gamal Abdel Nassar of the United Arab Republic also paid his respects to Castro at the hotel, which has since been torn down.
Castro returned to Harlem during his last visit to New York in 1995, when he addressed the General Assembly.
Castro Pleased by Handshake
By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer.
NEW YORK, 9 (AP) - A church full of admiring American supporters in Harlem erupted in applause early Saturday when Cuban leader Fidel Castro told them how pleased he was to shake hands earlier in the week with President Clinton.
"I feel satisfied by my respectful and civilized behavior with the president of the country that had been host of the summit,'' Castro told the invitation-only crowd at towering Riverside Church.
It was the first time Castro had publicly mentioned the much-discussed encounter between the two leaders at the end of a luncheon of the U.N. Millennium Summit, a gathering of about 160 world leaders. The news was especially encouraging to Americans who support the normalization of relations
between the two countries.
Back in his olive green uniform after spending a week in the black suits he favors for presidential gatherings, Castro told the crowd at the end of a far-ranging address about how he encountered Clinton face-to-face for the first time on Wednesday afternoon.
Suddenly, he found himself in a line of leaders being greeted by the American president.
"I couldn't run away to prevent passing by that point,'' Castro said, growing animated at his speech, which early on was punctuated by the crowd's shouts of "Fidel! Fidel! Fidel!''
"With all dignity and courtesy I greeted him,'' the Cuban president said. "He did the same, and I moved ahead in line. It would have been extravagant and rude to do any other thing. The whole thing lasted less than 20 seconds.''
More than 2,000 people attended the 8 p.m. event organized by Cuban solidarity groups, with many of the invited guests lining up outside the church as early as 4 p.m.
The Cuban leader evidently went straight to the airport shortly after the gathering wound up.
Castro's plane landed at 8:47 a.m. EDT in Havana, where he was greeted at the airport by other top officials, including Vice President Carlos Lage, Cuba's Radio Reloj reported.
Castro was clearly moved by the affection shown him by the Americans who surrounded him, especially when they sang "Happy Birthday'' in belated recognition of his turning 74 in mid-August.
"Dear brothers and sisters,'' he told them, hugging several children who gave him a plastic-wrapped bouquet of flowers. "You have been extremely generous and kind with us.''
"It is only because of miracles that I have survived all these years,'' alluding to the many assassination attempts against the communist leader during his 41 years in power.
"I came to Harlem because I knew it was here that I would find my best friends,'' he added. Among those in the church were U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters of Los Angeles and U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano of New York, and the Rev. Dr. Lucius Walker Jr. of Pastors for Peace, all longtime opponents of the
38-year-old U.S. embargo against Cuba.
Other guests included the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, the former head of the National Council of Churches, who campaigned vigorously for the repatriation of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba, even bringing the boy's grandmothers to Washington.
The Riverside Church is an institution in Harlem, where it played a major organizing role in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. It was from this pulpit that the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against the Vietnam War and was one of South African leader Nelson Mandela first stops
in America after his release from prison a decade ago.
Many in the church wore pins or stickers that said "Free Mumia,'' a reference to death row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal who was convicted in the killing of a Philadelphia police officer. His supporters maintain he did not receive a fair trial and have launched an international campaign for a new
one.
A sign carried by one supporter read: "Hail Castro, Jail Giuliani,'' a reference to New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who snubbed Castro during the summit and in the days before described the Cuban leader as a "murderer.''
Castro has great fondness for Harlem and black Americans in general, having first visited the neighborhood during a 1960 trip to the United Nations for that year's General Assembly.
Refused at the Shelburne Hotel in midtown, the delegation of bearded guerrillas who had recently assumed power on the island moved to Harlem's Hotel Theresa. Thousands of Harlem residents crowded the streets to cheer them.
There, Castro met with black leader Malcolm X, and met separately with then-Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. Gamal Abdel Nassar of the United Arab Republic also paid his respects to Castro at the hotel, which has since been torn down.
Castro returned to Harlem during his last visit to New York in 1995, when he addressed the General Assembly. On that trip, he met with more than 2,000 American supporters at the Abyssinian Baptist Church and also visited the Bronx.
Clinton Discusses Castro Encounter
By Terence Hunt, Ap White House Correspondent.
NEW YORK (AP) - President Clinton said Friday his encounter with Cuban President Fidel Castro was over in a matter of seconds.
"It just happened, you know?'' Clinton said.
The two leaders shook hands and exchanged brief greetings after a United Nations luncheon Wednesday. It was the first time they had met.
Castro initiated the encounter, Clinton said.
"There were a whole lot of people in line, and I was talking to them, and I turned around and he was standing there. He had apparently come up and waited,'' Clinton said.
"The encounter lasted just a few seconds,'' Clinton added. "That's all that happened.''
Clinton spoke of the Castro encounter before entering a formal meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
Clinton and Castro had no substantive discussion, U.S. officials insisted.
Castro approached Clinton at the end of a luncheon of the United Nations Millennium Summit, a gathering of about 160 world leaders. "They exchanged a few words. It was nothing substantive,'' White House press secretary Joe Lockhart said Thursday. National Security Council spokesman P.J.
Crowley called it "a momentary exchange.''
It was the first time Clinton and Castro had ever spoken although they have been in the same room before, Crowley said.
Lockhart originally said Clinton and Castro did not shake hands. But after checking further with someone who was in the room, a White House official said Lockhart was wrong and that Clinton and Castro did shake hands.
Crowley said Castro was among a number of leaders who were not invited to a reception hosted by Clinton at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Thursday night. The United States does not have diplomatic relations with Cuba and maintains economic sanctions against Castro's government.
"Not every participant in the Millennium Summit was invited,'' Crowley said. "There are countries around the world that we have serious concerns about such as their support for terrorism. And we didn't think it was appropriate to invite them to a reception hosted by the president of
the United States.''
He said, for example, that officials from Iraq, Iran and Libya were not invited.
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