Subject: Cuban Jews Criticise H.B.ACT. Cuba finds OIL
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 -Articles in Granma International

CRITICISM OF HELMS-BURTON ACT CONTINUES, STATEMENT ISSUED BY CUBAN
JEWISH COMMUNITY, HAITIAN SENATE, PRESIDENTS OF PERU AND ECUADOR, AND IRISH MAYOR

GOVERNMENTS and public figures in various parts of the world continue
to speak out against the applicationof the U.S. blockade against Cuba
and its most recent version, the Heims-Burton Act.

Cuban Jewish community leaders visiting Washington asked the White
House to suspend prohibitions on  sending food and medicine to Cuba
and issued a call for"aid and solidarity" from the rest of the world.

"We are rebuilding the Cuban Jewish community, and we need everyone's
help, in every sense," declared Dr. Jose Miller, the chairman of the
Coordinating Committee of Jewish Religious Associations in Cuba,
during a press conference in the U.S. capital.

"During the last five years, we Cuban Jews have been spiritually
weak, but now we are gaining strength," Miller maintained.
He added that 'the needs of our community will not be resolved with
humanitarian donations. The United States must begin the process of
eliminating trade restrictions on Cuba, which affect nutrition and
health most of all."

Miller and the others noted that the Jewish Community in Cuba today
is "strong and well organized, and has good relations with the
government" of Cuba. This is a good opportunity for the United States
to help Cuba through the UN, because the drought has caused; great
losses in the eastern region of the country, Miller said.

In the meantime, the Haitian Senate approved a declaration condemning
the Helms-Burton Act, stressing that Haiti has always fought against
the extraterritoriality of U.S. Iaws, "as is the case with the
legislation against our sister Republic of Cuba."

For their part, the presidents of Peru and Ecuador, Alberto Fujimori
and Jamin Mahuad, spoke out against the U.S. blockade at a press
conference, reiterating that all the countries of Latin America must
participate in all international forums.

Finally, the mayor of Limerick, Ireland, Joe Harrington, called on
U.S. President Bill Clinton to lift the economic,trade and financial
blockade that Washington has imposed against Cuba for over 30 years.
body area