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Former President Carter to Speak on Cuban TV, Radio

Aired May 14, 2002 - 12:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Cuba and former President Carter's historic trip there. The diplomatic mission today includes one visit to an AIDS sanitarium and also a farm coop. But the highlight: later tonight, Carter's scheduled speech broadcast live on Cuban television and radio.

Kate Snow, traveling with the former president, joins us live in Havana -- Kate, good afternoon.

KATE SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi -- good afternoon, Bill.

A little bit more about that speech in just a moment. By the way, we're coming to you live from the University of Havana, where President Carter will speak a little bit later.

But, first, to talk a little bit about what you just mentioned, what he's been doing today on his second full day here in Havana, he went to an agricultural cooperative -- basically a farm under the Cuban system -- just a little while ago. He continues to tour there. This is a farm where they grow -- a cooperative where they grow vegetables. I'm told that the farmers got together, there were 60 of them who brought their land together to form this cooperative under the communist system.

This morning, President Carter toured an AIDS clinic, as you mentioned. That's a clinic here in Havana where they have 360 patients. You know President Carter has a lot of interest in the issue of AIDS. Yesterday, he met with some scientists (UNINTELLIGIBLE) AIDS problem in Africa, talking to them about the problem there and what the world can do to stop AIDS. So that's something that's of interest to him.

Now the big event, later tonight, as he gives his presentation, his speech in Spanish from the University of Havana, where we are -- we wanted to show you just a little bit of where we are. We're on the main -- sort of the main quadrant here in the main plaza of the university. They have 30,000 students here.

You're taking a look at the library behind those pillars. I went inside earlier, by the way. They still have a card catalog system here -- a little interesting.

And over on the other side of the plaza is the school of law. One interesting fact about that, there's a room in there where Castro -- Fidel Castro studied. They've now made it a museum. They've preserved the room from the 1950s. It is a museum to Fidel.

So joining us here on the university campus very graciously have been some students, Bill. We've asked them to come over and speak to us in English, which, of course, isn't their first language. But they speak very well.

Our first victim here is Amicar (ph). He's a fifth-year law student -- you're just about to graduate and take the bar next month, right? Tell me what you think of President Carter's visit here. A lot of people are talking about the historic nature of it. What do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think that this visit is very important for us because this is the most important visit to come here from the United States. Because President Carter, in my opinion, is one of the most important men in the world for the policy, all his work around the world with the sick people, with the poor people. And then when he was president in 1977, he tried to make a better relationship with us in some time. And now he set an example that the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) between Cuba and the U.S. is possible.

SNOW: He takes back to the United States -- he will take back, we presume, a message. But the Bush administration in power now has a very different view, as you know, of relations with Cuba. They're a little more hard in their view -- hard-lined. So do you think Carter's visit can make a difference?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think that the people from the United States can see that our life here and can see that our government tried to make a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with an important figure from the U.S. policy, like James Carter. That's my opinion.

SNOW: Let me quickly go to Eduardo (ph), and then we'll wrap it up after this.

Eduardo (ph), you're the fourth-year economics student. What do you think about the speech tonight? Will you watch the speech tonight?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I hope so. So I think this will be very interesting, not all for the Cubans. It will be interesting for the rest of the people around the world, because it's only the -- I think it's the first time that some important people that -- I mean President Carter was president of the United States the first time. And some important personality like that come to Cuba. And tonight will be great and will be (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

SNOW: Eduardo (ph), thank you so much. Thank you as well -- we appreciate it.

Bill, folks really looking forward to this speech tonight. President Carter, everywhere he goes, has been mentioning the speech and trying to publicize that this will be broadcast live on Cuban television 6:00 PM Eastern Time. Interestingly, he'll speak in Spanish. And the Cuban government saying that they're not going to sensor it in any way, that they're not going to break it. They'll let it run live. Whatever he wants to say, they say, will be broadcast to the Cuban people -- back to you.

HEMMER: And now we wait and hear and listen to what he does have to say later tonight -- Kate, thanks. Kate Snow at the University of Havana in Cuba.

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