-DATE-
19881107
-YEAR-
1988
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
APPEARANCE
-AUTHOR-
F.CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
CASTRO VISITS EXPO-CUBA SITE, PRAISES WORKERS
-PLACE-
CUBA
-SOURCE-
HAVANA TELE-REBELDE
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19881108
-TEXT-
Castro Visits Expo-Cuba Site, Praises Workers

FL0711194388 Havana Tele-Rebelde Network in Spanish 1333 GMT 7 Nov 88

[Text] Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, first secretary of the PCC
Central Committee and president of the Councils of State and Ministers,
visited yesterday.  Red Sunday, Expo-Cuba construction areas for the
permanent exhibit of scientific and technical developments of the Republic
of Cuba.  During his visit, he chatted with the workers and the press.

[Begin recording] [Castro] I think this will be interesting for the people.
I recall that those small exhibits we used to have near Revolution Square
were visited by hundreds of thousands of people in a short period of time.
That is where we got the idea for a permanent exhibit of scientific and
technological achievements, and of economic and social development.  For
example, millions of people may hear about a nuclear powerplants, but have
no idea of what a nuclear powerplant really is.  Here, we'll have models
of them.  Millions of people may hear about a hydroaccumulator, but do not
know what one is.  Whatever we cannot exhibit here physically, will be
exhibited by a model of it for many of those industries.  We'll have
models of a nickel factory and it will show what one consists of, what its
technology is, how it works.  We will have models of the Che Guevarra and
(Came Uno) factories.  We will have models of factories of all the
country's major industries so that [words indistinct] have information
about each one of those projects, especially the children, adolescents.  I
think that Expo-Cuba will be a place not only for factories to exhibit
their products, but also a place which will (?provide) information for
children and youths, who like this a lot.  If you look at those exhibits
[words indistinct] like the one at Pab-Expo right now, you'll see that it
is always full there.  People are anxious to get it.

[Reporter] Are you going to visit the fair?

[Castro] I may if I have time, but I don't have much time because I think
it ends today.  But this will be a [word indistinct] fair.  I think it will
also serve for recreation and will have all the (?necessary) facilities, a
cafeteria, restaurant, [words indistinct].  Therefore, from several points
of view, it will be a very important facility.  I also think that the
architects did a beautiful and fast project.  [words indistinct] and I
think that the minibrigades have matured during the construction of this.
It is impressive for [word indistinct] visitors who have been here.  They
are impressed when they find out that the workers here are not specialized
workers, but that they are minibrigade workers.  They are impressed when
they talk with workers and find out they are not construction workers.

[Reporter] Given the experience that the Expo-Cuba construction workers
have obtained, will they help finish the projects for the Panamerican Games
which have the same great importance as this exhibit?

[Castro] Well, the projects for the Panamerican Games will be divided.  The
Ministry of Construction will do part of it and the minibrigades will do
another.  They have divided the tasks.  But I think that after building
this, they can build anything.  I went by that area a little while ago.
That section of Havana will turn out very pretty.  There are also a lot of
housing units in the area for the Panamerican games, there are
approximately 1,700 housing units One of the largest projects for this is
probably the housing projects.  Those will then become houses for the
workers.  Their completion will coincide with the date [as heard];
immediately afterwards, they will be distributed among the workers just
like the other minibrigade projects.  A new and very pretty neighborhood
will be built there.  That will also beautify the entrance to the capital
much more.  It will also provide permanent facilities for youth and
sportsmen.  It includes tennis courts and a velodrome.  During the 30 years
of the revolution, we had not managed to build a velodrome, and finally our
country will have one.  During the 30 years of revolution, we had
not managed to build an Olympic stadium, and our country will finally have
one.  Especially for some sports, [word indistinct], football; because we
have a lot of ball fields, there isn't a province which doesn't have one.
But we didn't have an Olympic stadium.  I think those two facilities will
be allow for great progress in the development of sports and for the
recreation of the people.  Tennis courts require land, however, its not a
massively practiced sports.  Nevertheless, I think we will have more of
them.  We also have the multipurpose room, this one here.  This is a group
of projects.  Up to today, we only had the old sports palace which was
built in other times.  These will be facilities built by the revolution,
after many years.  We have not built many public buildings but we have
built many schools, hospitals, factories, and other types of facilities.

[Reporter] [Words indistinct] comrades will also be represented here as
part of history.

[Castro interrupting] Well, the planners [word indistinct] the models I
think should be here.  They most certainly should be here when this center
is inaugurated.  I think that one of the things that should be permanently
on exhibit here is the the way in which this was built, with an explanation
about the time it took to build it and the way in which it was done.  I
have asked if there are film clips and photos of how we built this.  I
think we should have it as historical evidence.  Many people will come to
see this, millions of people, but they may not even have the slightest idea
of the effort it took by the minibrigade workers to build this.  I think
there should be a permanent room with graphic displays on how this was
done.

[Reporter] Commander, based on what you just said, [word indistinct]
efforts of Expo-Cuba [passage indistinct].

[Castro] Yes.  From an engineering point of view, it's very interesting.  I
had seen some columns around here, I think 14 of them, pointing to the sky.
I was told the roof was being built underneath and then it was (?lifted)
with a [word indistinct].  This weighs hundreds of tons.  The first time I
returned, after having been told about this, I was somewhat concerned.
[laughter] Half-serious and half-jokingly I said to them:  Are you sure
this will hold it up.  You can just imagine what it is to lift it with
[word indistinct], these are huge machines.  These [word indistinct] are
incredible, they look more like a lightning rod than anything else.  Simply
imagine that it is capable of lifting the 600 or 700 tons that this roof
weighs.  So from an engineering point of view, I think this was something
very innovative.  Furthermore, it appears to be a very fast system for
solving many problems.  We had already seen this during a mechanical
industry exhibit over there by Revolution Square.  They used this (?method)
which is an innovative process for building quickly.  This can be used to
build other facilities, factories, [word indistinct].  I think that from an
engineering point of view it is a [word indistinct] progress.  I have also
noticed that people here are falling in love with their project.  [end
recording]
-END-