HITS

From July 20, 2000

              83 Countries

HAVANA, January 31

     RAUL CASTRO COMMEMORATES THE 149^TH ANNIVERSARY OF JOSÉ MARTIÍS BIRTH

    In this photograph, Raul Castro, Minister of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces stands in front of the University of Havana at the start of the Communist "March of the Torches," Sunday night Jan. 27, 2002 in Havana, Cuba, in homage to the 149th anniversary of the birth of Cuban national hero Jose Marti. To his left is Juan Almeida, one of the "historical" commanders of the Cuban Revolution, and in the center a university student.

Obviously, the younger brother of the Cuban dictator must not have read CAMCOÍs LATEST NEWS. If he had, he would have seen that the doctrines, maxims and aphorisms of the ñApostle of Cuban Independence" stemmed from democratic principles, NOT tyranny and corruption as those imposed upon the Cuban people by him and his brother for 43 long years.

WASHINGTON, January 31

     AGAIN, COMMUNIST CUBA LASHES OUT AT ARGENTINA FOR "LICKING THE YANKEES' BOOT"

    Cuba charged on Wednesday that Argentina had a "boot-licking" policy toward Washington, reviving a diplomatic spat that broke out last year ahead of the annual U.N. hearings on human rights. Cuba's state-run media announced the government's nightly televised talk show, used to present its views on various subjects, would be on "The Argentinean crisis and its Foreign Ministry's boot-licking policy."

    "Argentina's economic, political, and social crisis continues to worsen, while the country's foreign minister traveled to Washington to submit to the demands of the North American administration, including a miserable and disgraceful attack on Cuba," the announcement said. On Tuesday, Argentina's Foreign Minister Carlos Ruckauf emerged from a meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and said his country would work with the United States "to free" the Cuban people. "We talked about a joint effort, a joint vision of respecting the Cuban people's human rights ... of sanctioning the only dictator left in Latin America," Ruckauf said.

    Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez charged on Tuesday that the United States, voted off the U.N. Economic and Social Council last year, was pressuring Latin American governments to sponsor a resolution condemning his country in Geneva this year. "We know that the United States is making intense efforts so that this year the resolution against Cuba is presented by various Latin American countries," Pérez said to the press.


COLUMBUS, January 30

     ANOTHER AMERICAN DIGNITARY TO KISS THE TYRANT'S "RING:"  FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER CONSIDERS CASTRO INVITATION TO VISIT CUBA

     Former President Jimmy Carter is considering a personal invitation by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro to visit Cuba. The 77-year-old former president made the announcement this week before a Sunday school class in his hometown of Plains, Ga. If Carter accepts the invitation, he would be the first former president to visit Cuba since the dictator rose to power in 1959.

     The invitation stems from the Atlanta-based Carter Center's Americas Program and is part of Carter's efforts to create a ñdialogue" between leaders of the Cuban-American exile community and the Castro dictatorship, said a Carter spokesperson.

HAVANA, January 30

     MARIA ELENA CRUZ VARELAÍS COURAGEOUS STATEMENT FROM CUBA: ñDOES ANYONE, PLEASE, WANT TO LOOK OVER HERE? DOES ANYONE, PLEASE, WANT TO JOIN ME IN MY DENOUNCEMENT?"

     Now that all of the Human Rights groups are looking towards the Naval Base in Guantánamo, very concerned with the situation of the Taliban and the terrorists of al-Qaida, prisoners behind barbed-wire fences, now that they do not have to make any effort to find victims and murderers, I ask you to look over here. Rights are rights even for those that violate them. On that point we agree and no crime, no matter how horrendous it may be, justifies the mistreatment of those in inferior conditions, including suicidal fundamentalists whom do not even respect their own right to life.

     But please, look over here, just a few kilometers from Guantánamo so as not to make it difficult for you, how Castro's regime treats peaceful civil rights defenders. However, nobody does anything about this tremendous atrocity, and about the fact that Cuba is one of the countries in the world which has the most incidents of death sentences per capita, has the most political prisoners, and where they are best tortured. It is known by Luis María Anson, whom I thank, because he is one of the few that dare to look over here and say what he sees. The others scowl and put on a face as if they knew nothing when I scream at the top of my lungs that Human Rights are violated in my country with sophisticated cold-blooded premeditation.

     Luckily, even within the United States administration, the Taliban have someone to "defend" them: the legendary Colin Powell requests that they be recognized as prisoners of war and that is much more than what any of them would do if it were the other way around. Because of that, now I invite you to look over here. Because there is no Powell to act as an advocate for my compatriots, the members of the Christian Liberation Movement, directed by Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, savagely beaten by the repressive hordes, headed by Lieutenant-Colonel Veitía, Majors Roger and Feria and Captains Saurén and Leyva, all belonging to the State Security forces, on their return from a peaceful meeting in Santiago de Cuba. They unleashed their fury on them, on their testicles, on their backs, during broad daylight, before witnesses, which, unfortunately, can never do anything. Does anyone, please, want to look over here? Does anyone, please, want to join me in my denouncement?

CARACAS, January 29

     VENEZUELA BISHOPS, CITING ñINSULTS," DECLINE CHÁVEZ 'S INVITATION

     Venezuela's Catholic Bishops on Monday rejected an invitation from President Hugo Chavez for a meeting, accusing him of anti-Church "insults" and dealing another blow to his already tottering popularity in the predominantly Catholic country. The local Bishops were responding to fierce criticism from the ex-paratrooper-turned-president, who had publicly condemned them Sunday as political opponents who "do not walk in the path of God."

     Chavez had offered to meet the Catholic Church leaders at his official palace on Tuesday to discuss their objections to his abrasive leadership style and to his self-proclaimed left-wing "revolution". In a statement on Monday, the bishops said they did not consider the right conditions existed for a dialogue between them and the tough-talking president, who said is Catholic.

    "As a result, we decline the president's invitation, said the statement, read to reporters by Monsignor Baltazar Porras, the Archbishop of Merida and head of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference that groups the Bishops.

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 29

    US DISMISSES CUBAN SPECULATIONS ON BETTER RELATION

     The United States Government on Monday dismissed Cuban speculation about a possible improvement in relations as a result of CubaÍs cooperation on the prison built in Guantánamo. Nearly 160 al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists captured in the Afghan war are being held at the US Navy base. Both, the Minister of Defense General Raúl Castro and the National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcón, said last week that CubaÍs cooperation at Guantánamo could serve as a model for improving ties between the two longtime adversaries. 

     But U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Monday: "Cuba has not taken any of the steps necessary to make improvement of relations possible. These steps include free elections, the release of political prisoners, the removal of draconian laws that, for example, send Cuban citizens to prison if they criticize their government."

     "The Cuban government portrays the fundamental issue as being one between Cuba and the United States, but that's not really it. It's not a question of our relationship. It's a question of the Cuban government's continued denial of basic human rights," Boucher told a daily briefing.  President Bush stand on the U.S. embargo against Cuba was reinforced by his recent recess appointment of ex-ambassador Otto Reich, a longtime embargo supporter, to head the State Department's Latin America bureau.


CARACAS, January 29

     CHÁVEZ BRANDS VENEZUELAN BISHOPS POLITICAL FOES

     Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday turned his revolutionary rage against the leaders of the country's Catholic Church, condemning them as political opponents who "do not walk in the path of God." Responding to criticism by Cardinal Ignacio Velasco and senior bishops, the ex-paratrooper also rebuked the pope's diplomatic representative in Venezuela for allegedly meddling in the affairs of the predominantly Catholic nation.

    Chavez, who has clashed with the Catholic hierarchy in the past, has been vociferously defending his self-proclaimed left-wing "revolution" since more than 80,000 opponents marched in Caracas last Wednesday to protest against his government. The street protest, though belittled as "squalid" by the president, was the biggest to date against his 3-year-old rule.

    Speaking on Sunday during his weekly "Hello President" radio and television program, the outspoken president accused Velasco, the Archbishop of Caracas, and other bishops of being members of the growing political opposition against him. "You're the one, Cardinal Velasco, who is adopting political positions," Chavez said. "Hey, you should stand before God and say an 'Our Father', or rather 20 'Our Fathers' and 20 'Hail Marys'," he went on.


FORT WASHINGTON, January 28

     JOSÉ JULIÁN MARTÍ Y PÉREZ'S BIRTHDAY: THE APOSTLE OF CUBAN INDEPENDENCE (JANUARY 28, 1853 - MAY 19, 1895)

       The Apostle said: ñYou take your rights, you do not beg for them; you do not buy them with tears but with blood.


BAUTA, January 28

     RAÚL CASTRO: "RUSSIAN BASE IN CUBA FINALLY CLOSED"

     The Russian spy base in communist-run Cuba has finally been closed and its electronic equipment is waiting to be transported back to Moscow, the head of Cuba's armed forces Raúl Castro said on Saturday. "The Lourdes base exists no more. It has been dismantled and the complete withdrawal is the Russians' responsibility," the brother of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, told reporters.

     The decision to evacuate Lourdes, which Moscow used to monitor U.S. communications throughout the Cold War, spelt the end of four decades of Russian military presence in Cuba. The full dismantling of the base, just outside Havana, apparently ran into operational snags in early January and was delayed beyond previously-announced dates.

     Raul Castro confirmed, however, that the base was no longer operational. "The antennae are disconnected and down. Nothing works any more. There are a few Russians still there until they finish collecting the equipment and decide by what air or naval means they take back what remains there," he said. "When all the Russians have gone, you can be invited to visit the remains of the base, the buildings that are there," he added in comments to reporters after a government rally in the town of Bauta, near the capital.


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 28

     DISAGREEMENT WITHIN THE ADMINISTRATION OVER LEGAL STATUS OF TERRORISTS DETAINED IN GUANTÁNAMO PRISON

     Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who toured Guantánamo Camp X-Ray where al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists are in U.S. custody, said they would never be given prisoner of war (POW) status that would allow them certain rights under the Geneva Convention. "They are not POWs; they will not be determined to be POWs," Rumsfeld told reporters traveling with him to the U.S. naval base.

     However, Secretary of  State Colin Powell asks President George W Bush for the terrorists to be  placed under the protection of the Geneva Convention; meaning they should be considered POW. At the same time, Vice President Dick Cheney told ABC's "This Week" that all members of the administration agreed the fighters could not be classified as prisoners of war since they targeted civilians and did not represent the army of a state.

     The disagreements were publicly aired yesterday, a day before President Bush's national security advisors were to meet at the White House to discuss issues surrounding the legal status of the 158 detainees in Cuba, who are of various nationalities.


CARACAS, January 28

     FOLLOWING THE CUBAN DICTATOR'S ADVICE, CHÁVEZ CONTINUES RADICALIZATION OF HIS LEFTIST REVOLUTION

     President Hugo Chávez's replacement of Interior and Justice Minister Luis Miquilena by a retired military officer was widely seen here as the departure of the leading moderate in the government and a possible shift toward hard-line rule. Miquilena, an octogenarian founder of the Communist Party of Venezuela and a political prisoner during the 1950s military dictatorship, has been Chávez's political mentor for years and sheltered the former paratrooper in his home when Chávez was released from jail in 1994.

     Miquilena had been urging Chávez to adopt a more moderate stance in recent months and to open dialogue with opposing sectors of society, such as business and labor.

     Miquilena was replaced by retired navy Capt. Ramón Rodríguez Chacin. Rodríguez Chacin was the former operations director of the intelligence police, known as the DISIP. He then became Chávez's personal envoy to the Colombian guerrillas and succeeded in negotiating the release of several Venezuelans being held for ransom.  ñHe's a dark figure linked to a lot of espionage activities,'' said a Caracas resident.


LOS ANGELES, January 27

     TWO CUBAN SOCCER PLAYERS DEFECTED IN LOS ANGELES

     Two Cuban soccer players, in Los Angeles to take part in the Gold Cup soccer tournament, have defected. Strikers Rey Angel Martinez, 20, and Alberto Delgado, 22, said they want to stay in the United States permanently and play for Major League Soccer. Representatives from the Cuban soccer team reported Martinez and Delgado missing Thursday night when they couldn't find the men at their hotel in Burbank, where the team was staying.

    ñI decided to do it this morning and I didn't think about it twice,'' Delgado said to a reporter. The men are staying with a friend who helped them plan their escape. The men said they had been closely supervised during most of their trip, so Thursday was the first opportunity they had to carry out their plan. 

     The players' defections come at a tough time for the Institute of Cuban Sports because six members of the male volleyball team defected in Belgium in December. The volleyball players are now in Italy where they have obtained temporary residence. ñThat news fell on Havana like an atomic bomb,'' Martinez told El Nuevo.


CAMAG EY, January 27

     YOUNG PATIENTS TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITALS IN HORSE-DRAWN CARTS

     Young patients of the Leopoldo Rey Sampallo hospital, in Florida, CamagÙey province, are transported in horse-drawn carts when they need to go to other facilities for tests because ambulances are not available.

     Aimé Molina, 13, was taken the approximately one-and-a-half miles from the pediatric hospital to the Manuel Piti Fajardo municipal hospital in a cart for an ultrasound test, according to her father, Juan. Patients are often transported by private car to specialized medical facilities in Florida because ambulances are not available.


WASHINGTON, January 27

     A CUBAN AMERICAN WILL HELP OVERSEE CUBA POLICY IN THE WHITE HOUSE

     President George W. Bush administration has appointed a Cuban-American Army colonel to handle the Cuba affairs at the White House's National Security Council, the second Cuba native to be placed at the helm of U.S. policy toward the Communist island. Ambassador Otto Reich, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, and Emilio González, NSC Western Hemisphere director for the Caribbean and Central America, now handle the day-to-day development of policy on Cuba.

     González, 45, was appointed January 7 as one of five regional directors under NSC senior Western affairs director John Maisto. González's family left Havana in 1961 when he was 4 years old and settled in Tampa, where he graduated from Tampa Catholic High School and later the University of South Florida. He earned a master's degree from Tulane University in 1986, studied at the Navy War College in 1994 and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Miami in 1997.

     González served as assistant U.S. Army attaché at the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador in the early 1980s. After finishing his Ph.D., he taught Latin American studies and Spanish at West Point Military Academy and later became Army special assistant to SouthCom commander. González's wife, Gloria, is a teacher, and their two daughters are studying in Miami. CAMCO congratulates Colonel González for his professional achievements. Unquestionably, the whole community welcomes this high level presidential appointment that recognizes, as we all do, Colonel GonzálezÍs knowledge, bearing, education, and moral values.


MIAMI, January 26

     CUBAN-AMERICAN LEADERS DENOUNCE ñPOSSIBLE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND CUBA -- THEY DEMAND ñJUST RECOGNITION OF THE MOST ELEMENTARY RIGHTS OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE

     In a step that predicts possible public differences between Washington and Exile strategies concerning Cuba, in a press conference called by several exile organizations, they denounced ñpossible negotiations" between the Bush Administration and the Castro regime. The group comprised by representatives of numerous organizations began a campaign to reach the American public opinion ñfor the just recognition of the most elementary rights of the Cuban people." The purpose of the conference was to support recent declarations of the Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, President of the Christian Liberation Movement, during a meeting with a group of American legislators who visited Havana recently.

     A statement signed by the exile organizations points out that Cuban exile forces will appeal to the ñsolidarity of civic institutions which in the past have demonstrated a truly civic conviction and respect of the principles of the nation founders." Among the organizations signing the document were the Cuban American National Foundation, Brothers to the Rescue, Democracy Movement, Cuban Democratic Revolutionary directory, Cuban Municipalities in ïExile, Cuban Agenda, and others.

     During the press conference, one of the leaders expressed his concern "on recent measures" adopted by the Bush administration that obviously benefit Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.  ñThis would not be the first Republican administration that yields under pressureƒ,"-said the activist. ñIf the United States, again, negotiates its national security in exchange for the continued suffering of the Cuban people, it would be a moral travesty and a trap to mortgage, once more, the freedom of Cuba. If this administration wants to negotiate with the Castro regime, there will be a confrontation with the Cuban exiles," he emphasized.

NOTE: ALL CAMCO MEMBERS SHOULD READ INSIDE OUR CLASSIFIED PAGES  THE INTELLIGENCE REPORTS  PREPARED WEEKLY BY  LTC ENRIQUE FERNANDEZ

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 26

     CUBA TRIP TO TEST FOXÍS DEMOCRATIC CREDENTIALS

     It may be unfair to criticize him ahead of time, but President Vicente Fox of Mexico might be about to break his word on a key issue for international human rights groups: his vow to meet with Cuban dissidents on his trip to Cuba. The Mexican leader has promised that whenever he visited Cuba, he would do what he has done in every Latin American country he has visited since his July 2000 election: talk with leaders of all sides of the political spectrum.

     After toppling the 70-year, one-party rule of Mexico, President Fox has been a vocal advocate of human rights and multiparty democracy. He first annoyed Fidel Castro by calling for a democratic transition in Cuba. But the real shock to Cuba's police state came last April, when Mexico abstained on a vote condemning Cuba's human-rights record after years of unconditionally having voted against it.

    Judging from Mexican press reports, it looks like Fox is backing off from his promise to meet with the dissidents during his planned trip to Cuba Feb. 3 and 4. The leftist Gustavo Iruegas, the Mexican Foreign Ministry's envoy to Cuba to negotiate the trip, said that Fox will meet with the Cuban dictator, but a meeting with dissidents ñis not in the president's plans.''  If Fox goes to Cuba and accepts being wined and dined by the dictator without appearing publicly with pro-democracy leaders, he will go down in history not only as a leader who shunned human rights, but also as a man who only paid lip service to democracy.


CAMAG EY, January 26

    INTERIOR MINISTRY OFFICER HANGS HIMSELF 

    Lieutenant Rodolfo Rodríguez, 42, hanged himself in the bathroom at his home; he was found dead on January 17.

    Rodríguez was in charge of supplies in the immigration department in the central Cuban city of Ciego de Ávila, with more than 20 years of service. He is survived by three children.


PINAR DEL RIO, January 26

    MORE THAN 200 STUDENTS HOSPITALIZED WITH UNKNOWN AILMENT 

    More than 200 students, at least two of them in a extreme serious condition, were hospitalized in the province of Pinar del Rio. To this date the ailment from which they suffer hasn't been identify or reported to the public. Some of the symptoms are vomiting, nausea, fatigue, dehydration and contraction of the pupil. All these students were working in the tobacco fields. working in the fields located near the town Las Ovas, 20 kilometers east of the city of Pinar del Rio. It is assumed that a chemical pesticide could be the cause.

    Later it was known that students of the vocational school Federico Engels, of this city, showed similar symptoms. The students were working in El Vizcaíno area, located 6 kilometers from town. Some of them were admitted to the toxicology unit of the Leon Cuervo Rubio Hospital, and others to the Federico Engels school hospital. Two of the students kept in the intensive care unit of the Pinar del Rio children's hospital were reported in critical condition.

    The third bud was located 50 kilometers to the north of the city, in the area of the town El Moncada, of the Viñales municipality. The students showed the symptoms in the morning of January 17^th. By the end of the day, tens of cases were reported also in the municipality of San Juan y Martínez.


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 25

     WHY FIDEL AND RAÚL ARE "FLIRTING" WITH THE USA

     Simply put, the brothers are desperate. Ten years after the disappearance of its Soviet patron, with the prices of export products such as sugar and coffee seriously depressed and the island's economy further battered by hurricane Michelle in November, the Cuban government is strapped for cash as seldom before. In an effort to convince Washington to ease travel restrictions and other economic sanctions, the brothers increasingly have signaled their willingness to negotiate a rapprochement with their long-time foe.

     The United States has quietly reciprocated the brothers' newfound flexibility. For the first time in more than four decades of confrontation, the United States authorized the delivery of food shipments to Cuba. The U.S. Coast Guard has posted an official in Havana to work with the Communist government of Cuba. Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation are collaborating with Cuban officials as they investigate the killing of five Miami residents in Cuba last month. Congressional leaders and other dignitaries have visited Havana in recent weeks, where they were wooed by the Cuban dictator.

     Nonetheless, although U.S. President George W. Bush has made little reference to Cuba in the months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he is heavily indebted to the Cuban exile community in Florida for his election victory and is not expected to soften the U.S. hard line against the regime. The Cuban dictator may be hoping, however, that Congress will pass a resolution softening the sanctions. In particular, Cubans desperately wish Washington would lift its travel restrictions to Cuba, which could bring a flood of U.S. tourists to the island. Mr. Bush, however, would be under enormous pressure from Cuban exiles to veto any congressional efforts to weaken the embargo. "Those who are espousing that by virtue of portions of the last 60 days a new era has dawned on the relationship between the two countries are making a far too simplistic conclusion," warned John Kavulich, head of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council.

HAVANA, January 24

     ALARCÓN HAILS CUBA-US COOPERATION AT GUANTÁNAMO

     Cuba's point man on relations with the United States hailed cooperation over the detention of Afghanistan war prisoners at a U.S. naval base in Cuba as a model for improving ties between the two longtime adversaries. But Ricardo Alarcón, president of the National Assembly, also said it was probably too soon to talk about a major rapprochement. Cuba's lack of protest and avowed willingness to cooperate with the Americans comes amid a flurry of moves that hint at a new era of rapprochement. "I wouldn't go that far at this moment," Alarcón cautioned. "I wouldn't go that far at this moment. What is happening is the continuation of the process that began a few years ago," Alarcón cautioned

     "It's a little bit of a paradox -- this (U.S.) administration has been quite clear in maintaining the old position. They have said they will not soften or modify the embargo but at the same time the mood in other quarters is clearly in the other direction." He scoffed at the "crazy" appointment of Otto Reich as the administration's Latin American policy chief. Reich. Alarcón said he was not worried that Reich could scuttle any warming of U.S.-Cuban ties but the appointment should be a concern to all of Latin America.

CARACAS, January 24

     CHAVEZ FOES SHOW STRENGTH IN CARACAS MARCH

     Tens of thousands of opponents and supporters of President Hugo Chavez choked the streets of Caracas Wednesday in two rival marches as the resurgent opposition showed its strength on the anniversary of the birth of democracy in Venezuela.

     Waving Venezuelan flags and placards reading "CHÁVEZ RESIGN," more than 80,000 people joined the opposition march organized by a broad coalition of political parties, unionists and business leaders to celebrate the ouster of dictator Gen. Marcos Perez Jimenez in a popular uprising on Jan. 23, 1958. The increasingly united opposition organized what it called the "Great March for Venezuelan Liberty and Democracy" amid widespread disillusionment with Chavez's authoritarian. The peaceful march was by far the biggest street protest since former paratrooper Chavez took power three years ago. Since then, Chavez's popularity has halved to around 40 percent. "We want Chavez out of office. We don't need him, he is crazy," growled one marcher on television. Nearby, others carried a coffin reading "CHÁVEZ IS DEAD."

     "The opposition obviously emerged as the winners of today's marches, not only because theirs was bigger," said an observer. "What is surprising is the opposition's ability to attract all ages, sectors and strata of society and political parties." The widely publicized opposition march succeeded in motivating Venezuela's politically apathetic middle class, frightened by the possibility Chavez wished to remold Venezuela in the image of communist Cuba, led by his friend Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 23

     CAMCO FULLY SUPPORTS OSWALDO PAYÁ SARDIÑAS' COURAGEOUS PETITION

     At a meeting held in Havana on January 7, 2002, between six members of a US congressional delegation and leading members of the Cuban opposition to the Castro government in Havana, which included among others: Magaly de Armas, Julio Ruiz Pitaluga, Osvaldo Alfonso Valdés and Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, the US delegation attempted to manipulate the Cuban opposition leaders into a hand held vote on the subject of the US embargo. The response, clearly expressed by Oswaldo Paya Sardiñas was ignored by the press in complete disregard of its importance.

    The congressional delegation made up of representatives William Clay (D-Mo.), Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.), Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), William Delahunt (D-Mass.), Stephen Lynch and Victor Snyder (D-Ark.) stated that they opposed the US embargo on Cuba and wanted travel restrictions to the island for US citizens lifted. They asked the members of the opposition present at the meeting for a vote at that moment on whether they supported the US embargo. The Cuban activists refused to comply, saying that in no way did they represent all of the Cuban opposition, and therefore, a vote on their part would not be representative. The opposition activists interpreted the congress members action as an attempt to use them in support of the anti-embargo position in the US.

    During the meeting, Payá said: ñDonÍt ask us anymore whether we want an embargo or investment, tourism or other economic exchanges. Ask us how Cubans, who cannot travel, own their own businesses, or express themselves freely, are going to participate in the affairs of their own country. Until now, these economic relationships wind up supporting the existing power structure and establishing common interests with it. It is time to determine whether or not there is support for the right of Cubans to have free elections ƒ the priority of the Cuban opposition was the right of Cubans to freely elect their own congress and government."  (Read below the response of the Communist Government of Cuba to Payá's petition)

PALM BEACH, January 23

    "FREE ELECTIONS IN CUBA IS NOT AN OPTION," TOP CUBAN DIPLOMAT SAID AT A PALM BEACH SOCIAL CLUB

    Dagoberto Rodríguez, chief of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, D.C., said Monday that Cuba is willing to negotiate re-establishing relations with the United States, so long as no conditions are set regarding free elections on the communist island. However, he said, talks to improve relations between (Cuban dictator) Fidel Castro and the United States are not imminent.

    "What we are hearing from the American people is a great desire to have normal and civilized relations,'' Rodriguez said while addressing a Palm Beach social club. "However, from what we're hearing from U.S. government officials, there isn't much hope of that happening soon.'' Rodriguez, who became Cuba's Washington representative four months ago, also mentioned the need to eliminate the 40-year-old trade embargo against Cuba.

    "Discussing democratic elections is not an option", Rodríguez said. ñWe are willing to sit down in a civilized manner to discuss any issue of a bilateral nature, but not our internal affairs,'' he emphasized. It seems that  Mr. Rodríguez has powerful friends in Washington because, despite current regulations, was authorized to travel outside the Metropolitan Area to spread misinformation and repeat his Communist mantra. Under State Department regulations, diplomats from communist Cuba cannot travel more than 25 miles from the capital without prior U.S. approval. Palm Beach, Florida, is located approximately 1,000 miles south of Washington, D.C.


GUANTÁNAMO, January 22

     GUANTÁNAMO PRISON APPEARS TO FACILITATE IMPROVEMENT OF U.S.-CUBA RELATIONS

     Far from becoming yet another spat between the old Cold War foes, the jailing of al-Qaeda terrorists on the U.S. Guantánamo Naval Base in Cuba seems to give birth to a quiet rapprochement between Havana and Washington. Diplomatic sources say contacts between Cuban officials and U.S. diplomats at the Interests Section in Havana have been unusually frequent in recent weeks.

    However, despite the conciliatory signs that have emerged from both sides soon after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, including historic U.S. food sales, analysts also note periodic efforts of apparent rapprochement have previously been buried in the long-established enmity between the two countries. 

    While some people believe a shift in U.S.-Cuban relations is under way, skeptics are quick to point out that President Bush, while quieter than normal on the Cuba issue as he attends weightier matters, has not publicly backtracked on his anti-Castro posture. President George W. Bush has repeatedly vowed a tough anti-Castro stance, they add. They also argue that the President surely have an eye to the Cuban-Americans vote in Florida which proved to be decisive in the last presidential election. The Cuban-Americans vote might also be crucial in the upcoming governmental election in the State of Florida.

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 21

     EXCERPTS FROM A LETTER THAT MIAMI-DADE COMMISSIONER NATACHA SEIJAS SENT TO SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER, R-PA

     I am shocked, to say the least. I have read the reports on your trip to Havana to meet with the head of the tyrannical regime that for 43 years has turned one of the United States' next-door neighbors -- Cuba, once a prosperous democracy -- into a land of misery, hunger, terrorism, crime and hate. You shook the bloody hands of the world's worst assassin. The same "entity'' who less than a year ago, while visiting Iran, stated that he knew how to bring our nation to its knees. The same monster who has executed more innocent people than all the victims of the twin towers. That dictator is no better than Hitler, Stalin or bin Laden and deserves the same punishment.

     I am sure this very friendly "invasion of Cuba'' led by you and a group of members of Congress, as well as so-called private-enterprise executives from the Young Presidents Organization, must respond to the interests of those who didn't raise their voices when unarmed American planes were shot down over international waters or when any of the other well-documented assassinations occurred. They are who, despite these crimes, think that there is a "market'' in Cuba that can provide profits.

     Sen. Specter, you were quoted as saying that "Cuba will not object to al Qaeda prisoners at Guantánamo.'' Big deal! First, Cuba's government does not have a say on the matter. Second, the rest of the island of Cuba is nothing but a huge prison. I am sure you  did not talk to any of the prisoners inside or outside Cuban jails. Even the selected "moderate'' dissidents whom the regime allowed to meet with you said they didn't want to discuss investments or embargo, but the human-rights situation under the tyranny.


GUANTÁNAMO, January 21

       CUBA WOULD HAND OVER ESCAPEES, RAUL CASTRO SAYS

       Cuba's Defense Minister Gen. Raúl Castro said Saturday that the presence of Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists at Guantánamo Bay did not represent a threat to Cuba's national security and that the Communist government did not plan any extra security measures. In the unlikely event that any prisoner escapes and makes it over the fence and into Cuban territory, Cuba would capture and return the prisoner to the U.S. military, Castro said.

      However, a few days ago, CubaÍs Attorney General, Juan Escalona, made very different comments. When asked about the prisoners being held in Guantánamo, he said ñitÍs another provocation from the Americans. I hope 15 or 20 (prisoners) get out and kill them all (the Americans)."


GUANTÁNAMO, January 20

     THE DICTATORÍS BROTHER MONITORS U.S. MILITARY OPERATIONS AT GUANTÁNAMO BAY FROM A CUBAN MILITARY OBSERVATION POST

     Gen. Raul Castro, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro's younger brother and Cuba's Defense Minister, monitored Saturday the maneuvers of the American soldiers at the U.S. naval base where the al-Qaeda terrorists are being held.

      ñRelations with the United States are very unpredictable,'' Raúl told a small group of international journalists at ñMalones" military observation post. He said ñfor now" the Cuban government would not object to the use of the base to hold the prisoners. 

     Dressed in military fatigues, the younger Castro made his unannounced stop at the lookout after leading a weekly political rally that was conducted this week in the nearby town of San Antonio, in Guantánamo province. This weekÍs rally was held to protest American policies toward Cuba and demand the release of five Cuban men convicted of espionage charges in Miami last year. Raúl is his brotherÍs chosen successor as Communist Cuba's head of state whenever he fades away.

MATANZAS, January 20

     FOREIGN BROADCAST FORBIDDEN TO MATANZAS RESIDENTS

     Residents of the small settlement called Batey San Rafael in Matanzas province are irked with a local government and Communist Party official who has forbidden them from listening to foreign radio broadcasts while he himself brags about money and clothes he receives from abroad.

     Residents say the official, Arsenio González, regularly receives remittances of money and shipments of clothes from his sister-in-law who lives in Miami. Recently González warned people in the settlement, located about three miles from the town of Bolondrón, that listening to foreign broadcasts, especially Radio Martí, originating in the United States, is forbidden by the Communist government. 


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 19

    REP. ROBERT MENÉNDEZ: PRESIDENT BUSH "AGAIN BROKE ONE OF HIS MANY CAMPAIGN PROMISES TO THE CUBAN-AMERICANS ... CASTRO WILL AGAIN BENEFIT FROM BUSH'S ACTIONS" 

     The three Cuban Americans in the U.S. Congress reacted very differently Thursday to President Bush's decision to postpone Article III of the Helms-Burton Law. The provision authorizes individuals and companies to file lawsuits against companies that illegally use properties confiscated from Americans since the 1959 revolution by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

     Rep. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART, a Miami Republican, said he continued to support ending the waiver but understood Bush's decision because the European Union was "threatening" trade retaliation. ñThe president believes that a trade war with Europe over [this provision] would add fuel to the efforts of those who erroneously believe that we should unilaterally lift all sanctions against the Cuban dictatorship,'' Díaz-Balart said in a statement.

     Rep. ILLEANA ROS-LETHINEN, another Miami Republican, said she was ñdisappointed at yesterday's waiver'' but praised Bush for a series of other moves, including the recess appointment of Cuban-born Otto Reich as Assistant Secretary of State.

     But Rep.ROBERT MENÉNDEZ of New Jersey, the lone Cuban-American Democrat in the House, said Bush ñagain broke one of his campaign promises to the Cuban Americans" by continuing the prohibition on lawsuits. ñLast July he reversed course'' when he waived the provision the first time, ñand six months later he fails us again,'' Menéndez said. ñCastro's Cuba, a well known harborer and supporter of terrorists, will again benefit from Bush's actions.''

HOLGUIN, January 19

     MORE ANTI-GOVERNMENT SLOGANS SHOWED UP IN EASTERN CUBA

     A number of anti-government slogans reading "Down with Fidel" showed up in the city of San Guzmán, Holguín province, the night of Friday, January 11. National and political police agents detained and fingerprinted more than 24 young men the next day.

     Some residents speculated that the slogans were a protest against an "Open Tribune," a government rally, that was held the next day in a neighboring municipality.


PINAR DEL RIO, January 18

     DETERIORATED ROADS LEAD TO ACCIDENTS

     Two serious traffic accidents a day was the average during 2001 in Cuba's westernmost province of Pinar del Río. Many observers blame the deteriorated state of the roads in the province. According to the report, there is a highly dangerous spot for every 45 miles or road, and the average is one accident for every one-and-a-half miles of road.

     Although authorities usually blame loss of vehicle control as the principal cause of accidents, motorists here constantly criticize the state of the roads, many of which have been in use for dozens of years and generally lack proper signalization. There are also curves with poor visibility which complicate vehicle circulation.

     Other aggravating factors are lack of guardrails, vehicles without lights, and no advance information about unexpected elements, such as cattle on the roadway. There is also an increase in heavy vehicles, wider than the traffic lanes, which travel at high rates of speed.


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 17

     ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL CONCESSION TO THE CUBAN DICTATOR: PRESIDENT BUSH EXTENDS AGAIN CUBA MEASURE

     President Bush kept in place late Wednesday a prohibition that bars Americans from suing people or companies who now control property in Cuba confiscated from the Americans. The waiver extends the prohibition until August, which the president said "will promote democracy in Cuba."

     A 1996 law, written by Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., and Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., gives Americans the right to sue anyone who uses property seized after Cuban dictator Fidel Castro took power in 1959. It also gives the president authority to waive enforcement of the ban. President Clinton used that authority eight times during his second term, and President Bush decided for the second time not to change the policy. He notified Congress in a letter released Wednesday night.

     The move was ñnecessary to the national interests of the United States and will expedite a transition to democracy," Bush said in the letter. He did not elaborate. Cuban-American groups have pushed strongly for ending the waiver. But the waiver has pleased the European Union. European companies that have invested in Cuba over the years would be subject to legal claims if Americans were granted the right to sue under the provisions of Helms-Burton. As of July, when Bush last granted the waiver, the U.S. government had certified nearly 6,000 claims of confiscation of American property after the Cuban revolution.


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 16

    AFTER 43 YEARS AND NINE ADMINISTRATIONS, THE CUBAN DICTATOR IS, AGAIN, PULLING WOOL OVER A U.S. ADMINISTRATION'S EYE 

   "SOFT STANCE STRENGTHENS CASTRO" (By Jaime Suchlicki; Published in The Miami Herald on January 15, 2002 ¿ Click Here)

     ñƒSoftening our policy now would only serve to strengthen Castro's grip on the island and its people. Supporters of a weakened embargo suggest the regime would allow tourists and investments from the United States to influence Cuban society. That won't happen. Castro is not willing to trade total power for an improved economy."

     ñLifting the embargo and travel ban without meaningful democratic and free-market reforms in Cuba would certainly guarantee the perpetuation of the institutions and groups that support the regime. Castro only wants U.S. credits and tourism because he desperately needs hard currency to fuel his regime."

     "Allowing Castro access to hard currency will not only strengthen his hold on the Cuban people, but also allow him to build up his military and continue his support of anti-American terrorist groups in Latin America and elsewhere. When Castro sees U.S. policy as weak and has cash in his pocket, he eagerly supports turmoil abroad. Nicaragua, Angola and Colombia are prime examples."

     ñA foreign leader (during 43 years) can seize U.S. property without compensation, allow the placement of nuclear missiles aimed at the United States, shoot down American planes, espouse terrorism and anti-American causes throughout the world, and eventually the United States (the tenth administration) will ñforgive and forget,'' rewarding him with tourism, investments and economic aid." 


HAVANA, January 16

    ANOTHER TOURIST MURDERED IN CUBA

    Steve White, a British, died January 8 at the intensive care unit of Calixto García hospital with a fractured skull. White was reportedly found unconscious the night of December 29 near the El Rápido cafeteria, at the corner of Infanta and Carlos III Streets, in central Havana. The reports said White had bought a beer at the establishment between 10:00 and 10:30 p.m. When found, White had no identity papers with him.

    White was taken to the Emergency center about two blocks from where he was found, and from there, to the Calixto García hospital. At the hospital, White was operated by a neurosurgeon, but he never came out of a coma. A source said police investigations indicate that White ñslipped and hit his head when he fell on the pavement." White was in Cuba as an invitee of the International School in Havana, where he taught English.


PINAR DEL RIO, January 15

      IRRIGATION PIPE STOLEN FROM AND TRADE BACK TO THE GOVERNMENT (CAMCO's Department of Engineers)

     The theft of aluminum irrigation pipe in this province has reached a magnitude that has farmers and administrators concerned and is expected to affect agricultural yields.

     Paradoxically, the pipes stolen from the fields of government-operated cooperative farms are melted down in clandestine furnaces and traded back to the government under its metal recycling program. The recycling facilities typically trade the metal for clothing, toiletries, bicycle parts and alcoholic beverages.

     After a dry winter, "aluminum fever," as it is called here, has substantially diminished irrigation capacity and is expected to lower yields in the region. The theft of metals is not new to the area. Some years back, it centered on the bronze rings and other fixtures that could be found in cemeteries. More recently, a man was jailed for stealing components of high-voltage transmission lines with which he built fences, walls and roofs.

HAVANA, January 14

     CUBA BATTLING BIGGEST DENGUE OUTBREAK SINCE 1981

     Cuba began an emergency campaign over the weekend to contain the worst outbreak of the potentially lethal dengue fever since 1981, but did not give figures of those infected despite widespread public concern. Echoing a speech by Cuban dictator Fidel Castro two days ago, state media and government officials on Sunday hammered away at the need for Cubans to eliminate the enormous amount of garbage accumulated in the streets and avenues, and allow fumigation of their homes to minimize the disease's spread.

      "War To The Death!" said state daily Juventud Rebelde in a barrage of official information about the mosquitoes which transmit the disease. That contrasted with the official silence since Cubans began talking about cases six months ago. Communist media said the epidemic was concentrated in Havana, although cases had been reported as of Jan. 1 in 95 of Cuba's 165 municipalities. The last national outbreak of dengue was in 1981, killing 158 people.

    More recently, there was a local outbreak in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba in 1997, but the new appearance of dengue appears more serious, given the national attention being given to it by the government. "There is no alternative; the campaign has to be successful," the dictator said.  "I have been hearing about more and more hemorrhaging cases over the last few weeks," an employee at a Havana hospital said.


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 14

     SENATOR ESPECTER SLAMS U.S. HOUSE OVER CUBAN DICTATOR'S PROPOSALS 

     Following a long six-hour ñfriendly" meeting with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in Havana, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., attacked the U.S. House of Representatives for its refusal to accept Castro's previously extended offer of mutual cooperation between U.S. and Cuba in drug-interdiction efforts. At a press conference following his discussions with the dictator, Specter declared, "I think it is unconscionable that the House failed to take up on that offer." Specter's pro-Castro remarks were recorded and later broadcast by Radio Havana Cuba, controlled and operated by the communist Cuban government.

     Last week's meeting, in which Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., also participated, included a discussion on possible Cuban cooperation in America's war on terrorism. "Cuba has vast intelligence sources around the globe," Specter stated.

     Specter's call for cooperation with Cuban intelligence has been denounced by all opponents of the Castro regime. "That's tantamount to putting the fox in charge of the hen house," retorted Mariela Ferretti, spokesman for the Cuban American National Foundation. "We do agree," Ferretti said, "that Cuba has a worldwide intelligence network ¿ including in the United States." Ferretti referred to the recent trials of five Cuban spies in the United States, known as the "Wasp Network," as well as the current case of Ana Belen Montes.

CIEGO DE AVILA, January 14

    PAYMENTS TO CUBAN POSTAL SERVICE RETIREE SUSPENDED

    Postal officials in Ciego de Avila, central Cuba, told retirees today that this monthÍs retirement pay is not being paid "by order of the administration," and added that they had no idea when or how the problem would be resolved. Someone from postal zone No. 1, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that the territorial administration does not have enough funds to pay the pensions.

     "The Popular Power (local government) has not returned the money to the bank and the post office has it invested in social assistance coupons." The same situation holds true in other localities in Ciego de Avila province. "For months we have been facing this situation. The officials in charge donÍt seem capable of finding true solutions," said one retiree who hasnÍt been paid.

     Retirees face ever-increasing prices on the average retirement pay, which is 102 pesos a month, according to government figures. Beyond the meager rations allowed under the subsidized quota system, sample food prices can reach 40 pesos for a pound of beef in the black market, 15 pesos for a pound of lard in the agricultural markets, and 10 pesos for a one-pound loaf of bread in a "liberated" bakery.

GUANTÁNAMO BAY, January 13

     AL-QAEDA TERRORISTS SPENT FIRST NIGHT IN COMMUNIST CUBA 

      Twenty al Qaeda terrorists spent their first night in a grim prison camp in this U.S. Navy base in Communist Cuba, sleeping in their outdoor cells, the camp commander said Saturday. The operation to unload the prisoners from the plane after being flown from Afghanistan, escort them to the camp called X-Ray, and pen them in their small, open-air cells went without a hitch, Col. Terry Carrico told reporters.

      The prisoners were the first group of captured terrorists from the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan shipped out of the country. They have been described by U.S. officials as the most dangerous of the al Qaeda Islamic militant group, led by the fugitive Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden is the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States that killed more than 3,100 people and provoked the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan.


CIEGO DE AVILA, January 13

     ANTI-CASTRO FLYERS APPEAR IN CIEGO DE AVILA

     Hundreds of flyers bearing anti-Castro slogans were spread in several areas of Ciego de Avila, the capital city of the province of the same name in central Cuba. The flyers read "Down with Fidel." This expression has sent many Cubans to jail for years, since it is characterized as enemy propaganda in the Cuban penal code.

    The flyers were spread all over the city, although they were more concentrated in Vista Allegre and in the center of the city. So far, no one has taken responsibility for the flyers. Evidently, whoever it was tool advantage of an extensive blackout that lasted until approximately 11 p.m. Afterwards, Interior Ministry officers fanned out through the city, stopping passerby and asking for identification.  A resident of the area said that last week similar incidents occurred in Florida and Céspedes, in neighboring CamagÙey province.


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 12

     PRESIDENT BUSH APPOINTS AMBASSADOR OTTO REICH AS THE CHIEF U.S. DIPLOMAT FOR LATIN AMERICA 

     President Bush signed recess appointments Friday for Ambassador Otto Reich as the chief U.S. diplomat in Latin America. The White House gave Congress formal notification of the appointment and then announced the president's decision without comment.

    Because Bush exercised his authority while Congress was in recess, Reich, a Cuban-American will be allowed to serve until Congress recesses again at the end of the year. 

   Secretary of State Colin Powell called Reich, a former ambassador to Venezuela, the most important among the State Department's unconfirmed nominees. ñHe has done nothing - nothing at all in his career in government that should be seen as disqualifying for this job,'' Powell said.


GUANTÁNAMO, January 12

    THE FIRST GROUP OF AL-QAEDA TERRORISTS ARRIVE AT GUANTÁNAMO
    
       The first group of al Qaeda terrorists arrived at the U.S. Navy base in southeastern Cuba under heavy guard on Friday.

    An Air Force C-17 cargo plane landed at the U.S. base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, about 2 p.m. EST, some 27 hours after leaving Kandahar. The 20 shackled prisoners are the first of at least 371 "detainees" captured in Afghanistan to be shipped away from the region.

    Many of the prisoners are considered dangerous and possibly suicidal followers of Osama bin Laden, who is accused by the United States of masterminding the Sept. 11 suicide aircraft attacks on New York and Washington.


HAVANA, January 12

    STATEMENT MADE BY CUBAN ATTORNEY GENERAL

    Cuban Attorney General, Juan Escalona, had the following to say about the transfer of al Qaeda terrorist to the American base at Guantánamo: ñItÍs another provocation from the Americans. I hope 15 or 20 get out and kill them all (the Americans)."


GUANTÁNAMO, January 11

    CUBANS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT GUANTÁNAMO PRISON PLAN
    
     Cubans living near the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay describe the imminent arrival of Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners there as a provocation and an act of arrogance. "There are other places they can take the Taliban prisoners. There was no need to bring them to Cuban territory that is illegally occupied by the Americans," said a resident of the town of Guantánamo. An electrical engineer speculated that Washington was sending the prisoners to its Navy Base as an excuse to build up U.S. troop numbers on Cuban soil without arousing suspicions of possible aggression. 

    "This shows a total lack of respect, it's incredible. This is intended to provoke the Cuban government," added a student in the central square of this provincial capital about 13 miles (21 km) from the navy base. Cuba's official state media have only briefly mentioned the U.S. decision to use Guantánamo Bay for prisoners and some residents were ignorant of the move.

     Cuban dictator Fidel Castro's government -- which bitterly opposes the century-old U.S. military presence on the island's south-eastern tip -- has, however, kept a discreet silence even as U.S. soldiers began turning the base into a jail this week. Because most people expected Castro to protest, his silence so far has led to speculation in diplomatic circles that Washington perhaps consulted Havana privately before announcing the plan, or that Cuba does not want to rock the boat now. It is possible, that the U.S. military movements in Guantánamo may be the reason behind the suddenly suspension of Russia's operation to dismantle the huge spy center at Lourdes -- the Russians may say to themselves: IF THE YANKEES ARE COMING, WE BETTER STAY PUT IN CUBA.


MIAMI, January 11

    STATEMENT RELEASED BY "UNIDAD CUBANA" CONCERNING RECENT VISIT OF U.S. CONGRESSMEN TO CUBA
    
     A small group of  U.S. Congressmen have just paid a visit to the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro, for the purpose of propagandizing in favor of the lifting of the embargo and of existing restrictions on travel to Cuba by American citizens -- which steps, if taken, doubtlessly will strengthen the tyranny's repressive machinery, but will not benefit the Cuban people in any way, shape or form.

     During their stay, they had a six-hour meeting with Castro -- the godfather of all the terrorists in the world --, and showed shameful contempt for the memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, and in particular of the New York firefighters who lost their lives in that tragedy, by presenting Castro with a NYFD cap.

    These visitors whose only interest is the money they naively hope to make by doing business with Castro, received a lesson from the dissidents with whom they met on the Island. When they frivolously suggested that they vote on whether or not they agreed with the lifting of the embargo, the dissidents, with great dignity and patriotism, replied that they could not accept such a "vote" because they were struggling for every Cuban to have the right to vote democratically, and besides, Cuba's woes are not confined to the issue of the embargo, but include the tyranny's denial of the citizens' right to start their own business in their own country and to express themselves freely. Perhaps the lesson taught by the dissidents to those US Congressmen who journeyed to Cuba to ingratiate themselves with the tyrant shall serve to united all Cubans in and outside the country in a common purpose: not to rest until the unrestricted freedom of the Cuban people has been accomplished.


HAVANA, January 10

     U.S. CONGRESSMEN MET CUBAN DICTATOR; DISSIDENTS IN CUBA
    Cuban dictator Fidel Castro held lengthy talks until the early hours on Monday with six U.S. congressmen. The American delegation was comprised by Reps. Jo Ann Emerson, a Republican from Missouri, and Democrats William Delahunt and Stephen Lynch both of Massachusetts, Vic Snyder of Arkansas, William Clay of Missouri and Hilda Solis of California.

    Most of the congressmen, the latest in a flood of visiting American politicians to Cuba, later met with about a dozen of the island's leading dissidents, who say they are seeking peaceful changes to Castro's one-party system. During the meeting, they discussed the human rights situation in Cuba and the United States, with special emphasis on the subject of Cuban prisoners of conscience. The dissidents specifically raised the case of Cuba's best-known jailed activist, Vladimiro Roca, who is serving a five-year sentence for "inciting sedition."

    Among the dissident were: Elizardo Sánchez Santa Cruz, Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation; and Oswaldo Payá, Christian Liberation Movement. Other dissidents present were: Héctor Palacios, Julio Ruiz Pittaluga, Gisela Delgado, Oscar Espinosa, Osvaldo Alfonso, Isabel Ramos, Pedro Pablo Alvarez, Miriam Leyva and Mercades Núñez. The meeting was also attended by Magaly de Armas, wife of Roca, president of the Partido Social Demócrata of Cuba and member of the Group of Four.


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 10

    U.S. DON'T AUTHORIZE AGRIBUSINESS GROUP'S TRIP TO CUBA
     In denying a leading U.S. agribusiness group travel to Cuba, the Treasury Department has touched off complaints that it has no fixed guidelines on who should be allowed to visit the island. An Illinois-based nonprofit agribusiness group, the Farm Foundation, gathered about 100 people, including two former agriculture secretaries, in hopes of going to the island last week on a fact-finding mission. But the Treasury Department rejected the trip.

    The administration normally approves trips to the island that predominantly involve contacts with ordinary Cubans as opposed to government or Communist Party officials. An administration official, asking not to be identified, said one of the reasons the proposal was rejected was that the arrangements were largely handled by Cuba's diplomatic mission in Washington.


HAVANA, January 10

     DENGUE FEVER THREATENS CUBAN CAPITAL (CAMCO's Department of Engineers)
     Public Health Ministry officials in Havana met behind closed doors here with Communist Party officials to ask for their cooperation in combating a dengue epidemic. An employee of the anti-mosquito spraying campaign said that one of the objectives of the meetings is to alert the population without causing undue alarm.

     The man said the meetings have taken place in the areas where the disease has affected the population, and in those at higher risk due to unsanitary conditions. "I think the government is putting in place a plan just in case the epidemic gets out of control, as happened in the 80s," said the man.

     He also said there is a rumor that several residents have died recently due to the disease. Public Health Ministry workers, who have been trying to clean up the breeding grounds of the Aedes aegypti mosquito for four years, say conditions in Cuba are favorable to its proliferation, given its humid tropical climate and poor sanitation. "The infrequent land and aerial spraying, the lack of a reliable water supply for the population, and the irregular pick up of garbage, which means countless water-holding containers lie abandoned everywhere, are some of the causes favoring the proliferation of the mosquito that transmits dengue in the island," said one source.


MOSCOW, January 9

     RUSSIA POSTPONES DISMANTLING OF SPY BASE IN CUBA 
     The dismantling of a Russian spy base in Cuba has been postponed, a Russian general said Tuesday.

    Lt.-Gen. Viktor Denisov, commander of the operation, told the Interfax-Military News Agency that the departure of the three AN-124 heavy cargo planes that are to pick up radar equipment from the listening post in Lourdes, Cuba, had been delayed because the military didn't receive the money to pay for the flights on time. He said the delay was caused by the New Year's holidays.

    Denisov did not say when the flights would be rescheduled, but said the crews were ready to go any time. Moscow announced in October that it would close the base in an effort to cut costs in the country's bloated military. The closure of the station scheduled for January 15, will allow Russia to save at least 200 million dollars a year in rent and an undisclosed amount in salaries. 


WASHINGTON, D.C., January 8

    AFTER 43 YEARS OF DECEPTIONS, TWO DISTINGUISHED U.S. SENATORS TRUST CUBAN DICTATOR'S "GOOD INTENTIONS" 
    Two influential Republican senators, Arlen Specter, of Pennsylvania and Lincoln Chafee, of Rhode Island, who met privately with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, said in a press conference in Havana that the United States should take a role in Cuba's battle against terrorism and drug-trafficking. Sens. Specter and Chafee said that during a 6 1/2-hour friendly meeting with Castro, the Cuban dictator told them that he was interested in cooperating with the United States in drug interdiction efforts and the war on terrorism. They also said Castro confirmed that he would not oppose the use of Guantánamo to house detainees from the war in Afghanistan.

    ñIt is mind-boggling to see how a dictator who betrayed his own revolution, has been involved with drug traffickers, has trained thousands of terrorists in Cuba, and has been deceiving his own people for 43 years, can shamelessly fool two U.S. senators", said our Chairman, Major General (DC-Ret) Erneido A. Oliva.

    Castro's indifference to the use of the naval base ¿ a base that has been an ongoing source of dispute between both nations -- concerns lawmakers such as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami. ñIt makes me wonder if there's been any secret negotiations taking place,'' she said. ñNormally that would be the sort of thing that Fidel would say, no to", she added. ñThis is about economic interests from those who view lifting the embargo as a vehicle to provide for more trade and less about bringing democratic change in Cuba,'' said Rep. Bob Menéndez, D-N.J., who, like Ros-Lehtinen, is a strong supporter of the embargo against Cuba.