CARACAS, May 27

     VENEZUELA OIL COMPANY WILL STOP CRUDE SHIPMENTS TO CUBA

    Venezuela 's state-owned oil monopoly Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) has notified the government of Cuba that it will stop shipping oil to the communist nation for lack of payment, El Nacional newspaper reported Friday.  Under an agreement executed on November 22, 2000, PDVSA supplied 53,000 barrels of oil per day, allowing Cuba 15 years to pay at a low interest rate. (PDVSA) commission headed by Vice President Jorge Kamkoff has recommended that company president Ali Rodriguez end a bilateral agreement under which PDVSA supplies Cuba crude oil under favorable financial terms.

    Venezuela has sold Cuba about $ 700 million worth of oil, but at least $ 63 million hasn't been paid, according to El Nacional, which cited company documents. Cuba hasn't received Venezuelan crude since Chavez was briefly ousted by military officers April 12-14. After the coup, Chavez's government pledged to resume shipments. Cuba consumes about 150,000 barrels of oil daily, of which one-third is domestically produced.


FORT WASHINGTON, D.C., May 26

    WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR A CHANGE IN CUBA POLICY...

     "...We do not need a continuation of present and past policies; we do not need to hear any more promises by government officials of ñno changes." Washington has been making identical promises to the Cuban people and the exile community for more than four decades..." (By: Major General (D.C.-Ret) Erneido A. Oliva, CAMCO Chairman, former Second in Command of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and former Military Coordinator of the Cuban Representation in Exile -- RECE)

MIAMI, May 26

    MAKINGS OF A DIRTY BOMB. IS CUBA INVOLVED? (By: Eng. Manuel Cereijo)

    The damage caused by a dirty bomb depends on the amount of radioactive and conventional explosive material in the bomb, as well as such factors as wind, the size of the buildings in the area attacked, and the ballistic at detonation. People in the immediate vicinity would likely die from the force of the conventional explosion itself. Some survivors of the blast might die of radiation poisoning in the weeks afterwards. Those farther away from the explosion might suffer radiation sickness in the weeks afterward but recover. Over time, risks of cancer in the affected area would rise. The attack area could be not usable again, or it may require months of intense cleanup efforts, somewhat like the fumigation of the Hart Senate Office Building after the anthrax letters attacks. (Click here and read this excellent article)


MIAMI, May 25

    GENERAL SPEER CONTRADICTS UNDERSECRETARY BOLTON

   In what seems to be a rift between U.S. civilian and military officials, Army Maj. Gen Gary Speer, commander of the Miami-based U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said Thursday that he has seen no evidence that Cuba is producing biological weapons. The general said he first learned about the allegations from news reports on the statements made by John R. Bolton, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International last week.

    Bolton said: ñThe United States believes that Cuba has at least a limited offensive biological warfare (BW) research and development effort."  He also said: ñWe are concerned that such technology could support BW programs" in other states. Speer has for 10 months been in charge of all U.S. military operations in the region. President Bush has chosen Army Lt. Gen. James T. Hill, now the commander of Ft. Lewis in Washington state, to receive a fourth star and become the new SOUTHCOM chief, replacing Marine Gen. Peter Pace who is now vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

     Speer also said he didn't know why Bolton chose to raise the issue in a speech at the Heritage Foundation on May 6 -- days before former President Jimmy Carter's five-day trip to Havana. The general said he was ñsurprised he raised the subject."


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 25

    CHINA REPLACES RUSSIA IN ELECTRONIC SPY OPERATIONS IN CUBA 

    China has replaced Russia as Cuban dictator Fidel Castro's main partner for electronic espionage and other activities directed against the United States in the Western hemisphere. Until recently, Russia paid Castro more than $200 million annually in much-needed hard currency for use of its massive electronic spy station at Lourdes. In a surprise move, however, Russian President Vladimir Putin suddenly withdrew his support and 1,500 advisers from Cuba in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks on Washington and New York.

     Now China, which had been building its own spy stations in Cuba, has supplanted the Russians as Castro's primary electronic espionage partner. Beijing has built a sophisticated new signals intelligence complex in Bejucal, Cuba, operating under the cover of Radio China.

    In addition to being used for espionage, these installations are reportedly part of a robust cyber-warfare capability Castro is developing. The FCC has stated they are capable of interfering with U.S. communications and air traffic control. In one incident originating in Cuba, the report adds, U.S. officials claim that Chinese operatives sent a message to New York air traffic control replicating U.S. military fight codes and falsely identifying themselves as U.S. military transport planes - a chilling indication of things to come.


CARACAS, May 24

    VENEZUELANS PROTEST ATTORNEY GENERAL

    Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets Thursday, accusing the Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez of bias in the investigation of a coup last month and demanding his resignation. The march in downtown Caracas was the third massive anti-government demonstration since the brief ouster of President Hugo Chavez, indicating the country remains bitterly split over his rule. It coincided with mounting calls for early elections, including from members of the president's own political coalition.

    ñWe are marching to demonstrate that Venezuelans are waiting for justice, and we won't have justice because the attorney general is clearly partial to the government,'' said one demonstrator. After almost six weeks, few results have emerged from Rodriguez's investigation into dozens of deaths during civilian and military uprisings that deposed and quickly restored Chavez. Seventeen people died and hundreds were wounded April 11 when gunmen opened fire on an opposition march.

    Opponents claim the government ordered rooftop snipers, Chavez supporters and national guardsmen to fire on the demonstrators. Chavez denies this. He accuses opposition leaders of deliberately provoking a clash between the marchers and government supporters holding a rally at the presidential palace.


ATLANTA, May 23

    GEORGIA AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES LICENSE FOR CUBA TRAVEL

    Despite President George W. Bush strong words in Washington and Miami against Cuban "tyrant" Fidel Castro on CubaÍs Independence Day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has granted the Department of Agriculture of Georgia  a license to travel to Cuba, Tommy Irvin, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, announced today. Coincidentally, Atlanta, Georgia, is the site of Jimmy Carter's headquarters.)

    "The license is for the purpose of organizing fact-finding missions on behalf of Georgia's agribusinesses who are currently selling to Cuba or would like to sell there," said Commissioner Irvin. "We have led two successful fact-finding missions to Cuba.  This will facilitate further our trade missions," said Irvin.


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 22

    CUBA REMAINS IN THE LIST OF STATES SPONSOR OF TERRORISM

    The United States on Tuesday maintained its list of seven countries -- Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Syria and Sudan -- it designates as state supporters of terrorism. 

    At least 20 Basque militants and several other terror suspects are given haven in Cuba, the report said. On Monday, President Bush denounced the Cuban dictator Fidel Castro government and said U.S. trade sanctions against Cuba would be extended.

    When Ambassador Francis X. Taylor, Coordinator for Counter terrorism, was asked at the State Department by reporters why Cuba was on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism, he said: ñCuba's record on terrorism has been mixed, quite honestly. President Castro did condemn the events of 11 September, but has since not renounced at all terrorism as a legitimate political tool in the revolution. He also continues to allow members of the FARC, of ETA, and indeed eight Americans who were involved in terrorist activities in the '70s and '80s in our country to remain as guests of the Cuban Government. For that reason, and the fact that it's not renounced its commitment to terrorism, it remains on the list. It's not just for political reasons, but also for those reasons."


PINAR DEL RIO, May 22

     IT HAPPENS ONLY IN COMMUNIST CUBA! -- MAN ARRESTED AND FINED FOR POSSESSION OF FOOD

    A man was arrested and fined May 7 in the town of Manuel Lazo, Pinar del Río province, after police searched his home and found 28 fish and two bags of meat in his refrigerator. Manuel Torres Izquierdo told police that he has a fishing license, and that the meat in the bags was pork that belonged to a neighbor named Marisol. Police nevertheless booked Torres and Marisol at the local station.

    Later that same day, police and fisheries inspectors returned to TorresÍ home and tried to confiscate the refrigerator. Protests at the site by TorresÍ wife and neighbors dissuaded them. At the end of the day, Torres and Marisol were freed. Police fined Torres 1,000 pesos and told him he could appeal the legitimacy of the fine. Both Torres and Marisol were told by local police chief Luis Félix Ríos that he would keep them under surveillance.


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21

    AT LAST, A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES CALLS FIDEL FIDEL CASTRO ñDICTATOR" AND ñTYRANT"

    Decrying Fidel Castro as a dictator who hijacked Cuba's democracy, President George W. Bush pledged Monday to hold fast to a hard-line anti-Castro policy in Washington, D.C., y Miami. ñWe are here today to declare loudly to the whole world -- todos -- that the Cuban people's love of liberty cannot be denied," the president said at the Miami downtown James L. Knight Center, bringing virtually all 4,000 people to their feet at least a dozen times during the 31-minute speech.

    ''Nearly a half-century ago, Cuba's independence and the hopes for democracy were hijacked by a brutal dictator who cares everything for his own power and nada for the Cuban people,'' Bush told the crowd. All they have now, he said, is ``isolation and misery.'' Bush closed with a reference to a José Martí poem, The White Rose: ñEvery day we cultivate una rosa blanca for Cuba's freedom. Viva Cuba Libre!'"

''Libertad!, Libertad!'' the crowd chanted in reply, using the Spanish for Freedom, Freedom. Later came the mantra of exile: ñCuba sí, Castro no." The president promised no end to economic sanctions before Cuba moves toward democracy and demanded that Cuba free its political prisoners and permit labor groups to organize. He also said he would not lift restrictions on U.S. citizen travel to Cuba until after far-reaching changes on the island.

MIAMI, May 21

    CANF APPLAUDS BUSH INITIATIVE ON CUBA

    Today, on the 100^th anniversary of CubaÍs independence, the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) praised President George W. BushÍs announcement of the "Initiative for a New Cuba," a series of pro-active measures to help bring about a transition to democracy on the island. The initiative includes assistance to families of Cuban political prisoners, scholarships for Cuban university students, and increased direct humanitarian aid to the people of Cuba.

    "President Bush today has reiterated his unwavering support for the Cuban people and their struggle for freedom, aligning U.S. foreign policy more closely than ever before with the efforts of CubaÍs democracy activists" said CANF Chairman, Jorge Mas Santos. While recognizing the Project Varela petition drive and the 11,000 brave individuals who have signed the document requesting a referendum on human rights and civil liberties, the President raised the bar by challenging the Castro regime to hold free and fair, internationally-monitored elections in 2003.


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 20

     PRESIDENT BUSH SETS TOUGH CONDITIONS TO THE TYRANT

    President Bush set tough conditions today for easing a trade embargo of Cuba, saying his administration will do so only if Cuba's ''tyrant'' moves to hold free and fair elections and adopts market reforms. ''Meaningful reform on Cuba's part will be answered with a meaningful American response,'' Bush said in a White House speech laying out his views on Cuba.

    The President insisted that his administration will not budge on lifting a four-decade-old embargo unless Cuban dictator Fidel Castro allows a political opposition to emerge, frees political prisoners, improves human rights conditions and allows outside monitors in to observe 2003 elections. ''All elections in Castro's Cuba have been a fraud,'' Bush said in the 20-minute speech before several hundred prominent Cuban Americans, diplomats and legislators in the East Room of the White House. CAMCO was represented by its Chairman, Maj. Gen. (D.C.-Ret.) Erneido A. Oliva and one of its Vice-Chairmen, Colonel (Ret) Nestor Pino-Marina.

    President Bush used stronger language in describing the Castro regime than any U.S. president in more than a decade, receiving vigorous applause. While Cuba's independence 100 years ago brought visionaries to the fore, Bush said, ñthat legacy of courage has been insulted by a tyrant who uses brutal methods to enforce a bankrupt vision." ñThat legacy has been debased by a relic from another era, who turned a beautiful island into a prison.


WASHINGTON, May 19

    PRESIDENT BUSH TO UNVEIL HIS NEW CUBA POLICY

    President George W. Bush on Monday will unveil findings of a five-month review of ways to promote democracy in the communist state, officials said. The White House in January ordered a full review of the tools the U.S. government is using to achieve its policy goals in Cuba, which it defined as promoting democracy and a free-market economy. Bush is expected to announce some new steps aimed at increasing pressure on Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Officials said Bush would unveil "conclusions and results" of the review, although it was unclear whether the complete review would be released.

     President Bush is to speak on Cuba at the White House on Monday morning and later in Miami at a Cuban Independence Day celebration. The administration has turned up its rhetorical heat against Castro in recent weeks, accusing Cuba of developing biological weapons.

     Administration officials said final decisions on the speech had not yet been made, but Bush was likely to announce specific steps, possibly including revised travel restrictions, more aid to dissidents and more government broadcasts to Cuba. Potential revisions of travel rules could include tougher enforcement against Americans traveling to Cuba while making it easier for Cuban Americans to visit the island. "There will be some new measures. ... It's going to be consistent with his (Bush's) view of Cuba and Fidel Castro," a senior official said.


ATLANTA, May 19


    CARTER WILL PREPARE  A ñTRIP REPORT" 

    Former President Jimmy Carter said President Bush would receive ña report on everything that we did, the essence of the conversations and my analysis and my opinion about how to approach the U.S.-Cuban relationship."

    The ''trip report'' will be received by President Bush just as he prepares to travel to Miami on Monday to promote a toughened policy on Cuba. Carter said Bush's hardened resolve likely would not shift any time soon, but was hopeful the increasing number of lawmakers who push for a softening in U.S.-Cuba relations ultimately would succeed.

   ñThe choice of leaders that President Bush has made in the State Department don't indicate any flexibility," Carter said. ñBut there is an open door in our country . . . for change, regardless of the attitude of the White House . . . There is a Congress that has equal constitutional authority in the United States."


HAVANA, May 18

    CARTER LEAVES CUBA, SAYS CASTRO WONÍT CHANGE

    Jimmy Carter said on Friday Cuban dictator Fidel Castro will not change his country's socialist system despite a dissident petition for more political freedom the former U.S. president helped publicize during a landmark visit to the island. Carter said at the end of his six-day visit that the trip was unlikely to bring about changes in the one-party Communist state, but at least it gave Cuban dissidents a voice for the first time.

    The dictator, 75, bade Carter farewell with a smile at the airport. Castro told reporters the revolution he began as a bearded guerrilla fighter in the 1950s was not about to disappear. "All my life I have believed in changes, changes that look forward not backward," he said. "We are right. We have more confidence. The Revolution is stronger than ever."

    Carter said he did not see Castro allowing changes to the socialist system that Cuba holds onto in defiance of a 40-year U.S. trade embargo that survived the Cold War. "He wants to retain complete control over the system and not take any chance that dissident or disagreeing groups could gain enough support to endanger his power as the leader of the Cuban government," Carter said. "I don't see any change in the future in his willingness to permit dissident expression from Cubans," Carter said.


HAVANA, May 17

    CUBA SAYS NOT RECEIVING VENEZUELAN OIL SINCE COUP

    Venezuela has not yet resumed shipments of 53,000 barrels a day of oil that Cuba received before the failed April 11 coup against President Hugo Chavez, Basic Industry Minister Marcos Portal said Thursday. ñIt is possible that it will be re-established in the coming months," Portal told a news conference.

    Under an October 2000 agreement between Chavez and Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, Venezuela was supplying the oil to Cuba on special terms, allowing it 15 years to pay and charging 2 percent a year interest on amassed debt. During the two days in April when Chavez briefly lost control, Venezuelan oil company officials announced a series of changes that included "not a drop more oil" would go to Cuba.

    Cuba is currently facing shortage of dollars to pay for imports of oil, food and other essentials due to a drop in tourism and export revenues. "The Venezuelan situation means Cuba has to cut oil imports even more than it planned this year," a diplomat said, adding that was a possible explanation for recent gasoline and fuel shortages at service stations around the country.


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 16

    PRESIDENT BUSH: ñFIDEL CASTRO IS A DICTATOR, AN OPPRESSOR AND OUGHT TO HAVE FREE ELECTIONS"

     President George W. Bush was asked whether Carter's current visit in Cuba, in which he has met with President Fidel Castro and dissidents as well, had changed his Cuba policy. ''It doesn't complicate my foreign policy, because I haven't changed my foreign policy,'' Bush said. ''That is, Fidel Castro is a dictator, and he is oppressive, and he ought to have free elections, and he ought to have a free press, and he ought to free his prisoners, and he ought to encourage free enterprise.''

     Ari Fleischer, President Bush's spokesman said Wednesday that U.S. trade with Cuba would ''prop up an oppressive regime,'' turning aside calls from former President Carter and a bipartisan group of lawmakers who want economic restrictions lifted. ñThe president believes that the trade embargo is a vital part of U.S. policy ... because trade with Cuba doesn't benefit the people of Cuba," Fleischer said.

    "Cuba is the last tyrant left on Earth ... one of the last great tyrants left on Earth," Fleischer said, defending four decades of U.S. economic isolation of Cuba as sentiment in Congress and among business leaders moves toward a softer line. The administration welcomed former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's criticisms of Cuba's human rights record but rejected Carter's calls to end the U.S. trade embargo against Havana.






HAVANA, May 16

     CARTER CALLS FOR US-CUBA FRIENDSHIP

     On Wednesday, former presidente Jimmy Carter appeared at the Baptist church in Western Havana for a meeting with more than 40 Protestant clergymen from the Cuban Council of Churches. They gave him a Bible, flowers, a painting and some rousing Spanish-language hymns.

     Carter called for ñcooperation, friendship and love" between peoples of the two countries. Speaking in Spanish, Carter referred to St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, saying ñthe things that are most important of all in life" are ñthe things that cannot be seen, that cannot be measured." ñIt is not education. It is not electricity in the house, it is not money in the bank," he told the congregation. Carter urged ñjustice, peace, humility, service, compassion. These are very simple things, but the most important."

    Noting that he had served as president, had been married for 56 years, had four children and 11 grandchildren, Carter told the congregation: ñThe most important thing in my life is my faith in Jesus Christ." Carter had an official ñfarewell dinner" with the dictator on Wednesday night, ending the formal part of a visit that began on Sunday.


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 15

    U.S. DEMANDS FREEDOM FOR CUBANS

    The White House demanded on Monday that Cuban dictator Fidel Castro allow his people to live in freedom as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visited the communist-led island.

    Saying that Castro was allowing Carter to travel freely in Cuba, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer asked why the Cubans themselves do not enjoy the freedom to speak, worship and travel. "Why not then, President Castro, let the Cuban people travel freely wherever they want? Why have one standard for a visitor and have a far worse, much more repressive standard, for his own people?" Fleischer told reporters.

     ñThe Cuban people should be free to travel wherever they want. The Cuban people should be free to speak however they want, to worship however they want," Fleischer added. "The rest of Cuba should be as free as it wants to be. This is what Fidel Castro should focus on." Fleischer called the Cuban ñone of the world's last great tyrants."


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 15

    PRESIDENT BUSH TO CELEBRATE CUBAÍS 100^TH YEAR

    The White House made it official: President Bush will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Cuba's independence from Spain in Miami on May 20.

    The White HouseÍs statement added: The president will make remarks commemorating Cuban Independence Day. He will stress the importance of democracy and freedom in Cuba. Then, he will fly to Miami. The President will cap his trip with a fundraiser for his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, and Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan. White House officials had declined to publicly confirm the travel plans for weeks, in part because of security concerns and because international affairs could sideline such a the trip.


HAVANA, May 14

    CARTER DEBATES DEMOCRACY WITH A "BORED" OLD DICTATOR

    Former President Jimmy Carter said he would discuss ñthe differences in our approach to the form of governments we have'' during a major speech Tuesday night, which the dictator, exercising his plenipotentiary power, promised would be broadcast live throughout the communist island. ñIn the United States, we believe that it is very important to have absolute freedom of expression and freedom of assembly,'' Carter told the students at a school for social workers Monday, citing two liberties that nearly all human rights groups find lacking in Cuba.

    Carter suggested Monday that the detailed briefings the Bush administration gave him before his visit to Cuba contrasted sharply with its public statements a few days later. Last week, Undersecretary of State John Bolton said he believes Cuba has at least a limited offensive biological warfare (BW) research and development effort. ñCuba has provided dual-use biotechnology to other rogue states,'' Bolton said. ``We are concerned that such technology could support BW programs in those states.''

    But Carter said officials at the State Department, White House and intelligence agencies had not mentioned or raised questions about the issue when they briefed him not long before his trip. ñI asked them specifically, on more than one occasion, 'Is there any evidence that Cuba has been involved in sharing any information to any other country on earth that could be used for terrorist purposes?'" Carter said during a visit to a major Cuban biotechnology laboratory. ñThe answer from our experts on intelligence was ïno.Í" Bush administration officials said they were standing by their assertions that Cuba has at least a limited biological warfare program and has shared such biotechnology with rogue states. Carter did not directly contradict Bolton's allegations. But he said they ñwere made, maybe not coincidentally, just before our visit to Cuba."


HAVANA, May 12

    CARTER ARRIVES IN CUBA

    Jimmy Carter arrived in Cuba today and became the first U.S. ex-president to visit this communist country since the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power. The Cuban dictator, 75, greeted Carter, 77, at the airport with a handshake and symbolically threw open the doors of the island to the former American head of state.

    Carter, the dictator said, could go anywhere - including Cuban scientific centers, which U.S. officials recently claimed could be working toward making biological weapons. Carter would be addressing the Cuban people on live television Tuesday evening.

    ñIt is no secret that for almost a century there have not been optimal relations between the two states,'' Castro told Carter in his brief remarks. ñHowever, I wish to state that in the four years of your tenure as president, you had the courage to make efforts to change the course of those relations. That is why those of us who were witnesses to that attitude see you with respect."


HAVANA, May 12

    CASTRO WILL TRY TO MANIPULATE CARTERÍS VISIT

    When he arrives in Havana today, Jimmy Carter will become the most prominent American to visit Cuba since Fidel Castro seized power more than 40 years ago -- but if history is any guide, Castro is unlikely to make any major concessions. For one thing, recent U.S. government charges that Cuba is involved in the production of biological warfare agents have produced yet another downturn in relations between Washington and Havana. Also, as many leaders in Miami's Cuban-American community assert, Castro has previously managed to manipulate visits by numerous international leaders, including Pope John Paul II, for his own benefit.

    Carter is traveling to Havana following accusations by the Bush administration that Cuba is involved in developing and transferring technology that could be used for weapons of mass destruction. His return on Friday will be followed by a planned trip to Miami by President Bush, who is expected to unveil a toughened U.S. policy toward Cuba soon.


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 7

    U.S. ACCUSES CUBA OF DEVELOPING  BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS OF MAS DESTRUCTION

    The United States government on Monday accused three more states ¿ Cuba, Libya and Syria -- of pursuing weapons of mass destruction and warned it would take action to ensure they do not supply terrorists with such arms. In a speech entitled "Beyond the Axis of Evil," Undersecretary of State John Bolton told audience members Monday at Heritage Foundation that in addition to Iraq, Iran and North Korea -- which President George W. Bush several months ago branded an "axis of evil" -- there were other "rogue states" out to acquire weapons of mass destruction, particularly biological weapons.

    Cuba has developed a biological weapons program and may be sharing it with other nations, Bolton said. Cuban dictator Fidel Castro visited Iraq, Syria and Libya last year, all nations that, like Cuba, are on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism. Bolton did not say whether Cuba has transferred biological weapons to those states but said they are all trying to develop weapons of mass destruction and are allied with Cuba. "We are concerned that such technology could support biological warfare programs in those states," Bolton said.

    Bolton called on Cuba to cease transfers of biological weapons technology to "rogue states and to fully comply with all of its obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention." "States that sponsor terror and pursue WMD (weapons of mass destruction) must stop," he said. "States that renounce terror and abandon WMD can become part of our effort. But those that do not can expect to become our targets."


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 7

    A CUBA SPY DRAFTED THE 1998 DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT THAT SAID CUBA WAS NOT A THREAT TO U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY    

    Cuba's threat to our security often has been underplayed, said Undersecretary of State John Bolton. He noted that a 1998 Pentagon report that concluded that Cuba did not represent a significant military threat to the United States or the region, was drafted by the Defense Intelligence Agency's senior Cuba analyst, Ana Belen Montes, who spied for Cuba. "Montes not only had a hand in drafting the 1998 Cuba report but also passed some of our most sensitive information about Cuba back to Havana," Bolton said.

    Why was the 1998 report on Cuba so unbalanced? Why did it underplay the threat Cuba posed to the United States? Bolton said a major reason the report may have understated the threat potential was that a contributor to the study was Ana Belen Montes who was arrested last fall and pleaded guilty to espionage in March.


HAVANA, May 6

    VLADIMIRO ROCA RELEASED YESTERDAY

    Vladimiro Roca, one of Cuba's leading dissidents walked out of prison after almost five years behind bars on Sunday. He predicted the days  of the communist government of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro were numbered. "I plan to continue working like I was before being arrested ... to continue the struggle because I believe I will see a change in Cuba before too long," Roca said. He also said he was in good health but looked pale and tired.

    The former air force pilot, who turned against Cuba's one- party political system over a decade ago, said he bore no resentment for being slapped behind bars, but then denounced conditions at the Ariza prison, in the central province of Cienfuegos, where he was held. "The cells are not like cells in other prisons. They are more like cages for animals, with very little room," he said.

    Cuba's state-run media has not covered Roca's release and his case is not well known to the general public because the Cuban media seldom mentions political dissidents. According to the Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, which monitors the human rights situation on the island, there are 250 political prisoners in the country. Cuban dictator Fidel CastroÍs government has repeatedly denied the existence of political prisoners in Cuba, insisting those in question were convicted of common crimes.


HAVANA, May 5

    VLADIMIRO ROCA EXPECTED TO BE FREE TODAY

    Cuba's most famous political prisoner, Vladimiro Roca, is scheduled to be released today Sunday, one week before former President Jimmy Carter arrives on the communist island for a five-day visit, Roca's wife said Saturday. News of the coming move was seen as a goodwill gesture by Cuba's communist-ruled government to Carter, who has emphasized the importance of human rights during his life of public service.

    Roca's wife, Magaly de Armas, confirmed that authorities had instructed her to pick up her husband on Sunday in Cienfuegos, the central city where he has been held. ñHe's getting out, but we don't know at what time," De Armas said.

    Roca, 59, has been serving a five-year sentence that was scheduled to end July 16.The son of the late Communist Party leader Blas Roca, Vladimiro Roca is a former fighter jet pilot who broke from Cuba's socialist system a decade ago and began calling for a Western-style democracy. Roca and three other activists were arrested in July 1997 for publishing a document that criticized Cuba's Communist Party and Cuban dictator Fidel Castro's government. When they were sentenced in 1999, Roca received the longest sentence. The other three activists, Martha Beatriz Roque, Félix Bonne and René Gómez de Armas, were released in May 2000, after serving half of their terms.


CARACAS, May 5

    RANGEL: ñCHOOSE DIALOGUE OVER BLOODSHED"

    Venezuelan Defense Minister and Vice-President, Jose Vicente Rangel, warned the nation on Friday it risked more bloodshed if foes of President Hugo Chavez did not accept a dialogue to heal the political wounds opened by last month's short-lived coup.

    "There's no alternative to a dialogue in VenezuelaƒThere's no other way, otherwise, if we don't get along, then we'll end up killing each other." Rangel said he had reliable information that some Chavez opponents were still thinking of trying another coup, or a possible assassination, but he gave no details.

    Opponents of Chavez say dissident military officers briefly removed him last month to prevent him from using troops and tanks against a huge protest by anti-Chavez demonstrators marching to the Miraflores presidential palace. At least 17 people were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the April 11 protest. Chavez foes, who include labor and business chiefs and dissident military officers, say a reconciliation is impossible unless the killings are properly cleared up.


HAVANA, May 5

    FORTY PASSENGERS DEMAND A BUS

    More than 40 passengers at the Santa Amalia bus depot in Arroyo Naranjo, Havana, demanded that a bus be assigned to cover route 488 after a wait of four hours. Officials had told those waiting that no buses had left the depot because there was no fuel for them to cover their route. "The fuel we have we are using for more complex routes," said one of the officials.

    In order to solve the problem, officials ordered that some fuel be extracted from each of the other buses in the yard to fuel one to cover route 488. Frequent riders said that lately there has only been one bus assigned to route 488. This route takes the bus across most of Arroyo Naranjo municipality.


HAVANA, May 4

    CUBA BLAMES URUGUAY FOR BREAK IN DIPLOMATIC TIES

    Cuban dictator Fidel Castro charged on Friday that a war of words with Uruguay, which led to the rupture of diplomatic relations, was started by the South American country, and said his ambassador would return home Saturday. Uruguay broke diplomatic relations with Cuba last week to protest what it termed Havana's affronts after its president, Jorge Batlle, was branded a "Judas" by Cuban dictador Fidel Castro.

    Batlle provoked Castro's wrath when his country spearheaded a diplomatic initiative at the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva on Cuba, which on April 19 criticized the Caribbean island and assigned a monitor to investigate its human rights situation. But Castro said  that Battle began the spat long before the Geneva vote when he made an "offensive declaration against the Cuban people, the political system, and the head of state" at a U.N. aid summit last March in Mexico. At the time, Battle questioned Communist-governed Cuba's one-party political system and human rights record.




HAVANA, May 4

    RAIL SERVICE SUSPENDED DUE TO POOR TRACK

    The central division of the Railroad Company of Cuba recently suspended passenger service between provincial capital Santa Clara and surrounding towns due to deficiencies in the track. The measure stranded more than 26,000 area residents who must now depend on infrequent bus service or expensive private transportation. Heretofore the train connected outlying districts to the provincial capital twice a day.

    A Cuban couple recently took their 11-year-old son to the orthopedist in Santa Clara children's hospital. They ended up paying 300 pesos to a private party who took them in his car. Government authorities, meantime, do little or nothing to alleviate the transportation crisis.


NUEVA GERONA, May 3

    FORTY PERCENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PARALYZED

    The bus fleet in Nueva Gerona, the capital of the Isle of Youth, off the southern coast of Havana, is operating at 60 percent of capacity due to lack of spare parts, said a source who works in transportation. "The bus company has 30 buses, but only 18 are in service," the source said. "There are no transmissions, shocks, tires, or batteries; there are practically no spare parts to keep the buses running."

    The source added that the Transportation Ministry recently sent five Fiat buses to the city, but they havenÍt seen service because they donÍt have batteries. The scarcity of buses means residents of outlying areas, such as La Demajagua, La Victoria, Argelia Libre, and Mina de Oro, are practically isolated. Independent analysts estimate that it would take a minimum of 60 buses to provide transportation to the city and its outlying communities.

HAVANA, May 2

    CUBAN DICTATOR FIDEL CASTRO CALLS CRITICS ñLACKEYS OF THE IMPERIALISM"

    Cuban dictator Fidel Castro staunchly defended his revolution in a May Day speech on Wednesday and attacked Latin American critics who have taken a more forceful stance on the island's human rights record as "lackeys" and "bootlickers" of the United States.

    "To those who stupidly talk and repeat the imperialist refrain that there is no democracy and no respect for human rights in Cuba, I say no one can question that our country is today the most independent on the planet, the most just and supportive of other peoples, and also by a long stretch the most democratic," Castro said. The United States, Havana's longtime political foe, was "dictating orders to its lackeys and bootlickers in this unfortunate hemisphere," he said.

    In his hour-long speech, Castro called the Latin American governments that voted for the resolution approved in Geneva, cynical, arguing that Cuba's health and education systems were superior to those in Latin America. "Each and every one of the Latin American countries that condemned us in Geneva is far from achieving the educational, social, and cultural levels fundamental for a healthy, just, and dignified life for their citizens," he said.


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 2

     WHITE HOUSE WANTS CARTER TO PUSH DEMOCRACY IN CUBA

    The White House on Wednesday said it hopes former U.S. President Jimmy Carter will give Cuban dictator Fidel Castro a blunt talk about the virtues of freedom and democracy when he visits the Communist-run nation. Carter, who is scheduled to visit Cuba May 12-17, will be the highest-profile U.S. figure to set foot on the island in the 43 years of enmity between the U.S. and Cuban governments since Castro came to power in the 1959 Cuban revolution.

    "This would be a very good opportunity for former President Carter to remind President Castro of the need to bring freedom and opportunity and democracy to the people of Cuba, who have been oppressed," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. "This would be very helpful in sending that signal that freedom and democracy are important in Cuba, and Cuba is one of the last nations left on this earth that has such an abysmal human rights record," he told reporters at his daily briefing. The White House said Carter had been in contact with the U.S. Interest Section in Havana as well as with U.S. State Department officials in preparation for his trip.


MIAMI, May 2

    CANF DELEGATION TO MEET WITH FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER

    A delegation of the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF), headed by chairman Jorge Mas Santos, will meet today with President Jimmy Carter to discuss the former PresidentÍs upcoming trip to Cuba. The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. CANF delegation will include several directors such as Clara María del Valle, Francisco ñPepe" Hernández, Domingo Moreira and Omar López Montenegro.

    "The CANF has worked with President Carter in the past and we know him to be a tireless advocate of democracy and human rights," said Chairman Mas Santos. "President Carter is very knowledgeable on Cuba, but we believe we can provide him with up to the moment information that will help him achieve his goals on the visit. We intend to discuss with him a number of specific proposals to shine a light on the activities of Cuban citizens struggling for freedom, including political prisoners, opposition leaders, human rights activists, and independent journalists. We are prepared to have frank discussions on all issues," noted the CANF chairman.


WASHINGTON, D.C., May 1^st.

    SECRETARY POWELL DEFENDS CANCELING CUBA GRAIN BUYERÍS VISA

    Washington revoked a visa for the head of Cuba's grain-buying agency because the official lobbied against American policies the last time he visited the United States, Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Tuesday. Farm state lawmakers are furious with the U.S. State Department for blocking the visit of Pedro Alvarez, head of Cuba's Alimport, as U.S. agribusinesses try to sell more goods to the communist-ruled island.

    Food sales to Cuba are closely regulated by the U.S. government, which opposes normalization of relations as long as Fidel Castro leads that nation. In recent months, Cuba has paid cash for about $73 million in U.S. poultry, wheat and other agricultural goods. Alvarez was among several Cuban officials who recently planned to visit the United States to meet small- and medium-sized U.S. food exporters. In late March, the State Department canceled the visa for Alvarez, saying his visit involved too many senior officials and too many side trips.

    "The visa should never have been issued, because Mr. Alvarez's activities last time he was here, we believe, were inconsistent with the terms of his visa and U.S. policy," Powell said while testifying on homeland security issues before a Senate appropriations panel.  




NUEVA GERONA, May 1st

    RESIDENTS PAY FOR WATER THEY DONÍT GET

    Eighteen households in the Santa Bárbara district, in the Isle of Youth, off the southern coast of Havana, have been getting their water bills like clockwork for the past three years, in spite of the fact that they havenÍt had running water in their homes all that time. "We donÍt get water and they charge for the service. Besides, if we donÍt pay, inspectors issue 50 peso fines," said a resident.

    Residents of this small community, about 12 miles distant from the municipal capital of Nueva Gerona, have petitioned local authorities for relief, but havenÍt had an answer. "We have also appealed to the Water and Sewer Authority, but they havenÍt done anything," a resident said. "We havenÍt had running water for years; we have to hand-carry it from the house of a neighbor everybody calls El Indio," said another resident.