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HAVANA, September 29
OSWALDO
PAYÁ:
ñLIBERATION IS UNDER WAY IN CUBA"
ñOur
headquarters in Santiago de Cuba, a small house where
a humble family lives in a town named Palmarito, has
been subjected to an attack by a government-organized
mob. I am talking about dozens of State Security agents
and collaborators of the Communist Party hurling insults
and stones, covering the home's walls with mud and terrorizing
the defenseless family within. Worse yet, children have
been actively forced to take part in these awful actions."
ñOur
greatest victory has been that we have never hated,
that we have discarded violence and genuinely work for
reconciliation. To many in the world it still sounds
strident if we categorize government cruelty and sadism
as a ''communist actƒIt is determination. And it is
liberation. Many Cubans are losing their fear, taking
off their masks and raising their heads. Change begins
when citizens lose their fear, because the regime is
founded on fear. Those in power are afraid of people
not being afraid. Liberation is under way in Cuba --
many do not believe it although all desire it."
ñThere
is a vanguard. Thousands of citizens who have told the
regime: We want change; we want a referendum on the
Varela Project, here are our names and addresses. The
Varela Project is not another mask. It is our own face.
This is liberation. We will continue the civic campaign
of the Varela Project until we have regained our rights.
We will continue no matter what the regime's reaction
may be. Our goal of freedom and the nonviolent means
through which to achieve it are inseparable. There is
no victory without struggle."
WASHINGTON,
D.C., September 29
THE
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTE HONORS OSWALDO PAYA
The
National Democratic Institute will host a huge gala
on Monday to honor Oswaldo Payá, the Cuban democracy
activist leading a petition drive for peaceful reform
on the island. More than 700 members of Congress, diplomats
and policymakers are expected at the gala to honor Payá
with W. Averell Harriman Democracy Awards.
Payá,
however, will probably be feted in absentia. The government
of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro is balking at letting
him travel. ''He has gone through all the various processes
in Cuba to obtain a permit,'' said Kenneth Wollack,
president of the Institute. ñAs of this morning, he
has yet to hear from the authorities."
Payá
and the Cuban-based Varela Project have drawn upon a
provision in the Cuban Constitution that allows citizen
initiatives on the island. In May, Payá and his
associates submitted a petition with 11,000 signatures
to the National Assembly calling for open elections,
freedom of speech, freedom for political prisoners and
free enterprise in Cuba.
SANTA
CLARA, September 28
DOCTORS DIAGNOSE PATIENTÍS
ILLNESS AS HUNGER
Two
doctors who diagnosed a patient's malady as hunger will
be "re-evaluated" and the exit visas they
have applied for retained indefinitely, said a Communist
Party official in Caibarién, Villa Clara province.
Drs.
Arcides Vega and Alexis Arencibia told a patient that
he was not suffering from any disease, but that all
his symptoms were a consequence of hunger. The doctors
were assigned to the Caibarién hospital after
they applied for exit visas to leave the island. The
Ministry of Public Health requires health professionals
to work for between three and five years wherever assigned
before they can leave the country. The local Party secretary,
Víctor Ramos, said during a meeting September
17 that the doctors "were not leaving."
CARACAS,
September 28
THOUSANDS
PROTEST AGAINST ñSECURITY ZONES"
Thousands
of Venezuelans took to the streets Thursday to protest
a decree giving the government the authority to ban
protests in several areas of this capital city. At least
15,000 people rallied in front of the offices of a state-owned
oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, where police last
Friday dispersed about 200 protesters with rubber bullets
and tear gas, injuring 30 people.
The
area is one of the government's eight restricted zones
for demonstrations, but President Hugo Chavez's government
decided to authorize Thursday's protest to avoid violence.
The decree allows the government to ban protests in
eight ñsecurity zones" in the city when it sees fit.
The government argues the rule will help prevent unrest
that could trigger another coup. The zones include areas
around military installations, the presidential palace
and state television and radio stations. Under Venezuelan
law, local mayors authorize protests. They still do
in the areas that fall outside the new security zones.
NUEVA
GERONA, September 28
MEDICAL
STUDENTS REFUSE TO GRADUATE IN ATTEMPT TO SKIRT RESTRICTIONS
At
least nine medical students refused to graduate recently
to evade restrictions on emigration imposed by the Ministry
of Public Health on health professionals here. Communist
Party official had called the maneuver "an ideological
deviation by a not negligible group of young university
students."
The dean of
the School of Medicine in Cienfuegos, María Luisa
Galenda, evaded the topic and recognized that she was
forbidden to talk about it. Since June 1999, the Ministry
of Public Health enforces a five-year service period
as a condition to issue an exit permit for health care
workers. In practice, the workers are reassigned once
they apply to leave, usually to less desirable posts.
A medical professor said the nine students, far from
being an exception, represented a common occurrence.
WASHINGTON,
D.C., SEPTEMBER 27
PRESIDENT
BUSH: "THE SENATE IS MORE INTERESTED IN SPECIAL
INTERESTS IN WASHINGTON AND NOT INTERESTED IN THE SECURITY
OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE"
President
Bush has asked the Senate to pass the bipartisan plan
that creates a Homeland Security Department with the
management flexibility and freedom needed to get the
job of protecting the American people done right. This
bipartisan approach is stalled because some Senate Democrats
are putting the special interests of a few federal government
employee unions over the security of the American people.
President Bush has made it clear
that he will not sign homeland security legislation
that puts special interests over effectively protecting
the American people, saying: "I
asked Congress to give me the flexibility necessary
to be able to deal with the true threats of the 21st
century by being able to move the right people to the
right place at the right time, so we can better assure
America we're doing everything possible. The House responded,
but the Senate is more interested in special interests
in Washington and not interested in the security of
the American people. I will not accept a Department
of Homeland Security that does not allow this President,
and future Presidents, to better keep the American people
secure."
As Minnesota Governor Jesse
Ventura, who is feasting today with Cuban dictator Fidel
Castro in Havana, did two weeks ago, Senate Majority
Leader Tom Daschle is now demanding President George
W. Bush apologize, this time for his remarks on our
war against terrorism.
WASHINGTON, D.C., September
27
U.S. READIES TRAINING OF
HUSSEIN FOES
The
Pentagon is preparing to train at least 1,000 Iraqi
opponents of Saddam Hussein to serve as battlefield
advisers, scouts, guides and translators for American
military units during a U.S. attack on Iraq, administration
officials said yesterday.
In a further sign of stepped-up administration
planning for a military assault, officials said that
President Bush could sign a new presidential directive
authorizing the training as early as this week, followed
by congressional notification of his intent to provide
training and equipment already authorized under the
1998 Iraq Liberation Act.
Officials
stressed that President Bush has not made a final decision.
But the Defense Department has started compiling a list
of about 1,000 likely recruits, taken from names submitted
by Iraqi opposition groups, of those who could assist
U.S. units on the ground, as well as provide guards
and supervisors for Iraqi government troops in prisoner-of-war
camps.
HAVANA,
September 26
CUBA
HOPES US FOOD SHOW COULD HELP END EMBARGO
An
unprecedented U.S. agriculture trade show in Havana
this week will boost food sales to the Communist-run
Island and might help end the U.S. trade embargo. Pedro
Alvarez, chairman of state-run Alimport, said that since
purchases of U.S. food began in November last year,
purchases had reached $140 million. The figure could
amount to $200 million by the end of the year. Alvarez
said the trade show has attracted 288 exhibitors from
33 states.
The
exhibition is being organized by Peter Nathan, a Connecticut
businessman. Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura will cut
the ribbon at the five-day fair on Thursday. U.S.
business sources said they were surprised at the breadth
of CubaÍs interest in U.S. food products, which they
said now included Jell-O, Jiffy Peanut Butter, M&Ms,
Pepsi, alone with giant agribusiness firms such as Cargill
Inc., Archer Daniels Midland Co., Con Agra Foods, Perdue
Farms, Hormel Foods Corp and Tyson Foods Inc.
One of the Florida
companies, Splash Tropical Drinks of Pompano Beach,
received U.S. permission in recent weeks to sell to
Cuba. Florida alone sent about 100 people to
the fair, representing 34 companies and other entities.
A list distributed by the sponsors contained only 26
companies, however, although that would still make Florida
the principal state participant. No explanation for
the apparent discrepancy was immediately available.
Click
here and read ñCUBA BUSINESS IS DIRTY BUSINESS."
CAMAG EY, September 26
LITTLE
PROGRESS IN MURDER OF SPANISH TOURIST
Investigators
have few leads one month after Spanish tourist José
Moreno, 66, was knifed in CamagÙey, reportedly to be
robbed of a considerable sum.
His
girlfriend, 30-year-old Yanelis, is being investigated,
said Roberto Adán del Pino, a friend of Moreno.
Presumably Moreno was on his way to meet Yanelis when
he was killed. Del Pino himself said he had been fined
1,000 pesos for allowing Moreno to stay in his home.
This was not MorenoÍs first visit to Cuba.
MEXICO
CITY, September 25
MEXICOÍS
AMBASSADOR TO CUBA FIRED
Mexico
said on Monday that Ricardo Pascoe would step down as
ambassador to Cuba after he was recalled to face a probe
over alleged corruption. The Foreign Ministry said in
a brief communiqué that Pascoe's mission would
end on Sept. 30. It said President Vicente Fox would
name Pascoe's replacement soon.
Earlier
this month, Mexico
accused its ambassador in Havana of misusing embassy
funds. The Foreign Ministry said an audit of its Havana
embassy had found $87,000 worth of fraud that stemmed
from skimming off cash meant for embassy social functions,
authorizing duplicate services and paying for ñirregular
services." It said Ambassador Ricardo Pascoe, a prominent
figure in Mexico's opposition leftist Party of the Democratic
Revolution, was responsible for the missing money.
Since
assuming the post in December of 2000, he has widely
been seen as an unreliable envoy in Havana because he
is supportive of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro as Mexico's
once-close relations with Castro's government have dropped
to an all-time low.
MIAMI, September 25
PRESIDENT HAVEL
ASSURES CUBANS ISLAND WILL BE FREE
Keep
your eye on the prize -- a peaceful transition to democracy
in Cuba -- and don't focus on a timetable or specific
event to trigger change, Czech President Vaclav Havel
advised Monday in a historic speech to anti-communist
Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits. ñStrive
for the sake of the values themselves, without any calculations.
Sooner or later, this effort will bear fruit," said
Havel, 65, architect of the Velvet Revolution, which
brought democracy to his homeland in 1989.
No
single event ñsets the whole society in motion," he
said. ñAll of a sudden it starts crumbling, like a house
of cards.'' In Miami on a first-ever visit to salute
Cuban dissidents and former political prisoners, Havel
offered the advice during a morning lecture and round
table at Florida International University as part of
his farewell solidarity message.
ñIt
is not that I will give other people instructions on
how to stage revolutions," he elaborated to reporters.
ñBut I will do what I have always done: I will be promoting
certain values associated with human dignity."
LONDON,
September 24
PRIMER MINISTER BLAIR SAYS:
IRAQ HAS MILITARY PLANS FOR THE USE OF CHEMICAL AND
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS
Iraq
has military plans for the use of chemical and biological
weapons, and has tried to acquire ''significant quantities''
of uranium from Africa, Britain Prime Minister Tony
Blair said Tuesday in a report of evidence about Iraq's
development of weapons of mass destruction that it could
be ñprepared" to use them in only 45 minutes notice.
''Unless we face up to the threat, not only do we risk
undermining the authority of the U.N., whose resolutions
he defies, but more importantly and in the longer term,
we place at risk the lives and prosperity of our own
people,'' the Prime Minister said.
In a foreword to the report, Blair
says: "I am in no doubt that the threat is serious
and current, that (Saddam) has made progress on weapons
of mass destruction and that he has to be stopped."
"The threat posed to international peace and security,
when WMD (weapons of mass destruction) are in the hands
of a brutal and aggressive regime like Saddam's, is
real.
Primer
Minister Blair told members of parliament that the last
11 years showed "a history of U.N. will flouted,
lies told by Saddam ... obstruction, defiance, and denial."
The document, released hours before Parliament
convened in a special session to debate possible military
action against Iraq, argues that Saddam continues to
develop chemical and biological weapons, is trying to
acquire nuclear weapons, developed mobile laboratories for military use
and has extended the range of its ballistic missiles.
MIAMI, September
24
PRESIDENT
HAVEL SALUTES EX-PRISONERS OF THE CUBAN DICTATOR FIDEL
CASTRO
Former
political prisoners who between them spent hundreds
of years in Cuban jails lined up Sunday night to shake
the hand of Vaclav Havel, in Miami on a first-ever visit,
to show support for Cuban dissidents on both sides of
the Florida Straits. ñI admire you because you stayed
in jail more time than I did," Havel, 65, told a group
of aging men and women proudly displaying on their chests
nameplates with the number of years they spent in Cuban
prisons. The meeting was held in a reception room of
Coral Gables' Biltmore Hotel packed with foreign and
U.S. news crews.
Before
his Velvet Revolution peacefully swept the communists
from rule, he spent four years in Czech communist jails.
During the dark days of Czechoslovakia's communist rule,
Havel's work was banned and he was jailed for his outspoken
opposition to Soviet-style rule. Soon, after 12 years
as his nation's democratically elected president, he
will be stepping down.
In
this visit, the Czech president is also campaigning
for a Nobel Peace Prize for Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas,
leader of a Havana-based dissident movement. When asked
whether Payá was the Vaclav Havel of Cuba, he
said: ñI
would rather stress the analogy of the attitudes and
methods used by those who engage in the fight for freedom."
Payá's Varela Project seeks a plebiscite on the
island on democratic reform, in the framework of the
communist constitution.
HAVANA,
September 24
CUBAN
ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL ORDERED TO LIE TO CENSUS TAKERS
Active
duty military and civilian workers of the Armed Forces
Ministry received orders to deny their connection with
the military in response to CubaÍs most recent census
September 7 to 16, with the argument that "we must
not give information to the enemy," according to
a source.
Several
employees of the Stores for the Recovery of Foreign
Currency, also known as dollar stores here because they
sell only in U. S. dollars said that military counter-intelligence
officers visited them at work and ordered them to tell
census takers that they worked for the local government,
or Popular Power. These stores are owned and operated
by the Armed Forces Ministry, as are other businesses
related to tourism and to the dollar sector of the economy.
Active duty
military personnel also said they had received orders
to lie to the census takers. One said he had mentioned
to counter-intelligence officers that he was concerned
about getting caught in an obvious lie, since he is
always in uniform, and had been told that "all
factors are aware of the order."
MIAMI,
September 23
THE
MIAMI HERALD'S EDITORIAL (9/22/2002): TRADING WITH THE
ENEMY -- LET'S NOT SAVE CASTRO AGAIN
DONÍT
SOFTEN EMBARGO: Congress
should ignore calls to unilaterally soften the embargo
and allow American money to help finance repression.
The embargo should be maintained unless and until Cuba
brings about democratic and economic reforms of the
type that President Bush has called for -- including
the requirement that U.S. corporations be allowed to
pay workers directly, allow independent unions and allow
their employees to get the books and magazines available
to citizens in democratic countries.
"We
donÍt believe that Castro will go for this and, if thatÍs
his choice, so be it. But we should insist on freedom
even if he wont budge. And we should put to onus on
him to explain why thereÍs no trade with the United
States.
"'We
are in a propaganda war with Castro. This is what heÍs
best at. But, if Congress is going to touch the embargo,
it should do it by attaching stringent South Africa-like
''Sullivan principles,'' demanding economic freedoms
that, if denied, would turn the tables on Castro as
it did on the apartheid regime. Let's help bring Cuba
into the community of free nations before we begin doing
business there." Click
here and read the complete editorial of The Miami Herald.
WASHINGTON,
D.C., September 22
NEW
POLICY ALLOWS U.S. TO CARRY OUT PREEMPTIVE STRIKE
President
George W. Bush on Friday declared a new foreign policy
and military strategy that pit the world's sole superpower
against terrorist groups and hostile countries armed
with weapons of mass destruction. In a world where terrorists
are the main enemy, the United States will use its military
strength, and act alone if necessary, to make sure an
enemy can never deliver a devastating blow, says the
new National Security Review, a document that each president
submits to Congress every four years.
"History
will judge harshly those who saw this coming danger
but failed to act," the administration review says.
ñThe distinctly American internationalism recognizes
that as the strongest nation in the world, the United
States has a responsibility to sponsor a balance of
power that favors freedom," said a senior Bush administration
official. ñWe will not allow an adversarial military
power to arise," said the administration official, conceding
that countries that share American interests would be
asked to help bear the military burdens to protect and
expand those freedoms.
In
spelling out the doctrine, the Bush administration also
promises it will not use American power as a ñpretext
for aggression" and that it will try to spread American
values of freedom, open markets and trade, and human
rights. The administration is seeking ña balance of
power that favors freedom," said the senior administration
official. ñWe are not going to change all countries
into democracies overnight," the official acknowledged
but said creating democracy was the goal.
NEW YORK, September 22
CUBA
HARSHLY CRITICIZES NEW PREEMPTIVE POLICY
Cuban
Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque on Friday harshly
criticized a new U.S. policy of striking first against
terrorists or hostile countries, saying it could destroy
the credibility of the United Nations. Perez also said
President Bush could avoid the ñpolitical cost" because
there is no country in the world that poses a threat
to the United States ñmilitarily, technologically and
economically."
President
George W. Bush, saying the United States cannot allow
its enemies to strike first, declared that his administration
will take action against hostile forces like Iraq, even
when multinational groups like the United Nations balk.
Under
ñthe concept of pre-emptive war ... the Charter of the
United Nations would be left without any meaning at
all," Pérez said. The Charter ñdoesn't authorize
any pre-emptive action. That concept is nonexistent
in international law." He said pre-emptive action won't
prevent terrorist acts organized by small cells in several
different countries. As for Iraq, Perez backed the return
of U.N. inspectors. Perez said that Cuba has not seen
ña single piece of evidence" from the Americans that
Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction.
PINAR DEL RIO, September 22
ISIDORE
CLOBBERS WESTERN CUBA
A
large and powerful storm, Isidore crashed into Cuba's
western provinces Friday and stalled there, reportedly
destroying buildings and inflicting other serious damage
on the agricultural region. No word emerged concerning
casualties, but forecasters called Isidore's assault
''relentless'' and said it would continue during the
morning. Then, the hurricane was expected to intensify
as it crawled through the Gulf of Mexico -- away from
Florida, at least temporarily. Residents of the low-lying
western area reported 18-foot waves and torrential downpours.
One
resident reported ''people up to their waists in water.''
The National Hurricane Center in West Miami-Dade County
relayed unconfirmed accounts of many houses swept away
by wind and rain. ''Many roofs are flying at this time,
and some small houses and warehouses have been destroyed,''
a resident of the coastal town of Cortés said
in an amateur radio transmission.
The full extent
of the damage was not clear, but other radio transmissions
received in Miami spoke of severe inland flooding and
power blackouts in the tobacco-producing province of
Pinar del Río. ''They're really getting clobbered,''
said Max Mayfield, the hurricane center's director.
The Cuban government-run National Information Agency
said the cities of Nueva Gerona and Santa Fe on the
Isle of Youth suffered extensive damage from 124-mph
gusts.
UNITED
NATIONS, September 21
PRESIDENT BUSH CHALLENGES
U.N. TO ACT ON IRAQ
President
George W. Bush said Tuesday the United Nations Security
Council ñmust not be fooled" by Iraq's questionable
promise of unfettered weapons inspections. He told wavering
world leaders to maintain pressure on Saddam Hussein
to disarm.
ñYou
can't be fooled again," the president said as his administration
sought to head off attempts by Saddam to rally support
at the U.N. Noting that Iraq has repeatedly made and
broken similar pledges since the Persian Gulf War, Bush
said, ñYou've got to understand the nature of the regime
we're dealing with. This is a man who has delayed, denied,
and deceived the world. For the sake of liberty and
justice for all, the United Nations Security Council
must act - must act in a way to hold this regime to
account, must not be fooled, must be relevant to keep
the peace."
To underscore
the point, Bush's office released a four-page timeline
that specified ñthe Iraqi regime's repeated pattern
of accepting inspections `without conditions' and then
demanding conditions, often at gunpoint." The timeline
was derived by a 1998 U.N. report, the White House said.
WASHINGTON,
D.C., September 21
USO
HONORED A GREAT FORMER PRESIDENT
On Tuesday, September 17, the United
Services Organizations (USO) honored Honorable George
Herbert Walker Bush, 41st President of the
United States. After Gala 2002 dinner, former President
Bush was presented with the "USO Spirit of Hope"
award -- named after Bob Hope. He was honored for his
service as commander in chief during the Gulf War, his
presidency and his support of military personnel.
"Our nation must confront
a new threat, a new enemy," ex-president Bush told
the audience at the Hilton Washington after the presentation.
He called his son "our strong president,"
then issued this challenge: "It's up to many in
this room to make a new date with destiny."
The audience
of 700 guests included White House Chief of Staff Andy
Card, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson,
Wayne Newton, retired general Brent Scowcroft, Tony
Benedi, Miss USA Shauntay Hinton, Jordan's Queen
Noor, USO President Edward Powell, top brass from all
the U.S. Armed ForcesÍ military branches and our Chairman,
Maj. Gen. (DC-Ret) Erneido A. Oliva and his wife, Graciela
Ana. General Oliva was recently appointed by President
George W. Bush to serve a three-year term as a member
of the USO World Board of Governors.
UNITED
NATIONS, September 20
CUBA
SAYS U.S. TERROR CHARGE A ñCOLOSSAL LIE"
Cuba
rejected U.S. charges on Wednesday that the communist-run
island was deliberately obstructing American efforts
to fight terrorism by providing false tips. "It
is a colossal lie," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez
Roque told reporters. Pérez said the allegations
made by U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for
the Western Hemisphere Daniel W. Fisk were politically
motivated and aimed at stopping legislation under consideration
in Congress that would ease U.S. sanctions against Cuba.
U.S. President George W. Bush has vowed to veto
the legislation, in line with his policy of tightening
the U.S. embargo against Cuba until its one-party communist
state under dictator Fidel Castro allows democratic
reforms.
U.S.
accused Cuba of providing Washington with false information
about potential terrorist threats since the Sept. 11,
2001, hijacked aircraft attacks. Fisk said in Washington
the tips had sent American investigators on "wild
goose chases" in three continents and diverted
resources in U.S. anti-terrorist efforts. The State
Department official maintained that Cuba had confounded
U.S. intelligence services by sending deserters with
false information on attacks planned against the United
States.
Perez
challenged President Bush's administration ñto produce
a single piece of evidence" supporting its claims. Perez
refused to say what kind of intelligence - if any -
Cuba has provided Washington, citing ñdiscretion and
confidentiality." Asked what action Cuba would take
now, he said: ñWe will see how the situation evolves.
We will follow the reaction of Mr. Fisk." Perez also
spoke out against any unilateral military action against
Iraq. ñThe government of the United States is not entitled
under international law to declare war unilaterally
against the country," he said.
WASHINGTON,
D.C., September 20
CUBA
HAMPERS WAR ON TERROR, U.S. SAYS
The
Cuban government is ''impeding our efforts to defeat
terrorism'' by feeding U.S. officials misleading information
''fabricated by Castro's intelligence apparatus,'' said
Tuesday U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for the Western Hemisphere Daniel W. Fisk.
''This is not harmless game-playing -- it is a dangerous
and unjustifiable action that damages our ability to
assess real threats,'' said Fisk, ñIt could one day
cost innocent people their lives."
Fisk
said that beginning on the day of the attacks, Sept.
11, Cuban agents gave U.S. officials ñfalse leads seeking
to misdirect the investigation. ''This was only the
beginning of a steady stream of what has turned out
to be wild goose chases intentionally initiated by the
Castro regime,'' Fisk said in his speeches. In an interview
later, Fisk said: ñWe've seen instances on three continentsƒThe
responsible agencies found a discernible pattern of
information that leads us to conclude that this is part
of a continuing pattern of false leads.'' He said that
the ''responsible agencies'' had determined the people
were ''Cuban agents.''
Fisk
also said his words were ''chosen carefully'' and were
cleared by intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
At least once a month Cuban representatives have tried
to ''set up our intelligence and law enforcement'' with
false tips that took time to check out, Fisk said. A
State Department official said that Fisk's comments
had been approved before he spoke. ''This was looked
at by a lot of eyes. This was not just Dan Fisk, lone
wolf,'' the official said. ñWe are not in the business
of handing out bad information." But trying to mislead
Washington on something as sensitive as the war on terrorism
would be a much riskier venture that begs the question
of why Castro would even try it, said an official. The
most realistic answer, he added, may be that Castro
believes that Washington is so desperate for intelligence
on terrorism that it's the perfect time to try to plant
a new crop of spies close to the FBI or CIA.
NEW
YORK, September 19
CUBA
URGES UN NOT TO SUPPORT A US ATTACK ON IRAQ
Cuba's
foreign minister says the integrity of the United Nations
must be preserved, and he said the only way that can
be done is for the U.N. to stand up to the U.S. by refusing
to support an Iraq attack. In a speech to the United
Nations General Assembly on Saturday, Felipe Perez Roque
said the almost "total solidarity" shown by
the world toward the United States after the Sept. 11
attacks was a golden opportunity that the United States
"squandered" by bombarding Afghanistan.
Perez Roque called the U.S. war in
Afghanistan "a unilateral war whose death toll
is still unknown to us and whose most tangible consequence
is probably the striking blow rendered to the credibility
of the United Nations organization and to multilateralism."
Perez Roque insisted that as a result of the U.S. action,
"There are now even greater feelings of hatred,
vengeance and insecurity, and they are not helpful in
the fight against terrorism."
He emphasized, "Dangerous and
xenophobic and discriminatory tendencies threaten the
existence of a plural and democratic world." Cuba,
"repudiates" another war against Iraq, he
said. "The United Nations organization has to be
saved. Cuba defends both the need for its preservation
as well as for its most profound reform and democratization
and it must all be done by respecting the charter and
not be rewriting it or distorting its purposes and principles,"
he added.
HAVANA, September 18
BUS
DEPARTURES CUT IN HALF
Hundreds
of buses were assembled to transport thousands of Cubans
to a rally celebrating the new school year on September
16, 2002, however, bus departures in Havana were reduced
in half this week because there is not enough fuel to
provide the service, said an industry source who asked
not to be identified. "Many workers of the urban
bus company work alternate days, a measure officials
implemented to prevent unemployment," said the
source.
But
the lack of fuel is not the only cause for the reduction
in service; many of the vehicles are broken and there
are no spare parts for them. Residents of Párraga,
a section of the outlying Arroyo Naranjo municipality
of the city, told Cuba Verdad that sometimes they have
waited two and three hours for a bus.
In
Managua, another section of the municipality, people
said that during the last 48 hours no buses have left
in the mornings. In Batabanó, a town on the south
coast of Havana province, residents say only two or
three vehicles leave toward Havana a day, although departures
are undependable.
BAGHDAD, September 17
IRAQ
DECLARES ACCEPTANCE OF RETURN OF U.N. INSPECTORS
Iraq
said formally Tuesday it has accepted an unconditional
return of U.N. weapons inspectors, the official Iraqi
News Agency reported. Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz
told a pro-Iraq Popular Arab Conference that Iraq conveyed
its acceptance to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan
on Monday.
''Yesterday,
Iraq has informed the U.N. secretary general that it
is ready to accept an unconditional return of weapons
inspectors,'' Aziz said. ''Therefore, the pretexts (the
United States and Britain) have been using to launch
an aggression on Iraq is eliminated. We are ready to
work with the U.N. secretary general to put the decision
into action,'' he said.
Annan
welcomed the decision and expressed appreciation of
U.N. members' efforts in helping to change Baghdad's
stance. The U.N. chief announced the breakthrough after
he received a letter from Baghdad delivered by Iraqi
Foreign Minister Naji Sabri in New York.
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 16
AMERICANS
AND CUBANS WILL UNITE IN WASHINGTON TO SUPPORT FREEDOM
FOR CUBA
(Contact immediately Jim Hale
(202) 543-8480 / (703) 475-1291)
Hundreds
Americans, representing dozens of pro-democracy and
Cuban American groups will visit Washington on September
17-18 to back U.S. lawmakers who support maintaining
economic sanctions on the Castro regime. Recent moves
in Congress to unilaterally ease travel and trade restrictions
with Cuba have mobilized Americans
For a Free Cuba to support President George W.
BushÍs position and encourage a veto of legislation
that strengthens CastroÍs hold on power.
Americans For a Free Cuba will tell the story the big business lobby does not
want known ¿ that Castro has historically sponsored
terrorism and remains hostile to the United States;
that Cuba is one of the worst credit risks in the world,
and trading with Canada, Europe, Japan and Latin America
has done nothing to promote freedom in Cuba.
For more information on
the event please visit: www.americansforcuba.org
WHAT?
- Press Conference
WHERE?
- The National Press Club ¿ Holeman Lounge
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, D.C.
WHEN?
- Noon, Tuesday, September 17th
WASHINGTON,
D.C., September 15
SENATOR
LEAHY ASKS FOR WEST NILE VIRUS INVESTIGATION
Sen.
Patrick Leahy, a democrat for Vermont, called on the
government to examine whether terrorism is involved
in a West Nile outbreak that has killed 54 people this
year. Leathy has raised the possibility that terrorists
may be responsible for the spread of: the West Nile
virus. ñI think we have to ask ourselves: Is it coincidence
that we're seeing such an increase in West Nile virus
or is that something that's being tested as a biological
weapon against us?''
Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee,
said Thursday.
According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, nationally, 1,295 people
have contracted the disease and 54 have died. Leahy's
office also released excerpts Thursday from previous
news and congressional committee reports saying officials
had downplayed the fear that the spread of West Nile
virus might be the work of bioterrorists.
ñIn
the times in which we live, questions about our vulnerabilities
are unavoidable, and finding all the answers we can
is more important than ever," Leahy said in the statement.
ñI have no way of knowing what the answers are, but
some legitimate questions have been asked, especially
before September 11 last year, and no doubt they are
being asked anew by the agencies that are working on
this." West Nile first appeared in the United States
in 1999 when an outbreak in New York killed seven people.
BAGHDAD,
September 15
IRAQ
OPPOSES RETURN OF WEAPONS INSPECTORS
Iraqi
Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz said Baghdad opposes
the return of U.N. weapons inspectors and President
Bush's speech to the United Nations was ñfull of lies."
ñWe do not accept Bush's conditions," Aziz said in an
interview in Baghdad that was broadcast Friday. White
House spokesman Ari Fleischer shot back that Aziz had
shown Iraq has "something to hide."
ñThe
unconditional return of the inspectors will not solve
the problem," Aziz said. At the U.N. General Assembly
Thursday, President Bush said America would work with
other nations on a U.N. resolution demanding Iraq surrender
weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver
them. ñWe hope it (the attack) is not inevitable, but
we are preparing for the worst scenario," Aziz said
in the interview. ñWe don't want malice, and if there
is a reasonable way that will prevent the malice, we
will deal with it."
Iraq
has refused access to U.N. weapons inspectors since
1998 and claims it has eliminated its weapons of mass
destruction and fulfilled the other requirements of
the Gulf War resolutions.
MEXICO
CITY, September 14
MEXICOÍS
CUBA AMBASSADOR RECALLED IN FRAUD PROBE
Mexico's
ambassador in Cuba, Ricardo Pascoe, was recalled home
on Thursday to face a probe over alleged corruption.
"The ambassador was recalled for consultations
and he will be here with us," foreign ministry
spokesman Eduardo Saenz told reporters in Mexico City
on Thursday.
Pascoe
has widely been seen as an unreliable envoy in Havana
as Mexico's once-close relations with Cuban dictator
Fidel Castro's government have dropped to an all-time
low. In April, Castro released a tape of a private conversation
between himself and Mexican President Vicente Fox, and
called him a liar.
Mexico
had traditionally been one of Castro's staunchest allies
in Latin America, promoting trade and investment ties
in the face of the U.S. embargo. But the alliance has
faded over the past decade and especially since Fox's
conservative government took office almost two years
ago and fixed strong relations with Washington as its
central foreign policy goal.
HAVANA,
September 14
SCARCE
SCHOOL SUPPLIES AVAILABLE IN DOLLARIZED MARKETS
School
supplies that are in short supply in Ministry of Education
facilities are freely available in dollar-denominated
government stores. The pencils, erasers, crayons, rulers
and pens are sold in Havana post offices at prices between
one and two dollars. Around the shop windows exhibiting
the goods, adults and children try to balance their
needs with their budget.
"I
was only able to buy some color pencils and a sharpener
for my daughter", said one woman whose daughter
started school this year. "In my school they donÍt
supply the notebooks that we need for the year, so we
have to buy them wherever", said one sixth-grader
in Arroyo Naranjo. Parents of school-age children either
buy school supplies in pesos in the black market, or
they exchange their pesos for dollars, at the rate of
26 to 1.
UNITED
NATIONS, September 13
PRESIDENT BUSH DEMANDS
THAT U.N. CONFRONT IRAQ
President
Bush told world leaders Thursday to confront the ñgrave
and gathering danger'' of Saddam Hussein or stand aside
as the United States acts. From the United Nations'
main hall, President Bush said the body must rid the
world of Saddam's biological, chemical and nuclear arsenals
or risk millions of lives in a ñreckless gamble." Behind
the scenes, U.S. diplomats reported progress toward
a U.N. resolution giving Iraq a firm deadline - just
weeks way - to disarm or face dire, but thus far unspecified,
consequences.
President
Bush gave Saddam a chance to avoid confrontation, but
only if Iraq meets a series of strict U.S. demands that
no one expects Iraq to meet. ñIf the Iraqi regime wishes
peace, it will immediately and unconditionally forswear,
disclose and remove or destroy all weapons of mass destruction,
long-range missiles, and all related material," President
Bush said. He also demanded that Saddam stop supporting
terrorism, persecuting minorities, trading oil illegally
for other goods and account for a U.S. pilot and soldiers
from other nations missing since the Persian Gulf War.
ñIf Iraq's
regime defies us again, the world must move deliberately
and decisively to hold Iraq to account,'' President
Bush said in his 15-minute address. ñThe just demands
of peace and security will be met or action will be
unavoidable. And a regime that has lost its legitimacy
will also lose its power."
MEXICO
CITY, September 12
MEXICO
ACCUSES ENVOY IN HAVANA OF MISUSING FUNDS
Mexico
accused its ambassador in Havana on Tuesday of misusing
embassy funds. The Foreign Ministry said an audit of
its Havana embassy had found $87,000 worth of fraud
that stemmed from skimming off cash meant for embassy
social functions, authorizing duplicate services and
paying for ñirregular services." It said Ambassador
Ricardo Pascoe, a prominent figure in Mexico's opposition
leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution, was responsible
for the missing money.
Pascoe
strongly rejected the accusations. In a statement released
in Havana, he said his accusers were politically motivated
and he was considering legal action against them. ñOur
monthly reports have always given an exact accounting
of the embassy's administrative situation and of our
budgetary activities. There are no irregularities,"
he said in the statement.
The
accusations were being brought before the ministry's
internal auditor and could result in Pascoe being removed
from the foreign service and fined, the ministry said.
Cuban officials have openly criticized Mexican Foreign
Minister Jorge Castaneda, saying the former Marxist
was surrendering Mexico's independence in deference
to Washington's policies against Cuban dictator Fidel
Castro.
HAVANA, September 12
POLICE PROFIT FROM TRANSPORTATION
CRISIS
Cubans
travelers, who wait long hours by the side of a highway
in hopes that some means of getting to their destination
will materialize in spite of the islandÍs ongoing fuel
crisis, are increasingly reporting that police officers
are turning necessity into a profitable sideline, and
using official vehicles, to boot.
A
typical report says that on Saturday, August 31, six
policemen driving a Renault truck with license plate
number HV6884, outbound from Havana, picked up 75 travelers
who were waiting by the side of the "Ocho Vías"
or "Eight Lanes," CubaÍs main inter-provincial
highway.
One of the officers,
wearing uniform pants and a white T-shirt, climbed on
the truckÍs bed, where the passengers ride standing,
asked for silence, and announced the fares: "San
José, GÙines, and San Nicolás, 10 pesos.
Sancti Spíritus, 30 pesos. CamagÙey, 50 pesos,
and Las Tunas, 80 pesos." He then proceeded to
collect. ñThis often happens on weekends, when the officers
go out on a pass, and since most of them are from the
provinces, they take the trucks," said one of the 75
passengers.
WASHINGTON,
D.C., September 11
WE
WILL NEVER FORGET
All
CAMCO members want to express their sincere condolences
to the families of the victims of September 11criminal
attack and heartfelt thanks for the countless acts of
heroism we have witnessed in the past year. A total
of 2,801 people died when two hijacked jets crashed
into the New York World Trade Center towers, 184 innocent
men and women died when a third hijacked plane hit the
Pentagon at Arlington, near Washington, and a further
40 heroic passengers and crew members of the fourth
plane decided to go down fighting.
The September 11 attacks on
America have brought us together like never before.
We stand united in defense of the United States of America
and resolved to win the war against terrorists. We must
be ready for the battles to come because the war against
terrorism must be prosecuted until our enemies no longer
threaten innocent Americans. In the year since September
11, 2001, America is back on her feet, and we will not
rest until we eliminate the entire international terrorist
network.
That
tragic September day and the days since have taught
America a lot about herself. We have learned to appreciate
the many every day heroes like firefighters, police
officers and others that for too long had been taken
for granted. We have been reminded of the true importance
of our vital ideals of liberty, equality and justice
for all. And we have learned that the true test of character
is not whether we get knocked down; the true test of
our character is whether we get back up.
ST.
PAUL, September 11
GOVERNOR
VENTURA ASKS FOR APOLOGY OVER CUBA TRIP
Gov.
Jesse Ventura asked Monday for an apology from President
Bush and Assistant Secretary of State Otto Reich over
comments made about Ventura's planned trip to Cuba.
On Friday, Ambassador Reich criticized Ventura and U.S.
business leaders for planning to attend an agribusiness
exhibition in Havana later this month.
Reich
said the Cuban president uses American politicians who
visit the communist nation ñas props." He also said
he hoped Ventura and the business leaders wouldn't engage
in ''sexual tourism'' while visiting Cuba. ''I found
Assistant Secretary Reich's comments offensive and at
the very least, he and President Bush owe my wife and
children a personal apology,'' Ventura said.
A
week before Reich's statements, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
urged Ventura to cancel the Sept. 25-28 trip. Ventura
plans to attend the first-ever U.S. Food and Agribusiness
Exposition in Havana, an event sanctioned by the U.S.
government to promote the sale of American food products
in Cuba. He will become the third U.S. governor to visit
Cuba, following George Ryan of Illinois and John Hoeven
of North Dakota, both Republicans.
WASHINGTON,
D.C., September 10
CUBAN
EXILES WILL TRAVEL TO WASHINGTON TO SUPPORT THE EMBARGO
The
recent House vote to lift the travel ban on Cuba and
the talk of further easing the U.S. embargo on trade
with Cuba will draw Cuban exiles to Washington later
this month to lobby Congress. On Sept. 17 and 18, members
of the Cuban exile community will travel to the capital
to meet with senators and representatives to tell them
the truth about the Cuban embargo. The two days will
consist of very important briefings, seminars and documentaries
about U.S. Cuban policy. CAMCO is one of
the many Cuban exile organizations supporting and participating
in the event. (Mr.
Jim Hale is the National Coordinator and Colonel Archie
Kielly is CAMCO's Coordinator).
The
message to be delivered to Congress and the press will
be focused on three key themes:
1.- Economics:
Cuba's poor business climate and lack of creditworthiness
make the communist government a lousy trade and investment
partner and strengthens the dictatorship; opening up
travel now will not bring about economic or political
reform and will mostly help Castro.
2.- Security:
The Castro regime remains hostile to the United
States, has historically sponsored terrorism and subversion,
and continues to be a threat to our security interests.
3.- Human
Rights: For ethical reasons, unconditional
engagement with a totalitarian regime is not right and
actually hinders reform.
The
underlying message is that the majority of Cuban Americans
still support the embargo, that the American public
needs to be better informed on
what's at stake, and that President Bush's Initiative
for a New Cuba is the right way to foster change in
Cuba, while protecting American interests. President
Bush has repeatedly said he will not lift the embargo
until Cuban dictator Fidel Castro holds free elections
and frees all political prisoners.
CARACAS, September 8
VENEZUELA
TO RESUME CUBA OIL SHIPMENTS SUNDAY
Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez said on Saturday his government
would resume oil shipments to Cuba on Sunday, five months
after they were suspended by April's brief coup and
a failure by the communist-ruled island nation to keep
up with its payments. "On Sunday, the first ship
with oil leaves for Cuba and it is not being given away
as the counter-revolutionary voices have said,"
Chavez told a gathering of worker organizations. If
they want to indict me for that, then I'm here waiting
for them to put on the handcuffs."
Chavez said
crude shipments to Cuba were to start under a preferential
sales agreement that has become a target for the president's
political foes, who blame the oil deal for undermining
Venezuela's already faltering economy. Under Venezuela's
preferential oil deal, Cuba receives about 53,000 barrels
a day and is allowed to pay 25 percent of its oil bill
over several years. Chavez, a close political ally and
friend of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, said he met with
Castro in Havana after attending the recent Earth Summit
in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Venezuelan leader
said he spent Friday in Cuba before returning to his
oil-rich South American nation.
WASHINGTON, D.C., September 7
CUBAN DICTATOR FIDEL
CASTROÍS DEATH COULD CAUSE CUBAN MILITARY RIFT, EXPERT
SAYS
Opponents
have sought Cuban dictator Fidel Castro's demise, political
or otherwise, for more than four decades, but if Castro's
brother Raul dies first, it could trigger a military
upheaval on the island nation, according to a former
high-ranking CIA official. Castro is "the most
important institution in Cuba," said Brian Latell,
the former CIA official who currently teaches at Georgetown
University in Washington, D.C., and spoke on Capitol
Hill Thursday at a seminar focusing on the eventual
power transition in Cuba.
Raul Castro has led the Cuban military,
known as FAR, since the 1959 revolution and, according
to Latell, has gained the respect of the Cuban population.
The military in Cuba has also controlled more sectors
of the communist country's economy since 1994 on orders
of Fidel Castro. If Raul dies before his older brother,
it could split Cuba's military, Latell said, pitting
top military officers against each other and pressuring
Fidel Castro to try to hold the government together.
"[Fidel
Castro] has never considered any successor other than
his brother. It is unlikely he would choose the same
person to serve as defense minister and also to be next
in line in the party and government successions,"
said Latell. "Raul Castro has no obvious successor
among the two star division and three star corps generals,
so the choice of the next defense minister would probably
be divisive," he concluded.
HAVANA, September 7
GOVERNMENT ENTERPRISES
WARNED OF CUTS FOR WASTING ELECTRICITY
State enterprises
in Havana were formally warned of possible cuts in electric
service if they continued using more electricity than
their allocations call for. The warnings were issued
at meetings called by the Ministry for Basic Industry,
the entity charged with monitoring the governmentÍs
energy policy.
The city of Havana has a daily allocation
of 9.5 gigawatts (billion watts) per hour, but in August
consumption rose to 10.5 gigawatts, according to sources
in the Electricity Savings Program of Cuba. At least
part of the increase is attributed to government enterprisesÍ
failure to shift consumption to non-peak hours, generally
accomplished by changing working schedules. The thrust
of the program is directed at saving fuel, which Cuba
must import with scarce foreign exchange.
CARACAS,
September 6
VENEZUELAN
MILITARY IS INDISPENSABLE TO CHAVEZ OUSTER
A leading labor opponent of Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday the opposition
needed the support and participation of the armed forces
to oust the left-wing leader by constitutional means.
While he ruled out a military coup to topple the populist
president, anti-Chavez union boss Carlos Ortega said
the constitution offered options for a legal leadership
change that could be backed by all sectors, including
the military.
ñWe need everyone,
and the military is a really important factor in Venezuelan
society," Ortega told foreign reporters. Nearly five
months after rebel officers briefly deposed Chavez in
a short-lived coup, his foes are trying to muster strength
and agree a strategy to end his turbulent rule of the
world's fifth largest oil exporter. "It is the
military who have the arms. I wish we did," Ortega
said. "We are sitting on a powder keg," he
emphasized.
ñA
pure coup d'etat ... will not find support among the
Venezuelan people, nor in the international community,"
Ortega said. But his clear insistence on a role for
the armed forces in backing moves to change the president
underlined the importance attributed to the Venezuelan
military as potential players in the country's polarized
politics.
HAVANA, September 6
POLICE CALLED TO QUELL
PROTEST AT HAVANA TRAIN STATION
`
More
than a hundred policemen had to be called to quell a
protest at the Havana train station this weekend when
close to 3,000 would-be travelers were moved aside in
favor of a contingent of construction workers to which
the government assigned priority status. The waiting
passengers, some of whom had been waiting for days for
transportation due to the vagaries of the Cuban transportation
system, came close to rioting when they learned all
trains had been commandeered.
"I
saw a group of police charge about 10 passengers with
their night sticks. The passengers were protesting loudly
against what they called 'a mockery, lack or respect,
and abuses by the railroad administrators,'" said
an eyewitness. "There were so many people at the
station that the waiting rooms overflowed; they were
in the patio and around the station, where many got
wet when it started to rain because there is no shelter,"
said the source.
The government
decreed all departures would be temporarily suspended
in order to transport workers to the area of Cayo Largo
del Sur, where they are building facilities for the
tourism industry.
HAVANA,
September 6
AGUADA
DE PASAJEROSÍS RESIDENTS HAVE NO FUEL TO COOK SINCE
MARCH
Residents
of Aguada de Pasajeros, in Cienfuegos province, have
not been able to buy their quota of gas to cook since
March. ñAbout 60 percent of the population of 31,000
have no fuel to cook their food" said an independent
reporter..
Some are using
electric ranges they manufacture themselves, but the
cost of electricity is going up. Others, who have no
gas service, get a quota of kerosene that only lasts
them for a week; the rest of the month they cook with
coke or wood. A can of coke goes for 10 pesos in Aguada
de Pasajeros, about the same as the daily wage for the
average worker. An official at the provincial gas company
said: "There is no gas; we have to wait.
WASHINGTON,
D.C., September 5
SECRETARY
RUMSFELD HINTS IRAQ SEEKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS
The
Bush administration yesterday launched a concerted effort
to prepare the nation and the world for war with Iraq,
and Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld hinted Tuesday that President Bush has
new information that Iraq is close to developing a nuclear weapon,
but the secretary declined to elaborate. Under
pressure at home and abroad to justify a war against
Iraq, President Bush met with congressional leaders
from both parties at the White House yesterday morning
to discuss Iraq. Later yesterday, he sent Secretary
Rumsfeld to a closed-door briefing on the subject for
all 100 senators in a secure room in the Capitol.
President
Bush's need to convince the public was underscored Tuesday
by a new ABC News poll indicating that public support
for attacking Iraq has dropped over the past month to
its lowest levels since the war on terrorism began.
Next week President Bush is expected to use a Sept.
12 speech at the United Nations to begin spelling out
his grievances against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
British
Prime Minister Tony Blair also said he would present
a position paper ñwithin the next few weeks" spelling
out the need for action against Hussein. Blair played
a similar role last fall in winning international support
for the U.S.-led attack on the al Qaeda terrorist network
and its Taliban hosts in Afghanistan. He issued a paper
documenting their record that helped justify the U.S.-led
invasion. It is evident that Presidente Bush administration
efforts to gain support for a military strike to topple
Hussein have had little success. Virtually every European
ally other than Britain has expressed opposition to
a U.S. attack, a position echoed by key Middle East
nations such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
WASHINGTON, D.C., September
5
APPARENT
SPLIT WITHIN DE ADMINISTRATION OVER IRAQ POLICY
Administration
officials continue to insist that Bush has not decided
how to deal with Iraq, but those assurances were drowned
out last week by Vice President Dick Cheney's forceful
case for military action. In two separate appearances,
the Vice-President said the United States should act
quickly to avoid the danger that Hussein will unleash
weapons of mass destruction against the United States
or its allies.
Cheney's
assertion that Iraq is close to acquiring a nuclear
weapon -- and Secretary of Defense Ronald Rumsfeld's
yesterday suggestion that President Bush can back it
up with evidence -- contrasts sharply with the CIA's
most recent public assessments of Baghdad's nuclear
weapons development efforts. In a report submitted to
Congress in January, the CIA concluded that Iraq's nuclear
weapons program ''probably'' consisted of ñlow-level
theoretical" research and development. In February,
CIA Director George Tenet told a Senate committee that
the spy agency's greatest near-term concern was the
ñpossibility" that Iraq could obtain enriched uranium
or plutonium with which to make a nuclear weapon.
Secretary
of State Colin Powell acknowledged that the administration's
inner councils are split by differing opinions over
Iraq. But ñthe only position that really counts at the
end of the day is the president's," Powell said. Powell,
in an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. to be
broadcast this weekend, called for U.N. weapons inspectors
to be returned to Iraq, if only as a first step toward
dealing with the threat from Baghdad. That seemed to
contradict Vice-President Cheney, who dismissed the
idea of new inspections, because Iraq would never permit
itself to be disarmed.
HAVANA,
September 4
CRIMINALS
SOUGHT BY U.S. FIND A PROTECTOR IN CASTROÍS CUBA
Cuban
dictator Fidel Castro's authoritarian regimen has long
protected fugitives on the run from U.S. authorities,
and it now protects more than 70 of them. While Washington
has always wanted them returned, the Bush administration
has become increasingly vocal about the issue, tying
it to its global offensive against terrorism.
The
State Department includes Cuba on its list of countries
supporting terrorism, partly because the United States
says the dictator harbors people involved in terrorist
rebel groups from Colombia, Spain and elsewhere. Washington
also calls Castro a pro- terrorist for harboring outlaws
from the United States.
Cuban
Officials say the only Americans they protect are those
who deserve protection. The Castro regimen does welcome
those it contends were unfairly prosecuted in the United
States, officials said. They call ñfreedom fighters"
criminals such as New Jersey's most wanted fugitive
convicted cop-killer Joanne Chesimard. Click
here and see a list of US fugitives in Cuba.
NEW
YORK, September 4
THE
WEST NILE VIRUS BLAMED FOR THIRTY SEVEN DEATHS THIS
YEAR
The
U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has officially
blamed West Nile for at least 37 deaths and 638 persons
infected this year in the United States. While West
Nile virus is common in Africa and Asia, the disease
was previously unknown in the Western Hemisphere until
its first appearance in the United States in a 1999
outbreak that killed seven people and hospitalized 45
in New York. At least 41 states, stretching from Maine
to New Mexico, and the District of Columbia have reported
West Nile activity this year. The virus has also been
detected in Canada.
Six
new deaths from West Nile virus were reported yesterday
in Tennessee, Illinois and New York. In New York health
officials said
a 73-year-old New York man died over the weekend
from the West Nile virus, the first death this year
in the city. Three other elderly people have reported
illnesses after being infected by the West Nile virus
in the city this year. All three are hospitalized, one
in critical condition, the others stable. "As the
death of an otherwise healthy 73-year-old shows, West
Nile virus can have tragic consequences for its victims,"
Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said in a statement.
He advised New Yorkers over 50 years of age to take
precautions against mosquitoes, which, if infected with
the virus, spread it when they bite humans.
"The chance
of contracting West Nile virus from an infected mosquito
is small," a health official said.
"And even if you're bitten by an infected
mosquito, your chances of becoming seriously ill are
small. Nevertheless,
officials are urging residents -- particularly older
adults and people with compromised immune systems --
to take simple precautions to reduce their risk."
Residents can reduce the risk of West Nile virus by
eliminating the places where mosquitoes breed.
HAVANA,
September 3
CUBAN
BORDER GUARD GUNBOAT RAMS REFUGEE BOAT
A
Cuban Border Guard gunboat rammed a 20-foot boat carrying
11 people who presumably wanted to leave the island
August 24 off the north coast of Cuba. The incident
came at the end of a long day during which the patrol
boat had tried repeatedly to impede the progress of
the refugee boat, which had earlier departed from the
bay of Nuevitas,
CamagÙey province, said one of the passengers.
The
passenger said patrol boat No. 621 engaged the refugee
boat between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., attempting to stop
it by means such as fouling its propeller with ropes
thrown in the water. After repeatedly failing to stop
it, the officer in charge of No. 621 ordered the ramming
of the refugee boat. "
As of now, six
in the group remain in custody. The rest were freed
after receiving fines between 3,000 and 10,000 pesos,"
said the source, who is one of those who was released.
ARTEMISA,
September 2
FIVE SLAIN ON CUBAN FRUIT
FARM
Assailants
entered a home in village in western Cuba and killed
five people, including four members of a family, apparently
by cutting their throats, relatives of the victims said
Saturday. The attack comes nine months after five people,
including a couple from Miami and an 8-year-old boy,
were shot and killed in their car on a road from Havana
in a robbery attempt.
The
latest attack took place Thursday in the small La Rosa
farm outside of Artemisa, about 30 miles west of Havana.
Family members said the victims appeared to have had
their throats cut. ñIt seems that they entered to steal
... people here are very worried," said a cousin of
one of the victims. Cuban authorities have released
no details about the case. Police and Interior Ministry
officials have the farm sealed off and a ministry official
asked reporters to leave its entrance.
"People want the killers to be caught,"
said one relative, adding that his cousin had been the
farm's guard and the other victims -- two men and two
women -- lived on the property. The five victims were
identified as: farm owner Felix Chacón, his daughter
Onelia Chacón, his son-in-law Jose Félix
Viña Capote, his brother-in-law Jorge Félix,
and his 22-year-old niece Evelise Chacón.
MOSCOW, September
1st.
RUSSIA
FINALLY WITHDRAWS ITS EQUIPMENT FROM LOURDES, CUBA
The
Russian military has completed the withdrawal of equipment
from Russia's electronic intelligence center in Lourdes,
Cuba, a news agency reported Friday. It has taken two
weeks and about 10 flights of heavy-lifting An-124 Ruslan
military transport planes to bring the bulky equipment
back to Russia.
President
Vladimir Putin ordered the Lourdes base closed last
October along with a naval base in Vietnam in what the
Kremlin described as a cost-cutting measure. The
decision to abandon the outposts, both symbols of the
Soviet Union's Cold War global era reach, was also seen
as part of Putin's efforts to build warmer relations
with the West.
The
move has irked the leadership of communist Cuba, which
criticized Moscow for failing to consult with it before
ordering the withdrawal and accused it of caving in
to the United States. Putin's decision was also criticized
by some Russian lawmakers, who said the Kremlin was
throwing away important strategic assets. The electronic
listening station at Lourdes was built two years after
the 1962 Cuban missile crisis about 20 kilometers south
of Havana.
MIAMI, September 1st.
GENERAL
JAMES T. HILL ASSUMES COMMAND AT U.S. SOUTHERN COMMAND
Gen. James T. Hill took over last Tuesday as head of
the U.S. Southern Command, leading the military fight
against drug lords and terrorists in Latin America and
the Caribbean. The Vietnam and Desert Storm veteran
''really is the perfect choice to lead the U.S. Southern
command,'' said Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B.
Myers.
Hill, 56, has also served in the Pentagon and with
a United Nations mission in Haiti. He left a post as
commander of the Army's I Corps. at Fort Lewis, Wash.,
to lead the Miami-based Southern Command. Southern Command
oversees U.S. military activities in 32 nations and
12 dependencies, from Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba
to Plan Colombia, the $1.3 billion aid project to strengthen
Colombia's military and counter-drug operations. Myers
said one of Hill's top challenges will be to provide
continue U.S. support to Plan Columbia, as it sets up
a second counter narcotics brigade.
ñIt is a region beset with challenges,
from transnational threats, drugs and narcoterrorism,
and fragile democracies," Hill said. ñWe must and we
will continue to provide meaningful support, mentorship
and leadership to our allies and our neighbors in order
to sustain their accomplishments." He said his top priorities
will include nurturing democracy, particularly in Colombia,
and running the detention center for Taliban militia
at Guantanamo. A native of El Paso, Texas, Hill served
in the Vietnam War, rising from a rifle platoon leader
to company commander. He also commanded the 101st Airborne
during Desert Storm.
MIAMI,
September 1st.
SEVENTEEN
CUBANS FOUND ABANDONED ON ISLAND
Seventeen
Cuban migrants who thought they were headed for U.S.
soil were stranded by smugglers on an uninhabited Bahamian
island, Coast Guard officials said Friday. The 12 men,
three women and two children had run out of food and
water when a Coast Guard patrol aircraft spotted them
Tuesday on Cay Sal, Bahamas.
The Cubans told Coast Guard officials
they had been picked up by a smuggler on a 30-foot white
vessel Aug. 22 from Villa Clara, Cuba. The smuggler
reportedly dropped them off on Cay Sal and said he would
return after he refueled his vessel, but he never did.
The
CubansÍ food and water had run out when the Coast Guard
rescued them. They were taken aboard the cutter and
given food, water and medical attention. All were in
good health. The Cubans were transferred Thursday to
officials in Freeport, Bahamas. ñAbandoning these migrants
with little food or water and leaving them is a grossly
inhumane act," a Coast Guard official said.
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