SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. 3

LENGTH: 569 words

HEADLINE: Port hopes to rebuild ties in Cuba visit

SOURCE: Staff

BYLINE: JENALIA MORENO

BODY:
In June, Port of Houston Authority officials will join the procession of U.S. port representatives visiting Cuba in search of new business partners.

They will be going to the communist state in hopes that if and when the 40-year U.S. embargo is lifted, they can resume the trade they once had with the island nation.

"It will be a tremendous trading partner for us," said Port Chairman James Edmonds. Port officials have visited Cuba before on fact-finding missions, but this could be the agency's largest delegation to visit the island since the embargo.

At Monday's monthly Port meeting, commissioners agreed to spend up to $ 38,250 for as many as seven people traveling to Havana for a three-day program.

Four commissioners, including Edmonds, said they were interested in attending a U.S-Cuba Business Summit in June. Port staff members also will attend the summit, which will offer participants information about investing in Cuba.

Port Commissioner Vidal Martinez said he will attend the summit and he expects fewer than four other people will join him, bringing down the trip's cost.

Martinez has visited Cuba twice in the past four years and said other commissioners also have traveled there since the United States banned trade with the nation. Port commissioners have not approved these trips in public meetings in the past four years, as they do for most other trade missions. Martinez said that is likely because the cost of those trips does not meet legal requirements for a vote of approval by the board.

This summit was organized by an Italian group that states in its promotional literature it meets U.S. regulations. According to these rules, Americans are not allowed to travel to Cuba unless their trip is hosted by a non-U.S. firm. Americans also are not allowed to spend money in Cuba.

City Councilman Orlando Sanchez, a Cuban-American, said he is not opposed to the trip as long as no public money is paid directly to Cuba.

"I wouldn't want public money to be spent to facilitate trade (with Cuba)," Sanchez said.

Last year, Congress eased trade restrictions, allowing the exports of food, agricultural products and medicines to Cuba. That law took effect in February. However, Cuban President Fidel Castro has vowed not to buy one grain of rice from the United States until the entire ban is lifted, resulting in very few American companies taking advantage of the new law.

"We're not aware of any cargo that has left the Port of Houston bound for Cuba," Port spokeswoman Rosie Barrera said.



  



Port operations



Operations at the Port of Houston Authority in the first three months of this year, compared with the same period of 2000:



Total operating revenues



March 2001   $ 8,873,000

March 2000   $ 9,002,000

First 3 months of 2001   $ 25,512,000

First 3 months of 2000   $ 25,499,000



  



Net income



March 2001   $ 2,574,000

March 2000   $ 2,138,000

First 3 months of 2001   $ 8,456,000

First 3 months of 2000   $ 7,301,000



  



Automobile imports



First 3 months of 2001   17,967 units

First 3 months of 2000   13,818 units



  



Containers

(20-foot equivalent units)



First 3 months of 2001   259,423 units

First 3 months of 2000   264,340 units



  



Grain elevator

(wheat, milo and corn)



First 3 months of 2001   423,846 tons

First 3 months of 2000   501,002 tons



GRAPHIC: Graph: Port operations (TEXT); Source: Port of Houston Authority

TYPE: -LINKS-

LOAD-DATE: April 25, 2001