Text: Bush Administration Opposes Legislative Efforts to Amend Cuba Policy
www.state.gov

(Powell and O'Neill would oppose easing embargo or travel ban) (1030)

In a July 11 joint letter to David Obey, ranking member of the House
of Representatives' Appropriations Committee, Secretary of State
Collin Powell and Secretary of Treasury Paul O'Neill wrote that the
Bush Administration would strongly oppose any legislative efforts to
ease U.S. sanctions against Cuba or to change restrictions on travel
to the island nation by U.S. citizens. They added that they would
recommend that the president veto any such legislation.

In their letter, the two cabinet secretaries noted that Cuba's trade
with other nations has done little to end its despotic practices. They
also cited Cuba's hostile relationship with the United States, and its
poor human, civil and political rights record. In addition, Powell and
O'Neill cited the State Department's classification of Cuba as a state
sponsor of terror. For all of these reasons, they said, circumstances
"do not support changing our position on trade with Cuba." The cabinet
secretaries argued that unrestricted tourist travel to Cuba would
benefit the Cuban government more than the Cuban people, and they
concluded that the current regime for licensing Americans to travel to
Cuba is appropriate.

The Bush Administration policy toward Cuba "continues to promote the
goal of a rapid and peaceful transition to democracy," according to
the joint communiqué. Bush challenged the Cuban government to enact
democratic and market reforms in his "Initiative for a New Cuba" in
May.

Following is the text of the joint letter issued by Secretary of State
Colin Powell and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill:

(begin text)

The Honorable David R. Obey
Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriations
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Obey:

We are writing to reiterate the Administration's strong opposition to
any legislative efforts that weaken the United States' current Cuba
policy by permitting U.S. citizens to finance the Cuban purchase of
American agricultural commodities or by changing the restrictions on
travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens. We would recommend that the President
veto such legislation if it reaches his desk.

Our Cuban policy recognizes that a relationship of continuing
hostility exists between the Government of Cuba and the United States.
Cuba has long been listed by the State Department as a state-sponsor
of terrorism. It continues to harbor fugitives from the American
justice system, and it supports international terrorist organizations.

International human rights organizations recognize that Cuba violates
internationally accepted standards of basic human rights in the
treatment of its own citizens. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights
recently addressed Cuba's egregious conduct by directing it to make
progress on human, civil, and political rights. And Cuba recently
responded to a grass-roots petition drive calling for a referendum on
fundamental freedoms for all Cubans by drumming up a sham petition
drive of its own that purported to show that the Cuban population
overwhelmingly waists to make "socialism" immutable in Cuba.

Current U.S. law allows Cuba to purchase agricultural commodities from
the U.S. on a cash basis (or with financing by a third county's
financial institutions). Some make the argument that expanding trade
might bring change to Cuba. But trade by other nations with Cuba has
brought no change to Cuba's despotic practices, and it has frequently
proved to be an unprofitable enterprise.

France, Spain, Italy, and Venezuela have suspended official credits,
because Cuba has failed to make payments on its debt including debt
incurred while making agricultural purchases from these countries. Two
governments have approached the U.S. to complain that Cuba's payments
of cash for U.S. agriculture products have meant that they are not
getting paid at all.

In sum, current economic circumstances in Cuba do not support changing
our position on trade with Cuba. Moreover, the lack of a sound
economic rationale makes it more likely that Castro would use any
liberalizing of our trade position for his political benefit.

Some argue that loosening travel restrictions to Cuba would help open
Cuba's closed society. On the contrary, unrestricted tourist travel by
U.S. citizens would benefit the Government of Cuba more than the Cuban
people. The existing licensing regime, which promotes outreach to the
Cuban people by facilitating humanitarian endeavors and activities
that involve both Cuban nationals and Americans, appropriately fits
current conditions.

The Cuban government has refused to cooperate with the global
coalition's efforts to combat terrorism, refusing to provide
information about al Qaeda. On November 13, 2002, Cuban Foreign
Minister Perez Rogue delivered a speech at the United Nations in which
he accused the United States of war atrocities in Afghanistan. And in
a June 8, 2002, speech, Castro slanderously compared President Bush's
terrorism policies to Nazi Germany's efforts to assert world hegemony,
suggesting that the Administration permitted the 9/11 attacks in order
to "reshape the world as they wish."

Our Cuba policy continues to promote the goal of a rapid and peaceful
transition to democracy in Cuba. On May 20, 2002, President Bush laid
out his "Initiative for a New Cuba," challenging the Cuban government
to take steps toward a democratic, free-market system that respects
human rights. President Bush has also indicated his intention to
continue our country's legacy of strong support for the Cuban
opposition. The Administration is determined to oppose any policy
action that would bolster the Cuban dictatorship.

Cuba has repeatedly demonstrated its implacable hostility to the
United States. It has a long history of espionage activities directed
against the U.S. The highest-ranking Cuba analyst in the Defense
Intelligence Agency confessed its march to having spied for Cuba for
16 years. And last year, seven Cuban spies were convicted of
conspiring to commit espionage against the United States, after being
caught seeking to infiltrate the U.S. Southern Command. Any easing of
the financing restrictions in the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export
Enhancement Act or any loosening of the restrictions on travel to Cuba
by America" would be inconsistent with our continuing and long-held
foreign policy objectives regarding Cuba.

Colin L. Powell
Secretary of State

Paul H. O'Neill
Secretary of Treasury

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

Annual Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Cuba 2002

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