U.S. lawmakers visit Cuba, hope for Gross release
HAVANA A high-level delegation of American lawmakers headed by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., arrived in Havana at midday on a two-day fact-finding mission that includes meetings with Cuban leaders and an expected visit with jailed U.S. contractor Alan Gross.
"We would love him [Gross] to be on the plane with us when we leave" Wednesday, said Leahy.
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However, speaking individually with members of the congressional delegation it was clear that they did not expect the Cubans to release Gross during their visit.
"Every one of us has an interest in Cuba and a number of us have been here over the years," said Leahy, who led a smaller delegation here a year ago with a similar purpose.
"I feel the same way I did before," Leahy said, "I would like to see relations improve between our countries. Both countries have to take steps" to make this happen.
Leahy said that the changes in Cuba between his 1999 visit to Cuba and his visit last year showed a "quantum jump" and he is eager to see what has been happening over the last 12 months.
Pressure builds to bring home an American jailed in Cuba
One step that the U.S. is stressing is the release of Gross who is serving a 15-year-sentence for smuggling illegal communication equipment into Cuba as part of a USAID democracy program. Leahy who met with Gross last year, noted that Gross's congressman, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., is in the group that flew in on a military plane.
The lawmakers expect to see outgoing National Assembly President and Communist Party Political Bureau member Ricardo Alarcon and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. A meeting with President Raul Castro appears likely and there will be meetings with Western diplomats posted here.
The delegation that includes Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz, and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., both of who have been visited Cuba on numerous occasions and long advocated changing U.S. policy, talked informally with a small group of reporters at the U.S. Interests Section, Washington's lone diplomatic outpost in Havana shortly after arriving.
Flake, a strong believer in free markets, has advocated lifting the U.S. trade embargo and visited the island some dozen times to promote agricultural trade.
Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., told reporters, "There's a tremendous amount we could do if we could trade back and forth...and it would be of benefit to both countries."
Leahy said the group was not here to negotiate with the Cuban government, "we have trained diplomats here who can do that but to listen and to go back and talk to the State Department" and others in Washington.
The delegation is interesting in seeing the economic changes implemented by Castro and gauging what political changes there might be.
The delegation, the first high-level U.S. visit since President Obama's reelection last November, was asked if they thought his second term presented an opportunity for change.
"There have been opportunities in the past," said Leahy. "[President Bill] Clinton wanted to do something but the shoot down (of an exile group's flight over the island) ended that," he said. "Now I think there is not a Cold War attitude in the U.S.," and that opens the possibility of change, he concluded.
McGovern also stressed it was time for "a new and more mature policy toward Cuba", adding, "I want Alan Gross released. I want Americans to be able to travel here freely."
Some staffers suggested that there might also be steps the U.S. could take to break the 50-plus years impasse in bilateral relations such as removing Cuba from the State Department list of terrorist countries.
Also on the delegation are Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
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1) The embargo has failed to achieve its intended goal. The Castro's are exceedingly rich and the populous is under great personal stress.
2) The Chinese government is making strides (via the Venezuelan Connection) to develop a fraternal relationship with the Cuban government.
We now have the opportunity to rid the island nation of HUGE potential threats to the US by normalizing relations with this impoverished nation and win the hearts and minds of the Cuban people to effect the changes the Embargo failed for over 50 years to do. Cuba, itself, is a loss to China and the former USSR. The only reason they take the loss on developing ties with Cuba, is its proximity to the US and we keep playing right into their hands.
As to the issue mentioned here, Mr. Gross was found guilty of violating Cuban law on unauthorized installation of radio frequency equipment (satellite phones) which here in the US (Telecommunications Act of 1996) carries a first time fine of up to $10,000 and prison time. Somewhere I read that a repeat offender can be fined as much as $100,000 and 10 years per offense. This does not include the US also lopping on "terrorist" fines and incarceration as well. I'm not sure why Mr. Gross deserves such preferential treatment here, but Mr. Gross is admittedly guilty of committing this offense in a sovereign nation. The correct and fair thing to do here is to ask Cuba (and for us to also) to agree to be bound by and submit Mr. Gross's case (and our Cuban 5 case) to an international court for disposition. This is the proper diplomatic solution to both issues.In Cuba, Mr. Gross DID do what he is accused of according to every account (even ours) and the Cuban 5 are accused of 1 activist in a murder and 4 conspirators as I have read it. I am also not sure Mr. Gross did not violate the OFAC "Trading with the Enemies" Act in providing technology in Cuba that the Cuban government could readily seize and use against the US. In allowing this behavior, the U.S. would be opening the doors to the importation of technology directly to the Cuban government via the guise of "Helping dissidents" with the seller notifying the Cuban government of the time, dates, and locations of shipment. We need to be really smart here. Does Cuba really still deserve to be the largest threat to the US with the annual expenditures required to enforce the embargo? For me, the answer is clear. Quit with all the personal agenda issues and normalize the relationship. Cuba is a far lessor threat than Venezuela...... they just do not have the oil Venezuela does.
Nice!
Nice!
They had no qualms doing capitalist transactions, such as selling Cuban cigars to Tom DeLay and others... so why is Cuba communist when they practice capitalism? (It's the same thing with China; they're just as communist, but a veneer of token capitalism is enough to fool many...)
go troll somewhere else