Castro ends '24-hour truce'
Published Monday, April 24, 2000, in the Miami Herald
HAVANA -- (EFE) -- Cuban President Fidel Castro said Sunday that he offered the United States ``a 24-hour truce,'' but now ``life is back to what it has been for the past 41 years'' without any progress in bilateral relations.
Castro had told reporters on the eve of the Bay of Pigs invasion anniversary that Saturday would be ``a day of truce, maybe the only one in 41 years'' between Cuba and the United States.
``I meant to say that I did not want to make harsh criticisms of the U.S. government, it did not seem appropriate at a time when it had done something just,'' Castro said concerning the Saturday morning operation that snatched Elian Gonzalez from his Miami relatives.
Castro said, however, that the United States ``was the driving force behind something that we are discussing, like the resolution'' approved last week by the U.N. Human Rights Commission against Cuba.
Still in effect are the Cuban Adjustment Act, which benefits Cuban immigrants, the Torricelli law, which reinforces the economic embargo, as well as ``the blockade, the economic war and the harassment,'' Castro added.
``I offered a 24-hour truce, although yesterday we remembered an invasion that was organized in the United States and of which we can talk a great deal but opted not to.''
Castro said he had changed the speech he had in mind after what happened in Miami, adding that there was no intention of calling the boy's case a ``victory.''
Asked whether Cuban-U.S. relations had improved, Castro said, ``No, absolutely not.''
Grandparents in Cuba at rally with Castro
Published Sunday, April 23, 2000, in the Miami Herald
From Herald Staff and Wire Reports
President Fidel Castro was the featured speaker Saturday evening at a rally in Jagüey Grande, 120 miles southeast of Havana, where about 40,000 Cubans demanded the return of Elian Gonzalez to the island.
Castro arrived accompanied by several of Elian's relatives, including Juan Gonzalez, the boy's paternal grandfather; Mariela Quintana, paternal grandmother; and Raquel Rodriguez, maternal grandmother.
``We still have a long road to travel, but we are eternally grateful for your support,'' the grandfather told the crowd.
The grandmothers also thanked the demonstrators, ``President Clinton, Mrs. [Janet] Reno'' and the American people, ``who have helped us so much in this struggle.''
Early in the day, jubilation mixed with nervousness spread through Cuba after news of Elian's extraction from the home of his Miami relatives. Government radio asked Cubans to stay calm and abstain from staging street demonstrations.
``This is the happiest day in my life,'' the grandfather said in a radio interview from Cardenas, the family's hometown. ``My son [Juan Miguel] phoned me from Washington about 5:30 a.m. and gave me the news.
``Imagine, we were extremely happy. The neighbors found out and everyone came over to our house,'' the grandfather said.
Raquel Rodriguez, Elian's maternal grandmother, told Cuban television that her daughter, Elisabeth Brotons, ``now can rest in peace.''
Brotons, Elian's mother, and 10 other people drowned in November while trying to cross the Straits of Florida.
``I know that's what my daughter would have liked -- for Elian to be with his father and his entire true family,'' Rodriguez said from Cardenas.
Cubans were awakened by the radio at 6:45 a.m. local time with an announcement from the government that told about ``Elian's rescue.''
The broadcast said the operation lasted between three and five minutes and that the agents ``barely met with resistance'' from the people in Lazaro Gonzalez's house.
``The boy's return to his father was a favorable turn toward a just, honorable and correct solution of the problem,'' the radio said.
In a second broadcast, the government asked ``our heroic, disciplined and intelligent people'' to abstain from ``carrying out public demonstrations'' and said Elian ``is all right, on the plane, and playing with one of the people who accompany him.''
Cubans' ``attitude should be serene, discreet and dignified. Any other form of conduct could weigh negatively on the future evolution of the situation,'' the government message said. ``Let us not forget that the judicial process that was decreed is still pending.''
However, the message added, ``the need to fight for Elian is not over yet.''
The news came too late for Cuban newspapers to publish reports about the extraction, but the Internet edition of Granma, the Communist Party daily, featured a large photograph of the boy being taken out of the house in the arms of a woman and surrounded by Border Patrol and Immigration Service
agents.
In a later edition, Granma replaced that photo with a picture of Elian in his father's arms, accompanied by his stepmother Nersy and half-brother Hianny. The image was provided to American news outlets by Greg Craig, Juan Miguel Gonzalez's attorney.
The widely disseminated Associated Press photograph of a Border Patrol agent pointing a sub-machine gun at Elian and Donato Dalrymple, one of the fishermen who rescued Elian at sea, was not shown by Cuban TV.
Herald staff translator Renato Perez contributed to this report.
As angry protests dwindle, strike called for Tuesday
By Manny Garcia, Carolyn Salazar And Andres Viglucci, aviglucci@herald.com
It took five months for the custody battle over Elian Gonzalez to build to a tense standoff. It took federal agents less than three minutes to end it.
In a cleanly executed predawn raid that caught Elian's Miami relatives off guard, armed and helmeted U.S. Border Patrol officers pushed aside a handful of demonstrators to batter in the door of their Little Havana home. At gunpoint, they took the boy from the grip of his Thanksgiving Day
rescuer, fisherman Donato Dalrymple.
``We're taking you to see your papa,'' a Spanish-speaking female agent, Betty Mills, told the terrified boy as she carried him out of the house to a government van.
Before most of Miami awoke Saturday to what had occurred, Elian had been reunited with his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, D.C.
Gonzalez, who asked U.S. officials for five minutes alone with his son, boarded the airplane that brought Elian from Homestead Air Reserve Base. He emerged carrying the boy, who held his father in a bear hug, arms and legs wrapped tightly around him, Immigration and Naturalization Service
officials said.
The government said Elian, his father, stepmother and half-brother would spend ``a couple of days'' at base housing to allow them time together in private.
As stunning images from the raid were almost instantly and repeatedly broadcast on TV here and across the world, angry protesters began roaming Miami's Flagler Street corridor, upsetting trash bins in the street and setting tires and debris afire at scores of locations.
Riot-clad police showed little tolerance for the disruptions, gassing those who defied orders to clear out, and arresting more than 250 people by 9 p.m. Three officers were injured when a demonstrator attacked them with a bat.
By late afternoon, the protests had dwindled to sporadic outbursts. At an evening news conference, Miami Mayor Joe Carollo and Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas urged calm. Cuban exile leaders called for a general strike on Tuesday.
CLINTON'S SUPPORT
In Washington, President Clinton expressed firm support for U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno's decision to send the agents into the house.
``I believed that it was the right thing to do,'' the president told reporters outside the White House. ``I hope that with time and support, Elian and his father will have the opportunity to be a strong family again.''
In Cuba, President Fidel Castro vowed not to use Elian as ``a trophy'' and pledged ``no celebrations, nothing'' when he returns to Cuba.
The reunion, however, does not put an end to the Miami relatives' efforts to keep Elian in the United States. A federal appeals court in Atlanta has set a hearing for May 11 and ordered the boy to stay in the country until it rules on a pending appeal by the relatives.
The relatives want to force the government to give Elian an asylum hearing, but the chances of that occurring would seem in doubt with the child back in his father's custody.
Elian's relatives, looking shellshocked and exhausted hours after the 5:15 a.m. raid, boarded a midday flight to Washington, where they hoped to be allowed to see Elian. The family showed up at the military base gate at 6:45 p.m. in two vans. They were turned away. Elian's father said ``no, for
now,'' an INS official said.
HOUSE READY
However, the official said, an adjacent house at the base is ready if the father agrees to a visit from his relatives.
The attorney general ordered the boy's removal by force after all-night negotiations mediated by local civic leaders failed to resolve the central issue in the impasse -- how the Miami relatives would turn over Elian to his father, who two weeks ago flew to Washington from Cuba to await a
promised reunification.
The raid was a scenario federal officials had for weeks gone to great lengths to avoid, a posture that brought Reno criticism for perceived inaction.
But it was the end that seemed more likely once Elian's great-uncle Lazaro Gonzalez defied a direct government order to surrender the boy.
Two indelible and sharply contrasting images will forever define the morning's dramatic and dizzying events:
An Associated Press photo of a helmeted Border Patrol officer leveling a submachine gun while a frightened-looking Elian and Dalrymple attempt to squeeze into a bedroom closet.
And -- about six hours later -- another photo of a smiling Elian in the arms of his father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez. The amateur photo was released by Gonzalez's attorney, Gregory Craig, who said Elian showed little sign of trauma and acted happy to see his dad and family.
An INS official said Mills, the agent who escorted Elian from Miami to Andrews, described Elian as ``happily playing on the floor of the house with the toys that we provided.''
PROTESTERS AT BASE
About 50 protesters were gathered at the gates of the base with Cuban and American flags. Only two supported the government's action.
The raid and the images from it now seem likely to be dissected and debated for months to come.
Many Americans sighed with relief that the long siege, which dominated the news for weeks, was finally over. Others, even some who supported the boy's reunification with his father, expressed shock at the government's show of force.
In Miami-Dade County, the raid prompted cries of outrage among Cuban Americans, the relatives and supporters, who called the use of force excessive.
As soon as demonstrators outside the relatives' house realized that Elian had been carried away they began throwing rocks, bottles and debris at the retreating government caravan. Federal agents tear-gassed them. Some huddled together sobbing, while others shouted insults at police, Reno and
Clinton.
Throughout the morning, Elian's cousin, Marisleysis Gonzalez, who regarded herself as the boy's surrogate mother, wept through interview after interview, denouncing government officials as ``dogs'' in a hoarse voice.
MEDIATORS' EFFORT
The relatives and a group of mediators who tried to forge a last-minute compromise for a peaceful hand-over, including University of Miami President Edward T. Foote II, said they felt betrayed by Reno. They said they believed they were close to an agreement, with prominent Miami lawyer Aaron
Podhurst on the phone with Reno when the raid occurred.
``As those conversations were ongoing, the raid took place,'' said Rene Murai, a lawyer and member of the Mesa Redonda group, two of whose members were acting as mediators in the negotiations. ``Our members were operating in good faith and all of a sudden the raid took place in the midst of
these negotiations.''
Reno, however, was unequivocal: The relatives kept ``moving the goal posts'' each time an agreement seemed near, and she and her advisors reluctantly concluded around 4 a.m. that further negotiation would be fruitless.
``This has been a very emotional case for everyone involved,'' Reno said. ``The most important thing is that Elian is safe and that no one was seriously hurt.''
It was expected that Juan Miguel Gonzalez, his wife and 6-month-old baby would move out of the home of a Cuban diplomat where they have been living since arriving in Washington. One possible location is the Wye Plantation in Maryland.
``Let us give him and his father the space, the calm, the moral support they need to reconnect and reaffirm their bond between father and son,'' Reno said.
INITIAL PROMISE
Federal officials had initially promised no surprise assaults on the Little Havana family if they had to pick up Elian.
But Reno said the covert operation, and the use of heavy arms in the raid, became necessary given Lazaro Gonzalez's defiant attitude, and intelligence reports of weapons in the Miami relatives' house and in nearby homes.
On Thursday night, Marisleysis, according to a Justice Department official, told a member of the agency's Community Relations Service: ``You think we just have cameras in the house? If people try to come in, they could be hurt.''
Though relatives and supporters of the family complained that agents were rough and used abusive language, Reno cited the fact that no one was hurt as evidence the raid was appropriately carried out.
She indicated that the agent photographed confronting Dalrymple in the closet with Elian had his gun ``pointed to the side'' and his ``finger was not on the trigger.''
Experts who analyzed the photo confirmed Reno's description, and said the rifle's safety was engaged, meaning the weapon could not have been fired.
Herald staff writers Sandra Marquez Garcia and Carol Rosenberg, Herald writers Jasmine Kripalani, Mireidy Fernandez and Diana Marrero, and Herald wire services contributed to this report.
Debate continues over Elian Gonzalez's removal
he decision by Attorney General Janet Reno forceably to remove Elian Gonzalez from the home of his Miami relatives ignited local and nationwide comment. Here is a sampling from community organizations, political leaders and national media:
The New York Times: ``The sight of heavily armed federal agents breaking into Lazaro Gonzalez's Miami home . . . is likely to haunt the country for years to come. [The attorney general] should have given the two branches of the Gonzalez family more time to try to resolve the case amicably, and
she should have applied more legal pressure on the Miami relatives before battering down their door to remove Elian.''
Mesa Redonda, an organization of Miami's Hispanic business leaders: ``We strongly condemn the federal raid that took Elian Gonzalez from his family in Miami. The raid was carried out with excessive force, which was unnecessary. Members of our group negotiated an agreement in good faith with the
attorney general. As the deal was about to be concluded, the government, in bad faith and without warning, forcefully removed the child from the home.''
The Boston Globe: ``No one likes to see armed men break down the door and snatch a traumatized boy, but make no mistake about it: Justice and right were served in the early hours of Saturday morning in the Little Havana section of Miami.''
The Los Angeles Times: ``No matter how fervently Miami's Cuban Americans wave the photo of the armed and armored marshal, other images will supersede it. A photo shot later in the day shows a smiling Elian embracing his dad, a far cry from the traumatic scenes in Little Havana before dawn. This
drama has not ended, but it's taken a positive turn.''
The Republican Party of Florida: ``The armed seizure of Elian Gonzalez of Miami was a travesty of justice and showed a total lack of respect for the rule of law. It was especially egregious on a weekend of great religious significance . . . President Clinton [had] assured that this matter would
be handled in a voluntary way without force. Apparently he lied . . . Attorney General Janet Reno . . . should be asked to resign immediately.''
A shocking raid, a call for calm
The Herald rarely publishes editorials on the front page. We believe this event warrants an exception. -- The Publisher
In the aftermath of Saturday's shocking predawn raid by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, it is imperative that Miami remain calm. Only the Cuban government and its dictator benefit from violent behavior that brings shame to this community.
Miami needs a complete accounting of the events preceding the raid. The scenes of overwhelming force from yesterday at dawn shock the conscience. A separate question is whether the raid was even necessary, or if it was a betrayal of those who were on the verge of achieving a peaceful transfer.
Even as agents were battering down the door to enter the Lazaro Gonzalez house at 5:10 a.m., Attorney General Janet Reno was on the telephone with one of Miami's most respected civic leaders, Aaron Podhurst, discussing the shift of Elian's custody. Mr. Podhurst and others -- including University
of Miami President Edward T. ''Tad'' Foote II and business executives Carlos de la Cruz and Carlos Saladrigas -- had worked round the clock over the preceding 48 hours as mediators between the government and the Miami family to arrange for the transfer.
They believed enormous progress had been made and that the deal was within grasp. Ms. Reno's claim that the Miami relatives ''kept moving the goalposts'' is vehemently contested by Mr. Podhurst, her friend for 30 years. ''The goalposts were moved by them,'' a disconsolate Mr. Podhurst said
Saturday. ''I've never been more devastated in my entire life.''
The evidence clearly suggests that the Miami relatives were at last prepared to voluntarily deliver Elian to his father within a very short time. A full and independent investigation of this matter is warranted.
We have supported Juan Miguel Gonzalez's desire to be reunited with his son since he arrived in the United States. But achieving that goal yesterday does not justify the trauma that was inflicted on our community.
As always, Elian's best interests must remain at the heart of all decisions. The attorney general, having demonstrated the awesome power of the federal government, should continue her involvement by implementing the essential elements of the deal to which the Miami family had agreed Friday
night: Keep Elian with his father in a safe place beyond the control of Cuban operatives and use her best efforts to bring about access to and reconciliation there with the Miami relatives. That would be a welcomed antidote.
The message of Easter, after all, is that hope triumphs over despair.
Copyright 2000 Miami Herald |