CUBANET ... CUBANEWS

April 25, 2000



Cuban diplomats hope for continued access to 6-year-old

By Ana Radelat. Special to The Herald. Published Tuesday, April 25, 2000, in the Miami Herald

WASHINGTON -- Cuban diplomats, who have visited Elian at Andrews Air Force base, hope to continue to have access to him when he and his immediate family make an expected move to a rural Maryland retreat later this week.

Luis Fernandez, spokesman for the Cuban Interests Section, said diplomats from the mission have visited Elian and his family at Andrews to bring them mango juice and clothes. ''Elian loves mango juice,'' he said.

He also said he didn't know if any U.S.-based Cuban diplomats will be able to stay with the family if they move to Wye Plantation on Maryland's rural Eastern Shore, but he said he felt fairly sure they will continue to have access to the boy. U.S. marshals will provide security at Wye, according to INS spokeswoman Maria Cardona.

''We need access in case we need to supply food or medicine,'' Fernandez explained.

Justice Department spokeswoman Carol Florman said Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, is ''making decisions for his family and making decisions about access to his family.''

Florman also said that Juan Miguel's attorney, Gregory Craig, is handling visits to Elian and his father. ''Craig is his liaison -- with the public, media and Justice Department,'' Florman said.

Wye Plantation, located about 70 miles from Washington, is a 1,100-acre conference center near the Chesapeake Bay, owned by the Aspen Institute, a nonprofit involved in foreign affairs.

Juan Miguel Gonzalez, his second wife Nercy and infant son Hianny stayed in seclusion with Elian at their small guest house at the air base near Washington.

Meanwhile, second cousin Marisleysis Gonzalez and Elian's great-uncles, Lazaro and Delfin Gonzalez, also kept a low profile. Emilio Vasquez, an official for the Cuban American National Foundation, said Elian's Miami relatives spent much of the rest of the day resting in their hotel in Georgetown.

''They're just exhausted,'' Vasquez said.

Marisleysis said she would continue to try to see Elian and his father, although earlier efforts have been rebuffed. ''I still keep my faith in being able to meet with the father,'' she told reporters.

Copyright 2000 Miami Herald

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