By Jay Amberg Bloomberg Lifestyles. Wed, 20 Jun 2001,
12:24pm EDT. Bloomberg.com
New York, June 19 -- Members of the U.S. Congress have exempted themselves
from U.S. Department of the Treasury regulations that determine the value of
Cuban produced products that can legally be brought back to the U.S., according
to the New York-based U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council Inc.
The Congressional Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the U.S.
House of Representatives recently authorized the exemption.
What this means, according to John S. Kavulich II, president of the council,
is that members of Congress, following a licensed trip to Cuba, could bring
back more Cuban cigars or other Cuban products than are currently permitted by
U.S. Treasury regulations.
"Members of Congress, including members of the U.S. Senate, under
separate rules, have been permitted to retain boxes of Cohiba brand and other
Cuban produced cigar brands, some of which have been signed by Fidel Castro, the
president of the Republic of Cuba,'' Kavulich said.
"A box of Cohiba brand cigars signed by Castro is generally valued at
more than $1,000,'' he said.
According to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the office that
regulates the U.S. economic embargo against Cuba, individuals subject to U.S.
law, including members of the U.S. Congress, travel to Cuba under the auspices
of either an OFAC "General License'' or an OFAC "Specific License.''
They are permitted to return with up to $100 worth of Cuban- origin products
(cigars, rum, T-shirts, crafts, etc.) for their personal use.
Kavulich said while the U.S. Customs Service permits returning U.S. citizens
to bring back up to 100 Cuban cigars, the total value of the cigars can't
exceed the OFAC's $100 maximum for licensed travelers returning from the
island.
For a complete overview of OFAC rules and regulations pertaining to travel
to Cuba by U.S. citizens, see http://www.treas.gov/ofac/, or the U.S. State
Department Cuba travel site at
http://www.state.gov/www/regions/wha/cuba/travel.html
The U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council is a private not-for- profit
corporation which doesn't take position with respect to U.S. and Cuban political
relations.
©2001 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved.
NOTE
On June 25, 2001, an article appeared in The Washington Post, commenting
that the House ethics committee have said that the story wasn't true.
Read
the article (Washington Post's article will expire after a limited time)
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