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The Miami Herald.
U.S. support of embargo on Cuba is holding -- but for how long?
By Tim Johnson. Tjohnson@herald.com. Posted on Sun, Dec.
22, 2002.
WASHINGTON - The White House held firm this year against a battering ram of
legislative proposals to weaken the four-decade-old embargo of Cuba, fending off
rising sentiment in Congress to allow greater trade with the island.
But the battle over U.S. policy toward Cuba is far from over. And while the
Republicans now control both chambers of Congress, pro-embargo and anti-embargo
forces may have plenty of queasy moments in the year ahead.
The outcome of the ongoing skirmish may depend partly on events as disparate
as agricultural commodity prices, the behavior of Cuban leader Fidel Castro,
Republican loyalty to South Florida's two Cuban-American legislators and the
fighting spirit of Rep. Tom DeLay, the incoming House majority leader. DeLay's
staunch support of the U.S. embargo has in large part helped derail legislative
efforts to weaken it.
For the time being, embargo supporters say they are satisfied with how the
year unfolded.
'PRETTY UPBEAT'
''We're pretty upbeat at the moment,'' said Dennis K. Hays of the Cuban
American National Foundation, an exile lobbying group that supports the embargo.
"We were successful -- very much so.''
A few months ago, the panorama was far different. For the third consecutive
year, and by a steadily increasing margin, legislators made clear that they
wanted the U.S. embargo relaxed.
In midsummer, the House voted 262-167 to halt funding to enforce a ban on
U.S. travel to Cuba. In two other amendments, it voted to lift a cap on family
remittances to Cuba and to allow private financing of farm sales. In the Senate,
two amendments would have weakened the travel ban and provided $3 million for
anti-narcotics cooperation with Cuba.
Given the legislative onslaught, pro-embargo forces were somewhat glum.
''It did look pretty dicey,'' Hays recalled.
In a surprising moment of candor, outgoing House Majority Leader Dick Armey
said in early August that he supported the U.S. embargo out of loyalty to fellow
Republican Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-Balart of South Florida,
but that U.S. sanctions against Cuba would not last much longer.
''If they last a year, it will be the last year they last,'' Armey said.
Since then, though, the exigencies of the legislative calendar have
torpedoed anti-embargo efforts. Congress went home last month without approving
11 of 13 appropriations bills, including the ones containing the amendments
related to Cuba. When Congress meets in January, Republican leaders are likely
to strip all controversial amendments, including those on the embargo, to speed
passage of an omnibus spending bill.
RANK-AND-FILE
Even so, the sentiment in the rank-and-file of Congress appears to be
growing to engage Cuba more actively.
''There's a tremendous amount of congressional momentum,'' said Jordan Press
of the Latin America Working Group, a policy organization in Washington that
opposes the embargo.
This year saw the formation of the Cuba Working Group, a bipartisan
coalition in the House fighting against the embargo that comprises 46
legislators, equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, a sign that Cuba policy
no longer falls sharply along partisan lines.
But while they won votes, anti-embargo legislators have little to show for
their efforts.
''The votes are there, yet the policy isn't changing,'' Press said. "That
causes a tremendous amount of indigestion. That's why the pro-engagement forces
will have their share of frustrations.''
If the dynamic on Capitol Hill changed, it is largely due to a Cuban
spending binge that began in late 2001 after Hurricane Michelle lashed the
island. The cash-only agricultural sales, permitted under a law enacted in late
2000, gave impetus on Capitol Hill to demands to weaken the embargo. By the end
of this year, Cuba will have spent some $165 million for U.S. agricultural
purchases, and it says it plans on buying $240 million in U.S. food in 2003.
Fidel Castro has spread the cash around, buying from at least 34 different
states and tantalizing farm-belt legislators with the prospect of greater sales.
''It's really fired up the agricultural community,'' Press said. "I
don't think it's any surprise that Cuba has decided to buy apples from
Washington state, rice from Arkansas and soybeans from Michigan.''
The regime appears to be gambling that Congress will not only weaken the
economic embargo but permit broad U.S. travel to Cuba, which would give the
island an infusion of tourist dollars.
Whether Cuba has the cash to keep up the food purchases in the coming year
is a matter of debate -- and may depend on such factors as grain and farm prices
and whether the Castro regime antagonizes Washington.
A senior Bush administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity,
said he believes the cash purchases by Cuba will soon ebb.
''Time's on our side because they [Cuban officials] are running out of
money. This whole ag thing is their Hail Mary pass,'' he said.
RELAXATION SIGNS
Even so, the administration is showing signs of relaxing some sales to Cuba,
such as farm equipment, as long as congressional leaders stand firm on a general
ban on U.S. citizen travel to Cuba.
''There's going to be some horse trading in the coming year,'' said John
Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. "The logic
is, if you are going to sell them dairy cows, why not sell them milking
machines?''
Kavulich said the drumbeat of legislative demands for changes in the
U.S.-Cuba commercial relationship are directly linked to the Cuban purchases
from the United States. ''If it increases, the pressure mounts. If it decreases,
the pressure lessens,'' he said.
Any changes in stance could be incremental
Tim Johnson. Posted on Sun, Dec. 22, 2002
WASHINGTON - If Congress were asked whether to retain the overall U.S.
embargo of Cuba or lift it, how would the votes fall?
Experts say it's hard to know for sure -- but anti-embargo sentiment is
gaining in the U.S. House, where just such a vote has occurred for the past
three consecutive years.
When Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., offered a proposal in 2000 to end funding
for enforcement of the Cuba embargo, the measure was soundly defeated 174-241.
In 2001, the same proposal came up again. The margin narrowed. The measure
was defeated 201-227. When Rangel's measure resurfaced this past July, the
proposal fell 204-226.
Similar up-or-down votes have not been recorded recently in the Senate.
Even if a majority of legislators sought to end the embargo of Cuba, a
pro-embargo White House could always veto such a measure.
Many observers say such an outcome is unlikely.
They say any weakening of the embargo may occur in incremental phases, given
the deep divisions over the issue and the importance of the matter to many
voters in Florida, a key battleground in presidential elections.
Striking crew of tanker is detained by Venezuela
By Christopher Toothaker. Associated Press. Posted on Sun,
Dec. 22, 2002
CARACAS - The government detained the striking crew of a tanker and moved
the gasoline-laden vessel toward port Saturday as the nationwide work stoppage
against President Hugo Chávez dried up Venezuela's gas supplies.
Leaders of the 20-day-old general strike accused Chávez of using a
Cuban crew to pilot the Pilín León, which had been moored offshore
after the crew joined the strike. Carlos Fernandez, a strike organizer and
president of the Fedecamaras business chamber, said the use of Cubans "violates
national sovereignty.''
A source at the Cuban Embassy in Caracas, speaking on condition of
anonymity, denied the assertion, calling it a ''lie.'' State TV said Venezuelans
were piloting the ship. Chávez's rivals often accuse the president of
being too close to communist Cuba.
Government security forces detained the Pilín León's captain
and crew Friday night, Cuiro Izarra, a manager of the state oil company, told
Globovision TV. On Saturday, the vessel was heading toward a port in Maracaibo
Lake.
The takeover of the vessel came as gasoline supplies in Venezuela began
drying up Saturday, creating a specter of food shortage. Britain joined the
United States and other nations in urging its citizens to leave Venezuela,
fearing shortages will spark violence.
The strike, launched Dec. 2 to force Chávez from office, has crippled
oil production in the world's fifth-largest exporter of crude and sent global
oil prices climbing.
Defense Minister Jose Luis Prieto went on TV to urge all striking oil
workers to obey a Supreme Court ruling ordering them to immediately return to
work. Otherwise, he said, they "will be subject to sanctions.''
Most gas stations were shut and the National Guard stationed at the few that
were open tried to keep impatient motorists in lines that were blocks long.
Sitting in his beat-up bus, Rafael Perez waited for a friend to arrive with
fuel.
''I don't sympathize with any side, but this strike is endangering all of
us,'' Perez muttered. "In a situation like this, we all lose.''
Afraid the gasoline shortage could affect the availability of food, many
people rushed to open-air street markets to stock up on supplies.
Leaders of the strike vowed to maintain the stoppage until Chávez
resigns or calls early elections. The president's opponents say he has
mismanaged the economy, widened class divisions and intends to impose a
Cuban-style leftist state in this South American country of 24 million.
The government is insisting that Chávez -- who isn't obligated to
submit to a referendum on his rule until next August -- would not bend.
As the strike wears on, the resolve among some of Chávez's opponents
seems to strengthen. Already, merchants, by keeping their stores closed, have
sacrificed profits during the peak Christmas buying season.
''I have faith that this strike will be a success with Chávez
leaving,'' said taxi driver Fabio Valencia. "I voted for him, and now I
regret it.''
In love with Christmas: 40 years after Cuba
By NERY YNCLAN. Nynclan@Herald.Com. Posted on Sun, Dec. 22,
2002
Miami lawyer Rafael Peñalver has traveled to 75 countries, from
Tahiti to Russia and hundreds of ports in between. He's walked with presidents
and prisoners and learned something from each of them. When he and his wife,
Ana, were married, the mayor of Monroe County shut down Duval Street for the
ceremony.
At 51, Peñalver clearly has been around. But when it comes to
Christmas, he can't forget the 9-year-old boy in Havana.
''My last Christmas in Cuba was in 1961, and I remember how we had to hide
to celebrate it because the government would take repressive action against
those who would openly celebrate,'' he says. "I remember my father bringing
home a tiny tree made of nothing more than branches and hiding it in the corner
of the dining room. It was a terrible thing to have to do. You appreciate
Christmas more when you have experienced not being able to celebrate it.''
Peñalver now has the freedom to celebrate, and it's evident in every
room of the historic Coral Gables home he shares with Ana and baby daughter Ana
Maria. The Christmas spirit lives here in deed and sentiment year round, but
come December the 1922 coral rock house, built by Gables founder George Merrick,
blooms in baubles of red and green and snowflake white.
The bronze dolphins outside wear Santa hats, the trees are skirted in
poinciana plants, and all the Christmas treasures collected here and around the
world light up the home's antiques.
Sharing their love of Christmas is an integral part of the Peñalver
family. Each year, Rafael and Ana buy a 30-inch nativity figure from Italy to
display at the Our Lady of Charity chapel in Coconut Grove (this year brings the
angel). They also open up their home to guided tours of hundreds of history
buffs who want to see the second-oldest house in the Gables; they host a
month-long series of parties for family and friends; and come Christmas Eve,
they plan to hold a midnight Mass on the back patio.
It's no surprise one of the first gifts Peñalver gave his future wife
was a box of Christmas ornaments.
''Some women would have wanted something else, but I just thought they were
beautiful,'' says Ana Peñalver, 39, of the glass ornaments decorated with
the Twelve Days of Christmas song characters. Her one-month anniversary gift to
her husband: a baby Jesus made in Italy.
The couple is so crazy for Christmas their winter wedding in 1999 was
fashioned for the holidays in red, green and gold. Their house continues the
tribute each season with holiday quilts, five Christmas trees (including a New
York tree with taxi cabs and landmarks and a Paris tree complete with cheese and
wine), a seven-foot nutcracker and a Christmas village so big that Peñalver
whisks baby daughter Ana Maria over the town like Peter Pan searching for a
naughty Tinkerbell.
''She loves to fly over the village and she's mesmerized by the whole thing
-- and so is her dad,'' says Ana Peñalver, adding that Ana Maria will
have a brother or sister come June.
EARLY POLITICS
As a teenager, Rafael Peñalver got a taste of public service and
politics when he was selected the nation's Outstanding Teenager of America in
1969. The Christopher Columbus High School senior was honored in Washington by
President Richard Nixon and then invited by the outgoing president, Lyndon
Johnson, to spend Thanksgiving weekend at his Texas ranch.
Today, Peñalver specializes in real estate and international law. He
walked into the national spotlight as the lead negotiator of the Cuban prison
riots in Oakdale, La., and Atlanta in 1987. In the years that followed, with the
help of law students from around the country, Peñalver reviewed pro bono
some 5,000 cases of indefinitely detained prisoners and was able to get nearly
90 percent released.
Then he turned his full attention to saving and restoring the San Carlos
Institute, a Cuban cultural center established in Key West in 1871. His 14 years
of work on the San Carlos project prompted the civil ceremony in front of the
Key West museum the day before the Peñalvers' church wedding in 1999.
Mayor Wilhelmina Harvey married the couple on Duval Street under a gazebo like
the Sound of Music, their favorite movie.
Six years ago, Peñalver helped found the Rafael Peñalver State
Clinic in Little Havana, named after his father, which sees some 400 indigent
patients each day.
In the mid '80s, he served on the state's preservation council and worked to
save the historic fountains and walls of Coral Gables. Seventeen years later, he
would buy the house behind the Balboa wall entrance to Coral Gables on South
Greenway Drive, just off Coral Way.
DEDICATED TO SERVICE
''Theirs is a very special family,'' says Bishop Agustín Román.
"They live a happy life dedicated to service. I think they have a model
marriage.
''Rafael is a man committed to justice but at the same time a very
compassionate man,'' says the bishop. "What he did for those prisoners can
never be repaid. And Ana is extraordinary as well. It's very difficult to follow
a man so civically involved with so many meetings and obligations. Not too many
girlfriends would understand that.''
Peñalver has never run for office -- he says he feels a calling for
public service and would love the opportunity, but he dislikes the idea of
fundraising.
''One thing I really value is my freedom,'' he says. "When I speak out
on an issue, people know it's really from my heart. The fundraising part is the
one thing I think is bad about our political system.''
Peñalver credits the work of his banker wife, a vice president with
Coutts International, and his law partner, sister Aurora, with allowing him the
time for his pro bono causes.
MEMORY LANE
With cell phone calls buzzing in regularly and several days worth of
Christmas decorations to put up, somehow the busy attorney still revels in
detailing the meaning of the collection of miniature houses, ponds and
characters that take up half of his Florida room.
''It's all a reproduction of real places that we've been to,'' he says of
the home's holiday village. "There's the Sound of Music house with the Von
Trapp family climbing the mountain, and there they are getting married at the
church. There's the Hofburg Castle in Fussen, Germany. Here's Kitzbuhel in
Austria where I used to go skiing.''
The list goes on because the couples' travels are extensive. Peñalver,
a lifelong wanderer, wants to return to all the countries he's visited because
he loves making strangers friends.
''In Bali I had planned to stay three days but ended staying two weeks in a
village with the principal of a school there who invited me to visit,'' he says.
"In Moscow, I befriended the taxi driver and ended up having dinner at
the taxi driver's house. In India I sat on the bank of the Ganges River with a
guru for eight hours. I came to understand the diversity of philosophies and
that each of them has meaning and value and goodness.''
Peñalver says he keeps in touch with people from all over the world
by e-mail and visits.
''Right now in our house in Sanibel Island, I have friends from France,'' he
says. "I have tons of friends in Australia. We have Russian friends who
came down. We love to host. We have a cottage in the back where guests can have
their own place.''
The cottage is decorated in a Thailand theme with ornate bird cages, dolls
and dark furniture except for the Christmas tree covered in Santa Clauses from
around the world.
Ana Peñalver, in charge of her bank's business with Venezuela and
Panama, has also done her share of traveling. When the couple teamed up, the
frequent-flyer miles skyrocketed.
''Our first year of marriage we were on a plane every month,'' she says. "He
has a vein of adventure and spontaneity that we never know what the next 10
minutes will bring. He's very driven but also very sensitive. You see it in his
love of Christmas.''
NO TRAVEL TO CUBA
On this day, Peñalver has found an attractive $165 online fare to New
York, but resists the temptation -- too much to do.
''Ironically, the one place that I would love to travel to the most is my
homeland, and I cannot travel there,'' says Peñalver, who keeps in touch
with many Cuban dissidents. "I feel that I cannot contribute my money to
the repressive mechanism that keeps Fidel Castro in power.
"I compare what my life would have been if I had stayed behind, and
that's why I dedicate so much of my life to the cause of Cuba's freedom. I
really feel for those classmates of mine from third and fourth grades who remain
behind, when I see how limited and restricted their lives have been compared to
my life of limitless horizons. I feel truly blessed.'' | 
