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Yahoo!
May 22, 2002.
Cuba lashes back at Bush administration
Wed May 22,12:21 Pm Et . By Anita Snow, Associated Press
Writer
HAVANA - The Cuban government said Wednesday that U.S. President George W.
Bush's hard-line statements and the State Department's "arbitrary"
decision to keep the Caribbean nation on its terrorism list are aimed at
appeasing Cuban-Americans and scaring U.S. citizens.
In its first formal response to Bush's Cuba policy speeches Monday and the
release of the terrorism list Tuesday, Cuba said Washington was undertaking "more
expenditures, more measures, more technologies to sow poison in our country."
"Just a few months ago, the American people were victim of a brutal
crime of this character," read a front-page editorial published in the
Communist Party daily Granma, referring to attacks on the World Trade Center and
the Pentagon (news - web sites).
In the wake of Sept. 11, the "repeated and arbitrary inclusion of Cuba
on the list" is designed to "induce terror and antipathy in American
citizens toward our country," the editorial said.
Cuba was among seven countries on the list, along with Iran, Iraq, Sudan,
Libya, North Korea (news - web sites) and Syria. At least 20 Basque militants
and several other terror suspects are given haven in Cuba, said the State
Department report.
Cuba says Washington keeps its country on the list to justify continued
support for more than four decades of U.S. restrictions on trade and travel to
the island nation.
Cuban President Fidel Castro insists he opposes terrorism of all kinds, and
officials here made a point of ensuring they signed all 12 United Nations
counter-terror conventions after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The decision to keep Cuba on the list was in keeping with Bush's hard-line
policies toward the communist country.
Bush said in Washington and Miami on Monday that he won't heed calls to lift
trade sanctions against Cuba unless Castro releases political prisoners,
conducts independently monitored elections and accepts a list of tough U.S.
conditions for a "new government that is fully democratic."
Bush's declarations came just a few days after former President Jimmy Carter
wrapped up a five-day visit here calling for an end to American trade and other
sanctions.
The Communist Party editorial said that Bush's speeches on Cuba this week "provoke
repugnance and disgust in our heroic people, more united and willing than ever
to fight."
"The arguments, deceits, tricks, demagoguery, lies and libels of Mr.
Bush will be crushed one by one," the editorial said. "It doesn't
matter how many days this tough battle of our long struggle lasts. We are
wrapped up in a great battle of ideas, in a struggle without precedent between
the truth and lies, ignorance and political and historical knowledge."
Cuban Refugee Leaps From Boat And Swims For It
Miami Herald | WPLG Click10.com. Wednesday May 22 08:56 AM
EDT
A Cuban refugee made a swim for it Tuesday night after jumping from a boat
that was loaded with eight other Cubans who were drifting toward Miami Beach.
That man made it to shore. He says he saw lights on land and jumped out of
the boat to swim toward those lights.
The refugee ended up on the beach at the Oceania condo complex on Sunny
Isles Beach where he was taken into custody.
At this hour we don't know the fate of the seven other Cubans on the boat.
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