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September 19, 2002.
Cuba blasts US on obstruction charge
Thu Sep 19, 2:01 Am Et. By Priscilla Cheung, Associated
Press Writer
In a tough statement, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said
Wednesday that the allegations were "false and slanderous."
He challenged President Bush's administration "to produce a single
piece of evidence" supporting its claims.
"I believe these statements are the result of a calculated attempt to
divert attention and deceive the American people, to try to maintain the policy
of blockade and pressure against Cuba," Perez Roque said at a news
conference.
"The U.S. government is desperately grasping at a straw with (the
allegations) by trying to confuse the public opinion that is already convinced
of the failure of the embargo against Cuba," he added.
Perez Roque was responding to accusations Tuesday by Dan Fisk, the deputy
assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, that Cuba "was
seeking to misdirect the investigation" following the Sept. 11 terror
attacks.
In an address in Washington, Fisk said tips from Cuba have been arriving
almost monthly, leading American investigators on "intentional wild goose
chases" and diverting resources from legitimate targets.
Fisk said that despite Cuba's friendly ties with nations like Iran, Iraq and
Syria, Havana had provided the United States with "nothing of value,"
and charged that Castro's government was "actually impeding our efforts to
defeat the threat of terrorism."
"This is obstructionism," Fisk said. Castro "knows which side
he is on — and it is not ours."
Speaking in New York, where he is attending the 10-day annual U.N. General
Assembly debate, Perez Roque said Fisk "was lying with impudence."
"All of his accusations against Cuba are false and slanderous. It is a
colossal lie, just like when they fabricated that Cuba was a terrorist state and
that we were producing biological weapons," he said.
Perez Roque refused to say what kind of intelligence — if any —
Cuba has provided Washington, citing "discretion and confidentiality."
Asked what action Cuba would take now, he said: "We will see how the
situation evolves. We will follow the reaction of Mr. Fisk."
Meanwhile, Cuba will continue to share intelligence and cooperate in the
international fight against terrorism, he added.
Despite Bush's tough line on Cuba, support for trade sanctions against
Castro's regime is crumbling in Congress.
The House of Representatives in late July approved proposals by two
Republican lawmakers that, while leaving the embargo in place, would effectively
ease travel and trade restrictions.
The Senate is considering similar changes easing the embargo, which was put
in place shortly after Castro defeated the CIA-backed invasion at the Bay of
Pigs in 1961.
Fisk's statement was an attempt "to prevent adoption of amendments in
the U.S. Senate" to ease the sanctions, Perez Roque said. "An issue as
serious and essential to all of us as international cooperation in the fight
against terrorism should not be manipulated for political reasons."
Perez Roque also spoke out against any unilateral military action against
Iraq.
"The government of the United States is not entitled under
international law to declare war unilaterally against the country," he
said. "Within the international community, with the exception of the United
States, nobody is thinking about taking military action against Iraq."
U.S., Cuba exchange fire over charges
Thu Sep 19, 3:20 AM ET. By KEITH EPSTEIN,
kepstein@tampatrib.com
WASHINGTON - Fidel Castro's foreign minister on Wednesday accused the Bush
administration of fabricating a Cuban plot to disrupt U.S. antiterrorism
efforts, even as a State Department official added to accusations against the
regime.
In remarks to The Tampa Tribune, the State Department official, Daniel W.
Fisk, asserted that starting Sept. 11 Cuban agents systematically approached
officials at U.S. embassies with false warnings of "pending attacks on U.S.
and other Western interests.''
Full story at Tampa
Bay Online
U.S. beats Cuba in Women's World Basketball Championship
By MARTIN FACKLER, Associated Press Writer .Wed Sep
18,12:14 PM ET
CHANGZHOU, China - Lisa Leslie scored 20 points and Sheryl Swoopes added 19
to lead the United States to an 87-44 victory over Cuba on Wednesday in the
Women's World Basketball Championship.
The win advanced the defending champions to 4-0 as the tournament entered
the second round, being played in the eastern Chinese city of Changzhou.
The Americans face South Korea on Thursday, a more formidable opponent with
a lethal offense.
"We definitely have to look at South Korea tomorrow night," said
U.S. guard Tamecka Dixon. "They can shoot from all five positions. If they
get hot, it's trouble."
"We need to play strong defense tomorrow," said Dixon, who plays
in the WBA Los Angeles Sparks.
The United States fell behind early in the first quarter, as Cuba's Cariola
Garcia sank the first basket of the night. At one point, the Cubans were up 9-8.
But the U.S. women rallied after Swoopes snatched a rebound and quickly
scored from under Cuba's net to seize the lead.
Swoopes, a 6-0 (183 centimeter) guard from the Houston Comets, scored 14
points in the first quarter alone to help widen the U.S. lead to 26-13 by the
quarter's end.
The U.S. defense shut down Cuba's attack. Lone Cubans in white jerseys often
found themselves surrounded by a wall of three red-shirted Americans as they
tried to approach the U.S. net.
The Americans blocked several Cuban shots, repeatedly stealing the ball and
quickly counterattacking to score. In the second quarter, Swoopes stripped the
ball from a Cuban player, ran down court and fired a three-pointer.
"We had tremendous defense and good rebounding," said U.S. head
coach Van Chancellor. "I thought Swoopes was outstanding tonight."
As the American lead widened into a blowout, the mostly Chinese crowd began
to cheer for the underdog Cubans. They roared when Cuba scored, and moaned when
American players stole the ball. But clapped appreciatively when the Americans
scored.
Yuliseni Baro and Yamilet Calderon led Cuba with 10 points each.
After the game, Chancellor singled out Calderon and teammate Licet Iglesia
for praise.
"I was impressed with numbers 13 and 11. I thought they could play in
the WBA."
Cuba's defense also pulled together in the third and fourth quarters to slow
the American onslaught. More than once, the shot clock expired while U.S.
players futilely passed the ball around, unable to find a weak point in the
Cuban defense.
"At times our offense was a little stagnant," Dixon said after the
game. "We need to run our offense."
The American women are looking for their seventh gold medal since the first
world championship in 1953. They won the last championship, in 1998 in Germany.
In other games, Sydney Olympic silver medalist Australia defeated Yugoslavia
93-82, host China beat Spain 72-59, and Brazil topped Argentina 85-39. Russia
thrashed South Korea 92-47.
The championship final will be played Sept. 25.
Tropical Storm Isidore leaves Jamaica and heads toward Cuba; could
become hurricane in a day
Thu Sep 19, 7:40 Am Et. By Vivian Tyson, Associated Press
Writer.
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica - Tropical Storm Isidore moved away from Jamaica and
inched its way toward Cuba, with forecasters saying the storm could soon reach
hurricane strength.
The Cuban government issued a hurricane warning Wednesday for central and
western Cuba and a hurricane watch for several other parts of the island, the
U.S. National Weather Service said.
"It will very likely be upgraded to a hurricane in the course of the
night," Weather Service forecaster Jorge Aguirre said. "There's
nothing to impede it."
Aguirre said the storm, aided by warm temperatures and a high pressure
system, was expected to brush Cuba's western tip by Thursday.
At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT), Isidore was located about 65 miles (105
kilometers) northeast of Grand Cayman. The storm was moving northwest at 12 mph
(19 kph) and could reach western Cuba as a hurricane later Thursday as it moves
into the Gulf of Mexico, said forecaster Trish Wallace of the National Hurricane
Center in Miami.
Isidore's maximum wind speeds reached 65 mph (105 kph) by early Thursday,
forecasters said. Tropical storms become hurricanes when wind speeds reach 74
mph (119 kph).
Rains diminished over Jamaica, where the government discontinued a tropical
storm warning for the island early Thursday.
Heavy rains should spread over portions of central and western Cuba
Thursday, and a hurricane warning was in effect for those areas, forecasters
said.
A tropical storm warning remained in effect for the Cayman Islands.
If Isidore becomes a hurricane, it will be the second tropical storm to do
so in the 2002 season. Gustav, which diminished in the north Atlantic earlier
this month, was the first hurricane of the 2002 season.
The 2002 Atlantic hurricane season began June 1 and ends Nov. 30.
On the Net:
National Hurricane Center:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ | 
