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NEWS
The
Miami Herald
Castro foes testify, support the U.S.
In a first-ever phone
link, three top Cuban dissidents testified
before members of Congress and endorsed
President Bush's tough anti-Castro policies.
By Pablo Bachelet, pbachelet@herald.com.
Posted on Fri, Mar. 04, 2005.
WASHINGTON - Three top dissidents in Havana
testified before two congressional panels
Thursday in the first use of a phone link
to bring the words of Fidel Castro's domestic
opponents directly to American lawmakers.
Martha Beatriz Roque, René Gómez
and Félix Bonne used the occasion
to strongly endorse President Bush's hard-line
policies on Cuba, including restrictions
that make it harder for Cuban Americans
to visit relatives on the island.
The hearing marked the second anniversary
of a Cuban government crackdown in 2003
that sent 75 dissidents to long jail terms,
a move that prompted Bush to tighten travel
and trade restrictions on the island.
Roque, who was among the 75, was sentenced
to 20 years in prison but was released last
year for health reasons.
She said she has been warned by Cuban officials
that she could be rearrested if she did
not behave, but continues speaking out against
the Cuban leader.
The three dissidents, who spoke from the
U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana, belong
to the Assembly to Promote a Civil Society,
a group that is trying to organize a May
20 gathering of more than 300 dissident
groups in Havana to discuss a possible transition
to democracy.
Roque, Gómez and Bonne were praised
by lawmakers for their courage in testifying
before a joint meeting of two House subcommittees,
one on international relations and the other
on Africa, human rights and international
operations. Several referred to them as
"heroes.''
''I want to extend my gratitude, in addition
to my most profound admiration and solidarity,
with the three extraordinary Cubans who
have honored the Congress . . . with their
participation this afternoon,'' said Rep.
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a Miami Republican
and a Cuban American.
When Rep. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat
and Cuban American, asked if they feared
being arrested for their testimony, Bonne
-- who spent time in jail in the late 1990s
-- said that he had told his wife earlier
that day that he was ''simply a soldier
of liberty and democracy'' and was prepared
to return to jail "to defend the interests
of the Cuban people.''
State Department officials tried to set
up a videophone link between the Congress
members and the dissidents in Havana, but
were unable to establish the connection
for technical reasons.
But the audio connection was clear, and
photographs of the three dissidents were
flashed on screens in the hearing room as
they spoke -- Bonne in Spanish, the others
in English.
The hearing came as congressional opponents
of U.S. sanctions on Cuba, especially the
ban on most travel to Cuba, are again preparing
to try to weaken them in the next congressional
sessions. Such efforts have repeatedly failed.
Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., said Castro
should be provided with ''incentives to
stop attacking the dissidents.'' Rep. Donald
Payne, D-N.J., argued that open contacts
had helped bring about democratic change
in the Soviet Union.
René Gómez said he ''disagreed
with that theory'' and that the communist
governments in Eastern Europe fell because
of the "firm hand of the government
of the United States.''
In written testimony, Roger Noriega, assistant
secretary of state for Western Hemisphere
affairs, said the Cuban government had intimidated
potential participants in the May 20 gathering
by detaining them and warning them the event
would not take place. He said the Cuban
security forces even circulated a mock newspaper
article dated May 19, which described how
Roque and her supporters were arrested during
the assembly.
Noriega also said the crackdown in the
spring of 2003 initially succeeded in forcing
the dissident movement to lower its profile,
but that dissident activity was starting
to pick up.
Cuba's bid may stall FTAA talks
Cuba's bid to join Mercosur
could be the latest roadblock for Americas
free trade zone.
By Bernd Radowitz, Associated
Press. Mar. 05, 2005.
RIO DE JANEIRO - Just as Brazil and the
United States try to revive stalled negotiations
for a Free Trade Area of the Americas, a
stumbling block has emerged for the formation
of the world's biggest free trade area:
Cuba has asked to become an associate member
of the $727 billion Mercosur trade bloc.
Mercosur's full-fledged members -- Brazil,
Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay -- must
decide by consensus whether Cuba can join,
new Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez told
reporters in Montevideo on Thursday, after
Cuba's Foreign Minister Perez Roque used
Vazquez's swearing-in celebration as a stage
for the Cuban request.
As Mercosur considers closer ties with
Cuba, Brazil's powerful chief of staff,
Jose Dirceu, met with U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice in Washington on
Thursday to try to resolve contentious issues
to restart negotiations for the 34-nation
FTAA.
The free-trade area would comprise all
countries in the Americas with the exception
of Cuba, which Rice has called one of the
world's "outposts of tyranny.''
Brazil and the United States are moving
closer to accepting different speeds of
integration that would allow them to exclude
contentious areas from a possible trade
deal. But experts say the Cuba desire to
join Mercosur could be a thorny sideshow.
''This could cause complications with the
United States, and for the FTAA talks,''
said Alexandre Barros, a political risk
analyst at Early Warning in Brasilia, Brazil's
capital.
Bernd Radowitz is a correspondent for Dow
Jones Newswires.
Cuban show plans dream gig in Miami
The largest troupe of
Cuban performers to defect from the island
arrived for a sold-out performance at the
University of Miami this week.
By Helena Poleo, El Nuevo
Herald. Posted on Mon, Mar. 07, 2005.
The cast of the Havana Night Club show,
the largest number of Cuban artists to defect
during Fidel Castro's four-decade regime,
arrived Sunday in Miami.
The troupe, which made headlines for its
dramatic departure from Cuba in November,
will perform at the University of Miami
-- its first show in the United States outside
Las Vegas. Thursday's performance is sold
out.
Wearing red jackets bearing the name of
the show and the words ''Celebrate freedom,''
the 51 musicians, singers and dancers landed
at Miami International Airport on a flight
from Las Vegas, where the troupe is based.
Visibly moved as they arrived in South
Florida, many recorded their own arrival
with still and hand-held video cameras.
''I want to have a remembrance of this,''
dancer Nilder Santos said. "It's like
a dream come true.''
The Havana Night Club show made headlines
late last year when the majority of its
members defected in Las Vegas and launched
their show in the Wayne Newton Theater at
the Stardust Resort and Casino.
For the troupe, the road to Las Vegas was
peppered with international intrigue.
The show had been invited to play there,
but troupe members couldn't secure visas.
Visas were finally granted after the show's
director, Nicole Durr, proved to the State
Department that the troupe operated independently
of the Cuban government.
But the Cuban government initially refused
to let the troupe travel to the United States.
Amid international pressure, the government
eventually relented.
Concerned that they would be barred from
performing once they returned to Cuba, 51
of 53 performers defected.
Havana Night Club is the largest musical
show from Cuba to appear in the United States
in about 50 years, and it is estimated that
the Las Vegas shows have attracted more
than 200,000 patrons.
This week, the show will be redesigned
and expanded for a Miami audience.
Tickets for the group's only Miami show
-- at UM's 7,900-seat Convocation Center
in Coral Gables -- sold out days after going
on sale. The troupe is on a break from its
Vegas run.
''This is a giant spectacle and presents
a huge challenge for us,'' said José
David Alvarez, 24, the show's master of
ceremonies.
The show is based on Cuba's cultural roots,
he said.
''Miami is the right city for it,'' Alvarez
said. "It's like facing thousands of
critics, all of them experts on Cuban culture.''
Singer Naomi Rojas said she's happy to
be in Miami, because "it's like being
among Cubans.''
''To appear in Miami is an honor for us
and a great opportunity for the future of
the company,'' said Ariel Machado, who produced
the show in Cuba.
At MIA, friends and relatives awaited anxiously
for the artists.
Elizabeth Molina said she was waiting for
a pianist friend she hadn't seen in 24 years.
''We've known each other since preschool
in Cuba. We have stayed in touch all these
years,'' Molina said before her friend,
Adrián Ortega, arrived.
Mayelín Montes, who has performed
in Havana Night Club for seven years, hopes
to see two of her cousins who live in Miami
-- as soon as possible.
''I haven't seen them for many years,''
said the artist, adding that coming to Miami
is "a unique experience.''
''We have worked with great care to bring
this show to the Cubans and Latinos in Miami,''
she said.
The troupe's Las Vegas show is scheduled
to end in April.
Herald translator Renato
Pérez contributed to this report.
Cuban church: Prelate treated rudely
at MIA
A statement issued for
Havana's top Roman Catholic official on
his encounter with U.S. immigration officials
said he was discourteously treated -- but
not threatened with deportation.
By Robert L. Steinback.
rsteinback@herald.com. Posted on Fri, Mar.
04, 2005.
Cuba's Roman Catholic Church said Thursday
its top prelate, Cardinal Jaime Ortega,
was treated rudely by U.S. immigration authorities
during a recent Miami stopover, but added
he was never threatened with deportation
or asked about his political beliefs.
The communiqué by Cuba's Catholic
Bishops Conference partly contradicted media
reports that Ortega was harassed and threatened
with being sent home upon being detained
at Miami International Airport on Feb. 25.
It also partly contradicts a U.S. government
statement that Ortega was treated professionally.
''During the exchanges with immigration
officials, the treatment received by Cardinal
Ortega was brusque and discourteous,'' the
communiqué read. "Nevertheless,
it must be clarified that there was no type
of reference made to the cardinal's beliefs
about the political situation in Cuba or
in the United States.''
It added that U.S. immigration officials
never mentioned a "deportation order.''
Miami's El Nuevo Herald newspaper, citing
two unnamed eyewitnesses, reported in Saturday
editions that immigration authorities at
MIA harassed the prelate, who was traveling
on a Vatican diplomatic passport.
The newspaper reported that immigration
agents questioned Ortega about the reasons
for his visit and about his political views
on Fidel Castro's government. When Ortega
objected to a search of his luggage, the
newspaper reported, he was threatened with
deportation.
STAND BY REPORT
El Nuevo Herald City Editor José
Cabaleiro said Thursday the newspaper stands
by its original report.
Zachary Mann, senior special agent and
spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
also reaffirmed his denial, first made Saturday,
that Ortega was mistreated. He told The
Miami Herald that Ortega was ''processed
just as any other foreign arrival would
be processed when visiting the United States''
after his arrival aboard a charter flight
from Havana. Ortega was detained for about
an hour, Mann said.
''I stand by [my statement that] he was
treated professionally and in a courteous
manner,'' Mann said.
A telephone message seeking comment from
the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami
was not returned late Thursday.
'RAPID RETURN'
The cardinal, who traveled to South Florida
to visit family for the weekend, refused
to be interrogated by the immigration officials,
said the communiqué from the bishops
conference. When told it was a requirement
for U.S. entry, the cardinal suggested he
could head right back to Cuba.
''The official then took the cardinal's
return ticket and passport to gesture him
toward his rapid return to Cuba,'' the communiqué
said.
Another official told Ortega he had been
granted a stay of up to 30 days in the United
States, the statement said. ''By then, three
hours had passed since the arrival of his
flight from Havana,'' it continued.
Mann said he wouldn't comment on specific
details of the encounter out of "our
utmost respect for [Ortega's] privacy.''
Ortega, who held a multiple-entry American
visa from the U.S. Interests Section in
Havana in addition to the Vatican diplomatic
passport, returned to Cuba on Monday for
a regular meeting of the bishops conference.
Then he authorized the issuance of the communiqué.
Associated Press writer Anita Snow and
Herald reporter Jacqueline Charles contributed
to this report.
Dissidents feud on Cuba's future
From Herald wire services.
Posted on Thu, Mar. 03, 2005.
HAVANA - Differences between anti-Castro
groups in Cuba have erupted into the open,
with dissident leader Osvaldo Payá
accusing others of trying to discredit his
movement.
Payá told the Spanish news service
EFE that Martha Beatriz Roque, Felix Bonné
and René Gómez Manzano, leaders
of the Assembly to Promote Civil Society,
were engaged in a ''systematic, permanent
and very aggressive'' campaign against his
Christian Liberation Movement.
He said that Roque and some ''minority''
exile groups in Miami were trying to pressure
his group into attending a May 20 gathering
organized by Roque's movement, which also
has invited figures like former Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev and former Czech President
Vaclav Havel.
Payá said he would not take part
in the encounter.
The two groups disagree on what role current
Cuban officials should have in a future
post-Castro Cuba. Roque argues that they
should be barred from any future office,
while Payá has called for a national
dialogue and insisted that all but a few
current officfials should be welcomed to
participate in Cuba's future.
Roque declined to reply, according to EFE.
She was one of 75 dissidents jailed in a
crackdown two years ago and sentenced to
a 20-year jail term, but was released last
year because of poor health.
Payá's movement promotes the Varela
Project, a drive to collect signatures demanding
a referendum on a broad range of reforms
toward democracy.
Both groups have been scorned by Cuban
President Fidel Castro, who says the dissident
movement is guided and financed by Washington.
Cuba, Haiti criticized in U.S. rights
report
The State Department's
annual report on human-rights abuses was
most critical of Cuba, North Korea, Haiti
and some Middle Eastern nations.
By Pablo Bachelet, pbachelet@herald.com.
Posted on Tue, Mar. 01, 2005.
WASHINGTON - The State Department on Monday
listed prisoner abuse in Cuba, violence
in Haiti and intimidation of the media and
the opposition in Venezuela as areas of
concern for human rights in Latin America.
The concerns were part of the department's
2004 Human Rights Report, detailing conditions
around the world. The report reserved its
sharpest language for countries such as
Cuba, Syria, Saudi Arabia and North Korea.
During her introductory remarks at a media
briefing on the report, Paula Dobriansky,
under secretary of State for gobal affairs,
called Cuba's record "a blight on the
stunning advancement of freedom worldwide.''
IN LATIN AMERICA
Though largely democratic, Latin America
continued to have ''really serious problems
in many areas,'' said Michael Kozak, acting
assistant secretary of the Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor.
The report details mistreatment of the
75 dissidents arrested in 2003 and sentenced
to long prison terms. Eighteen of them were
released last year, but the government also
arrested 22 other human rights activists.
The report said respect for human rights
in Venezuela remained poor during 2004 as
the government increased its control over
the judicial branch, passed laws to curtail
media freedom and intimidated nongovernmental
organizations.
The government's human rights record also
was listed as poor in Haiti, amid instances
of revenge killings that followed last year's
ouster of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
FOCUS ON CUBA
Separately, the human-rights arm of the
Organization of American States held its
first hearings on Cuba in five years Monday,
with the Miami-based Cuban American Bar
Association stating its case against the
Fidel Castro government for the 75 arrested
dissidents before a panel of judges.
The International Human Rights Commission
can recommend that countries pay reparations
to the victims or their families, or refer
the cases to the Inter-American Court of
Human Rights Tribunal in Costa Rica. Cuba,
which was suspended from the OAS in 1962,
does not recognize the commission's jurisdiction.
The Washington Office on Latin America,
a liberal advocacy group, complained that
the report gives Colombia -- a U.S. ally
-- a more ''positive reading'' than Venezuela
despite the deaths of 19 rights activists
last year.
The report said human-rights abuses were
a continuing problem in Colombia, where
137,000 people were displaced by internal
strife during the year. However, the government's
"respect for human rights improved
in some areas.''
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