By CP. Canoe, Thursday, March 2, 2000
A Cuban diplomat hiding illegally in Canada is trying to secure his return to the U.S. where he has been accused of spying, says one of the man's lawyers.
Ted Killory said yesterday his client, Jose Imperatori, was caught off guard when he was expelled from the U.S. last week. Imperatori, who worked in Washington, was declared persona non grata for allegedly aiding a man accused of spying for Cuba.
The Canadian government agreed to facilitate his return to the island country, and provided him with a 48-hour visa Saturday. Yesterday, nearly two full days after the visa expired, Imperatori was still in the Cuba Embassy, continuing a hunger strike to protest the allegations.
Killory said Imperatori had offered to testify at the trial of accused spy Mariano Faget, but the State Department refused to let him stay. After he arrived in Canada, a U.S. spokesman said Washington could be amenable to letting him return.
'LET'S FIND A SOLUTION'
"Given that backdrop, when the State Department said they'd invite him back to testify, I think the response was to say 'Let's find a solution here ... as to what kind of assurance he can get to come back,' " Killory said from Washington, D.C.
But Buck Shinkman, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, said Washington officials are clear about the necessity of his return to Havana.
Imperatori could face arrest if he leaves Cuban Embassy grounds for any other reason than catching a flight out of the country. Immigration officials have said they would not necessarily take action against him if there was proof he was planning to go home.
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