Yahoo! March 27, 2000
Elian May Not Accept Mom's Death
By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press Writer
MIAMI, 24 (AP) - As his relatives met a government deadline today to file an
appeal, Elian Gonzalez said in his first TV interview that he remembers how the
boat bringing him and his mother from Cuba sank. But he said he doesn't believe
his mother is really dead.
About 100 people, meanwhile, gathered today outside the Little Havana home
where the 6-year-old boy has been staying. The Democracy Movement, a Cuban exile
group, has called for people to form a human chain around the home of Elian's
great-uncle in case the government tries to remove him.
Elian was at the house today rather than in school; no explanation was
given.
His Miami relatives beat the Justice Department's noon deadline and filed a
motion for an expedited appeals process to sort out the international custody
dispute over him.
The motion asks the federal appeals court to set a schedule for arguments in
the family's appeal of a federal judge's ruling affirming the Immigration and
Naturalization Service's decision to return Elian to his father in Cuba.
The federal government had no immediate response to the filing in the 11th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.
A judge could set a schedule for hearing the appeal as early as this week,
court officials said. It could be weeks before the case is resolved.
In the interview broadcast today on ABC's ``Good Morning America,'' Elian
said he remembers his mother placing him on an inner tube and that he fell
asleep. Fishermen later found him lashed to the inner tube floating off the
Florida coast, but his mother and 10 others died when their boat sank.
Elian, speaking through interpreters, didn't agree with all of that account.
"My mother is not in heaven, not lost,'' he said through his cousin
Marisleysis Gonzalez, who is raising him in Miami and is among those fighting to
keep him here. ``She must have been picked up here in Miami somewhere. She must
have lost her memory, and just doesn't know I'm here.''
Marisleysis Gonzalez gently reminded him that he knows what really happened
to his mother, and he continued gazing downward.
In an apparent bid to increase American support for their battle to keep
Elian, the Miami relatives last week allowed ABC's Diane Sawyer to spend two
days with the boy. Elian's father, who was divorced from the boy's mother, is
fighting for his return.
In the interview, conducted last week at the private school Elian attends,
the boy drew crayon pictures of the voyage from Cuba.
He first drew a wavy line representing waves, then a leaping dolphin - he
has told people that dolphins kept him safe, keeping away sharks and boosting
him up when he slipped down into the water.
Then, he drew himself as a stick figure in an inner tube. Then he drew a
boat, with people inside. He told of the boat having engine trouble and slowly
sinking, and of attempts to bail it out.
Asked what happened to the boat, he said softly: "Water came in.''
He drew the waves higher and higher, covering the boat.
Since his arrival last November, Elian has been under the constant glare of
cameras, typically seen playing in the front yard of his great-uncle's home or
walking to school. The interview with Sawyer - the first of a three-part segment
- was the first time he had directly talked to the media.
Mindful of Elian's age and the ordeal he went through, ABC arranged for a
Spanish-speaking child psychiatrist with no prior connection to the case to
accompany Sawyer.
In the segment broadcast today, Elian sprayed Sawyer with streams of
colorful sticky foam and reminded her repeatedly to clean up the mess. He also
gave out an emphatic ``No!'' when Sawyer tried to clip or touch one of his
teacher's flowers.
In a speech Sunday in Havana, Cuban President Fidel Castro said subjecting
Elian to the interview was ``monstrous and sickening.''
``You cannot do this without the authorization of the father,'' Castro said.
``I sincerely think that this boy is at risk in the hands of desperate people
and the government of the United States should not be running this risk.''
Castro confidently declared that Elian's Miami relatives had run out of
legal challenges.
But he warned that, rather than allow the boy's return, Elian's Miami
supporters, Cuban-American exiles, might kill the child or take him to a third
country.
``They are capable of killing him rather than returning him safe and sound
to the country,'' Castro said as he wrapped up a one-hour speech.
EU Wants End to U.S. Embargo of Cuba
LISBON, Portugal (AP) - A U.S. Senate panel's decision to allow the sale of
food and medicine to Cuba doesn't go far enough, Portugal's Foreign Minister
said Monday.
``It's a small step in the right direction,'' said Jaime Gama, whose country
currently holds the European Union presidency. ``The government's and the
European Union's position is that the right solution would be an end to the
embargo on Cuba.''
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, headed by Sen. Jesse Helms,
voted Thursday to license sales of food and medicine so long as they are not
subsidized by the Agriculture Department. The committee's action could prompt a
new debate in the Senate on whether to ease the 40-year-old embargo.
Gama's comments came after talks with Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage over
boosting trade ties between the 15-nation EU and Cuba - an issue to be further
discussed in April when an EU delegation travels to Havana.
Lage also discussed his country's human rights record with Gama, saying the
EU and Cuba had differing views because of ``a campaign of misinformation and
slander by other countries.''
Copyright © 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Castro Blasts Elian's U.S. Relatives
By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer
HAVANA, 27 (AP) - As the saga of Elian Gonzalez appeared to enter its final
chapter, a confident President Fidel Castro declared that Miami relatives of the
6-year-old child had run out of legal challenges to prevent the boy's return to
Cuba.
But, injecting more heated rhetoric into the dispute, the Cuban leader also
warned Sunday that rather than allow the boy's return, his Miami supporters
might kill the child or take him to a third country.
``They are capable of killing him rather than returning him safe and sound
to the country,'' Castro said of Miami's Cuban-American exiles as he wrapped up
a one-hour speech.
He spoke before more than 700 pro-government university students, saying
``the Cuban mafia'' could expose the boy to a serious illness in an act of
vengeance against Elian's father or the Cuban government, both of which have
battled for Elian's repatriation. He also said that according to ``reliable
sources in Miami,'' the child's ``kidnappers'' had discussed moving him to
another location or even a third country to prevent his return to Cuba.
The boy's case has set off an ideologically tinged custody battle that has
divided Cubans living on both sides of the Florida Straits, with Castro
frequently stepping into the fray.
Despite the Cuban leader's dire warning, his speech Sunday represented the
surest pronouncement in the four months since Elian was rescued at sea that the
boy would return to Cuba. Previously, Castro had warned citizens not to get
their hopes up about a speedy return of Elian to his communist homeland.
U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore's dismissal on Tuesday of the family's
lawsuit seeking to block Elian's repatriation was ``just and moral,'' Castro
said.
Castro said the boy should be back in Cuba within three weeks, depending
upon what other legal or political maneuvers the Miami relatives attempt.
The U.S. Justice Department late Friday told Elian's relatives in Miami that
they had until noon today to agree to an expedited appeal or the boy would be
returned rapidly to his father in Cuba, according to family spokesman Armando
Gutierrez.
In Washington, a federal official close to the case confirmed that the
Justice Department plans to give the family's lawyers until April 3 to prepare
and file their appeal.
Elian has been at the center of an international tug-of-war since late
November, when he was rescued by fishermen who found him lashed to an inner tube
off the Florida coast. Elian's mother and 10 others perished when their boat
sank during the attempted journey from Cuba to the United States.
In Miami, Elian was turned over to his great-uncle, who is now fighting for
the right to raise him, saying he can give him a better life in the United
States. But his father and four grandparents, backed by Castro, have demanded
the child's return to his native country.
For four months, the Miami relatives have successfully blocked the child's
repatriation. In an apparent bid to increase American support for their battle
to keep Elian in the United States, the Miami relatives last week allowed
television journalist Diane Sawyer to spend two days with the boy.
The ABC News program ``Good Morning America'' planned to air the first of
several reports today.
Castro said subjecting the child to the interview was ``monstrous and
sickening'' and said that sources had told him that the boy would denounce his
father during the airing.
``You cannot do this without the authorization of the father,'' said Castro,
who expressed worries about the child's welfare. ``I sincerely think that this
boy is at risk in the hands of desperate people and the government of the United
States should not be running this risk.''
A Spanish-speaking child psychiatrist, with no prior connection to the case,
accompanied Sawyer on the visit, the television network said.
Copyright © 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Castro: Elian Will Return to Cuba
By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer ,
HAVANA (AP) - President Fidel Castro declared Sunday that the Miami
relatives of 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez had lost their battle to keep the child
in the United States and that it was only a matter of time before the boy was
reunited with his father in Cuba.
``The Cuban mafia has lost,'' an animated Castro insisted before hundreds of
pro-government university students gathered to press for the child's return to
his communist homeland.
U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore's dismissal on Tuesday of the family's
lawsuit seeking to block Elian's repatriation was ``just and moral,'' Castro
said.
In rejecting the request for a political asylum hearing for the child, Moore
``meticulously reasoned and handed down an unobjectionable sentence from a
judicial point of view,'' the Cuban leader said. ``From a legal point of view it
is invulnerable.''
Castro said the boy should be back in Cuba within three weeks, depending
upon what other legal or political maneuvers the Miami relatives attempt.
``Justice will win and so will the Cuban people,'' student Norge Jimenez
declared at the rally, held during a congress of the pro-government Federation
of University Students, known as the FEU. ``Elian will become a member of the
FEU!'' he added.
The U.S. Justice Department late Friday told Elian's relatives in Miami that
they have until noon Monday to agree to a speedy appeal or the boy will be
returned rapidly to his father in Cuba, according to family spokesman Armando
Gutierrez.
In Washington, a federal official close to the case confirmed that the
Justice Department plans to give the family's lawyers until April 3 to file the
appeal.
Elian has been at the center of an international tug-of-war since late
November, when he was rescued by fishermen who found him lashed to an innertube
bobbing off the Florida coast. Elian's mother and 10 others perished when their
boat sank during the journey from Cuba to the United States.
In Miami, Elian was turned over to his great-uncle, who is now fighting for
the right to raise him, saying he can give him a better life off the communist
island. But his father and four grandparents, backed by Castro, have demanded
the child's return to his native country.
For four months, the Miami relatives have successfully blocked the child's
repatriation. In an apparent bid to increase American support for their battle
to keep Elian in the United States, the Miami relatives last week allowed
television journalist Diane Sawyer to spend two days with the boy.
The ABC News program ``Good Morning America'' plans to air the first of
several reports Monday.
A Spanish-speaking child psychiatrist, with no prior connection to the case,
accompanied Sawyer on the visit, the television network said.
Additional portions of Sawyer's report will likely be aired on Tuesday, and
on ''20/20'' Wednesday, the network said.
CANF Blasts Justice Department's Strong Arm Tactics
Says Attorney General Seeks No Conciliation in Elian Affair But Another
Waco
WASHINGTON, March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cuban American National Foundation
today assailed the Justice Department's strong arm tactics of late Friday, in
which the Miami relatives of Elian Gonzalez received yet another ultimatum from
the Clinton Administration that they relinquish their right to pursue legal
remedies aimed to guarantee the child's right to an asylum hearing.
For all the talk by Attorney General Janet Reno, in her Thursday briefing,
that she would like to find a solution to this issue in an amicable manner that
is sensitive to everyone, including the sentiments of the Cuban American
community, the actions that she has displayed belie her own words which could
not possibly ring more hollow.
Far from practicing the politics of conciliation, Ms. Reno's conduct appears
to suggest she seeks only to provoke another Waco. The Attorney General's
actions since Tuesday's ruling by Federal Court Judge K. Michael Moore, have
been marked by incendiary threats and poor judgment that do nothing to assuage
what is already a tense and difficult situation for all parties, and which are
patently offensive towards a community that has endured great human suffering as
victims of Cuba's tragedy and is now again shaken by the unspeakable grief of a
child's arduous battle for freedom. Her offensive and deplorable approach of
confrontation and hostility, exemplified in Friday's developments, serves no one
and demands an apology to this community.
This wholly unwarranted and irresponsible bullying seems to again underscore
for all the gross politicization by this Administration of Elian's dilemma.
While Elian's Miami relatives and their team of lawyers have shown remarkable
good will and faith in their dealings with the Justice Department throughout
these proceedings -- keeping the lines of communication open and demonstrating a
willingness to cooperate in order to facilitate a civilized, intelligent and
serious approach to the issues at hand -- the pressure reportedly being brought
to bear on Ms. Reno by Gregory Craig, former counsel to President Clinton, may
indeed have much to do after all with this reprehensible posture now assumed by
DOJ, and further points to a potentially gross conflict of interest that demands
public scrutiny. Indeed, queries about Mr. Craig's involvement, and who is
paying for his services, remain unanswered and are concerns that merit immediate
clarification if respect for the public trust is to be maintained throughout
this process.
What is abundantly clear is that President Clinton, and National Security
Advisor Sandy Berger, appear intent on using this case for the politically
expedient objective of furthering their policy of rapprochement with Fidel
Castro before leaving office. Rather than acquiescing to the prevailing
sentiment that Elian's fate be resolved in a family court -- where trained
professionals and psychologists can ascertain the child's true wishes, and what
is truly in his best interests will be the superceding consideration -- the
Clinton White House once again buckles before the demands of the Cuban
government whose deprecation of civility and lack of compassion are stunningly
mirrored in these abhorrent and capricious maneuvers to lay Elian at the altar
of appeasement.
Let it be clear, however, that this community will hold Vice President Al
Gore accountable for this cruel and misguided foreign policy, and for a Justice
Department that grants greater consideration to the rights of criminals than to
innocent children seeking asylum in the shores of this country. We hope this is
not his vision for America.
Furthermore, the Attorney General will be well served to respect the wishes
of the United States Senate, including efforts by Senators Connie Mack (R-FL)
and Spencer Abraham (R-MI), to investigate the handling of this case by INS.
Indeed, too many critical questions remain unresolved, including matters of
National Security, that the American people deserve and have a right to know.
We call today on Vice President Gore to step forward and demonstrate
leadership by attempting to restore a modicum of compassion, respect, and
sensitivity to an Administration that has shown none whatsoever. In a week when
the world debates the merits of Pope John Paul II's apologia for the church's
indifference towards human suffering, each person of good will similarly bears
the obligation of looking around to the world in which we live today, and ask
what each one of us has done, through our actions, before the continued presence
of evil and human suffering. Words sometimes indeed do ring hollow.
SOURCE: Cuban American National Foundation
Copyright 2000 PRNewswire. All rights reserved.
New Deadline for Elian's Relatives
By AMANDA RIDDLE, Associated Press Writer
MIAMI (AP) - Relatives of Elian Gonzalez who want to keep the 6-year-old boy
from being returned to Cuba are facing mounting pressure from the U.S.
government to put their case before an appeals court.
The Justice Department late Friday told the relatives that they have until
noon Monday to agree to a speedy appeal or the boy will be swiftly returned to
his father, according to family spokesman Armando Gutierrez.
In Washington, a federal official close to the case confirmed that the
Justice Department plans to give the family's lawyers one week after that
agreement deadline to file the expedited appeal. The deadline for fiing the
appeal would be April 3.
If the relatives do not agree, the government will begin the process of
returning Elian to his father in Cuba next Thursday, according to the federal
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Attorney General Janet Reno confirmed the Monday deadline in a statement
Friday night but offered no details. She reiterated her statement that the goal
is to ``reunite Elian with his father in a fair, prompt and orderly manner.''
If the family loses its appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court fails to step in,
the boy must be turned over to federal officials within three days of the
court's decision, The Miami Herald reported in today's papers.
The developments cap a week filled with legal maneuvering in the custody war
over the little boy.
Elian was found clinging to an inner tube off Florida on Nov. 25 after his
mother and 10 other people drowned when their boat capsized during an attempt to
reach the United States.
The case quickly became a fight between the U.S. and Cuban governments and
U.S. family members who oppose the island nation's Communist ideology and want
to raise the boy.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service, in a January ruling supported by
Reno, said the boy must be returned to his father. That led to a lawsuit and a
judge's ruling on Tuesday that upheld the INS decision.
That ruling is the subject of the appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in Atlanta and the Justice Department deadlines to speed up the case.
The first deadline for the family's appeal was March 31.
The agency is closely watching the family's response to the latest letter,
as are members of Miami's large Cuban exile community who have threatened to
protest if the government moves to send the boy back to Cuba.
``We will certainly make the administration pay a dear price for such an
arbitrary decision,'' said Ninoska Perez, a spokesman for the Cuban American
National Foundation.
Gutierrez said family members will meet with their lawyers over the weekend
to discuss the case. Beyond that, Gutierrez said: ``We will not comment right
now.''
The U.S. government on Thursday told the family to speed up their appeal or
the INS would ``immediately move to revoke'' Elian's temporary permission to
remain in this country.
Lawyers for the boy's Miami relatives responded by proposing the appointment
of an independent arbitrator to determine what would be best for Elian: Miami or
Cuba. The attorneys suggested former Sen. Bob Dole or Sen. George Mitchell for
the position, saying arbitration could begin April 3 and be completed within two
weeks.
INS Commissioner Doris Meissner rejected the plan.
``This is not an option that we are prepared to entertain,'' she said. ``Our
goal here is to reunite Elian with his father and to do that as quickly, as
promptly and as orderly as possible.''
Anticipating the denial, family attorney Kendall Coffey said the appeal
would be filed by April 3.
In Cuba, journalists and other observers criticized the arbitration offer.
During a live program broadcast by Cuban state television, panel members said
they were disappointed the boy's time in the United States could now be extended
for at least three more weeks.
Government Rejects Elian Arbitrator
By MILDRADE CHERFILS, Associated Press Writer
MIAMI (AP) - Federal officials on Friday rejected a proposal from the
Florida relatives of Elian Gonzalez that an arbitrator decide whether staying in
the United States or going back to Cuba would be in the boy's best interest.
The proposal came after the government issued an ultimatum on Thursday to
the relatives: agree to a speedy timetable for their appeal of a federal court
decision against them or the agency would ``immediately move to revoke'' Elian's
status in this country.
In response, attorneys for the Florida relatives said an arbitration process
could begin April 3 and be completed within two weeks.
But Doris Meissner, commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization
Service, rejected the idea.
``This is not an option that we are prepared to entertain,'' she said. ``Our
goal here is to reunite Elian with his father and to do that as quickly, as
promptly and as orderly as possible.''
The ultimatum came in the wake of a federal judge's decision this week
affirming the U.S. government's decision to send the 6-year-old back to his
father in Cuba. Meissner would not speculate on the next step.
In the proposal to the INS, attorney Kendall Coffey said the boy's relatives
had offered to abide by an arbitrator's decision. Coffey suggested former Sen.
Bob Dole or Sen. George Mitchell for the position.
``If the INS would agree at last to provide a day in court to this small
child, the result would be not only a fair determination of what's right for
Elian, but a much faster resolution than is possible through further court
battles,'' Coffey wrote.
Anticipating the denial by INS officials, Coffey said the family's appeal of
the federal court ruling would be filed by April 3.
In Cuba, journalists and other observers criticized the arbitration offer,
saying it was another attempt to draw out the boy's U.S. stay. During a live
roundtable program broadcast by Cuban state television, panel members also said
they were disappointed the boy's time in the United States could now be extended
for at least three more weeks.
Elian was found clinging to an inner tube off Florida on Nov. 25. His mother
and 10 other people drowned when their boat capsized during an attempt to reach
the United States.
The case quickly became a tug-of-war between the Cuban government and U.S.
family members who oppose the Cuban government's Communist ideology and want to
raise the boy.
U.S. Sugar Refiners Tour Cuba
HAVANA (AP) - Officials of top American sugar companies toured a major Cuban
operation on Friday, in a brief visit aimed at making contacts for a possible
post-embargo future.
``It was very cordial and went beautifully, but it is all for the future,''
said Wayne Smith, senior fellow at the Center for International Policy in
Washington, which organized the trip. The 16-member delegation has also met with
Cuba's ministers of foreign trade and sugar during the five-day visit, which
wraps up Sunday.
The group visited the Camilo Cienfuegos Sugar Central outside Havana.
``One of the conclusions drawn by members of the delegation was that the
interests of the American sugar refiners and the Cuban sugar producers
coincide,'' Smith said.
``Of course now, the embargo does not permit that kind of relationship,''
said Smith. ``But this would be a natural relationship if and when the embargo
ends.''
The American trade sanctions against the communist nation have been in place
since 1962, when they were imposed to punish and force a change in Fidel
Castro's government.
Those sanctions have long been backed by many conservative U.S. lawmakers
and Cuban-Americans who say that renewed U.S. trade with Cuba would help
Castro's government. However, there has been growing opposition to the embargo
among some U.S. business interests, particularly in the agricultural sector,
looking for new markets.
Copyright © 2000 Yahoo! All Rights Reserved |