By Susan Jones. CNS Morning Editor.CNS News . February 07, 2001
(CNSNews.com) - A Cuban exile group dedicated to toppling Cuban leader Fidel
Castro has set up shop in Washington, hoping the Bush administration will go
along with its efforts to achieve grass-roots change in the communist nation.
On Tuesday, the Cuban American National Foundation opened what it calls a "Free
Cuba Embassy" in Washington's diplomatic district. CANF spokesman Jose
Cardenas called the "embassy" a symbolic move to shore up support for
a strong U.S. policy toward Cuba, at a time when some would like to soften that
policy.
The CANF strongly opposes any effort to lift the U.S. trade embargo against
the Castro government. It supports U.S. funding for Cubans dissidents - pointing
to U.S. support for Polish dissidents (under President Reagan) as a model for
what should happen in Cuba.
Cuban exiles living in this country see President Bush's election victory as
a real boost, since the Bush administration supports existing U.S. trade
sanctions against Cuba.
On the other hand, CANF strongly opposes upcoming congressional efforts to
ease sanctions and lift the ban on American travel to Cuba. "While we
maintain our support for current economic sanctions against the Castro regime,
we are looking to move beyond sanctions into an more activist policy, an
offensive strategy," Cardenas said Tuesday. That would include U.S. aid to
Cuban dissidents at the grass-roots level.
Official Washington does not recognize the "Free Cuba Embassy" as
either an embassy or a diplomatic mission.
The building will be used for lectures and dissident art shows, all intended
to remind Americans about human rights abuses under the Castro regime. | 