By Al Kamen.
The Washington Post.
Tuesday, February 13, 2001; Page A19
Gotta hand it to the commies in Cuba. While President Fidel Castro says he's
fine with people-to-people exchanges and all, his government apparently doesn't
want U.S. visitors near American diplomats there.
Last month, Vickie Huddleston, head of the U.S. interests section, was
heading to her home to brief folks from the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco
and the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. On the way she spotted about 30
of them, some quite elderly, going on foot.
She gave her car to the oldest and walked with the rest. Seems the Cuban
government bus driver and guide wouldn't take them to her home, leaving them at
the National Convention Center about 15 minutes away to take off in the dark on
a road with no sidewalks.
Then, when farmers from Washington state invited U.S. diplomats to lunch at
a government-owned hotel, we're told the hotel said interests section employees
weren't welcome.
But now they've gone as low as you can go in communist dogma. Seems
Huddleston is the proud owner of a beautiful Afghan hound, named Havana, which
routinely sweeps top prizes in the Havana kennel club contests.
Huddleston got a letter yesterday -- in the midst of the popular Westminster
Kennel Club televised competition, no less -- that she and Havana were being
expelled from the Afghan Hound Club of Cuba. The letter cited her briefing to
300 students and meetings with what they call "dissidents" and others
call human rights activists. Guess if they can't kick Huddleston, they'll try to
kick her dog.
Hmmmm. Wonder if her counterpart here, Fernando Remirez, has a dog. | 