Yahoo! February 16, 2001
CANF: ITC confirms 'mirage' of Cuban market
SOURCE: Cuban American National Foundation. Friday February
16, 1:47 pm Eastern Time
But Full Report Still Needs to Address Foreign Subsidies And Cuba's
Atrocious Debt Repayment Record
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cuban American National Foundation
today welcomed the conclusions of a comprehensive study by the International
Trade Commission (ITC) that found that even in the absence of U.S. economic
sanctions, U.S. exports to Cuba would be statistically insignificant -- less
than 0.5% of total U.S. exports. According to the report's Executive Summary, "U.S.
economic sanctions with respect to Cuba had a minimal overall historical impact
on the U.S. economy.''
"The report confirms what anyone with knowledge of Castro's Cuba
already knows -- that Cuba is a bad place to do business and the notion of an
untapped, profitable market there is a mirage,'' said CANF Executive Vice
President Dennis Hays, a former U.S. ambassador and director of Cuba affairs at
the State Department.
According to the report summary, "Despite the close geographical
proximity that would appear to make the United States and Cuba natural trading
partners, bilateral economic relations in the absence of sanctions could be
limited for several reasons.'' Among them, it cited Cuba's foreign exchange and
production "constraints,'' Cuba's "restrictive'' investment regime,
and the fact that Cuba tends to select its trade and investment partners "based
on political considerations.''
Despite satisfaction over the report's overall conclusions, Hays expressed
hope that the full report would address two additional issues left unmentioned
in the Executive Summary. "First, any analysis of Cuba's international
trade regime has to recognize the massive subsidies on agricultural exports that
foreign governments provide the Cuban regime for political or domestic reasons
without which trade with Cuba would be impossible,'' he said. "And, second,
it must also include the dismal record of the Castro regime in paying even
heavily discounted debts.'' Hays pointed to the collapse of a recent French-
Cuba wheat deal over the Castro's regime inability to repay its outstanding
debts to the French government.
Hays noted, "Those who would place profit above principle must be very
disappointed with this report, as it conclusively demonstrates that there is not
even a chance for profit in today's Cuba.'' He added, "I hope now that we
will be able to work with business groups to empower the Cuban people to throw
off the deadweight of the Castro regime so that we can get to the day when a
prosperous, democratic Cuba is once again the good trading partner it has the
potential to be.''
Date Set for Damage Award in Rape Case Against Cuban Government,
Announces Leeds, Colby & Paris
SOURCE: Leeds, Colby & Paris. Press Release. Thursday
February 15, 5:19 pm Eastern Time
Former Wife of Indicted Cuban Spy Sued Cuba for Damages
MIAMI, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The case of Ana Margarita Martinez against
the Republic of Cuba will go to trial in Miami-Dade Circuit Court to determine
damages to Martinez, who won an unprecedented rape case by default on June 22,
2000, announced Fernando Zulueta and Scott Leeds, attorneys for Martinez. The
non-jury trial of Martinez v. The Republic of Cuba (Case number 99-18208 CA-20)
will be heard on Tuesday, February 20, 2001, at 10 a.m. before the Honorable
Alan L. Postman in the Miami-Dade Circuit Court located on 73 West Flagler
Street in Miami.
Witnesses expected to be called by the Plaintiff's attorneys include U.S.
Congressman Peter Deutsch, as well as a former Cuban Government Official who
worked for the Cuban Directorate of Intelligence and who will testify on the
methods and procedures used by the Cuban government in its espionage activities.
Martinez, the former wife of indicted Cuban spy Juan Pablo Roque, seeks
damages for sexual battery (rape) and the debilitating emotional and physical
trauma that resulted from Roque's actions on behalf of the Cuban government. She
required medical and psychiatric care and was saddled with debts incurred by
Roque while he was married to her. Martinez won a Default Judgment last June,
which was ordered against the Defendant, The Republic of Cuba, for failure to
serve any paper on the case required by law.
The Miami U.S. Attorney's office indicted Roque for espionage in connection
with the murder of three U.S. Citizens and one U.S. Permanent Resident aboard
two Brothers to the Rescue airplanes that were shot down by the Cuban Air Force
on February 24, 1996. Roque is currently in Cuba, and is considered a fugitive
by the U.S. government.
"We are ecstatic that she will get her day in court,'' says Scott
Leeds, attorney for Ana Margarita Martinez.
For more information, contact Mr. Leeds or Mr. Zulueta at (305) 567-1200 at
the law firm of Leeds, Colby & Paris, 2950 S.W. 27th Avenue, Suite 300,
Miami, Florida 33133. Mr. Leeds can be reached by cell phone at (305) 962-1236
and Mr. Zulueta can be reached by cell phone at (305) 796-5709, or visit their
web site at www.LeedsandColby.com.
SOURCE: Leeds, Colby & Paris
Preachers Plan 'Elian' Song for Cuban Show
Wall of Sound, February 16, 2001
Welsh rockers the Manic Street Preachers made preparations today in Cuba for
the biggest show by a Western band on the Caribbean island since Billy Joel
performed there in 1979.
One of the band's songs, "Baby Elian," focuses on last year's
international custody dispute between U.S. relatives and the Cuban father of
6-year-old shipwreck survivor Elian Gonzalez.
"Kidnapped to the promised land … America, the devil's playground,"
says the chorus to the song, in words echoing Cuba's view that Elian was
unfairly retained in the United States by Miami relatives after his mother died
at sea. He has since returned to his father in Cuba.
"We've just got a lot of respect for the Cuban people and the Cuban
culture, and we wanted to do something really different this time,"
guitarist Nicky Wire told reporters after flying into Havana late Wednesday.
The band will perform a free concert Saturday night at Havana's Karl Marx
Theater — the same venue Joel performed at 22 years ago. The show will
highlight material from Know Your Enemy, their upcoming album that includes
numerous references to Cuba and its ongoing conflict with the United States.
Western rock music was frowned upon in the early days after President Fidel
Castro's 1959 revolution, but that attitude has relaxed of late, and Castro even
recently honored slain Beatle John Lennon.
The Manic Street Preachers have a history of leftist leanings, and when
numerous fans were recently booted from Napster's song-swap service for trading
leaked copies of new songs, they were upset with the band.
The band members said the action was taken by their label, Sony Records, and
not by them — but they also bashed the popular file-sharing company,
calling it "just another form of American capitalism."
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