Yahoo! News
July 16, 2001.
Statement by President Bush on Cuba
WASHINGTON, July 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by
the White House:
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Toward a Democratic Cuba
Seven years ago today, a tugboat carrying 72 people off the coast of Cuba,
the '13 de Marzo,' was repeatedly rammed by Cuban authorities resulting in 41
deaths, including 10 children. On this sad anniversary, the United States
extends condolences to the families and survivors of this tragedy. The tyranny
that rules Cuba today bears direct responsibility for this and other crimes --
crimes, that should not go unpunished, against innocent civilians and countless
other human rights violations over the years.
As I said on Cuban Independence Day, the sanctions the United States
enforces against the Castro regime are not just a policy tool, but a moral
statement. It is wrong to prop up a regime that routinely stifles all the
freedoms that make us human. The United States stands opposed to such tyranny
and will oppose any attempt to weaken sanctions against the Castro regime until
it respects the basic human rights of its citizens, frees political prisoners,
holds democratic free elections, and allows free speech.
In order to manage more effectively the sanctions against the Cuban regime
and enforce the federal regulations governing the embargo, I have asked the
Treasury Department to enhance and expand the enforcement capabilities of the
Office of Foreign Assets Control in this area. It is important that we uphold
and enforce the law to the fullest extent with a view toward preventing
unlicensed and excessive travel, enforcing limits on remittances, and ensuring
humanitarian and cultural exchanges actually reach pro-democracy activists in
Cuba.
In addition, I will expand support for human rights activists, and the
democratic opposition; and, we will provide additional funding for
non-governmental organizations to work on pro-democracy programs in Cuba.
Focusing our support on activities that promote democratic values, will go a
long way toward accelerating the democratic transition of Cuba.
Finally, it gives me great pleasure to announce the Director, Office of Cuba
Broadcasting, Mr. Salvador Lew, a well-respected journalist and member of the
Advisory Board for Cuba Broadcasting. I have told Mr. Lew that my number one
priority is to make sure that Radio and TV Marti are broadcast clearly to Cuba
allowing every Cuban citizen access to accurate news and information. In order
to do that, I have instructed him to use all available means to overcome the
jamming of Radio and TV Marti. Once we open the flow of information, the demands
for freedom will ring stronger than ever.
Castro Pays Tribute to Elian Gonzalez
By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer
CARDENAS, Cuba 15 (AP) - Fidel Castro (news - web sites) paid tribute to
Elian Gonzalez and his hometown, inaugurating a new museum dedicated to the
fight for the castaway boy's return to Cuba last year.
Elian and his family sat in the front row Saturday as Castro recalled Cuba's
seven-month campaign for the boy's repatriation. He said Cardenas' 100,000
citizens "supported this just and appropriate objective.''
"It was the greatest battle that our people ever fought,'' Castro said
of the custody fight.
Before the nighttime ceremony, Castro toured the Oscar Maria Rojas Museum in
Cardenas, about 85 miles east of Havana, which filled one of its five rooms with
photos and newspaper articles on the fight for Elian's return.
The ceremony came one year after Elian, now 7, completed his required
studies for the first grade and was deemed ready for the second grade back in
his hometown school. His teachers here said the boy fell far behind in his
studies while with his relatives in Miami.
"I think that was the greatest objective,'' Castro said of Elian's
advancement to the next grade. He called it a "symbol of education in our
country.''
Elian, wearing his school uniform, and his family, were among just a few
hundred people - the vast majority of them children - attending the ceremony in
a small plaza outside the museum, an 1870s building that originally served as a
fire station.
The new exhibit is dedicated to the communist government's "Battle of
Ideas'' - the ongoing ideological campaign begun 19 months ago with the launch
of huge rallies and marches across Cuba demanding Elian's repatriation.
It includes photographs and newspaper clippings about the seven-month
international child custody battle that began in December 1999, shortly after
Elian was found floating on an inner tube off the coast of South Florida.
Inside, 3-foot-tall statue of a boy in a Cuban school uniform, presumably
meant to represent Elian, shows the child discarding a Superman doll. Elian
reportedly had been fascinated with American superheroes during his stay in
Miami and the statue apparently is meant to demonstrate a rejection of
capitalist commercialism.
Elian's mother and 10 others perished when their boat sank during an illegal
attempt to emigrate to the United States, setting off an ideological struggle
that separated Cubans living on both sides of the Florida Straits.
American authorities granted temporary custody of the child to his Miami
relatives who, backed by anti-Castro Cuban exiles, fought to keep him in the
United States. They argued that the boy should stay because his mother died to
bring him there.
Elian's father, Juan Miguel Gonzalez, was backed by Castro in his demands
that the child be returned to him in their native Cuba.
After a seven-month battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court
(news - web sites), American authorities allowed Gonzalez to return to Cuba with
his boy a little more than a year ago, on June 28, 2000.
A smaller exposition dedicated to fight for Elian was displayed at another
building in Cardenas for a few months before his repatriation.
Cuban Museum Opens Elian Exhibit
HAVANA, 14 (AP) - Fidel Castro (news - web sites) joined Elian Gonzalez on
Saturday in opening a new museum exhibit about Cuba's successful efforts to
bring the boy back from the United States last year.
The Oscar Maria Rojas Museum in the city of Cardenas, about 85 miles east of
Havana, filled one of its five rooms with photos and newspaper articles on the
boy's return to Cuba.
Castro praised his government for persevering in its custody battle for
Gonzalez, who was rescued and taken to the United States after being shipwrecked
off the coast of Florida.
"It was the greatest battle that our people ever fought,'' Castro said
of the custody fight.
The same museum held an exhibition before Gonzalez's return to Cuba that
included pictures drawn by his Cuban classmates. A later exhibition showed
Mother's Day cards drawn by Gonzalez and four classmates who visited him in
Washington.
Elian, now 7, was found floating in an inner tube off Florida after a boat
carrying Cuban emigrants sank, killing his mother and 10 other people. His
rescue touched off a custody battle between his father in Cuba, Juan Miguel
Gonzalez, and other relatives in Florida.
A raid by U.S. marshals to seize him from the Florida relatives outraged
many Cuban exiles in Miami. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled in his father's
favor, and Elian returned to Cuba in June 2000.
Bush Announces Tougher Line on Cuba
By SANDRA SOBIERAJ, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Calling sanctions against Fidel Castro (news - web
sites)'s Cuba "a moral statement,'' President Bush (news - web sites)
ordered stricter enforcement of the U.S. trade embargo and greater support
Friday to dissidents on the communist island.
Bush also said he was asking the Treasury Department (news - web sites) to
do more to ensure that American tourism in Cuba, banned by law, is not occurring
under the guise of permitted pro-democracy cultural exchanges.
"The sanctions the United States enforces against the Castro regime are
not just a policy tool, but a moral statement. It is wrong to prop up a regime
that routinely stifles all the freedoms that make us human,'' the president said
in a written statement.
He said the Treasury should provide more money to its Office of Foreign
Assets Control to hire additional personnel to monitor travel to Cuba, trade and
the limited amounts of money that Cuban-Americans are allowed to send home to
their families. He also promised to increase U.S. aid to Cuba's pro-democracy
dissidents. But he specified no dollar amounts and a spokeswoman for his
National Security Council said none was available, making it impossible to gauge
their breadth or potential impact.
Bush also named the well-known Miami Spanish-language radio host, Salvador
Lew, the new director of Radio and TV Marti. Bush instructed Lew, a longtime
member of the U.S. Information Agency's advisory board for Cuba broadcasting, "to
use all available means to overcome the jamming'' of America's pro-democracy
radio and TV broadcasts into Cuba.
Just days before he has to make a more difficult choice on Cuba policy, Bush
made these announcements on the seventh anniversary of the deaths of 41 refugees
whose tugboat was sunk by Cuban gunboats in what Castro says it was an accident.
Many analysts and activists expect Bush to decide next week - by a Tuesday
deadline - to suspend for six months the Title III provision in the 1996
Helms-Burton law that allows any American whose property was seized in Cuba
after Castro took power in 1959 to sue anyone who uses the property.
Letting that provision take effect would anger European allies whose
citizens and companies could face lawsuits. President Clinton (news - web sites)
routinely exercised his authority to waive the provision for six-month
intervals, arguing a suspension would encourage international cooperation in
promoting democratic changes in Cuba.
Cuban-American leaders have said they hope that Bush would offset any
further suspension with new anti-Castro measures.
In that context, critics suggested that Bush was trying on Friday to score
hollow points with the politically influential Cuban-American community.
Cuban-Americans are an especially important political constituency in Florida,
where Bush's younger brother Jeb is the incumbent governor seeking reelection.
"Today's words and promises are hollow if the president decides to
waive Title III next week. It's the enforcement of the law, not mere words, that
will bring change,'' said Rep. Bob Menendez, D-N.J.
In a statement, Gov. Bush praised his brother's announcement, saying it "signals
a strong commitment to those who support freedom and democracy in Cuba.''
On the Net:
U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council:
http://www.cubatrade.org/
Helms-Burton Act:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c104:H.R.927.ENR:
CANF Lauds Bush Moves on Cuba
Friday July 13, 7:35 pm Eastern Time. Press Release.
SOURCE: The Cuban American National Foundation
WASHINGTON, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Cuban American National Foundation
today hailed the Bush Administration's announcement of a series of policy steps
to promote freedom and democracy for Cuba.
"It has been several years since we as an organization have been able
to turn to the U.S. President and say thank you on behalf of the cause of a free
Cuba,'' said CANF Chairman Jorge Mas. "Today's announcements send a
powerful signal to would-be appeasers of Fidel Castro, the international
community, and, most importantly, the Cuban people that there will be no
compromises on Cuba's freedom and that once again a true friend of our cause
occupies the most powerful position in the world.''
"We are very grateful to President Bush for restoring a sense of
purpose to U.S. policy towards the Castro dictatorship,'' Mas said.
Soul-Shaking Power of a Cuban Wonder
By D. J. R. Bruckner The New York Times. July 14, 2001.
For the audience of "La Lupa: My Life, My Destiny" the experience
is a concert by an infectiously passionate singer whose gift for comic
innovation is unpredictable and dangerous.
A "drama with music" is the way the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater
bills "La Lupe: My Life, My Destiny." But for the audience the
experience is a concert by an infectiously passionate singer whose gift for
comic innovation is unpredictable and dangerous — with occasional
dialogue laced in to supply a narrative theme.
This is a wise approach. The life of Victoria Lupe Yoli, a salsa singer from
Cuba, would overwhelm a play. Her performances with Tito Puente and other
bandleaders in the 1960's made her a club and recording star on both American
continents before mismanagement of contracts and a scarcely believable series of
personal disasters reduced her to poverty and oblivion; she died in her Bronx
apartment in 1992. What is needed now, for the fans who made her famous as
simply La Lupe and for those who never heard her, is to see and feel again some
of her soul-shaking power.
At times in this show, Sully Díaz can make you feel you are
witnessing a resurrection. As a stage and film actress who has also been a
television sitcom star, she can instinctively project celebrity into a theater.
And as an accomplished stand- up comic, she knows how to hold on to an audience
and make its laughter her instrument.
She doesn't try to imitate La Lupe's voice, but her own rasps, occasional
quavers and machine-gun bursts of syllables in some lines fill her realization
of this role with electric excitement. She is onstage more than an hour and a
half, singing half that time, 14 numbers in all. She gets the attitude right,
from the aggressive sexuality of "La Tirana" to the retracted-claws
seductiveness of "Que te pedí" to the frenzy of "Fever"
(with footwork that suggests she might be dancing on flames). She makes you
believe absolutely La Lupe's claim that, when the music started, the songs
simply burst from her and she was never quite sure how.
Luis Caballero directs the piece with a choreographer's pace that hides some
abrupt transitions in Carmen Rivera's overly detailed and overpopulated script.
That La Lupe's downfall was in part the work of what La Lupe called fate is
believable, but this La Lupe is such a mixture of ambition, gullibility and
stubbornness that it is also clear she must have been nearly impossible to work
with at times. A very strong supporting cast (4 actors as 23 characters) shares
Ms. Díaz's gift for the kind of disciplined disorder that leaves viewers
feeling they are definitely on the streets of New York.
Oscar Hernández may make you want to go to a second performance, this
time with eyes closed, just to catch every note of his arrangements of these
familiar songs. There are only four musicians onstage, but your memory fills
with an orchestral sound. Well, to be fair, five musicians, since a member of
the supporting cast, Gilberto Arribas, at one point makes a saxophone speak more
eloquently than any of the characters he portrays.
Inevitably, a woman of such sudden fame and such a sudden fall as La Lupe
leaves behind keepers of the flame who can be bitterly possessive, and critical
of anyone else's judgments of her. But in many ways this production is a tribute
to the fans as well as to the star. Raúl Davila has translated the play
into a Spanish version that plays Fridays through Sundays. On Wednesday and
Thursday evenings, it is in English (up to a point: the songs, half the show,
are in Spanish, and the pointed wit of some colloquial expressions simply
evaporates in another language). | 
