Yahoo! News
July 17, 2001.
Bush Suspends Law on Cuba Lawsuits
By George Gedda, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON, 17 (AP) - Sen. Jesse Helms was outraged five years ago when
President Clinton refused to enforce a provision of an anti-Cuba law Helms
helped write.
When President Bush took essentially the same action Monday, Helms' response
was far more muted.
At issue is a 1996 law co-authored by Helms, R-N.C., and Rep. Dan Burton,
R-Ind. A key provision, Title III, allows Americans to sue people or companies
who control properties confiscated from Americans in Cuba 40 years ago.
The law requires the president either to waive or enforce Title III at
six-month intervals.
Clinton used his waiver authority eight times during his second term. Bush
used the same authority Monday, saying he hopes the step will encourage a
movement toward democracy on the island.
Helms said the difference from five years ago was that Bush is taking a "very
tough line'' in his overall policy toward Cuba. He contrasted this with the
Clinton's "fuzzy'' and "wishy-washy'' posture.
Helms, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, gave
Clinton no slack when the former president waived Title III on July 16, 1996,
five years to the day before Bush's waiver.
"While (Clinton's) announcement contains tough anti-Castro rhetoric, it
is all talk and no substance,'' Helms said at the time. The president "capitulated
to Fidel Castro (news - web sites) and his foreign business collaborators,''
Helms said.
Bush notified Congress he was waiving the provision just hours before a
midnight deadline.
"Real issues remain between the United States and our allies concerning
the best methods for pursuing change in Cuba,'' Bush said in a statement.
But he said he believes his step will "further strengthen, not weaken''
efforts to promote democracy and human rights in Cuba. He pointed out that the
European Union (news - web sites) has reaffirmed its goal of promoting a
peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba, consistent with the U.S. goal.
On Friday, Bush took several steps to punish the Cuban regime - an apparent
effort to soften the impact among Castro's opponents of Monday's waiver of Title
III.
Those steps include reaffirmation of his commitment to maintain existing
sanctions against Cuba and to strengthen pro-democracy movements in Cuba.
Republican refusal to confront Bush over the waiver did not go unnoticed by
a key Cuban-American Democrat, Rep. Bob Menendez of New Jersey.
"President Clinton, credited for signing Helms-Burton into law, was
criticized by Republicans for repeatedly waiving Title III. Today, the palpable
silence of those very same Republican voices is deafening,'' said Menendez.
He called the willingness of some European companies to invest in Cuba on
expropriated property reprehensible.
The anti-Castro Cuban-American National Foundation strongly supported an end
to the waiver, but Foundation officials made clear that they could live with a
Title III waiver.
The waiver is bound to please the European Union, which sees the law as an
attempt by the United States to impose its anti-Cuba policy on others. European
companies would be the most exposed under an enforced Title III because most
foreign investment in Cuba comes from that continent.
European officials had threatened to file a complaint against the United
States before the World Trade Organization (news - web sites) if Bush had pushed
ahead with enforcement of the law.
European leaders almost certainly would have registered their displeasure
with Bush later this week at the Group of Eight meeting of industrialized
countries in Genoa, Italy.
On the Net:
US-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:
Haitian President Arrives in Cuba
HAVANA, 16 (AP) - Haiti's president arrived in Cuba for an official visit
Monday, saying he was confident that talks mediated by the OAS could resolve his
nation's political crisis.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide saluted efforts by the Organization of American
States to encourage talks among Haiti's political parties about future
elections.
"We think that dialogue is the road necessary to arrive at a
solution,'' said Aristide, arriving on his first official visit here. "We
have begun the dialogue and we are going to keep taking steps toward a
resolution through dialogue.''
Disagreements between Haiti's governing Lavalas Family Party and opposition
parties over elections have caused a yearlong political standoff, prompting
donor nations to freeze up millions of dollars in foreign aid.
Aristide spoke one day after his nation's political parties agreed to have
elections to replace local and most parliamentary seats and to continue
negotiating dates for the voting.
Formal talks between Cuban President Fidel Castro (news - web sites) and
Aristide were scheduled for Tuesday morning. Diplomatic relations between the
nations were restored in 1996. | 
