Senators Seek $100M for Cuba Groups
By George Gedda, Associated Press Writer.
WASHINGTON, 16 (AP) - Drawing on Reagan-era successes in undermining communism in Eastern Europe, a group of senators introduced legislation Wednesday to promote democracy in Cuba by providing dissidents cash, fax machines, telephones and other items.
Sen. Jesse Helms (news - bio - voting record), R-N.C., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the proposed package of $100 million in aid over four years is "a blueprint for a more vigorous U.S. policy to liberate the enslaved island of Cuba.''
He said the program would supplement the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba, the centerpiece of U.S. policy toward the island for 39 years.
The legislation was endorsed by the Cuban-American National Foundation, the largest and most influential of the anti-communist Cuban exile groups. The bipartisan initiative has the support of 10 other senators, and companion legislation in the House is backed by more than 90 members.
The Bush administration withheld immediate comment.
Helms' remarks on the Senate floor, and those of supporters at a news conference, were reminiscent of the Reagan administration's support for pro-democracy groups in Poland. That effort helped bring down decades of communist rule there in 1989.
In Poland, the opposition rallied around Solidarnosc, the Solidarity labor union. The legislation introduced Wednesday is the Cuban Solidarity Act of 2001.
"The investment we made in the liberation of Eastern Europe has yielded immeasurable benefits,'' Helms said.
He said the legislation would give the president a mandate to increase all forms of U.S. support for pro-democracy and human rights activists in Cuba. In addition to office machines, he said it could also include food, medicines, books, educational material and financial support.
Recipients may include political prisoners and family members, persecuted dissidents or repatriated persons, workers' rights activists, economists, journalists, environmentalists and others.
Activities may include support for independent libraries or agricultural cooperatives, support for microenterprise development by self-employed Cubans, U.S.-based exchange programs and nongovernmental charities.
Cuban President Fidel Castro is touring Asia and the Middle East and has not commented on the development.
Participants in a forum on state-owned Cuban television described the initiative Wednesday as laughable evidence of a new anti-Cuban campaign. "It is a new aggression ... launched from Miami, the city of corruption,'' said Randy Alonso, a member of the Union of Communist Youth and the
forum's moderator.
Cuba has been highly successful in preventing dissident groups from flourishing. Criticism of the government is permitted, but efforts toward political organization by dissidents usually are quashed through intimidation and other means. Castro has been especially scornful of dissidents who
receive support from the United States.
Wayne Smith, a former U.S. diplomat who supports establishing normal relations with Cuba, said the proposal is a bad idea.
Smith said he agrees with Elizardo Sanchez, a leading human rights activist in Cuba, who told him last month that dissidents who accept U.S. support would be viewed by the government as paid agents of the United States.
In January, Cuban authorities arrested two Czechs - one a parliamentarian - and alleged they had planned to deliver a portable computer, diskettes and CD-ROMs to dissidents with the help of Freedom House, a New York-based human rights group. The Czechs were held for 25 days and released only
after they admitted breaking the law by meeting with dissidents.
Jorge Mas Santos, chairman of the Cuban-American National Foundation, said the prospect that some Cuban dissidents might be imprisoned as a result of receiving U.S. help "should not be a reason for us not to do the right thing.''
He said dissidents are imprisoned in Cuba irrespective of whether they receive outside help.
Joining Mas at a news conference was Sen. Joseph Lieberman (news - bio - voting record), D-Conn., last year's Democratic nominee for vice president.
"Our foreign policy is at its best when it is based on values,'' Lieberman said in endorsing the Solidarity legislation.
Sen. George Allen (news - bio - voting record), R-Va., added a bilingual touch, saying in both Spanish and English: "Help is on the way.''
Sen. Bob Graham (news - bio - voting record), D-Fla., said the legislation would add a new dimension to U.S. policy toward the nearby island. Once it is enacted, Graham said, "U.S. policy will no longer be simply to isolate the Castro regime but to support those working to bring about
change inside Cuba.''
On the Net:
Sen. Jesse Helms: http://helms.senate.gov/
Other senators: http://www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfm
CIA (news - web sites) profile of Cuba:
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/cu.html
Library of Congress (news -
web sites) profile of Poland:
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/pltoc.html
Pan Am To Fly Weekly DOD Route to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Wednesday May 16, 10:00 am Eastern Time. Press Release.
Military Charter is Part of New 'Air Carrier' Status For the Airline
PORTSMOUTH, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 16, 2001--Pan American Airways has been selected to begin a weekly military charter route which will originate at Norfolk Naval Air Station and travel to Jacksonville Naval Air Station and continue to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The flights, which will use the
airline's reconfigured Boeing 727-200 aircraft, will begin in late May.
Pan Am's President, Dave Fink, expressed pride in being selected for this service, saying, "This Department of Defense charter is a real highlight for Pan Am. Not only are we proud to be serving our military's needs, but returning Pan Am's familiar blue globe to this region has historic
significance.'' Fink stressed, "In the earliest days of passenger travel, Pan Am became a symbol of America and air travel. Returning this symbol to Cuba and the Caribbean is a meaningful event.''
Pan American was recently qualified by the Department of Defense as an "Air Carrier.'' The status signifies the successful completion of the Air Mobility Command's rigorous survey process that focused on the airline's operational and maintenance fitness. The Defense Department certification
includes the necessary approvals to allow Pan Am to become a part of the domestic and international Civil Reserve Air Fleet or CRAF.
The Air Carrier qualification permits Pan Am to transport Department of Defense individuals and groups on its scheduled passenger and charter flights. There are only a handful of regional carriers who have qualified for this service, and Pan Am's approval is a testament to its level of safety,
reliability and operational standards.
Pan Am's Vice President of Marketing, Dan Fortnam, said, "The service will add to Pan Am's growing presence in the Caribbean. On May 24th, the airline will begin scheduled flights between Orlando and San Juan, Puerto Rico. In addition, twice a week charter service between San Juan and the
Dominican Republic will begin in early June.''
About Pan Am:
The original Pan Am, founded in the late 1920's by Juan Trippe, set the standard for modern air travel worldwide as the operator of the famous Pan Am Clippers and, later, as the first to fly the Boeing 747. Along the way, Pan Am's blue globe became one of the most recognized logos in the world.
The owners of New Hampshire-based Guilford Transportation Industries acquired the new Pan Am in June of 1998. The new owners relocated the company's headquarters from Ft. Lauderdale to Portsmouth in December of 1998. At Portsmouth, the company operates a 220,000 square foot maintenance facility,
as well as other aviation-related businesses.
Pan Am currently provides scheduled passenger service to Boston and New England through Portsmouth, NH, Gary/Chicago, Orlando/Sanford, Bangor, ME, Mid America-St. Louis, Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, PA, Worcester, MA, as well as San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Contact:
Pan Am
Dan Fortnam or John Nadolny, (603) 766-2000
Potential Cyberattacks Worry U.S.
By George Gedda, Associated Press Writer.
WASHINGTON, 16 (AP) - Sen. Ron Wyden didn't think Cuba posed a military threat to the United States and believed that Rear Adm. Thomas Wilson would reinforce that view when he raised the subject with Wilson at a Senate hearing.
Wilson's answer surprised Wyden, D-Ore.
Wilson, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said Cuba has the potential to use "information warfare or computer network attack,'' enabling the country "to disrupt our access or flow of forces to the region.''
Moments later, the public portion of the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing ended and the participants continued their discussion in secret.
The little-noticed exchange took place in February.
16
Wyden acknowledged later to a reporter that he had thought Cuba was too weak to be a threat to the United States. After hearing Wilson's testimony, Wyden said he believes the issue "warrants further review.''
Capt. Michael Stainbrook, a Pentagon (news - web sites) spokesman, said he had nothing to add to Wilson's February comments.
Concern about a possible Cuban attack on U.S. military Web sites is not new. Manuel Cereijo, an engineering professor at Florida International University, said in a 1999 study that telecommunications espionage has been a high priority area for Cuba since 1991.
"Cuba represents a serious threat to the security of the United States in the cyberwarfare phase of terrorism,'' Cereijo wrote.
But a U.S. official, asking not to be identified, said he believes the worries about Cuba's competence in this area can be overstated. The ability to wage cyberattacks depends on having a state of the art phone system, which Cuba lacks, the official said.
As for the possibility of Cuba planting agents in the United States to disrupt American military communications, the official said that would be a high risk exercise for President Fidel Castro (news - web sites), noting the success the FBI (news - web sites) had in penetrating a Cuban spy ring
that was broken up in Miami several years ago. Five of the alleged spies are now on trial in Miami.
The official acknowledged the possibility that China may be providing technical assistance to Cuba on ways to target U.S. military communications. Sino-Cuban relations are at a peak following the visit to Havana last month by President Jiang Zemin (news - web sites), but the U.S. official said
the administration had no hard information about any collaboration on the issue.
Castro also has been strengthening ties with Iran, which, according to the U.S. officials, is continuing its pursuit of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. The officials said the possibility of Iran-Cuba military cooperation cannot be ruled out.
Politically, Cuba and the United States appear to be as antagonistic nowadays as at any time in decades. The hostility gives added context to concerns here about Cuba's alleged development of a cyber warfare capability.
Proposals by some U.S. groups for steps to ease tensions have been brushed aside by the Bush administration, which shows no interest in softening the 39-year old embargo against Cuba.
In 1998, then-Defense Secretary William Cohen sent an intelligence assessment on Cuba's military capability to Congress. In a cover letter that went beyond the findings in the assessment, Cohen said he was concerned about Cuba's "potential to develop and produce biological agents, given its
biotechnology infrastructure.''
The study made no direct reference to cyberwarfare but said without elaboration that Cuba has a "limited capability to engage in some military and intelligence activities which would be detrimental to U.S. interests and which could pose a danger to U.S. citizens under some circumstances.''
As for Cuba's conventional military capability, the report was more reassuring. It said that due to a deterioration over the past decade, "Cuba does not pose a significant military threat to the United States or to other countries in the region.'' -
EDITOR'S NOTE - George Gedda has covered foreign affairs for The Associated Press since 1968.
Finline Authorized to Carry Cuba's International Telephone Traffic
Tuesday May 15, 1:08 pm Eastern Time. Press Release
WATERLOO, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2001--Finline Technologies Ltd. (CDNX:FIN. - news) is pleased to announce that its new subsidiary, FinTel Networks International Inc. ("FinTel'') has been authorized by Cuba's national Telecommunication Carrier, Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de
Cuba (ETEC S.A.) to carry Cuba's international telephone traffic on their behalf.
Finline through its wholly owned subsidiary, Finline International Inc., has entered into a second Joint Venture with Grupo de La Electronica, Cuba ("Grupo'') to establish FinTel Networks International Inc. ("FinTel''). FinTel is incorporated in Ontario, Canada and is jointly and
equally owned by Finline and Grupo. FinTel's mandate is to carry international telephone traffic between USA and Cuba as well as other international destinations.
Under the terms of the Agreement, FinTel will be responsible for the operation of routing two-way telephone traffic from Cuba to USA and other international destinations. ETEC S.A. will cater to domestic telephone services within Cuba. Consequently both parties will collect revenues from their
respective territories. As reported by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of US Dept. of Treasury, Washington, DC, in 2000, telephone traffic between Cuba and USA resulted in US$77.86 million in payments to ETEC S.A. as its share of revenues generated from US-Origin calls.
Telecom Italia S.p.A and ETEC S.A. are shareholders in a joint venture (ETEC S.A.), which is controlled by the Ministry of Information and Communications of the Republic of Cuba. In 2000, ETEC S.A. had a total capital value of US$1.44 billion. Amsterdam, The Netherlands-based Stet International
Netherlands N.V. (a subsidiary of Telecom Italia S.p.A.) has a 29.29% interest in ETEC S.A., valued at US$422.33 million in 2000.
Communication channels rendered jointly by FinTel and ETECSA will generally be Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and to this end FinTel has entered into negotiations for space segment services. Additionally FinTel is actively seeking other telecommunication companies for delivery of long
distance telephone services to and from Cuba.
"Grupo de la Electronica based on the license granted to Fintel Networks, is going to carry our data and telephony traffic activities at international level both to and from Cuba. This will give rise to new opportunities that complement FintecSA activities in external markets since a
complete service can be offered to our external customers, that is, local telecom systems and options for their linking to international networks,'' said Mr. Daniel Fernandez Lopez, Vice President of Grupo de la Electronica, Cuba.
"This is a great asset for Finline and complements Finline's business strategy worldwide. I see the geographical markets created by Finline's High Speed Internet Access, Voice over ATM (Telephony) and Digital Television wireless MMDS solution through its Trilogy(TM) system, provide
increased traffic for FinTel, both from Cuba, and other markets and joint ventures that Finline is involved in,'' said Einar Fiskvatn, President and CEO of Finline Technologies Ltd. "Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) has certainly opened up great opportunities for us all,'' he added.
Finline Technologies Ltd. is in the business of Designing, Manufacturing, Marketing, and Selling broadband wireless systems, focusing on MMDS "Wireless Cable'' solutions for the provision of Telephone, High Speed Internet Access, and Digital Television via its Trilogy(TM) System. Moreover
Finline is involved in the Compression of Images using Patented Wavelet compression technology. Finline operates through joint ventures and/or other business combinations to enhance its market share. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Finline Technologies Ltd. has successfully deployed its systems
and components worldwide to operators in fourteen countries on five continents.
The Canadian Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Contact:
Finline Technologies Ltd.
Einar Fiskvatn, 519/746-1023
Fax: 519/746-1131
or
Finline Technologies Ltd.
Paul S. Mann, 519/746-1023
Fax: 519/746-1131
E-mail: investor@finline.com
Website:
www.finline.com
Castro Stops in Oil-Rich Libya
By Khalid Al-Deeb, Associated Press Writer.
TRIPOLI, Libya, 17 (AP) - Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Wednesday took Cuban President Fidel Castro (news - web sites) on a tour of a residential compound bombed by U.S. warplanes 15 years ago, then threw a banquet in his honor.
The Cuban leader called the 1986 attack part of "a savage aggression'' by the United States against the fellow socialist country. He told reporters the "greatest revolutions in history are the Libyan and Cuban revolutions.''
Castro, whom Libya once honored with a human rights award for crusading against the United States, arrived Wednesday from Syria as part of an extended tour of Middle Eastern and Asian countries.
Cuban and Libyan flags fluttered over the road leading to the airport and along major streets in the city. Pictures of the visiting leader were plastered on the capital's walls.
Gadhafi later escorted his guest to his damaged residential compound. U.S. warplanes bombed it in April 1986, killing Gadhafi's adopted daughter and 36 other people.
The air strike was in retaliation for the bombing death of a U.S. soldier at a West Berlin discotheque 10 days earlier. The U.S. claimed Libya was behind the explosion.
After the tour, Castro wrote in a guest book that what he had witnessed was the result of "a savage aggression.''
Later, Castro was the guest of honor at a banquet that Gadhafi held at an undisclosed location. More substantive discussions are scheduled for Thursday.
Castro is on a tour to strengthen ties with new and old allies in the Middle East and Asia and seek cheap supplies of energy.
Castro's only other visit to Libya was in March 1977. The two socialist states share anti-U.S. sentiments and were close allies of the former Soviet Union.
Libya has supported Cuba throughout a decades-old U.S. trade embargo, while the Latin American state stood by Libya during a seven-year U.N. air embargo. The sanctions were imposed to force Libya to hand over two suspects in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
The embargo against Cuba remains in place, while that against Libya was suspended after it handed over the two suspects in 1999. The United States, however, has maintained unilateral sanctions against Libya, citing state support of terrorism.
In 1998, Libya honored Castro with its human rights award for the "defense of his people and his steadfast stand against the imperialism that surrounds him.''
Castro's stop in Libya is the sixth on a tour that began May 6. The Cuban leader has stopped in Algeria, Iran, Malaysia, Qatar and Syria.
Before flying to Libya on Wednesday, Castro visited parts of the Syrian capital's ancient quarter, including the Omayyad Mosque, a sprawling complex that houses a tomb believed to contain the head of St. John the Baptist.
He then met President Bashar Assad for talks over lunch, according to the official Syrian Arab News Agency.
It was Castro's first visit to Syria, but the Cuban leader met with Assad's father, the late Syrian leader Hafez Assad, several times at international gatherings.
Like Cuba, Libya and Syria are on the U.S. State Department list of countries sponsoring terrorism.
Guess What's Going on in School!
By Phyllis Shlafly. Copley News Service. Wednesday May 16 01:00 AM EDT
While the education debate in Congress revolves around standards, testing, accountability and spending, 3,000 miles away on the Left Coast, very different factors have leaped to center stage.
Santa Rosa (Calif.) High School held a "Week of Diversity" on April 9 - 13 that included 82 presentations by outside speakers. The announcement letter sent to parents permitted them to opt out their children, but said the event was "essential to the exposure and understanding of
important topics and teen issues not normally taught in our public school system."
However, the letter failed to mention a controversial assembly titled "Sex and Stuff." Students who had been excused from the other presentations attended the assembly.
"Sex and Stuff" was a play presented by the San Marin High School Peer Counselors. According to parents who attended, the play depicted all the ills and sadness a high school student could ever experience, from sexual molestation to rape to unwanted pregnancy, HIV (news - web sites)
infection, anorexia, deaths from drunken driving, fights, and even suicide.
"Still worse," according to parent Orlean Koehle, "were the vulgar, inappropriate sex scenes, beginning with a very suggestive dance followed by a scene where a bra, undies and nylons are thrown from behind a sheet. Another scene, by virtue of sound effects, was suggestive of
sexual intercourse taking place behind the sheet."
Although the play occasionally contained a redeeming statement or line, these were "surrounded by such filth that only the filth is likely to be remembered." The teaching of abstinence included recommendations for alternative sex acts.
Some parents were so outraged at the school's failure to notify them about the assembly that they contacted the Pacific Justice Institute, which found the lack of notice in direct violation of the California education code. PJI is now working with parents to help them assert their legal remedies
and hold the school accountable.
Some parents, who opted their children out of the 82 presentations listed in the announcement, attended the classes themselves. Koehle reported that at least half the classes were conducted by "an amazing lineup of leftist, radical, Marxist speakers."
Fourteen classes addressed gender, homophobia, and AIDS (news - web sites) issues, all in support of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender ideology that these lifestyles are not a choice, but genetic, and that they are healthy and normal. The weeklong agenda included more than 20 hours of
pro-homosexual indoctrination and only one 50-minute presentation in opposition to the gay agenda.
Eleven classes espoused radical leftist ideology and causes. These included support for Communist Cuba, for guerrilla forces in Colombia and for stopping "American imperialism" imposed by greedy capitalist corporations. One class offered support for social change to make
America like Cuba "where the government owns everything and gives it out equally to the people so there are no rich and no poor."
Seventeen classes supported leftist environmental causes, animal rights or vegetarianism. Speakers from Amnesty International and the Sierra Club encouraged students to change their diets and become environmental activists.
Five classes were devoted to police bashing, including a video depicting police brutality and tales of alleged atrocities committed by the Santa Rosa Police Department. Students were encouraged to support a group called the Purple Berets and the ACLU in setting up a Citizens Review Board to
monitor the police.
One class was conducted by militants representing the Midnight Special Law Firm. Students were given a three-page handout that warned, "Never trust the police," and included tips on how to engage in civil disobedience.
Two classes focused on making a "hate-free world." One presenter portrayed a person who expresses hatred as a believer in a "book" that she reads every morning, especially on Sunday, and which supposedly gives her the right to hate and to put down others.
Everyone understood what "book" the presenter was referring to. Christian students felt they were being accused of prejudice.
The California Education Code is really very pro-parent, but it was ignored by Diversity Week. Education Code 51554(b) requires written notification to parents prior to "instruction that involves presentations on sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, human sexuality or family life delivered
in an assembly."
Education Code 51553 states that, whenever sexual instruction is given in the public schools, abstinence must be stressed as "the only protection that is 100 percent effective against sexually transmitted diseases," that factual information must be "medically accurate and
objective" and that the failure rate of condoms must be presented.
The code also requires instruction to "stress that pupils should abstain from sexual intercourse until they are ready for marriage," to "teach honor and respect for monogamous heterosexual marriage," and to inform students that "it is unlawful for males or females of any
age to have sexual intercourse with males or females under the age of 18 years to whom they are not married."
Parents say that the class on the "book" violated Education Code 51500, which forbids public schools to "sponsor any activity which reflects adversely on persons because of their ... creed," and the classes on the police violated Education Code 60044, which prohibits "any
matter reflecting adversely on persons because of their ... occupation."
© 2001 Copley News Service | 