|
Yahoo!
February 21, 2003.
Family of slain American receives default judgment against Cuba
MIAMI - The family of an American killed by a Cuban firing squad in 1960
received a default judgment against the communist nation.
Robert Fuller's widow and daughter will now seek undetermined financial
damages under a federal law cited in similar lawsuits after Thursday's ruling.
No trial date for the penalty phase has been set.
Cuban officials were served with the lawsuit last May. They have never
responded, prompting Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Ellen Leesfield to issue the
judgment.
Fuller was tortured and then killed by firing squad on Oct. 16, 1960,
according to the lawsuit filed by his wife and daughter, both named Lynita
Fuller Caskey. Fuller's body was thrown into an unmarked mass grave, the lawsuit
alleges.
Fuller had been arrested the previous day with another American and two
Cubans, all of whom were arrested, tried and convicted of counterrevolutionary
activities, according to the complaint.
Fuller's family ran an agricultural business in Cuba until 1959, when the
company was dissolved by Fidel Castro (news - web sites)'s government, the
complaint said. Fuller and his father were allegedly assaulted by
revolutionaries and forced to leave Cuba in the fall of 1959.
Fuller, an ex-Marine, returned months later after his family's land,
livestock and personal belongings were seized by the government.
The lawsuit in state court is based on the U.S. law that allowed the
families of three U.S. fliers killed when their planes were shot down by a Cuban
MiG in 1996 to recover $97 million in Cuban funds from frozen U.S. accounts.
The 1996 change in the U.S. law carved out an exception to a law giving
foreign powers immunity from damage suits in cases of illegal killings.
Israel and Syria trade accusations at Security Council hearing; Cuba
accuses U.S. of harboring terrorists
By Barbara Borst, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS, 20 (AP) - Israel's ambassador used a Security Council
meeting on terrorism Thursday to attack Syria as "one of the world's
foremost sponsors of terrorism," while Cuba's representative charged the
United States with harboring anti-Cuban terrorists.
The accusations highlighted the difficulty of defining terrorism, which has
kept the United Nations (news - web sites) from adopting a comprehensive treaty
on terrorism. But Thursday's debate nonetheless showed a desire by countries to
fight global terrorism.
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Security Council demanded all
countries stop supporting, financing and providing sanctuary to terrorists and
it set up a committee to monitor how countries were fighting terrorism.
But the old disputes over how to define terrorism surfaced again Thursday at
a follow-up meeting to last month's gathering of foreign ministers, which called
for worldwide cooperation against terrorism.
Syria said Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is terrorism.
Israel called suicide bombers "murderers, not martyrs."
Colombia and Iran stressed the links between terrorism and drug trafficking
Australia said the greatest danger was that terrorists would get hold of
weapons of mass destruction.
Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman accused Syria of "continued, extensive
and unapologetic support for no less than 10 separate terrorist organizations."
"Of what use is the campaign against terrorism if others see that
states which manifestly fail to live up to their obligations escape condemnation
and are even elevated to the position of prominence at the United Nations?"
Gillerman asked.
Fayssal Mekdad, deputy ambassador for Syria, which is one of 10 Security
Council members serving two-year terms, accused Gillerman of using "cheap
tricks" and called Israel "the symbol and embodiment of terror."
"It appears that Israel cannot understand that occupation is terrorism,"
he said.
"Syria always cherishes cooperation with all countries of the world . .
. to combat terrorism and eliminate it," Mekdad said.
Despite the rhetoric, Britain's U.N. Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock said he
was encouraged by "the sense of global momentum behind our fight against
terrorism."
"Every regional organization, every international organization, is
beginning to build into a global network against terrorism, with the (committee)
as a catalyst at the center, not an organizer of everybody, but a catalyst for
action under the resolutions," said Greenstock, who chairs the committee
monitoring what countries are doing.
Cuban Ambassador Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said his country "has never
carried out, financed, tolerated or permitted a terrorist act, not even in
self-defense."
And he said Cuba has been the target of violence and conspiracies by
Cuban-exile groups based in the United States.
"Terrorism against Cuba continues to be carried out with absolute
impunity from United States territory," he said.
The United States didn't speak at the meeting and U.S. diplomats declined to
comment on the Cuban accusations.
Javad Zarif, Iran's ambassador, said Iran has suffered due to illegal drugs
and terrorists from neighboring Afghanistan (news - web sites), despite both
countries' efforts to combat those problems.
"Given the fact that drug trafficking is inseparable from terrorism and
is being carried out by well organized and equipped international gangs, ...
there should be no doubt that combating it goes beyond the resources of
individual countries," he said.
Colombian Ambassador Luis Guillermo Giraldo agreed, saying Colombia rebel
groups are financed from the drug trade and bring weapons into the country by
the same routes.
He also thanked the council for condemning the bombing in Bogota on Feb. 7
that killed 35 people.
"Without the cooperation of the international community, not only
monetarily, but with the effective use of judicial and police actions ... we are
unable to fight against terrorism and its sponsor: narcotraffic," Giraldo
said.
Hundreds greet Cuban President Fidel Castro at Vietnamese airport
By Margie Mason, Associated Press Writer
HANOI, Vietnam - Cuban President Fidel Castro (news - web sites) was greeted
like a rock star Friday by hundreds of cheering Vietnamese children waving flags
from both communist nations as he arrived at the airport in Hanoi.
The trip marks Castro's first visit to Vietnam in eight years, and his
comrades here have said they're prepared for a weekend of strengthening old ties
and expanding new ones in areas such as trade.
Castro, 76, is scheduled to meet with an array of officials this weekend,
including legendary Vietnamese Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap, the mastermind of Vietnam's
guerrilla war against the United States. He also will pay tribute at Ho Chi
Minh's mausoleum and visit with students at a university.
Castro is expected to leave Sunday to attend a summit of the 114-nation
Non-Aligned Movement in Kuala Lumpur.
He waved at hordes of people as he was driven through a human tunnel of
uniformed students who had been waiting nearly five hours for a glimpse of the
famed communist leader. His flight from Cuba was delayed nearly four hours while
he participated in a question-and-answer session with more than 100 Americans in
town for business summits.
But the wait didn't sour the mood at Hanoi's airport. Little boys dressed in
uniforms pounded on drums, trumpets blared and dozens of young girls dressed in
traditional ao dais — long silk tunics worn over loose pants — smiled
and waved.
"I wanted to come here to see Fidel Castro with my own eyes," said
Dang Anh Huy, 16. "I don't know a lot about Fidel, but I have heard about
him from my older brother and I'm excited to see him."
Voices blurted out the words "Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh," one of the
country's most famous songs.
"I feel very honored and privileged to welcome Fidel Castro," said
Nguyen Thu Hien, 15. "Vietnam and Cuba have been joined a long time.
Although the two countries are very far away, they still have had good
cooperation and support during many long wars in each nation."
Castro's other visits to Vietnam were in 1973 and 1995. During his last
trip, he toured the Cu Chi tunnel network where communist soldiers hid from U.S.
troops during the Vietnam War. | 
