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Cuba
exiles told of Bush support
Herald-Tribune.
October 5, 2003.
CORAL GABLES -- A top State Department official
urged unity Saturday among Cuban-Americans pushing
for freedom in their communist homeland and pledged
President Bush's commitment to their efforts.
Roger Noriega, assistant secretary of state for
Western Hemisphere affairs, noted Bush's support
of the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, travel restrictions
to the island and efforts to raise worldwide awareness
of Fidel Castro's oppressive regime. He said those
policies would serve to help undermine the Cuban
government.
His comments at a University of Miami event
came as some Republicans and Democrats say Bush's
support is waning among the Cuban-American community
because of his failure to take action on certain
policies.
The Cuban-American community support could be
critical in the 2004 presidential election, particularly
because Bush won Florida by such a slim margin
three years ago.
Joe Garcia, executive director of the Cuban American
National Foundation, said the Cuban-American community
"has shown its unwavering support for the
Bush administration." But, he said, continuing
the status quo that defined Bush's first three
years in office is unacceptable.
Garcia's group and others are urging a change
to the "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy,
which returns home Cuban migrants who are caught
at sea but allows those who reach U.S. land to
stay -- a point Noriega did not address. Garcia
would like the United States to allow all Cuban
migrants to stay.
But Noriega pledged Bush's support to other concerns,
such as increasing aid to Cuban dissidents and
the reach of pro-democracy radio and television
broadcasts to the island.
Some Democrats and Republicans in Congress have
pushed bills to ease trade and travel restrictions
on Cuba, but Noriega said divided support in the
United States can only hurt the common cause of
freedom in Cuba.
"It is precisely because of the vigorous
efforts of the Bush administration that Castro
is more desperate than ever to pull us apart and
to undermine our confidence," Noriega said.
"To be sure, he wants his opponents on the
island and in the exile community doubting one
another rather than dogging his regime."
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