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2 Republican lawmakers
believe US will drop Cuba travel ban
Deborah Tate, Capitol Hill.
VOA
News. 11 Feb 2004.
Two Republican U.S. lawmakers, just back
from a trade mission to Cuba, believe the
United States will drop its ban on Americans'
travel to the Caribbean island next year.
Senator Larry Craig and Congressman Butch
Otter, both Idaho Republicans, just returned
from a four-day trip to Cuba, where they
led a trade delegation and signed agricultural
agreements with Cuban officials.
The two lawmakers are seeking to lift the
ban against travel to Cuba by Americans,
arguing it is the best way to bring about
democratic change to the communist-ruled
island nation.
Senator Craig said "letting the light
shine into Cuba will be the single greatest
force against Castro and anything he might
do against the Cuban people."
Most lawmakers agree. The House of Representatives
and Senate last year both approved legislation
to lift the travel ban. But the measure
was never sent to President Bush, who had
vowed to veto it.
The politically-influential Cuban-American
community in Florida, a state crucial to
Mr. Bush's re-election prospects this year,
vehemently opposes any relaxation in the
four-decades-old embargo on Cuba.
Bowing to political reality, Senator Craig
says the opportunity for lifting the travel
ban will come next year, after this November's
election. At a Capitol Hill news conference,
Senator Craig said he told his Cuban hosts
as much. "What I told Cuban officials
is that I felt 2005 could become a very
productive year for a progressive way of
beginning to adjust and change our relationship
with Cuba from a legal standpoint,"
he said.
Senator Craig and Congressman Otter on
Saturday signed an agreement with Cuban
officials under which Cuba's food import
company will buy 10 million dollars worth
of Idaho agricultural products, including
thousands of tons of potatoes and beans.
The United States in 2000 authorized the
sale of food and medicine to Cuba. A year
later Cuba began purchasing such items.
Cuba has now signed more than 700 million
dollars in food-purchase agreements with
U.S. firms.
But many U.S. lawmakers, including Congressman
Otter, would like to see U.S. law changed
to allow trade in other products. "It
is too bad that we have a policy that continues
to stop the economic activity that I think
we would really be able to engage in with
Cuba, because we are limited to food and
pharmaceuticals. There are a lot of things
we make in Idaho that would help their farming
program that would certainly help their
education program in terms of high-technology,
communications that they could use,"
he said.
Congressman Otter and Senator Craig are
considering legislation to expand U.S. trade
with Cuba, and discussed such prospects
and other issues with Cuban leader Fidel
Castro in a three-hour meeting in Havana
on Monday.
Senator Craig offered his observations
of the Cuban leader. "It was a fascinating
meeting in the sense that he fully engaged
us in a very open discussion. He appeared
in all aspects to be very robust. He certainly
knew his facts and details about every element
of program. He talked about the number of
calories in a food lunch program served
in their schools. He talked about the extended
educational program in Cuba with great detail.
I think all of us, never having met the
gentleman, were impressed to the extent
that he knew so many details of individual
programs," he said.
Senator Craig and Congressman Otter plan
a return visit to Cuba in April to take
part in a trade exhibition.
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