U.S. considers punishing Cuba for dissident crackdown

Houston Chronicle ^ | April 17, 2003 | DAVID GONZALEZ, NYT

[Cincinatus' Wife]

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is considering a series of steps to punish the Cuban government for its recent crackdown on dissidents, officials said Wednesday.

Among the more drastic are the possibility of cutting off cash payments to relatives in Cuba -- a mainstay for millions of Cubans -- or halting direct flights to the island, the officials said.

President Bush is likely to make a public statement soon about the crackdown, which has stirred grave concern among Cuba policy experts here and dampened the hopes of lawmakers and others seeking to ease the current trade sanctions.

At the same time, the president is expected to issue a stern warning to the Havana government that the United States will not tolerate another exodus of rafters, the officials said. Several times during Castro's 44-year tenure, most notably in 1980 and 1994, he has relieved internal tensions by allowing mass migrations to Florida.

In recent weeks, the Castro government has jailed nearly 100 government critics, independent journalists, human rights advocates and others, and sentenced many of them to lengthy prison terms. In addition, Havana last week executed three men who commandeered a ferry and sought to reach the United States, the third such hijacking attempt in a month.

On Wednesday, Cuba denounced a last-minute amendment to a U.N. human rights resolution calling for the immediate release of the imprisoned dissidents. The amendment, introduced by Costa Rica at the U.N. Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva, is intended to strengthen a resolution on Cuba introduced by several Latin and South American nations.

Delegates to the 53-member panel debated for two hours before deciding to resume discussion, with a possible vote, today. Historically, Latin American nations have been reluctant to speak out against Cuba.

In criticizing the measure, Cuban officials said the United States was forcing "vile lackeys" to condemn Havana while ignoring what they said were rights abuses against prisoners of war at the U.S. naval station at Guantanamo Bay.

Meanwhile, administration officials said they were preparing a variety of options for the president, and no final decisions have been made.

The harshest sanctions involve restricting or eliminating the transfer of cash payments, called remittances, to friends and relatives on the island. The payments, sent primarily from South Florida exiles, are a lifeline to millions of Cubans and, with estimates as high as $1 billion, a mainstay of the economy.

Also being considered is a move to limit the number of Americans who travel to Cuba by ending direct charter flights between the countries. Thousands of travelers -- mostly Cuban-Americans visiting family -- board charter flights each month from Miami, New York and other cities.

[Humidston]

Oh dear. Jimmy Carter must be soiling his Pampers about now! LOL!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Jimmy can stick a sock in it. So can Bill Clinton. They've done harm to our national security and are an embarrassment to themselves.

[GreatOne]

Here's my punishment: screw the mob - send in a "hunter-killer" team combo of SEALS, Delta, and Green Beret, and kill this m-fer.

It has always made me absolutely ill that this little s*** is still left alone by us. Take him out and liberate the island. Doesn't matter if he is a threat or not. We cannot allow such evil to continue to exist, particularly after 9/11.