Posted on 05/13/2002 2:10:34 PM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
(CNSNews.com) - After he toured a biotechnology laboratory in Havana Monday with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, former President Jimmy Carter criticized the Bush administration for alleging that Cuba is developing biological warfare research and may be exporting that know-how to enemies of the United States.
Undersecretary of State John Bolton made the allegations during a speech to the Heritage Foundation in Washington last week.
Carter, with Castro by his side, said he received briefings from the State Department, American intelligence agencies and high White House officials and the subject never came up.
"There were absolutely no such allegations made or questions raised. I asked them specifically on more than one occasion if there is any evidence that Cuba has been involved in sharing any information to any other country on Earth that could be used for terrorist purposes. And the answer from our experts on intelligence was no," the former president said.
Carter also doesn't believe Cuba has been providing terrorist information to Libya and Iran.
"The relationship between Cuba and Iran in this respect is just in the initial stages and has not reached the point of technological development. And my hope and my presumption is that Cuba will be very intensely concentrated upon enforcing that provision that would prevent any illicit or improper use of the technology which they share," he said.
Bolton, during his speech, didn't say which countries may be getting help from Cuba, but he did note that Castro visited Iraq, Syria and Libya last year.
"Cuba has provided dual-use biotechnology to other rogue states. We are concerned that such technology could support bio-weapons programs in those states," said Bolton.
White House spokesman Sena McCormack told CNSNews.com last Friday that Bolton's comments were based on fact.
"Certainly, we do not make such statements lightly. They are based on facts and based on proof. We have this proof from a variety of different sources and methods," said McCormack.
Castro angrily denied those allegations during a speech in Havana last weekend.
However, last year, while visiting Iran, Castro said, "Iran and Cuba, in cooperation with each other, can bring America to its knees. The U.S. regime is very weak, and we are witnessing this weakness from close up."
E-mail a news tip to Jim Burns.
Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.
The U.S. regime is very weak, and we are witnessing this weakness from close up."Do not confuse political incompetence for weakness.
Very logical on Jimmy's part: trust a communist dictator to do the right thing, but imply that W is dishonest. What an idiot, this really helps...
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