Bush tightens anti-Cuba measures
Cuban labor leaders denied visas
By Gloria La
Riva
Recent announcements indicate that George W. Bush is
toughening U.S. policy against Cuba. In addition to proposing
increased restrictions on travel to the socialist island and a
tightening of the economic blockade, the U.S. State Department
revoked visas for a Cuban trade union delegation to the U.S.
just one day after issuing them.
Last year, Cuban union leaders were granted permission to
enter the country and successfully visited many states to meet
U.S. unionists.
Although basic U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba has not
changed in the transition from the Clinton to the Bush
administration, Bush's ascendancy represents a blatant and
aggressive approach by the more right-wing elements in the U.S.
ruling class toward Cuba and other countries as well.
The objective of destroying the Cuban Revolution has
remained constant for the past 10 U.S. presidential
administrations. Only the tactics have varied.
Some administrations have relied more on tightening the
blockade and directly supporting counter-revolutionaries in
Miami. Others, like the Carter administration, put more
emphasis on a "let's undo Cuba" policy, relying on active
engagement and influencing internal forces in Cuba.
On July 13, Bush said he would call on the Treasury
Department to more vigorously enforce the U.S. prohibition of
travel to Cuba. To accomplish this, he plans to increase
funding for more U.S. agents to prosecute U.S. travelers.
There is no actual ban on travel to Cuba--a position
recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court since the 1960s. However,
the U.S. government gets around that constitutional
"inconvenience" by outlawing the spending of money by U.S.
citizens or residents while traveling in Cuba and certain other
countries.
Bush announced on July 13 that he would support more funds
for the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control,
which enforces the blockade and travel ban. More Treasury staff
will also be assigned to monitor the $300 quarterly that the
U.S. government allows Cuban-Americans to send to their
families in Cuba.
U.S. government harassment and prosecution of people
visiting Cuba is already on the upswing. The Center for
Constitutional Rights--a progressive law group in New York that
defends people who are harassed by the U.S. government for
going to Cuba--recently said it is so overwhelmed by hundreds
of requests for help that it has had to refuse taking any more
clients.
For years, CCR has had a policy of defend ing without cost
anyone who needed legal representation regarding travel to Cuba
or other violations of the U.S. blockade.
Bush also appointed Salvador Lew, a Cuban-American
right-wing radio announcer notorious for anti-Cuba programs in
Miami, as the new director of the ill-named TV Martí and
Radio Martí. These television and radio stations are
part of the CIA propaganda machine that tries to broadcast into
Cuba.
Cuba has effectively jammed this programming. TV
Martí has never been seen in Cuba since its inaugural
broadcast from Washington via Miami in 1990. But Bush said he
would increase its funds to overcome Cuba's blocking of the
station's transmissions.
U.S. bans Cuban union leaders
Pedro Ross Leal, secretary general of the Cuban Workers
Federation, was sche d uled to head a delegation of five Cuban
union leaders who planned to visit U.S. labor and community
activists in the United States this summer.
The tour, sponsored by the U.S.-Cuba Labor Exchange, had to
be called off after the U.S. cancelled their visas, one day
after they had been approved.
"We regret to inform you that today, based on falsehoods and
lying arguments, the U.S. State Department, through the office
of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, just announced the
denial of the visas to the Cuban trade union delegation," wrote
Ross in a public statement after the denial.
"Once again, they have interfered with the path of
understanding and the closeness between our peoples. ... For
our part, our doors will always stay open to those trade
unionists and U.S. workers who--with good will and
respect--wish to visit Cuba and get to know our workers and our
people."
Bush waives Helms-Burton
Title III enforcement
Taking a different tack, Bush on July 17 waived enforcement
of Title III of the infamously anti-Cuba Helms-Burton law. By
not enforcing Title III, Bush continues the Clinton
administration's policy of the past five years. Title III would
allow U.S. citizens to sue foreign companies that use
properties in Cuba owned by U.S. companies before the 1959
revolution.
Title III has been the cause of acrimonious disputes in the
past between the U.S. and its imperialist counterparts in
Europe and Canada, which have significant investments in Cuba.
Bush's waiver of Title III was based on avoiding new clashes
with Europe at a time when there are already sharp differences
over such issues as "missile defense."
While the ultra-reactionary Sen. Jesse Helms, co-author of
the anti-Cuba law, had attacked Clinton for waiving Title III
throughout his second term, he nevertheless praised Bush for
"taking a very tough line" against Cuba.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS ::
SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page