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The following article was written by Karen Wald in Havana, and
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Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Karen Wald , Periodista - APC)
Date: Mon, 26 Feb 96 21:09:19 EST 0
US-CUBA RELATIONS SHOT DOWN
by Karen Lee Wald
Havana
US-Cuba relations came tumbling down along with the two Miami-based
planes shot down over Cuban airspace Feb.24. Although the US State
Department had repeatedly warned the anti-Castro Cuban-American
group "Hermanos al Rescate" that Cuban authorities could justifiably
retaliate against their illegal overflights, the Clinton
administration did a quick about-face when the Castro government
finally reacted to the brazen incursions by shooting down two of the
three planes that flew back and forth over Cuban territory last
Saturday, seemingly taunting the Cuban authorities.
In what to Cubans was a surprise move, Secretary of State Warren
Christopher called the downing of the planes "totally unjustified"
and a "blatant violation of international law and the norms of
civilized country." He threatened unilateral US actions against
Cuba, and the Clinton administration is calling for UN sanctions
against the island as well.
President of Cuba's Parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, called Christopher
a blatant liar. He told a press conference packed with US, European
and Cuban journalists that it was "astonishing" that Christopher
could claim that the planes had been shot down over international
waters when US officials themselves had requested permission for the
US Coast Guard to enter Cuban waters to help in the search and
recovery of bodies and debris from the downed planes. "We have ample
material recovered in our waters," he stated, "and the US has no
material at all recovered in international waters."
"We are not talking about an 'unjustified action' but an act of
legitimate self-defense against pirate attacks in Cuban air space
and over Cuban territorial waters," Cuban leaders claim.
In addition, the Cubans say they have one of the pilots who was
participating in this group's actions. It is not clear whether this
is a captured pilot from the downed planes or an infiltrator or
defector from the anti-Castro group. Cubans have not indicated when
they will present this key witness.
Cuban Foreign Ministry spokespeople insist that the crucial issue is
violation of Cuban air space. "No country with a modicum
of self-respect could tolerate what was being perpetrated against
Cuba by means of increasingly brazen and humiliating actions. The
United States would never have allowed such violations even once."
Some voices in the US Congress have spoken out in opposition to the
Clinton administration's position. Democratic Congressman Charles
Rangel of New York told CNN that "No North American group has the
right to penetrate into Cuban air space and drop antigovernment
propaganda in violation of the laws of the United States and Cuba."
Christopher's assertion on Sunday that the planes had been over
international water baffled Cubans. Reuters had earlier quoted an
unidentified government spokesmen as describing a White House
meeting of Clinton advisers "to jointly examine all the evidence
we've got" as to whether or not the aircraft had violated Cuban air
space.
Apparently they didn't wait to see Cuban evidence of the incursions
before handing their decision to the press: Cubans say they have
"unequivocal proof," including annotated maps showing the
minute-by-minute radar detection, taped conversations, and "even
objects that belonged to the transgressors of our sovereignty" that
were recovered from Cuban waters on Feb. 24.
Cubans say the US was irresponsible in not stopping the repeated
violations of their own and international law by the "Hermanos de
Rescate" and similar anti-Cuban groups based in Florida. The groups
have held press conferences gloating over their acts of piracy,
Alarcon stated.
Jorge Dorrbecker, Chairman of the Cuban-American Pilots Association,
affirmed that the US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) had issued new
warning regarding Cuba three weeks ago. He added that "all pilots
were warned that if they crossed the 24th parallel without a flight
plan, the Cuban government would not be held responsible for their
personal safety," a warning that was repeated by Cuban civil
aviation authorities.
National Assembly President Alarcon pointed out that this incident
"didn't occur out of the blue." The Cuban government has presented
the US government with a long list of violations of Cuban territory
over the last 203 years, he said, and they have been acknowledged.
"We have warned them repeatedly that we would be forced to take
action," he said. "Patience has its limits," he added, noting that a
number of anti-Castro groups have not limited themselves to dropping
leaflets, but have engaged in violent terrorist acts against the
Cuban population.
Cuba's surprise at Christopher's reaction was based in part on
public statements by the Clinton State Department expressing
disagreement with the illegal actions of the Cuban-Americans and
wanring them against continuing their incursions.
"Just a year ago," Alrcon stated, Christopher's department sent us a
note saying they were investigating the possible violation of
international law by Jose Basulto's group. Basulto was accused of
vioalting FAA regulations, they said, and Cuba was asked to supply
information to prove these allegations.
Despite Cuba's complete cooperation, no formal charges were lodged
against Basulto. "What happened to that investigation and those
charges?" Alarcon asked. "This man and his cronies took off
from Florida after the investigation was conducted, and the US failed
to do anything to stop them."
"Just last month", he added, "they conducted a press conference in
Miami, rejoicing at their exploits."
And on Saturday, February 25, they took off again from Opa-Locka
airport. They turned back after the first Cuban warnings, but
returned in the afternoon. After numerous appeals to them to turn
back failed, MiGs were sent out after them.
Alarcon railed against the image being disseminated by the US
government and press of "unarmed civilians carrying out a
humanitarian mission."
"There was nothing humanitarian about them. They were not engaged in
legitimate civilized activities," he asserted. They were in violation
of numerous international laws that the US should be concerned
about. This group has for years been promoting illegal immigration,
and the US is supposed against illegal immigration," Alarcon
contended.
"The US knows that drugs are flown into its territory in small
craft like these, yet they allow these planes to illegally depart
and reenter US airports. The US is supposedly opposed to terrorism,
yet Basulto and his cronies have a long record of terrorism. These
are people they should have prosecuted long ago."
When a journalist asked if the Cuban government had any proof the
planes had been armed, Alarcon retorted, "Can you guarantee that
they weren't? Could Warren Christopher? Did he talk with them before
they took off, inspect their planes?"
He noted that a small plane can carry lots of armaments, "and we
know they came from a country where you can buy every kind of weapon
by mail-order.... We can't exclude the possibility that the plane was
armed and preparing a terrorist attack, just because a liar like
Warren Christopher says they were unarmed."
Cuban officials, recalling numerous threats and terrorist acts,
including the strafing of fishing villages and tourism hotels,
argue they cannot wait until people are killed before stopping
planes illegally flying into their territory. An international
tourist hotel is located a few miles down the beach from the area
where the planes were shot down.
Cubans were clearly very angry at this about-face by the Clinton
administration, after several months of an apparent warming trend.
When asked what he thought was behind Christopher's reversal,
Alarcon snapped, "It is difficult to ascertain why a liar is lying.
And even if he answered you, I wouldn't trust his answer." In a
calmer tone, the parliamentarian and former Foreign Minister
indicated that Christopher was obviously voicing a position
Clinton's advisers had decided on, one which possibly had to do with
domestic politics in an election year.
The Cuban government was clearly not ready to reveal who the pilot
in their custody is or what information he has. When pushed on this
point by several journalists, Alarcon replied, "We are in the midst
of a situation we didn't create. We are hearing statements full of
lies and distortions. We have to consider our steps carefully, wait
and see what President Clinton and Warren Christopher are going to
say and do. Christopher contradicted his own instructions [to not
make any statments until they had fully investigated the incident].
We don't do that. It's a matter of style."
The Cubans were also particularly irked at the US's attempt to seek
UN sanctions. Alarcon pointed out that the US never paid reparations
to the Iranian families of the passengers on the civilian airliner
its troops downed in the Persian Gulf. "And the author of the
greatest act of air terrorism in the Caribbean -- the bombing of the
Cuban civilian airliner in 1976 -- is probably taking part in the
Miami demonstrations demanding sanctions against Cuba, because the
Orlando Bosch was given permission by then-President George Bush to
continue living there despite US immigration authorities' attempts
to deport him for his terrorist actions.
"And another member of that team, Luis Posada Carriles, who was
convicted in Venezuela of that crime, has for years been a fugitive
reportedly working with the CIA and the Contras in Central America."
It's obvious, he said, that "the US is not against piracy, it
supports the pirates. It's not against terrorism, it supports the
terrorists. It's not for human rights, but for those who violate
them."
-30-
Media & Communications Consultant
Ecology & EcoTourism Reports
Karen Lee Wald C.3ra-A#15205
e/152 y 154
Nautico, Playa
La Habana, Cuba
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