Vol. 17, No. 3 March 2009

www.cubanews.com

In the News House fights enforcement of Cuba travel

Food export boost restrictions; Senate action still pending Bill under consideration could jump-start BY ANA RADELAT It would also bar Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control from prosecuting farmers travel- U.S. food shipments to Cuba ...... Page 3 he House of Representatives has moved to ease restrictions on Cuban-American ing to Cuba to drum up business; OFAC would T exiles hoping to visit family members in also be denied of using funds to enforce a 2005 Regime change Cuba — in effect pre-empting President Barack restriction that makes Cuba pay for food sales in Raúl ousts Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Obama, who had promised to do the same. cash before shipments leave U.S. docks. “I have been working on this issue for a very, Roque, VP Carlos Lage in Cuba’s biggest Folded into a massive $410 billion omnibus spending bill approved by the House on Feb. 25 very long time,” said Rep. José Serrano (D-NY), cabinet reshuffling in years ...... Page 4 are provisions to soften some limits that Presi- a veteran proponent of relaxing long-standing dent George W. Bush had imposed on Cuban- U.S. sanctions against Cuba. Diplomatic traffic American travel in 2004. Serrano said his new clout as chairman of a House appropriations subcommittee allowed Miami’s CDI pitches air-cargo service to Bush restricted family visits to once every three years for no more than 14 days at a time; him to finally do something about it. He has foreign embassies in Havana ...... Page 7 spending on the island was capped at $50 a day. reintroduced a bill in this Congress that would But the Cuba language tucked into the abolish the entire 47-year-old embargo. Newsmakers omnibus bill would strip the Treasury Depart- But attempts by Congress to use spending bills to change Cuba policy have failed for years. CubaNews talks to Carlos Saladrigas, foun- ment of authority to enforce those regulations. Under the proposal, exiles who travel to Cuba When the Republicans controlled Congress, der of the Cuba Study Group ...... Page 8 no more than once a year and spend no more party leaders stripped them from final bills. And than $179 a day would not be prosecuted. They ever since Democrats wrested control of Con- Life after Bush could also visit their immediate family members gress in November 2006, Sen. Majority Leader Carlos Gutiérrez, Caleb McCarry find jobs and cousins in Cuba for as long they like. See Policy, page 2 in academia, private sector ...... Page 9 Charter airlines say end to restrictions Santiago’s SCU An analysis of Santiago de Cuba’s Antonio could boost Miami-Cuba traffic by 50% Maceo International Airport ...... Page 10 BY LARRY LUXNER dy established, is not going to disappear imme- Tobacco heaven ir charter companies that were nearly dec- diately,” said García. Marazul, which marks its 30th anniversary Despite hurricanes, Pinar del Río growers imated five years ago, when the Bush Aadministration made it next to impossible this year, has been in business the longest of the expect record tobacco crop ...... Page 11 for Cuban-Americans to visit family on the is- seven air-charter companies licensed by the U.S. land, say business will take off once President Treasury Department to fly passengers between Business briefs Obama lifts those restrictions as promised. Miami and Havana. Thomas L. Cooper, president of the interna- Revived AmCham Cuba seeks members; But how much it’ll take off is anybody’s guess. “There will be an increase, even with the eco- tional division of Gulfstream Air Charter, says Havana Club sales jump 13% ...... Page 12 nomic situation we’re confronting,” said Arman- that among the seven charters, Wilson Inter- do García, president of Marazul Tours. national ranks first place in passenger volume to Bookshelf “During the last five years, illegal travel has Cuba, followed by Gulfstream, with ABC Char- ters and Xael tied for third place. Daniel Erikson’s “Cuba Wars” couldn’t be increased tremendously, but we were not partic- ipating in that market,” Garciá told CubaNews in “What happens all depends on the degree of any more timely ...... Page 15 a phone interview from Miami. elimination of the restrictions,” Cooper told us. “Once Obama lifts the restrictions for Cuban- “If Obama simply turns back the regulations CubaNews (ISSN 1073-7715) is published monthly Americans, it’s going to take some time for this to pre-2004, when Bush tightened them, it’s my by Luxner News Inc. © 2009. All rights reserved. market to get organized in a legal way. Accord- estimation that the market will increase by about Subscriptions: $429 for one year, $800 for two years. ing to my calculations, close to 45% or 50% of all 40-50%. You’d think it would increase 75%, but For editorial inquires, please call (301) 452-1105 there’s a lot of traffic going between the U.S. and or send an e-mail to: [email protected]. travelers are flying to Cuba illegally through third countries. And this market, which is alrea- See Charters, page 6 2 CubaNews ❖ March 2009 Muse told CubaNews that OFAC could Policy — FROM PAGE 1 revoke the licenses of charter companies, and TYPICAL PRICES IN HAVANA Harry Reid (D-NV) and other Democratic that the Commerce Department could revoke ATAVENDING MACHINE: leaders have done the same. export licenses of agribusinesses if they Red Bull 2.00 The usual excuse: Bush’s threats to veto ignore current embargo law because they Bucanero beer 1.15 such spending bills, which contained billions think they won’t be prosecuted. Cristal beer 1.15 “The de-funding tactic originated in the of dollars to keep the government running Tu Kola, Ciego Montero brand 1.00 and scores of special projects requested by context of a Bush White House and a Repub- lican-controlled Congress. Then only symbol- Lemon-lime, Ciego Montero brand 1.00 lawmakers. In short, lawmakers were forced CAFETERIA CALLE OBISPO: to shed the Cuba language if they wanted to ic measures were available to anti-embargo keep budget initiatives they favored and congressmen and senators,” said Muse. Ice-cream cone (75g) 1.00 money for hometown projects. “With all respect to the well-intentioned Seasoned picadillo, package 1.35 Unlike Bush, Obama likely won’t veto the sponsors of today’s de-funding measures, Cured picadillo, package 1.35 omnibus bill — but there still could be road- does it still make sense?” Chicken burger with cheese 0.95 blocks in the Senate. Observers say there’s another problem Quarter chicken (230g) 2.30 New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the Sen- with this approach. The omnibus bill is a com- CAFETERIA LOS CAÑONES: ate’s only Cuban-American Democrat, is pilation of nine spending bills the previous Fried chicken 1.90 reportedly blocking two Obama nominees to Congress failed to finish work on last year. It Ham-and-cheese sandwich 2.50 and all Cuba provisions would expire Sept. 30. protest the inclusion of the Cuba language. Special Hamburger 2.50 “The White House says they had nothing to Nevertheless, lawmakers and groups that hoped to relax the embargo viewed the om- Pizza 1.30 do with it, but it’s quite amazing,” Menendez Domestic beers 1.20 told the Miami Herald. “I’m sure if we were nibus bill as a prime legislative vehicle with making significant changes about our policy which to implement changes, because its vast Soft drinks 0.75 toward Venezuela or Israel or Africa, the ad- array of spending provisions have widespread Coffee 0.50 ministration would be up in arms about hav- congressional support. The provisions were Hot dog 1.30 ing such changes made without their input.” put into the bill by Serrano last year, but the LA CASA DEL ESCABECHE: bill was never approved. Vodka Disco, bottle 6.75 EVEN IF BILL PASSES, BUSINESSES STILL WARY With Obama now in the White House, the Soft drink (1.5-liter bottle) 1.60 The Cuba provisions are also threatened by congressional action may not have been nec- Havana Club rum (pocket flask) 2.90 Sen. Mel Martínez (R-FL), who warned he’d essary to change U.S. policy toward Cuba. Rum Planchao, refined 1.15 use a Senate procedure to hold up the bill Obama campaigned on a promise of elimi- Cubanito with rum 0.80 until the Cuba language is removed. nating all restrictions on Cuban-American travel. He favors easing other sanctions Rum Planchao Carta Blanca 1.30 “I am very concerned about any efforts to Havana Club Reserva (355-ml bottle) 3.55 modify our policies toward the Cuban gov- toward Cuba, although he does not want to lift the entire embargo, but rather use it as lever- Ron Nucay, bottle 57.00* ernment so long as the authoritarian regime Refresco Tu Kola (can) 10.00* continues to deny basic human rights to its age for democratic reforms on the island. Lollipop 1.00* people,” said Martínez. LUGAR REPORT URGES BIG POLICY CHANGE The tactic used by Serrano and other sup- Condoms (package of three) 0.15* porters of the Cuba measures is also proble- The president is expected to announce CAFETERIA CAPITOLIO: matic. Although it would deny OFAC enforce- measures regarding exile travel and remit- Media-noche sandwich (87g) 10.00* ment money, the travel and trade addressed tances before attending a mid-April Summit of Ham-and-cheese sandwich (58g) 4.00* by the bill would still, technically, be illegal. the Americas in Port of Spain, Trinidad. Pack of criollo cigarettes 7.00* This might not prevent Cuban-Americans In addition, Secretary of State Hillary Clin- COPPELIA ICE CREAM: from visiting their loved ones, but may inhib- ton said it’s time to rethink the entire Cuba Special salad (five scoops) 5.00* it charter companies that would like to ramp policy. She did so at her January confirmation Super Twins (two large scoops) 4.00* up operations to provide the extra airlift need- hearing, under questioning from Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), the top Republican on the Jimagua (two regular scoops) 2.00* ed to meet that demand. Arlequin (one small scoop w/pastry) 1.00* U.S. food exporters may also be cool to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. idea of breaking the law by traveling to Cuba A month later, Lugar released a report that *Prices in Cuban pesos. All other items priced in CUCs. without getting a Treasury license, or deliv- said the embargo on Cuba “has failed to ering shipments of food to the island by achieve its stated purpose of ‘bringing democ- breaking laws that still remain on the books. racy’ to the Cuban people,” and has even Robert Muse, a Washington-based attor- given the Cuban government a convenient ney who specializes in Cuba issues, said “scapegoat” for the island’s economic ills. TRACEY EATON lawyers for corporations and businesses “will Lugar said Clinton’s remarks “let the door insist that their clients not violate the embar- open for broader policy changes by express- go during a non-enforcement hiatus.” ing support for cooperation in drug interdic- “There is also the additional consideration tion, and suggesting a willingness to engage for companies that violating an embargo law with Cuba on issues of mutual concern.” will probably result in the revocation of OFAC Although he never attacked Bush’s hard- licenses in the case of a Carrier Service Pro- line policy towards Cuba when the 43rd pres- vider or a Travel Service Provider, or the ident was still in office, Lugar’s report says holder of a Commerce Department export efforts to pressure the Castro regime to open license for agricultural products,” he said. up are useless because that government is “Moreover, companies that violate U.S. em- “institutionalized” and unlikely to change. bargo laws can be held ineligible for govern- “By directing policy towards an unlikely ment contracts and have the security clearan- scenario of short-term democratic transition ces necessary to perform such contracts can- on the island and rejecting most tools of diplo- celed,” Muse added. “It is just unrealistic to matic engagement,” concluded the Indiana think a major commodities dealer like Cargill senator, “the U.S. is left as a powerless bystan- is going to deliberately violate a U.S. law.” der, watching events unfold at a distance.” ❑ Prices at a Havana eatery are in convertible pesos. March 2009 ❖ CubaNews 3 ECONOMY ENERGY BRIEFS SHERRITT SAYS CUBA WILL PAY $162m DEBT Bill likely to boost U.S. food exports Cuba will pay off the $162 million it owes Sherritt International over the next five years, ending U.S. legislation aimed at easing Department from enforcing the Bush regula- tions, make it easier for U.S. marketers and the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, the 47-year-old embargo against Cuba the Canadian energy giant projected that its should increase food sales to the island, sellers to go to Cuba and at the same time P Cuban oil production will fall by 25% because but real gains will be limited until the embar- ease limits on family visits and remittances go is fully lifted, Reuters reported Feb. 27. sent to relatives in Cuba. the communist government bought out a pro- Legislation passed by the House of Repre- Marvin Lehrer, senior adviser on Cuba for duction-sharing agreement. sentatives and now awaiting a Senate vote the USA Rice Federation, said the proposed Three hurricanes and the falling price of would eliminate some of the obstacles to changes could provide a significant boost for nickel, Cuba’s chief export, left the Castro trade created by the embargo and toughened U.S. rice sales to Cuba. regime short on cash, causing it to run up under former President George W. Bush. The island imports about 600,000 metric pending payments to the Toronto-based con- While the proposed law is not a panacea for tons of rice, making it the second-largest pany totaling $392.8 million by Sept. 30. what ails U.S.-Cuba trade, it would make it importer of rice in the hemisphere after Sherritt said Cuba still owes it $126 million for domestic oil and natural gas production, somewhat easier, said Pedro Alvarez, head of Mexico. Before the embargo, Cuba was the and $36 million for electric power by the end Cuban state food purchasing entity Alimport. largest export market for U.S. rice. “Everything they do toward lifting the em- of 2008. It agreed to cover those debts over In 2004, the United States shipped 175,000 the next five years with certificates of deposit bargo would benefit the U.S. and Cuba,” he tons of rice to Cuba, which was about 30% of told Reuters. “We have never blocked U.S. offering 5 percentage points over LIBOR. its total demand. But the Bush regulations Those will be issued by Banco Internacional companies from doing business with us. It is caused sales to fall to 12,600 tons in 2008. Re- their own government that is doing that.” de Comercio SA, a government financial insti- moving those obstacles could return sales to tution. The company also said Cuba’s national Cuba began importing U.S. agricultural 25-30% of Cuba’s rice consumption, he said. products under a 2000 amendment to the bank has guaranteed it will not fall behind on “We have logistic and transport advantages payments in 2009, and has already made good trade embargo allowing purchases for cash. over Far East suppliers to Cuba,” he said. Trade dipped after the Bush administration on the $18.5 million it owed Sherritt for oil, modified the rules in 2005 to require that “They also prefer the quality of U.S. rice.” gas and power production in January. Cuba pay in cash before ships left U.S. ports, Alvarez said tweaking regulations wouldn’t Sherritt is Cuba’s largest foreign energy instead of upon arrival in Cuba, complicating be enough to significantly increase U.S. food partner, with major stakes in Cuban nickel trade and adding to costs. sales to Cuba, but agreed that elimination of mining, as well as production of heavy crude Food sales came back, hitting a record $710 the embargo could make a big difference. oil and electricity for domestic consumption. million last year amid soaring commodity pri- “We are not China, but could be an impor- Details: Mark Sitter, Director of Corporate ces, but some, like rice, didn’t recover in the tant market close to home,” said Alvarez. Communications, Sherritt International Corp., face of stiff competition from Vietnam, Cuba’s “Every little bit of trade would help struggling 1133 Yonge Street, 5th Floor, Toronto, Ontario top rice supplier, and other Asian sources. American farmers and companies as well as M4T 2Y7, Canada. Tel: (416) 935-2420. Fax: The House bill would prohibit the Treasury Cuba in these hard economic times.” ❑ (416) 935-2283. Email: [email protected]. 4 CubaNews ❖ March 2009 POLITICAL ANALYSIS Raúl shakes up his regime; fidelistas out, raúlistas in BY DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI With the exception of Concepción González missed from the sensitive position of secre- arely a year after officially taking over and Pedraza Rodríguez, these are all new tary of the Council of State, and named minis- from his ailing brother, Cuban President faces, and all middle-age. They are among the ter of science, technology and environment. BRaúl Castro has pulled off the biggest new players close to Raúl Castro, José Mach- The case of José Luís Rodríguez is even restructuring of Cuba’s government in years. ado Ventura and Ramiro Valdés. more notorious when it comes to differing These monumental changes, announced Several factors are behind these changes. policies and approaches. Last December, it Mar. 2 on Cuban state TV’s midday newscast The first goal is to make the unwieldy Cuban was clear he was on a collision course with — after the weather and sports — involve the bureaucracy smaller and more efficient. To Raúl, who publicly questioned Rodríguez’s as- replacement of several key Fidel loyalists in- achieve that, various ministries were merged sumptions on Cuba’s ability to recover econo- cluding veteran Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez and new vice-presidents named to head them. mically after last year’s killer hurricanes. Roque, with men closer to the 77-year-old Raúl The recent appointments of four new VPs Otto Rivero, former UJC first secretary and (see box below). (Ricardo Cabrisas, Ulises Rosales, Ramiro vice-president for several years, along with The shakeup involves 10 ministers, two of Valdés and Jorge Luís Sierra) is also a key Pérez Roque, Fernando Acosta and Raul de la whom are also vice-presidents. The fact that component of this government restructuring. Nuez — and ex-UJC official Hassan Perez and all are planchados (Cuban slang for “out of the Although well underway, this process — Fidel’s personal aide, Carlos Valenciaga, boot- game”) speaks for itself. And six of those 10 hinted at by Raúl a year ago — will still see ed out some months back — were all promot- who are still members of the Cuban Com- several other important changes. ed by Fidel in the ‘90s. Several were “shining munist Party’s Central Committee will not sur- stars” during the Elián González episode and vive the coming Party congress in late 2009. SHINING STARS NOW FADING FROM VIEW the now-forgotten “Batalla de Ideas.” For many Cuba-watchers, the ouster of Finally, how does this relate to Fidel? The Pérez Roque, 43, appears to be the most con- The second factor is a political one, consist- answer: Very directly and intensely. These troversial. But that’s not the case. ing of the forced decline and ousting of a “young lions” or “talibans” — as they were Since his appointment as minister of foreign group of leading Fidel loyalists who rose to once known in Cuba — are clearly finished. affairs, he had been very much aware of his power since the 1990s or even before. Even more important, many of the institu- second-fiddle position. During one meeting, According to the official announcement, tions and groupings on which Fidel based his he actually said “I am not really the minister. I the government “could no longer tolerate the policies (Grupo de Apoyo al Comandante en am just the deputy minister.” way in which Lage was conducting his work Jefe, Secretariat of the Council of State and Everybody in that meeting understood as secretary of the Council of Ministers.” others) are now fading away, under the much what he meant. A year ago, when Raúl official- The same type of wording was also used to more institutionalized, transparent structure ly assumed the presidency, those in Cuba’s describe José Miyar Barrueco, who was dis- of Raúl and those who will come after him. ❑ inner circles knew Pérez Roque would not last long. The man replacing him — Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, former UJC leader, jour- RAUL’S RESHUFFLING: WHO’S OUT AND WHO’S IN nalist and for many years Cuba’s ambassador to the United Nations — is a well-known fig- ure in the United States. Far more controversial is the ouster of Carlos Lage Davila, 57, a man highly respect- ed for his dedication and personal integrity. Will he keep his current post as vice-president of the Council of State and eventually be pro- moted due to his younger age? Will he stay on as a member of the Politburo? Not likely. Two years ago, Lage’s son was dismissed as president of the Federation of University Stu- dents for suggesting substantial changes to socialism in Cuba. For more than a year now, Lage — who once enjoyed a high profile on the international stage — had practically dis- appeared from Cuba’s official media coverage, usually symptomatic of an imminent downfall. The key, however, was in the harsh wording of the announcement, which constitutes an almost explicit direct questioning of how Lage was “misconducting” his role as secretary of the Council of Ministers. The newcomers are all from the Party lead- ership (Maria del Carmen Concepción Gonzá- lez and Lina Pedraza Rodríguez, until recently members of the Central Committee’s secre- tariat) the Revolutionary Armed Forces (BGs Salvador Pardo Cruz, former general director of the Union de la Industria Militar, and José Amado Ricardo Guerra, chief of the secretari- at of the FAR Ministry), and from the National Assembly (deputy Homero Acosta Alvarez). March 2009 ❖ CubaNews 5 POLITICAL BRIEFS

BROOKINGS TO WHITE HOUSE: EASE UP ON CUBA In their own words … President Obama should roll back U.S. curbs “No injustice has been committed. Neither of the two individuals mentioned on Cuba to push democratic change without wait- by news reports as the most affected have uttered a word to express any dis- ing for Havana to make reforms first, say a group agreement with the decision. It had nothing to do with an absence of personal of diplomats, academics and opinion leaders. value. It was another reason: the honey of power, for which they made not a The international group sponsored by the single sacrifice, awoke in them ambitions that led them to an unworthy role.” Washington-based Brookings Institution urged — Fidel Castro, writing Mar. 3 about Raúl Castro’s sudden ouster of 10 top cabi- the new U.S. president to seize the initiative to net officials including Vice President Carlos Lage, 57, and Foreign Minister defuse half a century of political enmity between Felipe Pérez Roque, 43. Fidel insists he was consulted on the changes beforehand. Washington and Havana. While stopping short of demanding an outright “People here are not used to change. But I think this was necessary and will end to the 47-year-old embargo on Cuba, the be for the better. It’s a restructuring of the country and I see that as good.” “U.S. Policy Toward a Cuba in Transition” group — Marta Jiménez, 65, a retired housewife quoted in an AP story on the shakeup. recommended various steps to ease restrictions on travel and trade with the island, and to boost cooperation and “people-to-people” contacts. “I think this is Raúl definitely trying to put his own stamp on the govern- Washington’s long-standing policy of trying to ment. This demonstrates that there were fidelista and raulista factions in the end communist rule in Cuba through diplomatic government. Positioning key raulistas in place, especially before the major announcement everyone is anticipating — Fidel’s death — ensures that there isolation and the embargo must be replaced with won’t be a power struggle between the two factions.” a more intelligent policy of “critical and construc- Sandy Cox Acosta tive engagement,” said the group, which included — , an analyst at ECHO-Cuba, a nonprofit agency that helps U.S., Canadian, Spanish and British diplomats. Cuban evangelical churches, quoted in a Mar. 3 article in the Miami Herald. “A policy of status quo is no longer possible. We need a policy that is pro-active toward Cuba “This is raulismo at its best. I don’t see ideology. I don’t see power politics. I ... a new dynamic to change half a century of see Raúl being Raúl.” unfriendly relationship,” said Ambassador Vicki — Cuban military expert Frank Mora, quoted in the same article. Huddleston, who served as head of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana from 1999 to 2002. “Fidel Castro, whom a lot of people have been saying is in his dying days, Details: Vicki Huddleston, The Brookings Institu- surprised all of us, and you know what he did? He went for a walk. A miracle! tion, 1775 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, People were weeping ... but of course, he planned it all so there would be no DC 20036-2103. Tel: (202) 238-3583. Fax: (202) record of anything.” 797-6003. Email: [email protected]. — Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, speaking Feb. 27 at a political rally in Caracas. If true, the walkabout — for which Chávez gave no date — would mark TAMPA PORT OFFICIALS EVADE CUBA DEBATE Fidel’s first public appearance since undergoing intestinal surgery in July 2006. Tampa Port Authority commissioners have postponed a seemingly inevitable showdown on “Despite uncertainty about Cuba’s mid-term political future, it is clear that aggressively marketing Cuban trade, after one of the recent leadership changes have created an opportunity for the United them volunteered to “go to Cuba tomorrow” States to re-evaluate a complex relationship marked by misunderstanding, sus- while calling U.S.-Cuba policy “insane.” picion, and open hostility.” The Tampa Tribune reported Feb. 22 that — Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Commissioner Carl Lindell — who rose to local Committee, in a Feb. 23 report urging the White House to lift Bush-era restric- prominence as a car dealer before becoming a tions on food sales and Cuban-American family travel and remittances to Cuba. developer — suggested the port send an emis- sary to Cuba to establish local trade interests. “While we recognize that these are fights that take place, we have great con- “I’ll pay my own way,” Lindell said before the fidence that we’ll defeat them.” five other commissioners present chose to slow — Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart (R-FL), telling the South Florida Sun-Sentinel why he things down. His proposal followed a brief pres- opposes a pending bill that would allow all Americans to travel freely to Cuba. entation by Albert Fox Jr., president of the Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy. “I don’t expect Cubans to be second-class citizens to Americans. Why would Fox said that if the Port of Tampa took an I expect Americans to be second-class citizens to Cubans?” aggressive stance on marketing Cuban trade, it — Jorge Avellana, a Cuban exile in West Palm Beach, quoted in the same story. could encourage a change on U.S. policy that restricts exports to Cuba to farm products only. Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, also a port commis- “It’s a symbiotic relationship. Russia needs allies, and Cuba needs oxygen. sioner, sought more discussion for a proposal Cuba needs money. Cuba needs to legitimize itself. This type of deal gives it she said was not part of the port’s strategic plan. that entrée, which it should not have.” “This is a little premature,” said Iorio. “It would — Janisset Rivero, spokeswoman for the Miami-based Cuban Democratic Directo- be prudent to first ascertain what the new admin- rate, quoted in the Miami Herald in a story about the landmark economic istration’s trade policy is toward Cuba.” accords signed by Russia and Cuba during Raúl Castro’s recent visit to Moscow. Port Director Richard Wainio said Tampa-Cuba trade would require compliance with federal law, “That was part of his charm. He was a very good person who was very sen- having enough cargo to ship and finding shippers. sitive to those most in need. We have no idea who could have done this. I can’t “Maybe someone’s afraid of being criticized even imagine it. It’s a crime without explanation.” politically,” said Lindell, a developer and former — Rev. Isidro Hoyos, mourning the death of Rev. Eduardo de la Fuente Tampa automotive dealer, after the meeting. “But Serrano, 61, who had lived in Cuba 21 years. The Spanish priest was you need to just do it, put a group together and strangled Feb. 14 after conducting Mass; his killer remains at large. let it be known we’ll find a way to do business.” 6 CubaNews ❖ March 2009

Charters — FROM PAGE 1 companies. It also organizes flights to Nassau, their relatives. For example, my daughter has Cancún, Toronto and Montreal for passengers not been back since 2003, because all we have Cuba on religious licenses, and if you qualify who already have licenses to travel to Cuba. left in Cuba are aunts and cousins. So she is for such a license, then you’re not bound by Besides Miami-Havana flights Fridays and not allowed to go. Before that, we used to take the once-every-three-year rule.” Sundays, Marazul also offers direct flights on a long weekend and visit our families.” In 2004, then-President Bush — acting by Saturdays between Miami and Camagüey. ABC, which used to offer eight flights a executive decree at the behest of the most Marazul charges $519 round-trip to Havana, week, now flies five times a week to Cuba. Her hardline elements within the South Florida and $599 round-trip to Camagüey. company operates two American Eagle flights exile community — toughened up the travel María Teresa Aral, vice-president of ABC and one Boeing-737 to Havana, and one Amer- rules in an effort to deprive Cuba’s communist Charters, was rather cautious in her assess- ican Eagle and one Boeing 737 to Holguín. regime of dollars. ment of the “what-if” potential awaiting her That translates into 245 potential seats Among other things, it changed the regula- troubled industry. weekly to Havana, and 200 slots for Holguín — tions to allow family visits once every three “If Obama issues an executive order to lift except these days, Aral can’t fill her planes. years instead of once a year; restricted those the travel restrictions [for Cuban-Americans], She charges $509 for round-trip tickets to visits to immediate family members (exclud- we would go back at least to the levels we Havana, and $594 for airfare to Holguín. ing aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and were at in 2004,” she said. “Hopefully, we’d be Aral told CubaNews that after the 2004 cousins) and severely limited the length of vis- able to hire more employees, provide more restrictions went into effect, she had to lay off seven employees and move from a 4,000-sq- foot warehouse to one half that size. “I’m not making all these huge plans, because until you see it, especially with the economy, you have to be very cautious.” LARRY LUXNER WAITING FOR OBAMA’S SIGNATURE Cooper, whose airline offers daily flights from Miami to Havana at $425 round-trip, says Gulfstream is “running at around a 90% load factor.” Three days a week, the charter uses a 123-seat Boeing 737, and the other four days it flies a 30-seat Embraer-120. Cooper said Cuban exiles and those travel- ing on religious or humanitarian licenses account for 70% of Gulfstream’s business; 25% are U.S. food executives going down to nego- tiate with Cuban officials, and the remaining 5% are politicians and State Department types. “My best guess is that if Obama is going to do something, he’ll most likely do it before the Port of Spain summit. And then I’d expect business to ramp up fairly rapidly,” he said, Miami-bound passengers board a Continental jet at Havana’s José Martí International Airport (2004). suggesting that within 30 to 60 days traffic will take off because “you’re coming up on the end its and amount of money that could be spent service and reunite more families. But to sur- of the school year, and that’s when we have a during the visits (see box, below right). pass 2004 levels, Cuba would have to lift some bubble of activity to Cuba.” As a result, in 2008 Marazul processed just of its own restrictions.” Alvaro Fernández just wishes Obama would under 15,000 Cuba-bound passengers, com- Aral said the Cuban government prohibits do something already. pared to 45,000 to 50,000 in 2003, the year any citizen who left the island illegally after “We continue to urge that the president ful- before the new regulations took effect. September 1994 to return for a visit. That’s fill his promise and let Cuban-Americans visit “Since the regulations were enacted, it’s apart from the U.S. government severely lim- family members,” said Fernández, president created a boom in illegal travel to Cuba,” said iting who can fly to Cuba and for how long. of the Cuban-American Commission for Fam- García, who was born in Cuba and left the “A combination of both [restrictions being ily Rights. “We are asking him to sign that de- island with his parents at the age of 10. eliminated] would really cause a big boom,” cree tomorrow. And if he doesn’t sign it tomor- she said. “A lot of people would be able to visit row, we’ll ask him to sign it the next day.” ❑ PLAYING BY THE BOOK MAKES THINGS HARDER “When you consider the need for families to see each other, it was obvious that people U.S. RULES ON EXILE TRAVEL: THEN AND NOW were going to violate the regulations — either ■ Under the restrictions that took effect in 2004, Cuban-Americans can visit the island only by going through a third country, or abusing once every three years. Previously they had been allowed to go once every 12 months. the different types of travel licenses available.” ■ Travelers are allowed to visit only spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparents or For now, said García, Marazul has 30-40% of grandchildren. Previously, they could visit any family member they wanted. the legal market. “Before 2004, we probably ■ Visits are limited to 14 days and require a license. had close to 25% of it, but now the legal market ■ Travelers can bring only informational materials into the United States. Previously they is much smaller.” He added: “Marazul does could return with up to $100 worth of merchandise purchased on the island. everything legally and we comply with all U.S. ■ Travelers can spend only $50 per day, plus $50 per trip for transportation costs. This is regulations, so it’s been very hard for us to a third of the previous allowance. survive — but we were able to do it. Because ■ Only 44 pounds of baggage per traveler is allowed. of the fact we’ve been around for so many ■ Money sent to the island is limited to $300 every three months; it can be sent only to years, people trust us.” immediate family members. With three retail offices in Miami and one in ■ Gift packages can include only food, medicine, vitamins, medical supplies and equip- New Jersey, Marazul not only uses its own ment, receive-only radios and batteries. charter but buys space from the other six March 2009 ❖ CubaNews 7 AVIATION INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS FRANCE WANTS TO BRING U.S., CUBA TOGETHER CDI goes after diplomatic business Jack Lang, French President Nicolas Sar- kozy’s special envoy to Cuba, met for two BY LARRY LUXNER brings back music CDs, diplomatic pouches hours with President Raúl Castro at the start nce restrictions on Cuban-American and four to five human remains a month. of a six-day visit aimed at boosting ties travel are rolled back to pre-2004 levels, One area for potential growth doesn’t between Paris and Havana. Ocargo as well as passenger volume is require the lifting of any restrictions. Costa “France and its president want to be one of likely to take off — and Mercedes Costa says said she’s launching a new project aimed at the engines of the dialogue between Europe she’s ready. Cuba’s rather large diplomatic community. and Latin America, and between Cuba and the A longtime air-cargo executive, Costa start- “We’re going to do a cocktail party for 50 to United States,” Lang said in a report picked ed Caribbean Direct International (CDI) in 60 embassies with Havanatur, my counterpart up Feb. 26 by Agence-France Presse. “It August 2004 after leaving rival IBC Airways, over there,” Costa told CubaNews. “We’ve wants to be an engine for that dialogue.” where she developed a unique Miami-Cuba been working with the U.S. Interests Section Lang told reporters that the election of route five years earlier. from the beginning, moving diplomatic President Obama “is an important political “Right now, cargo volume to Cuba is limit- pouches for them. We’ve also worked with the change” that could lead to a “climate of coop- ed,” with competition only between her com- United Nations [mission in Havana] and with eration and no more confrontation” between pany and IBC, said Costa. “But as things start the embassies of Slovakia, Germany, Japan, the two neighbors. The envoy said he hoped opening up, I’m sure others will want to get in Canada and others.” the Obama administration would lift Washing- on this. The Cuban government will still con- Costa said there’s a lucrative business in ton’s 47-year-old embargo on Cuba. trol a lot of it, as with the passenger market. bringing office supplies, computer equip- “How do you explain the fact that Cuba is Once they lose control, this may create a ment, books, furniture, electronics and other on the U.S. list of countries it considers spon- logistics problem for them.” necessities by air for those embassies which sors of terrorism?” Lang asked. He said Sar- Costa currently moves 8,000-10,000 lbs a are approved — and all of it is totally exempt kozy “wants to turn a new page with Cuba.” week between Miami and Havana, thanks to a from the embargo. cargo transportation license issued by the “They can buy anything they wish,” said CUBA SEES GROWING INTEREST IN HONG KONG U.S. Department of Commerce. Costa. “I provide the airway bill and the infor- Authorities in Hong Kong recently wel- “I do gift packs for families, diplomatic mation, and when the shipment arrives, they comed Cuba’s ambassador to China, Carlos pouches for shipments to the U.S. Interests clear it [through Cuban customs] and take it M. Pereira, during a Feb. 21 visit to the for- Section, and a lot of perishables. human re- out. It’s totally authorized under U.S. law.” mer British colony, now a “special administra- mains and food samples,” she told CubaNews. CDI says it will consolidate embassy pur- tive region” of China. CDI uses Shorts and Caravan DC-3 cargo chases as well as any other remittances up Carrie Yau, Hong Kong’s permanent secre- planes, flying Wednesdays and Fridays at an until the time of their arrival in Havana. tary of interior, talked to Pereira about the ETD of 7 a.m. Costa wouldn’t disclose her The company will receive, label, ship and actions taken by both sides to enhance Hong rates, citing competitive reasons. She did say facilitate all necessary documentation needed Kong-Cuban relations. that if restrictions are lifted, shipments of gift to expedite the clearance process (franquizia) During the meeting, the Asian officials high- packs will definitely go up. in Havana prior to the shipment’s arrival. lighted Hong Kong’s growing interest in Cuba “Both cargo and passengers will be affect- Costa has a 10,000-sq-foot warehouse at as a tourist destination. Pereira also met with ed. One of my largest customers used to send Miami International Airport as well as an ad- local tourism and immigration officials as well between 1,800 and 2,300 lbs per week to Hav- ministrative office in nearby Coral Gables. as with Jack So, president of Hong Kong’s ana. That same person is struggling to make Details: Mercedes Costa, CEO, Caribbean Business Promotion Board, the main institu- 500 to 800 lbs a week now,” said Costa, who’s Direct International, 2461 NW 67th Ave, Bldg. tion for luring trade and investment. also licensed to transport medical supplies #700, Suite #204, Miami, FL 33122. Tel: like wheelchairs, walkers and commodes. (305) 443-0417 / (786) 488-2935. Fax: (305) CUBA, VENEZUELA PURSUE MINING VENTURES On the return flight from Havana, CDI 443-0420. Email: [email protected]. Cuba and Venezuela are developing at least 10 collaboration projects in the geology and mining sectors as part of a comprehensive Tampa lobbies for direct Cuba flights cooperation accord between the two nations. Avilo Lavarca, president of the Venezuelan ampa International Airport could be- nearly triple from the current 10,000 per Institute of Geology and Mining, told the come the fourth American airport to month to nearly 30,000 per month,” Castor Cuban weekly business magazine Opciones on Tserve U.S.-Cuba charter flights wrote. That would increase direct air char- Feb. 19 that the first goal is to identify, quanti- under a request by Rep. Kathy Castor (D- ter flights from the United States to Cuba fy and explore gold, diamond, salt, limestone, FL), reports the Tampa Tribune. from three to about 8-10 a day, she said. and nickel mines. In a Feb. 3 letter to U.S. Customs and “In their quest to travel to Cuba to say Another objective is to train the needed Border Protection, Castor said the move goodbye or comfort a loved one, they are human resources to make Venezuela a mining would improve travel prospects for thou- subjected to the worst kind of bureaucratic power. Lavarca said the projects are being red tape because of the restrictions,” developed by the Geominera entity and sands of Tampa area Cuban-Americans. Castor wrote. “The addition of Tampa Those who qualify under U.S. restric- Venezuela’s Ministry of Mining to exploit min- International Airport as a departure point eral resources available in his country. tions to visit Cuba from the U.S. must now could be one less burden the families fly from Miami, New York or Los Angeles. Currently, 60 Cubans work in 11 projects. In would have to face.” the nickel sector, one cooperation project is Castor said she called on President On Feb. 25, the House of Representa- Obama to fulfill his campaign promise to giving rise to a processing venture that could tives approved language that would allow be operational in Venezuela within two years. lift travel restrictions on Cuban-Americans Cuban-Americans to visit relatives on the “We have a wide gamut of specialists in geo- wishing to visit family members in Cuba. island more frequently and also ease “With this anticipated move, the number restrictions on trade with Cuba (see related logy, mining, mineral resources, geophysics, of U.S. travelers to Cuba is expected to story, Page 1 of this issue). topography, photo analyzing and remote sen- sors, laboratory research and business admin- istration,” said Lavarca. 8 CubaNews ❖ March 2009 NEWSMAKERS Miami’s Carlos Saladrigas: From hardliner to healer BY LARRY LUXNER — himself once a hardline exile — now favors agree an issue is important, we take action.” arlos Saladrigas, who envisions a $300 exactly the kind of opening Obama proposed As a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organiza- million Cuban Enterprise Fund to jump- as a candidate: a total rollback of all Bush-era tion, the Cuba Study Group cannot lobby Con- Cstart small businesses in his homeland, restrictions on exile travel and remittances. gress, but it can certainly advocate ideas — arrived in Miami in 1961 as a 12-year-old kid “I think the right policy is one that recog- and not everybody agrees with those ideas. — with exactly $3 in his pocket, five bottles of nizes we’re incapable of changing Cuba, just “There’s still a very vocal minority of rum and a box of cigars. as we’re incapable of changing any other Cubans who tend to be exclusionary and The Pedro Pan refugee had been sent to nation short of military invasion,” he said. intolerant. They cannot accept any other point South Florida by his parents, who didn’t want “Therefore, making everything we do condi- of view, and if you don’t agree, they brand you young Carlos growing up under communism. tional on Cuba’s response in effect gives Cuba as a communist, a Castro-lover — except that During his first year in the United States, veto power. Enough of that. We need to do it doesn’t matter that much anymore.” he saved $400 by doing mowing lawns and waxing neighbors’ cars. His parents arrived the following year, though his mother devel- oped cancer, and Saladrigas had to quit high school in 11th grade to support his family. LARRY LUXNER His father, who had been a lawyer in Cuba, washed dishes at Miami’s Cedars of Lebanon Hospital to make ends meet. “I was never a teenager. I went from being an only child to being a grownup and having to deal with the difficulties of life,” Saladrigas told CubaNews in a recent interview. “At 19, I got married and very soon I had a family and started going to college at night, completing four years in three. So I didn’t have time to think about anything else.” Saladrigas eventually earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and went on to be- come a successful banker and entrepreneur. But once he reached the top — he’s now chairman and CEO of Regis HR Group, which offers outsourced human resources services to small and mid-sized businesses — Saladri- gas found himself spending plenty of time thinking about Cuba. More specifically, how to help the island’s 11.2 million people dig themselves out of poverty and frustration. “The Cuba Study Group began in 2001, in the aftermath of the Elián González fiasco,” he said. “We decided to come together be- Miami businessman Carlos Saladrigas discusses his group’s report on lifting travel restrictions to Cuba. cause of this perception that the exile com- munity had been incredibly reactive to events what is best for America.” In 2002, hardline Cuban exiles in Miami orchestrated by Cuba. The truth is, the exiles The Cuba Study Group consists of 18 to 20 called for a march to protest pollster Sergio were being monopolized by certain groups, members, each paying a “substantial fee” to Bendixen’s surveys showing that their influ- and those perceptions did not reflect the sen- belong. Saladrigas wouldn’t discuss how ence was waning amidst the changing demo- timents of the entire community.” much it costs to be a member, though he did graphic in Miami-Dade County. say “we don’t take any government money “The next day, they held the march and SOUVENIRS OF SUCCESS and we never want to.” said well over 200,000 people took to the Membership fees are used to pay a full-time streets,” Saladrigas recalled. “So we hired an CubaNews talked with Saladrigas, 60, at his aerial photographer to take pictures of the office along Miami’s Kendall Drive, where staffer in Washington, Tomás Bilbao, and to conduct polls that measure public sentiment protesters. The pictures showed just over he’s surrounded by mementoes of a lifetime 5,000 people. These groups were using the of philanthropy: a plaque from the Juvenile in the exile community on important issues like immigration, travel to Cuba and whether same tactics that Castro used to promote his Diabetes Foundation, an official key to political beliefs. We decided enough with this Miami-Dade County and a certificate from the or not the embargo should remain in place. crap, let the truth be known.” Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. ACCESS TO CAPITAL: CUBA’S NEXT CHALLENGE There’s also a trophy from the local Latin Last December, the Cuba Study Group Builders Association honoring Saladrigas as “We are not an academic institution. Our issued a 24-page report urging the U.S. gov- “Entrepreneur of the Year 1997.” task is thinking about new ideas and how we ernment to unilaterally lift all restrictions that And on a bookcase is a portrait of Saladri- can help Cuba achieve its goals,” he said. “We limit the ability of American citizens to travel gas and his wife posing with President want to see a free and democratic Cuba. In to Cuba and spend money there. Obama. The photo is signed simply, “Carlos that sense, our objectives are the same as any- But even if Obama keeps his promise and and Olga, thanks for your support, Barack.” body else’s. But we don’t go out every day lets exiles visit Cuba and send remittances Although the Cuba Study Group is official- and react to things that happen. We give a lot freely, that’s only the beginning. ly nonpartisan, there’s little doubt Saladrigas of thought and discussion to events. Once we See Saladrigas, page 9 March 2009 ❖ CubaNews 9 the Support for Eastern European Democra- loans in Cuba — from $500 to $2,500 each. Saladrigas — FROM PAGE 8 cy Act. SEED helped create a viable private “The fund doesn’t exist yet. We have an “Cuba’s biggest problem, when it begins to sector in Hungary, Poland and elsewhere. operating partner, Banco Compartamos SA in reform its economy, will be access to capital. Along with the Cuban Enterprise Fund, Mexico, which is the largest microlending You can’t depend exclusively on foreign CSG wants to set up a microlending program institution in Latin America,” he said. investment, so you’ve got to create a domestic with an initial start-up kitty of $10 million. Yet the fund isn’t legal in either Cuba or the source of capital,” Saladrigas explained. “Unlike recipients of microloans in the rest United States, where it would clearly violate “Therefore, we believe that making private of the world, Cubans are highly educated the terms of Washington’s trade embargo. equity available to Cuban enterprises will be people,” Saladrigas told us. “That’s the single “We are asking the Cuban government to incredibly important in bringing in capital most important strategic asset of the Cuban allow small-enterprise formation and to allow microlending. Eventually, they’re going to have to say yes, because the current system is not sustainable. Cuba’s economic system is an absolute and total failure and they know it.” “Cuba’s economic system is an absolute and total failure, and they He says “it cannot be fixed, no matter how much Raúl Castro talks about fixing it. There- know it. It cannot be fixed, no matter how much Raúl Castro talks fore, we must offer some kind of alternative.” about fixing it. Therefore, we must offer some kind of alternative.” Saladrigas said he’s tried to go to Cuba on several occasions, “but they don’t want me — CARLOS SALADRIGAS, CO-CHAIRMAN OF THE CUBA STUDY GROUP there. Cuban officials consider me part of the exilio blando [soft exile], which they say is much more dangerous than the exilio duro [hardline exile] because it’s easier to refute a early in the game. Microenterprise can allow people — their level of education. Yet Cuba fanatic than one who is open to dialogue.” people to create capital by risk-taking and the today has the lowest return on its educational Meanwhile, the refugee who once mowed fruit of their labor, which will quickly grow.” investment of any country in the world. neighbors’ lawns for a living isn’t giving up. Through microenterprise, we think we can “Transitions are like a jigsaw puzzle; it does MICROLENDING IS THE ANSWER turn that around very quickly. not really matter where you start. The impor- To that end, the Cuba Study Group has “All it takes is for the Cuban government to tant thing is to make sure all the pieces are on called for the creation of a $300 million Cuban give us the green light. When that happens, I the table,” Saladrigas told CubaNews. “And Enterprise Fund that would be financed by think we can put the plan into motion,” he with the Microlending Fund, we’re putting the U.S. government, the European Union said. “We must put egos aside, and we need to one such piece on the table.” ❑ and private companies hoping to encourage do this on both sides of the Florida Straits. To capital growth. The idea is that each of these paraphrase Kennedy, we need to ask what can Details: Cuba Study Group, 611 Pennsylva- three sources would kick in $100 million, fol- we do for Cuba, not what can Cuba do for us.” nia Avenue SE, Unit #208, Washington, DC lowing a similar initiative set up in 1989, when Saladrigas said the Microlending Fund is a 20003. Tel: (305) 790-9060. Fax: (202) President George H.W. Bush signed into law private effort to raise money to provide micro- 312-3271. URL: www.cubastudygroup.org. Bush officials Carlos Gutiérrez, Caleb McCarry move on arlos Gutiérrez, former commerce secretary under the Bush director of ICCAS and the Cuba Transition Project. “The Cuba issue administration and a staunch supporter of the U.S. trade em- is very important to him; his help will be invaluable.” Cbargo, has been named non-resident scholar at the University Meanwhile, Caleb McCarry — who worked with Gutiérrez on the of Miami’s Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies. Cuba commission — has joined Washington-based Creative Associ- From his office in Washington, Gutiérrez ates International Inc., which like ICCAS will direct the ICCAS Cuba Business receives funding from the U.S. Agency for Roundtable — an ongoing program that International Development. supplies economic information and profes- In July 2005, Bush appointed McCarry to sional advice to companies hoping to do the newly created position of Cuba Transi- business in a post-embargo, post-Castro tion Coordinator; three months later, we Cuba. He will also serve as keynote speaker profiled McCarry in an exclusive interview for Cuba Transition Project seminars in (see CubaNews, October 2005, page 8). Eastern Europe, Latin America and Canada. Creative Associates International said in “Secretary Gutiérrez is a highly success- a press release that McCarry, 47, is “senior ful captain of industry,” said University of associate in the office of the president.” It Miami President Donna E. Shalala. “His didn’t specify what he’s actually working on, experience in government and his exten- though the former Capitol Hill staffer — sive knowledge of global business chal- speaking to CubaNews by phone — denied lenges will enhance ICCAS’s resources and Carlos Gutiérrez and Caleb McCarry have new jobs. a Feb. 25 report in the Communist Party help in developing important partnerships.” daily newspaper Granma that “McCarry will continue his anti-Cuban Gutiérrez, 55, served in President Bush’s cabinet from 2005 to activities at Creative Associates International, besides directing sim- 2008, overseeing a department of 38,000 workers and a $6.5 billion ilar aggressions in other countries.” budget. The Cuban-born official (profiled in our February 2007 Among other things, the Granma article accused McCarry, in his issue) was also co-chair of the Commission for Assistance to a Free White House capacity as Cuba Transition Coordinator, of drafting a Cuba. Prior to his cabinet appointment, Gutiérrez was chairman of secret CIA-backed plan “to annex Cuba to the United States.” the board and CEO of Kellogg Co. According to its website, Creative Associates International spe- “We are very fortunate that such a distinguished and experienced cializes in aiding countries in transition, with USAID-funded projects dignitary will join our ranks,” said Jaime Suchlicki. the longtime in Afghanistan, El Salvador, Jordan, Kenya, Nicaragua and Sudan. ❑ 10 CubaNews ❖ March 2009 INFRASTRUCTURE Santiago de Cuba’s Antonio Maceo International Airport BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT This is the second in a new series of occa- tear, the main runway has received $2 million in upgrades, including resurfacing and the antiago de Cuba’s Antonio Maceo Inter- sional articles on major Cuban airports. The building of culverts to divert runoff. national Airport (SCU) is one of the first, published last month, looked at the gen- eral state of Cuba’s air transportation system. Santiago de Cuba’s airport currently re- S busiest and largest on the island. ceives about a dozen international flights per Built in 1954 with a 4,600-foot, N-S airstrip aircraft, hosts Cuba’s busiest domestic route, week, bringing tourists from Europe and for small planes, the airport gradually out- Canada, as well as one flight a week from grew its capacities and received a major linking Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The growth of tourism over the last two decades Miami — which is mainly for Cuban exiles upgrade in the 1970s. That’s when a new E-W visiting their families on the island. runway measuring 13,130 feet long and 148 has dramatically increased international traf- fic at Antonio Maceo, prompting frequent ren- Nearly a dozen airlines serve the airport, feet side was completed to accommodate larg- including Cubana de Aviación, Gaviota, Aero- er transcontinental passenger jets. ovations and upgrades of its passenger termi- nal and other facilities. Taxi and AeroCaribbean, American Eagle It was at a time when Cuba was building (charters), Air Jamaica and various Canadian large airstrips, including highway stretches In 2008, the passenger terminal at SCU was enlarged by 9,600 sq feet, with new check-in and European charters. serving as auxiliary runways for military as customs booths and upgraded navigational The airport has nominal capacity to handle well as civil purposes. Santiago and Havana aids. A new state-of-the-art approach and land- 1.95 million passengers per year, with maxi- airports have the longest runways in Cuba. ing system was finished in 2007 to replace the mum processing capacity of 800 travelers per SCU, which can accommodate all types of obsolete system that had been in place since hour in eight check-in desks. the Soviet era. In 2006, the last year for which statistics are New antenna fields, available, Antonio Maceo International han- approach lights and dled 366,819 domestic and foreign travelers, automated data trans- barely 19% of nominal capacity and 13% of all mission devices were international and domestic travelers that year. installed. The airport’s cargo storage and handling Due to wear and See Santiago de Cuba, page 11 March 2009 ❖ CubaNews 11 AGRICULTURE Pinar del Río tobacco farmers expecting bumper crop he tobacco harvest in Cuba this year will EFE spoke with Andrés Díaz, who comes “Very good year. Like we haven’t had in a be the best in many years, according to from a farm growing “winter tobacco.” These long time,” he said. T virtually every grower and worker on plants are shielded with a covering to prevent The leaves are taken in rustic wooden carts plantations in the western province of Pinar damage, a technique which Díaz said produc- to tobacco houses, as the sheds where the del Rio, the source of the choice tobacco that es high-quality leaves. tobacco is dried to a dark brown are called. goes into the island’s famed Havana cigars. On the roads leading to Pinar del Rio city, Antonio Martínez, a reporter with the Miami hosts Cuba Trade Expo and from there all the way to Havana, one can Spanish news agency EFE, spoke with 83- see many trucks, old and dilapidated, trans- year-old Juan José Palacios. Cuba Trade Expo 2009, scheduled for porting the dried tobacco in homemade bales “This year we have good tobacco, the best Mar. 19-21 at Miami’s Inter-Continental to the factories where the leaves will be treat- for a long time, the best in the world,” Palacios Hotel, features academic and business ed and made into fine Havana cigars. told EFE while he helped harvest the crop on luminaries who will addresses issues and All the tobacco must be sold to the state, a farm near the town of El Cafetal. opportunities related to U.S.-Cuba rela- which fixes the price. Palacios started working on the same farm tions in the face of impending legislative The strong odor of tobacco permeates the at age 12 and has joined in 95 tobacco har- changes promised by the 112th Congress earthen-floored drying sheds where groups vests. His younger brother Carlos, 68, collect- and the Obama administration. of women string the leaves together with nee- ed tobacco leaf by leaf in the next furrow over. In order to prepare U.S. business exec- dles and thread after separating them accord- ing to quality, and they fasten them to long Nearby, another worker, Francisco, said utives for these changes, Cuba Trade Ex- that “it’s been a good year for tobacco.” poles that they position parallel to the ground po 2009 will bring together experts from like the grating of a grill. He said that the crop, one of Cuba’s agri- across the country with a wide variety of cultural mainstays, was not damaged much by Everything is done by hand; no mechaniza- backgrounds to provide analysis. the hurricanes that raked across Pinar del Rio tion or high-tech machinery is used either in in August and September 2008, killing seven Panelists include Kirby Jones, Robert the harvesting process or in tobacco houses. people nationwide and causing damage offi- Muse, Jay Brickman, José Azel, Antonio Frank García, after asking EFE’s photogra- cially calculated at $10 billion. Zamora, John McAuliff, Jorge Piñon, Bill pher to send him copies of the pictures he Gilberto Armas, the grandson of Catalan Messina, Daniel E. Waltz and Carlos Sala- took, said he was happy because “last year immigrants and the owner of a tobacco farm, drigas. In addition, CubaNews editor and was bad” and he worked “for fun,” but now said this “has been a good year, with good publisher Larry Luxner will moderate “something’s going to be left over for us.” weather, cold and sun at the same time, with- panels on US-Cuba relations and tourism. When asked about the pay, three of the out a lot of rain to bring mold to the leaves.” To register for the expo or obtain more workers said “the same as always,” without Under a partly cloudy sky, near the cross- information, please call (617) 981-2766 or going into details, and they confirmed that at roads, at the foot of a wooden post with a visit http://www.cubatradeexpo.com. harvest time they work up to 12 hours per small handwritten sign saying “Viva Raúl!” day, six days a week. ❑

Santiago de Cuba — FROM PAGE 10 capacity is more than modest. It can store

6,000 tons of cargo in a 2,152-sq-foot ware- LARRY LUXNER house, roughly the size of a suburban middle- class home in the United States. In 2006, it handled about 1,000 tons of cargo. SCU has a smaller terminal for executive flights located toward the northern end of the short runway, with a private entrance not con- nected to the main terminal. The shortest secondary runway lacks lighting, allowing only daytime visual navigation approach. Santiago de Cuba has the island’s second- largest aviation repair facilities (after Havana’s José Martí International Airport), as well as 12 remote parking positions for air- craft, nine of them just in front of the main ter- minal. The executive terminal has another four parking positions for airplanes. Passenger terminal at Santiago de Cuba’s Antonio Maceo International Airport, one of Cuba’s largest. SCU has all the common amenities of a mid-sized international airport such as restau- and the Ciudamar highway. The airport was and often gets battered by powerful storms. rants, cafeterias, duty-free stores, car-rental built along the coast facing the Caribbean Sea Landing or taking off from Santiago de and taxi facilities. And like all Cuban airports, on one side and the Sierra Maestra moun- Cuba offers a superb scenic view of the moun- some military construction is evident, though tains on the other, on an elevated marine ter- tains, the pristine waters of the Caribbean, some nearby jet-fighter shelters appear to be race some 220 feet high. It is surrounded by the Bay of Santiago de Cuba and the city abandoned. almost impenetrable thick xerophytic bushes. itself, the second-largest on the island and Antonio Maceo International is located 10 South of the runways, a vertical cliff sepa- one of the oldest in the Caribbean. The clos- miles south of the city’s downtown, and is rates the airport grounds from a lower coastal est international airport to SCU is in Holgúin, linked to Santiago de Cuba by the autopista strip of land. The area is moderately seismic 55 nautical miles to the northwest. ❑ 12 CubaNews ❖ March 2009 BUSINESS BRIEFS SAVILLS: CUBA ONE OF WORLD’S 5 ‘HOTSPOTS’ Cuba is among five property hotspots to Cuba will emerge as a property hotspot in watch in 2009, says Savills, noting that the is- land 90 miles from Florida is “set for an econo- CUBA BOOSTS PRODUCTION OF SOLAR PANELS 2009, according to Savills, a leading British residential property broker. Savills is selling mic and cultural boom” after years of isolation. Cuba is setting up a new production line to property in a five-star resort called Carbonera, Savills researcher Rebecca Gill says that increase production of solar panels, meant 45 minutes’ drive from Havana. their surveys show that “there are vast num- mainly for projects of the Bolivarian Prices in the development, which include a bers of over-50s and over-60s wanting homes Alternative (ALBA) bloc led by Venezuela. hotel, apartments, villas, golf and a beach overseas, often in traditional areas.” Granma reported Feb. 25 that the assembly club, start at $2,000 per square meter. Details: David Vaughan, International Resi- dential Consultant, Savills, Lansdowne House, of this line is being done at the Ernesto Gue- Savills consultant David Vaughan believes 57 Berkeley Square, London W1J 6ER. Tel: +44 vara Electronic Components Enterprise in that the Carbonera Club is “the most exciting 20 7016-3740. URL: www.savills.co.uk. Pinar del Rio province. development to become available for interna- This is the only factory of its kind in Cuba tional buyers for many decades” and exempli- ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE FOR SALE — IN PESOS that produces equipment capable of turning fies the best standards available today. solar radiation into electric power. “It’s Cuba’s first real-estate resort with 360 Cuban computer security firm Segurmática Carlos Ivan Cabrera, assistant director of acres accommodating villas designed by has released a new antivirus software avail- this company, said production will begin by Britain’s, Spain’s and Italy’s finest architects,” able for purchase in Cuban pesos. mid-year and now has a higher level of he said. “There’s a five-star hotel, a beach and The director of Segurmática, José Bidot, automation, which includes the welding water-sports club, a PGA Design Consultancy told Juventud Rebelde newspaper that the soft- process now done annually. 18-hole golf course, a marina, a yacht club. ware can be used on any Windows system The factory manufactures photovoltaic mod- You name it, it’s there.” and that the company sells a version for Unix with an open code system called SavUnix. ules of different kinds (from 5 to 160 watts), to Cuba also shows potential for long-term The Segurmática Antivirus software with customer requirements, and they are de- growth too, said Vaughan. updates costs 50 Cuban pesos (approximately signed in such a way that after 20 years of use “In addition to attracting interest from the they still have 90% of their original capabilities. $2.50) a year and can be updated online. U.K., mainland Europe and Canada, there is Over the last couple of decades, Cuban com- The panels supply energy to outlying towns, the prospect of vast American investment puter technicians have detected more than schools and health facilities in Venezuela, should U.S.-Cuba relations thaw as part of the 3,800 harmful computer codes, which grow in Cuba and Bolivia, among other markets new world order. That is why the future is so quantity and complexity each year. throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. good, notwithstanding the downturn.” For example, in 2006 technicians detected 267 virus, 301 in 2007, and 1,840 in 2008. In the first month and a half of 2009, 139 Revived AmCham Cuba seeks members viruses have been detected, including the W32 Kido or Conficker. This harmful program he long-dormant American Chamber regrouping in Florida in 1960 under the spreads through the 445 port (open by default of Commerce of Cuba in the United direction of both Moore and Merrill Lynch in Windows 2000 and XP) and USB ports. TStates has decided to revive itself executive Ken Crosby. This and other themes were discussed at under new leadership. In 1961, the chamber was moved from the Ninth Ibero-American Conference on AmCham Cuba President Carol de Graf- Miami to New York, but reinstated in Flo- Informatics Technology Safety, recently held fenreid said the organization will soon rida in 1979. At its height, AmCham Cuba at Havana’s Pabexpo Convention Center. announce its first corporate membership had well over 50 active corporate members Details: José Bidot, Segurmática, Zanja 651, drive. In the meantime, its working with (see our extensive article on this subject in esq. La Soledad, Centro Habana. Tel: +53 7 Washington law firm Patton Boggs to com- CubaNews, October 2007, page 10). 878-1987. Email: [email protected]. plete IRS requirements for Section 501(c) In 2003, when Crosby died at 87, compa- (6) nonprofit status, as well as accreditation nies listed on the AmCham board of direc- HAVANA CLUB SEES 13% JUMP IN RUM SALES requirements for the American Chamber tors inclued Marriott, BellSouth, Chiquita A surge in overseas demand helped Cuba’s of Commerce. Brands International, Quantum Financial Havana Club rum sell a record 3.4 million “We’ve been providing legal services to Advisors, Fluor Daniel, Goya Foods and cases in 2008 — a 13% jump from 2007 sales get them up and running from a corporate Porter Wright. despite the global economic crisis. standpoint and get their tax exemption De Graffenreid said retired U.S. diplo- Havana Club isn’t for sale in the U.S. market approved,” said Patton Boggs attorney mat Timothy Towell will head up an advi- but it is available in over 120 countries, and in James B. Christian Jr., AmCham’s new sec- sory board with the aim of contacting at 40 of them sales increased by more than 10% retary. “We’ll also be working with least four or five major corporate donors to last year, according to Marc Beuve-Méry, gen- AmCham Cuba on fundraising and organiz- contribute $50,000 apiece. eral manager of Havana Club SA in Paris. ation. We’re providing these services pro “We would like these companies to be Cuba’s domestic drinkers are the company’s bono while the group gets itself together.” involved initially and have a say in what’s top market, but Prensa Latina cited Beuve- De Graffenreid says “there seems to be a going on,” she said. “We’re specifically Mery in reporting that Germany alone saw a major push” by the Obama administration looking for donors who are already doing 26% increase in Havana Club sales to overtake to normalize ties with Cuba, which is why business with Cuba. Ideally, we’d like Italy as the brand’s top overseas consumer. this is “an opportune time” to revive Am- $250,000 to start up with, so we can get our Spain, France, Greece, Chile and Russia are Cham. The group’s longtime chairman, membership drive underway.” also leading overseas markets, Beuve-Méry Virginia businessman Edward L. Bartholo- In addition individual donors are being said, though he did not discuss the company’s mew, said AmCham has maintained its sought for $25,000 each. earnings or profits for the year. Washington office even though it’s been Details: Carol de Graffenreid, President, Havana Club has been available in interna- dormant for the past five years. AmCham Cuba, 6263 Soft Shade Way, tional markets since 1993, when the govern- The original AmCham Cuba was found- Columbia, MD 20145. Tel: (410) 730- ment-run firm partnered with French bever- ed in the late 1950s by Clarence Moore, 7027. Or: Edward L. Bartholomew, Chair- age company Pernod Ricard SA. publisher of the Times of Havana. After man, AmCham Cuba, 3615 Glebe Road, Details: François Renié, Havana Club Inter- Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, the Arlington, VA 22207. Tel: (703) 538-9871. national, 39 Ave. Pierre 1er de Serbie, 75008 organization became an AmCham in exile, Email: [email protected]. Paris. Tel: +33 1 4952-9739. Fax: +331 4952- 9754. Email: [email protected]. March 2009 ❖ CubaNews 13 OPINION Obama and the embargo: new approach to old problem BY TIMOTHY ASHBY deliver a keynote address on his Latin Ameri- record 57% of the Hispanic vote (including a hile relations with Cuba may seem to can policy, including a new approach to Cuba. majority of Cuban-Americans under age 44 be a low priority for the Obama admi- The 2008 Democratic Party platform is dis- who supported Obama by 49% to 46%), Obama Wnistration, new policies are expected tinctly different from the 2004 version, which is aware that many of his influential Cuban- that will be a significant break with the past. called for “strategies to end the Castro regime American supporters are publicly opposed to President Obama will almost certainly as soon as possible ... increase political and lifting the embargo. keep his promise to end Bush administration diplomatic pressure on the Castro regime to In the near term, the new administration restrictions on the freedom of Cuban- release all political prisoners ... and begin a and Congress will gradually unravel the American families to travel and send remit- process of genuine political reform.” embargo by expanding commercial relations. tances to their relatives in Cuba. The new platform is more nuanced, allow- This policy will be framed in humanitarian During 2009, the new Congress is expected ing for greater diplomatic maneuvering while terms: by removing restrictions on trade, the to pass legislation that will open Cuban travel being less confrontational to Raúl Castro. U.S. and Cuban economies can enjoy the ben- to all Americans — a measure supported by This platform proposes to change policy by efits that freer commerce can bestow such as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. lifting travel and remittance restrictions, and increasing jobs, improving living standards Obama’s approach to improving U.S.-Cuba offers to normalize relations in exchange for a and enabling both countries to learn and relations will be cautious and pragmatic. The relaxation of repression on the island, with no share ideas about innovation, management, president has stated his willingness to open a reference to ending the Castro regime. environmental standards and working condi- dialogue with Cuban President Raul Castro. Early diplomatic talks would focus on the tions. The Obama administration will use the Preliminary talks may start with meetings release of political prisoners, similar to the hurricanes that devastated Cuba in 2008 to between the U.S. assistant secretary of state content of negotiations between the European speed this process. for inter-American affairs and that official's Union and Cuba, which formally restored ties Cuba’s government recognizes the political Cuban counterpart, and progress to discus- in October 2008. The Obama administration constraints on the Obama administration and sions between Secretary of State Hillary will seek a gesture from the Cubans in this would accommodate Obama in negotiations Clinton and Cuba’s newly named foreign min- regard to facilitate substantive negotiations. to improve relations. ister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. Obama is on record during his Senate cam- According to Esteban Morales of the Uni- President Obama will attend the Summit of paign as opposing the embargo, but as presi- versity of Havana’s Center for the Study of the the Americas next month in Trinidad. He is dent he is refraining from bold actions to end Hemisphere and the United States, Cuba is expected to use the conference as a forum to it. Although he won the state of Florida with a willing to commence negotiations to resolve the half-century-old bilateral conflict, provid- ed that its “independence” is respected and Hardliners are ‘running out of time’ that discussions be “guided by the principles of equality, reciprocity, non-interference and BY MAX J. CASTRO migration, and allowing Cuba to buy U.S. agri- mutual respect.” cultural products on credit. ope springs eternal in the hearts of pro- The question now is what if anything the The Cuban government understands that ponents of a new U.S. policy toward usual suspects — the hardline lobbies, the the embargo is a political problem that could HCuba. For more than 20 years, I have Cuban-American members of Congress and be left out of early negotiations if both coun- heard numerous predictions of an imminent their allies in the Florida delegation and be- tries decide not to discuss it. end to the embargo. I have remained skeptical yond — will try to do in order to stop the tide However, the two nations could expand eco- — until now. Indeed, since the fall of the that could eventually sweep away the entire nomic relations on the basis of existing legal Soviet bloc, U.S. policy toward Cuba has got- embargo. It is never smart to underestimate commercial relations (which represented ten harsher and harsher. the wiles and ways of these folks. But it does $710 million in 2008 exports) to include other But the change in Congress over the last look like finally their goose might be cooked. products, the possibility of exporting Cuban two elections means that a hardline Republi- The hardliners are running out of time and goods to the U.S. market, and negotiation of can leadership is no longer in place to throw a arguments after 50 years. During the cam- new terms of trade. wrench at the last minute to stop the bills in- paign, Obama promised modest changes in The Cubans insist their only precondition troduced to ease the sanctions against Cuba. Cuba policy. But previously he had favored a for talks is that Obama break with the past And Barack Obama’s election means that broader reform. and recognize their sovereignty as a nation. the veto threat no longer hangs over every Now that he knows that he does not need The 44th president has clearly stated that piece of legislation that might make it through the hardline Cuban vote to win Florida, he believes in the kind of diplomacy that Congress. Indeed, we now have a president Obama can be Obama again and shed the cau- emphasizes negotiation as the means for set- who promised a change in Cuba policy. tion that he adopted during the campaign. tling disputes and differences. Moreover, key Republicans in Congress When he goes to the Summit of the Given this, and the fact that senior mem- also are coming around. Americas in April, Obama should bear gifts bers of the administration are on record as Richard Lugar, the ranking Republican on symbolic and substantive in order to mend opposing the embargo, the likelihood is very the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has the rift with this neglected region. high that U.S.-Cuban relations will significant- stated that “restrictive U.S. policies toward Adopting a significantly more liberal ly improve within the next two years. ❑ Cuba are ineffective, have failed to achieve approach on travel, trade and diplomatic rela- their stated purpose of promoting democracy tions toward Cuba would set the stage for an During the Reagan and first Bush adminis- and should be re-evaluated to take advantage especially warm and exuberant welcome for ❑ trations, Timothy Ashby headed the Office of of recent political changes on the island.” Barack Obama in Port of Spain. Mexico and the Caribbean at the Department of Indeed! Lugar’s statement is appended to a Max Castro, a Miami-based sociologist and Commerce, and was acting deputy assistant sec- report by minority committee staff that calls bilingual columnist, is a founding member of the retary of commerce for the Western Hemisphere. for lifting Bush administration restrictions on Emergency Network of Cuban-American Scho- Ashby, who holds a Ph.D in international travel and remittances to Cuba, resuming lars and Artists, and a co-author of “This Land relations, is now a Miami-based attorney and bilateral cooperation on drug interdiction and Is Our Land: Immigrants and Power in Miami.” general counsel to The Havana Group Inc. 14 CubaNews ❖ March 2009 CULTURE AND SPORTS Havana International Book Fair lures record visitors BY CARLOS E. MATOS Of the “Big Three” Spanish publishers, only In fact, the Havana Book Fair’s venue was ome 650,000 Cubans visited the 18th Random House Mondadori has been consis- an ironic choice. San Carlos de la Cabaña annual Havana International Book Fair, tently present at this fair since 1997. Virtually Fortress, built in the 18th century as a garri- S buying over 1.5 million volumes of liter- every publisher with a significant internation- son for the Spanish government, was used by ature during the Feb. 12-22 event. al presence skips the event. Cuba before and since the 1959 revolution to incarcerate and otherwise dis- Fairgoers also enjoyed diverse live music at pose of political opponents. the event, which took place across Havana The visible — and heavier- Bay at the San Carlos de la Cabaña fortress — than-usual —presence of Cuba’s as well as the most abundant offering of foods National Revolutionary Police and beverages (in Cuban pesos) ever seen in and other units attached to the the fair’s 18 years. Ministry of Interior was an Clear sunny skies, steady breezes and sea- uncomfortable reminder of how sonably mild temperatures encouraged aver- delicate the task of balancing age Cubans to grab friends, family and chil- freedom remains in Cuba. dren and make the long trek through the tun- Not surprisingly, getting pub- nel under Havana harbor to enjoy a long day lished in Cuba is an uphill bat- of browsing, buying, munching and mingling tle. Authors must pass through with family and children. the filter of various state entities The book fair, dedicated to the Republic of affiliated with the Cuban Book Chile, was inaugurated by Raúl Castro and Cubans crowd a fortress to browse the Feb. 12-22 Havana Book Fair. Institute and the Ministry of visiting Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. Culture. Vetted works pub- Diverse offerings included a seminar on the Interestingly, not a single U.S. publisher lished locally are sold in Cuban pesos for the implications of the global credit crisis on was there, despite loopholes to the trade equivalent of 80 cents to $1.50 per copy. United Nations reform and the annual Casa embargo that specifically authorize their par- Even if a work is selected for publication, de las Americas, Alejo Carpentier and Nicolas ticipation. getting into print depends on the availability Guillen literary prizes. The fair’s organizers don’t put restrictions of state funding. Jostens Gaardner, Norwegian author of on the content offered, other than a directive Incidentally, foreign books are available in “Sophie's World,” was the most prominent that seeks to limit subject matter that pro- Cuba through Artex SA, the Cuban Book internationally recognized attendee. Gaarn- motes the symbols of multinational corpora- Institute’s marketing and distribution arm. der ceded the rights of his works royalty-free tions and those directed at young readers. Imported items are sold in Artex’s chain of to the Cuban people several years ago, and is Despite the warning, The Bratz and Harry bookstores throughout the island and sold in widely known throughout the island. Potter were among the fair’s hottest items. convertible pesos at world market prices. ❑ This time, Cuba hopes to win World Baseball Classic BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA will be allowed into the United States to play. guez and David Ortiz for the Dominican Re- aseball fans, take note: the World Base- “This issue is currently being reviewed with public and Jason Bay for Team Canada. ball Classic — first held three years ago the Treasury Department, and we expect to Also on the list are Carlos Beltrán and Band billed as the first truly international have an answer before the distribution of the Bernie Williams for Puerto Rico, and Mike professional baseball competition — is back. prize pool after this tournament,” Courtney Piazza for Italy, among others. Cuba hopes to work its way from a strong said in an email to CubaNews. According to veteran sports agent Joe second-place finish (to Japan) to winning the Sixteen national teams will play in this Kehoskie — who’s represented Cuban base- championship this time around. year’s WBC. The Cuban team will be part of ball players heading forthe Major Leagues The success of the 2006 games, with Pool B, along with Australia, Mexico and since 1998 — the relatively unknown Cuban 737,112 tickets sold at its seven venues, South Africa. First-round games will be held at team is still regarded as being among the encouraged game organizers to put together Mexico City’s Foro Sol Stadium, while the favorites in the WBC. the second WBC, which begins Mar. 5. other three pools will be playing their first “On the plus side, Cuba’s runner-up finish Before the original WBC took place in round games at Tokyo Dome, Toronto’s Rog- in the 2006 WBC and their decades of domi- 2006, Cuba was almost barred from even play- ers Centre and the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in nance in international play have to give them ing, let alone winning. That’s because the U.S. San Juan, Puerto Rico. confidence heading into the 2009 event,” Kehoskie said in a recent email to CubaNews. Treasury Department initially prevented the DEFECTIONS ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY Cuban team from participating, since it would “Also, the fact that so many MLB players have reaped a portion of the ticket and mer- If the Cuban team moves forward within its declined invitations to play in the WBC should chandising proceeds, which in effect would pool, then it (along with the winners of Pool A) work in Cuba’s favor, as several of Cuba’s have violated the embargo. will play Round 2 games at San Diego’s Petco main rivals (United States, Dominican Repub- However, after intense lobbying by Major Park — thereby evading controversy if their lic, Venezuela, etc.) won’t be as strong as they League Baseball, the Cubans were able to get pool played at the other site of the Round 2 could have been.” a permit from Treasury’s Office of Foreign games at Miami’s Dolphin Stadium. The final A minor controversy broke out in Novem- Assets Control to play, on the condition that games are set for Mar. 21-23 at Dodger ber 2008 when Cuba’s state-run newspaper they donated their proceeds to charity. Stadium in Los Angeles. Granma announced that “a grave act of indis- This time around, there’s little drama. MLB Among high-profile Major League ballplay- cipline” by starting pitcher Yadel Martí and spokesman Pat Courtney says the financial ers this time around are Derek Jeter for Team outfielder Yasser Gómez had precluded them terms of Cuba’s presence in the WBC are still USA, Ichiro Suzuki for defending champion from playing in the WBC. being worked out, even though the Cubans Japan, Pedro Martínez, Alex “A-Rod” Rodrí- See Baseball, page 15 March 2009 ❖ CubaNews 15 BOOKSHELF Daniel Erikson’s ‘Cuba Wars’ couldn’t be more timely BY VITO ECHEVARRÍA ship with Washington continues to be the glar- from their current homes. ess than two months after Cuba marked ing exception to Raúl’s diplomatic progress. Erikson also criticized the Bush administra- the 50th anniversary of the Castro re- As Erikson noted in his book, President tion’s failed efforts to “multilateralize” its iso- L gime, the Americas Society — in con- Bush — under pressure from Cuban-Amer- lation policy against Cuba, since most U.S. junction with the Council of the Americas — icans — launched only one major initiative on allies are already engaged with Cuba and have launched Daniel Erikson’s new book, “The U.S.-Cuba policy: the creation of the investments there — even Israel, one of the Cuba Wars: Fidel Castro, the United States Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba. In very few countries that consistently sides with and the Next Revolution.” the United States at the UN General Assem- The Feb. 18 event in bly’s annual condemnation of the embargo. New York was standing- [The book has extensive footnotes and cites room only as Erikson, among other sources Larry Luxner’s exclu- senior associate for U.S. sive interview with Ricardo Alarcón, president policy at Inter-American of Cuba’s National Assembly. That interview Dialogue, discussed his appeared in the May 2004 issue of CubaNews.] 352-page book. A key part of “Cuba Wars” is Erikson’s Published by Blooms- treatment of South Florida’s Cuban exile com- bury Press (ISBN 978-1- munity and the success Jorge Mas Canosa 59691-434-6, hardcover and other hardliners had over the years in $28.00), “Cuba Wars” making both Democrats and Republicans details the multilevel con- tremble at the idea of lifting the embargo. flict between the U.S. government and Castro CUBA A ‘QUASI-RELIGIOUS’ ISSUE AMONG EXILES as Washington racks up a At the same time, the community has also long track record of endured a few PR nightmares, most notably failed diplomatic, legisla- the Elián González episode. Then there was tive, propaganda and Daniel Erikson and his book (right) the fight over the Latin Grammy awards, financial efforts to spark which had to be held in Los Angeles instead of regime change in Cuba. Erikson, a native of Maine, first went to 2004, that commission released a 423-page Miami in 2000 and 2001 because of threats Cuba as a Harvard grad student in 2000. He report full of suggestions on how to hasten from local exiles incensed by the inclusion of recalled being impressed by what he called “a the downfall of the Castro regime. Buena Vista Social Club and other musicians from Cuba itself. vibrant, complicated, multiracial society that OBSERVATIONS FROM HAVANA was instantly recognizable as Latin American One of Erikson’s interviewees, unsuccess- but very different from the other countries I Aside from tightening travel restrictions for ful Congressional candidate Joe García, had traveled in.” those legally allowed to visit Cuba and various summed up why things will not substantially Since then, he’s returned to Cuba 13 times, nation-building measures under a post-Castro change among Miami’s exiles anytime soon. not counting a separate visit to the U.S. Naval scenario, one of the report’s recommenda- “Cuba is almost a quasi-religious issue,” Base at Guantánamo Bay. He noted the super- tions became the subject of ridicule in Cuba. said the Cuban American National Founda- ficial changes Raúl has carried out so far Erikson said he came across a billboard in tion’s former executive director. “The prob- (such as letting Cubans own cellphones and Spanish that said “Thank you, Mr. President, lem with that religious element is that it can’t computers,) but stressed that today, “Cuba is but we’re already vaccinated.” be tested because it has no give-and-take. The still very far from embracing a China or The ad made a mockery of the commis- embargo is more a religious creed than an Vietnam model of economic transition.” sion’s suggestion that all Cuban children effective U.S. policy. The good thing about a He predicts Raúl will likely implement under the age of 5 be vaccinated during a creed is that you don’t have to prove it. The “modest economic reforms, but very little in hypothetical Cuban transition to democracy. problem is, how do you change it?” the way of a political opening.” Erikson says the regime has also exploited In arguing for a new Cuba policy initiative, Erikson also mentioned Raúl’s more suc- for propaganda purposes another of the so- Erickson extended García’s criticism, stress- cessful efforts in the international relations called Powell Commission’s proposals: that a ing that Washington has planned for the realm so far, meeting with the leaders of future democratic government permit former wrong scenario with Cuba. China, Brazil and Russia. Even the European property owners to reclaim their expropriated “What we’ve seen is a gradual communist Union is beginning to reaching out to Cuba. houses and buildings. Cartoons on Cuban TV succession on the island,” he said, “and that For the time being, Havana’s icy relation- claimed this would effectively evict residents means the United States needs to stop indulg- ing in fantasies of radical change in Cuba, and r begin to take a very hard look at the realities Baseball — FROM PAGE 14 ecent years from defections, injuries and that currently exist on the ground. retirements,” noted Kehoskie. “Cuba brought “As a member of a younger generation of A subsequent report from ESPN-Depor- a very good pitching staff to Mexico for the U.S. foreign policy analysts, I believe that the tes.com confirmed that the two Industriales WBC, but it’s not as deep as it could have Cuba issue requires both a new set of eyes players were caught trying to leave Cuba ille- been. Also, Cuban baseball, in general, seems and a fresh series of approaches.” ❑ gally, and were later banned from Cuban base- to be exhibiting a fatigue factor in recent ball. A month later, the two did in fact defect to years. Unlike MLB and other pro leagues, the Dominican Republic. Cuban players don’t enjoy a true off-season; Details: Dan Erikson, Inter-American Dia- The persistent issue of defecting baseball their season runs from August to May, and logue, 1211 Conn. Ave NW #510, Washing- ton, DC 20036. Tel: (202) 822-9002. Fax: players is one of several factors that may then summers are spent playing international (202) 822-9553. Email: derikson@thedia- undermine Cuba’s success in the WBC. events. This lack of downtime seems to be tak- logue.org. URL: www.thedialogue.org. “Cuba’s pitching has taken a beating in ing a clear toll on Cuba’s best players.” ❑ 16 CubaNews ❖ March 2009

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