After 49 Years, a Changing of the Guard

Vol. 16, No. 3 March 2008

www.cubanews.com

In the News After 49 years, a changing of the guard:

Washington won’t budge Raúl replaces Fidel as Cuba’s president Embargo likely to remain intact, despite BY LARRY LUXNER In the ramshackle streets of Havana, where the announcement of the new president was rhetoric in Congress ...... Page 2 t was the headline millions of people — including many subscribers of CubaNews — met with little surprise, people bought fruit and Inever really expected to read: “Fidel quits.” vegetables at corner markets while others Cuba’s new leadership But with Fidel Castro’s younger brother Raúl played dominoes on the sidewalk. Many are hoping the new president will bring An organizational chart explains Cuba’s 31- now officially leading Cuba, not much may change at all in the short term, especially given some relief. member Council of State ...... Page 3 the National Assembly’s unanimous decision “Raúl won’t be able to get the economy back Feb. 24 to elevate José Ramón Machado Ventura on an even keel without dedicating a lot of time Food sales hit record to Raúl’s old job, that of first vice president. to economic improvements for Cubans,” Rolan- Indeed, as the National Assembly met in do Bellman, 59, a security guard, told Reuters. U.S. food shipments to Cuba hit $437.6m in Havana to pick Cuba’s first new president in half Added Armando Gómez, a 76-year-old retiree: 2007, but volume remains flat ...... Page 4 a century, many habaneros treated it as just “Raúl will be the guarantee of the revolution’s another Sunday, shopping for groceries or continuity but he must have the backing of a washing the family car. young and capable force in order to satisfy the 11,237,154 and falling As Reuters reported, some huddled around needs of the country.” Cuba’s population drops for second year in radios and TVs as Raúl was confirmed as suc- Most foreign observers, including Cuba ex- pert Phil Peters, were surprised to learn that the a row, confounding experts ...... Page 7 cessor to his ailing 81-year-old brother Fidel, who had ruled Cuba since Jan. 1, 1959. 77-year-old Machado was elevated to the crucial Others went on with the daily business of cop- post of first vice president rather than economic A fictional speech ing with the hardships that plague daily life in czar Carlos Lage, who is 56. What the new president should say in 2009 Cuba after nearly 50 years of communist rule. See Raul, page 2 regarding U.S. Cuba policy ...... Page 8 White House Cuba Democracy Program Port of Matanzas Despite present state of neglect, Matanzas shifts away from S. Florida exile groups is well-poised for growth ...... Page 10 BY ANA RADELAT Groups likely to get a big chunk of the $45.3 Business briefs s Raúl Castro consolidates his power in million in appropriations for Cuba programs this Havana, Washington is quietly taking year include the National Endowment for Demo- Change in Cuba sends Herzfeld Fund sky- Asome steps of its own. For the first time, cracy (NED) and the International Republican ward; service exports double ...... Page 12 President Bush’s policy of funding dissent in Cu- Institute (IRI), which has Republican presiden- ba will focus on well-established groups linked to tial candidate Sen. John McCain on its board. the State Department — instead of the Miami- For decades, the State Department has Environmental protection based exile organizations that have long been at bankrolled efforts to undermine hostile govern- Analyst argues that Cuba is making strides the forefront of those controversial efforts. ments. But it wasn’t until passage of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act that a Cuba grant program in preserving its coastline ...... Page 13 Back in December, exile groups hailed Con- gressional approval of a dramatic boost in funds was established by the Clinton administration. for groups trying to help dissidents, journalists, To date, at least $70 million has been distrib- Vatican calling independent libraries and other NGOs, all in an uted through so-called “Section 109” grants, named after the section in Helms-Burton that Holy See sends Bertone to Cuba 10 years effort to erode the power of the Castro regime. But much of that money will now end up go- established the program. Most of the money after Pope’s historic visit ...... Page 14 ing to large Washington-based organizations went to exile groups in South Florida. with experience in helping topple hostile govern- But these efforts proved ineffective. Havana CubaNews (ISSN 1073-7715) is published monthly ments, rather than South Florida exile groups. countered by approving harsh penalties against by Luxner News Inc. © 2008. All rights reserved. “We’re going to give the money to organiza- dissidents who received aid through the pro- Subscriptions: $429 for one year, $800 for two years. tions that can best address the needs on the gram, resulting in dozens of arrests. In addition, For editorial inquiries, please call (301) 452-1105 the grants have been characterized as payoffs or send an e-mail to: [email protected]. ground,” State Department spokeswoman Heide Bronke told CubaNews. See USAID, page 6 2 CubaNews ❖ March 2008

— FROM PAGE 1 purchasing-power problem.” Jones, whose organization represents 50 to 55 Raúl Brian Latell is a former CIA analyst and ex- U.S. corporations, trade groups and business “Obviously, they didn’t make a move to the pert on Raúl Castro, told CubaNews that “no associations. “One concerns the currency next generation,” said Peters, vice-president one should doubt who’s in charge” in Havana. system, and the other is about getting rid of of the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va. “This is Raúl’s personal team, these are all stupid regulations that prevent people from “The most important thing now is what men who have worked with him for decades doing many things.” they do. The Cuban government has spent 18 in some cases, and people who reflect his Asked what might happen in the short months raising expectations that they’re thinking, attitudes and personal style. But I term, Jones — who’s been to Cuba literally going to change economic policy. Will they was surprised that he didn’t do anything to re- hundreds of times — says he expects that deliver or disappoint?” juvenate the leadership. Many of us thought “very soon, within weeks, we’ll see a loosen- One of the biggest financial complaints is Lage would be elevated somehow, to presi- ing up” in a lot of different areas. Cuba’s dual-currency system. While wages — dent, prime minister or even first vice presi- “I’ve had a few extra calls from people won- which average $15 a month — are paid in dent. But that didn’t happen.” dering what all this means, but nothing is go- local pesos, basic consumer goods must be According to Latell, little is known about ing to happen until we have a new administra- bought with the official hard currency called Machado Ventura — nicknamed “Machadito” tion,” he told CubaNews. “I don’t think there’ll convertible pesos or CUCs. There are 24 — outside of Cuba, and even there he’s be an uptick in business interest in Cuba until national pesos to a CUC. remained inconspicuous. after the election. If the Democrats win, there Raúl said in his first speech as president “It is probably by his own choice that he will be more interest for obvious reasons, par- that he was studying a “prudent revaluation of rarely speaks in public, attracts little attention ticularly if [Barack] Obama gets elected.” the Cuban peso.” in the government media, and has never been Jones praised the Illinois senator’s pledge identified with particular policy lines or revo- to meet face-to-face with Raúl Castro if elected THE MYSTERIOUS ‘MACHADITO’ lutionary campaigns,” the academic wrote in president, noting that “not in 34 years have I The dual-currency system is only one of a his latest monthly Latell Report, which is pub- ever heard a presidential candidate say they’d long string of financial gripes in Cuba. Even lished by the University of Miami’s Institute sit down, without preconditions, to talk to so, people expect that Raúl Castro will usher for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies. Cuban officials.” in some tentative economic reforms. “If he has traveled abroad since the end of Tony Martínez, an attorney for the New “It seems pretty clear that they’re going to the Soviet empire, he has attracted no atten- York-based Ortiz Group, which advises U.S. move on economic policy, but how deep and tion doing so. And there is no reason to sus- food and medical companies that export to how fast, we can’t tell yet,” said Peters. “Raúl pect that he counts among the small circle of Cuba, said the very fact that Raúl Castro is wanted to have people who he’s known and Cuba’s experts who analyze the United States now the island’s head of state should be a trusted for a long time right by his side. The and the bilateral relationship.” “wake-up call” that the Bush administration’s one thing he said he’d do — in coming weeks policy of isolating the island has failed. — is start removing some prohibitions, but IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. BUSINESS UNCLEAR “Let’s keep in mind that the embargo, trav- it’s not clear if he’s talking about allowing Kirby Jones, president of the Washington- el restrictions and limiting family members Cubans to travel freely, own a cellphone or based U.S.-Cuba Trade Association, says not from having normal relations with their rela- engage in limited enterprise. much will change with regard to the potential tives in Cuba did not bring Fidel Castro down “The way he discussed it made it sound to for U.S. trade or investment in Cuba. or even free Cuba,” he told us. “These policies me that perhaps they’re not ready to unify the “If you read Raúl’s speech carefully, you effectively marginalize the Cuban-American peso, but maybe exert some controls over can only conclude that there are at least two community and our country from ever having pricing and salaries in order to address the major changes in store domestically,” said any real influence on the future of Cuba.” ❑ Rhetoric aside, U.S. policy toward Cuba won’t change in 2008 BY ANA RADELAT The 1996 Helms-Burton Act and other laws codified the embargo so it could only be lifted under a series of requirements — including iting Fidel Castro’s decision to remove himself from power, the holding of multi-party elections and the absence of either of the Congress is expected to call for change in U.S. policy toward Castro brothers in power. Those conditions aren’t likely to be met by CCuba, but the embargo will almost certainly remain intact. Cuba anytime soon. A number of House and Senate members will press their leader- So Congress would have to amend the Helms-Burton Act to sub- ship for change toward Cuba. But, as they did last year, Democratic stantially change Cuba policy. That’ll be more difficult to do in the leaders will ignore legislation that would ease the embargo and make Senate than the House this year, even though many farm-state sena- sure any measure that would do so — no matter how modest — will tors jumped on Fidel’s resignation to call for easing restrictions on be yanked from final bills. U.S. farm sales to Cuba. House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) reacted to Castro’s “We should capitalize on this opening to review American policy resignation by echoing President Bush and other embargo support- toward Cuba,” said Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA). “A renewed avenue ers who took the opportunity to call for democratic change in Cuba. of commerce would not only be a promising economic opportunity “The resignation of Fidel Castro is a reason to hope that freedom for Louisiana rice farmers and other industries, it would also help is closer than it was when he was the public face of an oppressive open doors to democracy and free enterprise for the Cuban people.” regime, but it is not a guarantee of a democratic future for the peo- Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has sided ple of Cuba,” she said. with a minority in the Senate who want to keep the embargo intact. Undeterred, 104 House members wrote Secretary of State Condo- “The news from Cuba should not focus on one man who is merely leezza Rice asking the administration to use its executive power to formalizing the transfer of power he initiated a year and a half ago. It forge a change in policy. The letter, sent Feb. 19, the day of Fidel’s should focus more on the 11 million Cubans who still seek the free- announcement, argued that Raúl Castro has already begun to imple- dom they deserve,” Reid said. ment economic change. It also said the Bush administration’s hard- Reid spokesman Jim Manley said his boss expects to meet with line policy “leaves us without influence at this critical moment.” Democratic chairmen of key committees who want to change Cuba Even so, the administration isn’t likely to lift sanctions — even if it policy, like Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), head of the Senate Finance could do so. Bush reacted to events in Havana with another call for Committee and a leader of Senate attempts to ease the embargo. Yet freeing political prisoners in Cuban jails. See Congress, page 11 March 2008 ❖ CubaNews 3 POLITICAL ANALYSIS Cuba’s new Council of State: Don’t be too quick to judge BY DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI tions, as if the old guard was to be forcefully When these foreign gurus pass judgment, he selection of Cuba’s new Council of retired just because Fidel said he wouldn’t be proclaiming that the hardliners won the day, State has unleashed a wave of gloomy an obstacle to the promotion of new leaders. they get entangled in all sorts of inconsisten- Tconclusions and predictions. More of It brings to mind a study conducted by the cies. For example, they label Machadito and the same, victory for the hardliners and créme de la créme of U.S. experts on Russia, the others as hardliners, but they also classify entrenchment are some of the most frequent predicting who would take over after Boris them as “raulistas.” terms used to describe the makeup of Cuba’s Yeltsin; not one mentioned the name Putin. If this is the case, then how do they recon- new government in the week since Feb. 24, It is a fact that a strong representation of cile notions popularized over the last two when the National Assembly named Raúl these “históricos” has remained in control of years characterizing Raúl as being pragmatic, Castro president of Cuba. key positions under the leadership of Raúl, reform-oriented, open to changes and ready to They say that the selection of José Ramón and the reason for this is quite simple: They listen, with the fact that these very same com- Machado Ventura, 77, as first vice president, will be responsible for the design and imple- rades-in-arms, Raúl’s inner circle, are hardlin- along with the appointment of Julio Casas Re- mentation of the first phase of the many ers of some sort? gueiro, Leopoldo Cintra Frías, Guillermo Gar- changes and reforms that await the Cuban Promoting perfeccionamiento empresarial is cía Frías and Alvaro López Miera, is proof that system in years to come. not exactly a sign of being a hardliner in the the hardliners — the “old guard” — now have And they will do it in close alliance, hand in Cuban context, and Machadito, Casas, Cintra the upper hand, and that very little should be hand, with the younger generations who Frías, and López Miera were, and continue, to expected in terms of changes or reforms. already control much of the existing power be clear advocates of such reforms. It seems that many Cuba analysts were bet- structure. This is partly why two-thirds of the The crux of the Cuban predicament is not based on the potential role or not of the “gen- ting on a massive retirement of the old leader- National Assembly consists of new members, mostly young people. eración fundadora,” as it was described by ship, a sort of majority takeover by the “young Raúl; it does not depend either on the need or talibans.” Experts were throwing around It’s also why nearly half the newly inaugu- rated Council of State is composed of younger not to consult every major decision with Fidel names like peanuts: Carlos Lage, Felipe Pérez Castro — as announced by Raúl and support- people like Carlos Valenciaga, Felipe Pérez Roque or Pedro Sáez, the certain dismissal of ed by the National Assembly. The crux of Ricardo Alarcón, or even the return of Carlos Roque, Julio Martínez, María del Carmen Aldana and Marcos Portal to leadership posi- Concepción and Carlos Lage. See Analysis, page 11 4 CubaNews ❖ March 2008 FOREIGN TRADE U.S. food exports to Cuba hit a record $437.6m in 2007 BY LARRY LUXNER placed by other suppliers like Cargill, Dreyfus and Tyson Foods. uba is spending more than ever on U.S. food imports — but that’s An Atlanta-based food broker who also asked not to be named said not because trade has improved or because the leadership in that poultry prices are 10% to 15% higher than last year; it’s the same CHavana has suddenly acquired a taste for California cherries, story with wheat, corn and other major commodities, which explains Texas beef or Vermont maple syrup. why Alimport’s food bill went up so much even though the volume of Simply put, prices for basic commodities have risen sharply, trans- U.S. food purchases stayed the same. lating into bigger bottom-line contracts. According to figures released “I don’t see Alimport backing off or buying any more, unless they by the U.S. Commerce Department, Cuba’s purchases of U.S. agricul- start to allow private enterprise in Cuba and people have more dispos- tural products under the Trade Sanctions and Reform Export En- able income,” said the broker, adding that for now, “nothing has really hancement Act (TSRA) jumped from $340.4 million in 2006 to a record changed, and I honestly don’t think anything will in the short term.” $437.6 million last year (see chart below). Since TSRA’s passage, Cuban David Radlo, president of Radlo Foods LLC in Watertown, Mass., purchases of U.S. food told CubaNews that “Alimport has remained committed in big commo- have totaled $2 billion. dities like grains and chicken. But a lot of the smaller commodities that As usual, the num- you saw in the earlier years, they’re simply not buying at this time.” bers issued by Havana- Radlo said his company sold $1.5 million worth of eggs to Alimport based Alimport are in the three to six months prior to tougher U.S. restrictions taking considerably higher. In effect in 2004. Since then, he hasn’t shipped a single egg to Cuba. 2007, says the food-buy- “After the Treasury Department changed payment terms and start- ing arm of Cuba’s com- ed clamping down, it became harder for the Cubans to justify smaller munist government, its purchases and less advantageous for them to buy,” Radlo told us. “If I purchases of U.S. com- were a Cuban buyer, I’d probably do the same thing.” ❑ modities came to $682 million — up from $570 million in 2006 — translating into cumulative purchases of $2.79 billion since TSRA’s passage in 2000. The reason for the discrepancy: Alimport’s numbers include the cost of shipping as well as third-party financial charges incurred because Cuba can’t deal directly with U.S. banks. The top items on Al- import’s 2007 shopping list were corn, wheat, soybean products and rice, according to the U.S.- Cuba Trade & Economic Council, citing Commerce Department data. Dave Kuntarich, vice-president operations for PS International in Chapel Hill, N.C., said Alimport is “using its limited resources and put- ting them where they are most critically needed” — in a few large cate- gories rather than many small ones like fresh fruit or canned goods. “The problem is that with commodity prices so much higher than they were 12 months ago, the quantity that can be purchased with those dollars is less,” he told CubaNews. “I feel badly for a country like Cuba that relies heavily on imports that must go through this period of sharply increased prices. It must be very difficult for them.” Kuntarich said that his company, which has annual revenues of $160 million, sells $5-10 million worth of commodities to Cuba every year. “We sell various types of bulk ag products to them, ranging from dry peas and beans to frozen poultry and DDGS, a corn-based animal feed made from ethanol,” he explained. Some U.S. exporters have lost interest in the Cuban market because of all the obstacles they must go through to sell to Alimport. “We have backed away from that business and have decided to focus more on the domestic market,” said a sales rep for a large Midwestern poultry processor who declined to be identified. “As far as I know, exports to Cuba are still moving along, there’s been no interruption, and it’s still a great market for those who choose to compete there.” Sources tell CubaNews that Archer Daniels Midland — which after TSRA’s passage rapidly became the largest single U.S. commodity ex- porter to Cuba, hasn’t sold anything to Alimport for at least 3-4 years. “I think they’ve essentially dropped out of the Cuba business,” said one industry analyst, noting that Illinois-based ADM has been re- March 2008 ❖ CubaNews 5 POLITICAL BRIEFS HARD-CURRENCY EARNERS PROTEST INCOME TAX In their own words … Cubans working for foreign companies and “Fidel is Fidel, we all know it very well. Fidel is irreplaceable and the people embassies are expressing anger at a recent gov- will continue his work when he is no longer physically with us.” ernment decision to make them pay income tax — Raúl Castro, speaking before Cuba’s National Assembly on Feb. 24, moments on their hard-currency bonuses, Reuters reports. after lawmakers unanimously approved the succession with a show of hands. After four decades of tax-free communist rule, the prospect comes as shock. Since 1996, only ““I know this sounds dramatic, but Cuba is essentially an anti-U.S. country. artists, writers and self-employed Cubans have You may not see that when you go there and are wined and dined, but since paid income tax. the early ‘60s, Cuba’s dream scenario is a world without the United States. It’s A circular distributed this week by Cubalse, the difficult to do business with a country that would like to see yours disappear.” state employment agency that provides embassies — U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutiérrez, speaking Feb. 12 to food exporters. with staff, postponed a deadline for registering at the tax office by one month until Apr. 1. “If the whole world — all six billion inhabitants —- could travel wherever The delay came in response to a rare outburst they wanted, the bottleneck in the planet’s airspace would be enormous.” of dissent at a recent meeting of the Acorec em- — Ricardo Alarcón, president of Cuba’s National Assembly, responding to Havana ployment agency, where card-carrying Commu- student Eliécer Avila’s question about why Cubans aren’t free to travel abroad. nists who work for foreign companies expressed opposition to the tax decision. A video of the meeting seen by Reuters showed “For the first time in 50 years, Castro is not in power in Cuba and this is an election year in the United States.The planets have aligned.” workers winning applause by demanding that the government first legalize hard-currency salaries — Pedro Freyre, an attorney with the Miami law firm of Akerman Senterfitt. before taxing their earnings. “We know taxes exist in other countries. What “Fidel Castro and Raúl Castro gave the orders and should be indicted for bothers us is the way they imposed this tax,” an murder in the United States.” employee of a foreign company who asked not to — Brothers to the Rescue founder José Basulto, speaking at the spot where Cuban be named told Reuters. “It’s a political problem. fighters shot down two planes and killed four of its members on Feb. 24, 1996. They want everyone to be equal. Equally screwed.” Foreign companies cannot hire workers directly “Nobody talks about Fidel Castro anymore. What everybody talks about is but go through two state agencies which pocket change, change, change. And they think Raúl Castro has been blocked from the hard currency and pay the workers in local making those changes.” pesos, worth 24 times less. — Dissident economist Oscar Espinosa Chepe, quoted Feb. 20 in the Miami Herald. Most companies pay their employees under-the- table salaries that are illegal but tolerated under “My job was to kill Pierre Trudeau. I was going to hit him [with a bullet] in the euphemism of “gratificaciones” or bonuses. the eye and kill him instantaneously ... I did not personally dislike Pierre The tax, ranging from 10% to 50%, is aimed at Trudeau but I was told by my superiors to kill him. I’m glad I didn’t.” about 5,000 Cubans, among the best-paid people — Mike Craft, a 60-year-old self-confessed hit man, telling the Toronto Star that in a nation where the average monthly wage is $15. his Mafia bosses had targeted the late Canadian premier for execution in 1974 because of his close ties with Fidel Castro, who shut Cuba’s casinos years earlier. CZECH GROUP URGES TOURISTS TO SEE ‘REAL’ CUBA Czech tourists travelling to Cuba should bring “Permit me to remind you, Mr. McCain, that the commandments of the reli- with them newspapers, magazines, books and gion you practice forbid lying. The years of prison and the wounds you suf- audiovisual recordings in Spanish, the People in fered as a consequence of your attacks on Hanoi do not excuse you from the Need organization said in early February. moral duty of saying the truth.” While for ordinary Cubans such items are not — Fidel Castro, responding to charges by Sen. John McCain that a Cuban agent available, tourists can bring them with impunity, brutally tortured American soldiers while they were POWs in North Vietnam. explained organizers of the Hotel Cuba campaign. The aim of the campaign is to present Cuba as a “I hope he has the opportunity to meet Karl Marx very soon.” world of two faces, one being the Caribbean para- — Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, declaring dise and the other a desperate place of lack of in a Feb. 24 campaign stop in Indianapolis that Fidel Castro should drop dead. freedom. People in Need will also launch a website in coming weeks to advise Cuba-bound “This moment, this opportunity when Fidel Castro has finally stepped down, tourists how to help local residents. I think, is one that we should try to take advantage of. It is important precisely The campaign kicked off with a symbolic escape because the Bush administration has done so much damage to American for- of “political prisoners” (winter swimmers’ club eign relations that the president take a more active role in diplomacy.” members) from “Cuba”(Slovansky Ostrov is-land — Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), answering a question during the Feb. 21 debate with in the Vltava River). The swimmers were followed Democratic presidential challenger Hillary Clinton at the University of Texas. by actor Tomas Hanak disguised as Fidel Castro. Hanak spent two years in Cuba when his father “There has been this difference between us over when and whether the helped build a nickel factory there. president should offer a meeting, without preconditions, with those with The People in Need campaign is to culminate in whom we do not have diplomatic relations. And it should be part of a process, March when a traditional event in support of but I don’t think it should be offered in the beginning. Because that under- mines the capacity for us to actually take the measure of somebody like Cuban dissidents will be held in downtown Raúl Castro.” Prague. Within the campaign called Cell, politi- , responding to that same question. cians and other people will be locked in a symbol- — Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) ic prison cell in Prague’s Wenceslas Square. 6 CubaNews ❖ March 2008

— FROM PAGE 1 department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human which has received nearly $11 million in USAID Rights and Labor, instead of to USAID. USAID money since 2000. for exiles who would have otherwise criti- The bureau has handed out hundreds of Hernández said his group has used the cized the Bush administration for not doing millions of dollars to long-established groups money to distribute more than 450,000 lbs. of more to topple Fidel Castro. that back Washington’s goals around the medicine and food to dissidents and their fam- Joe Garcia, former executive director of the world. These include NED, which has been ilies. But he said the exile groups ridiculed by Cuban American National Foundation and criticized for working too closely with the the GAO “did not have a clue” about how to now a Democratic candidate for the House CIA, and IRI, which has Elizabeth Dugan, a keep records. seat occupied by Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R- former director of the bureau, in charge of its “There was a lack of common sense,” he FL), said restrictions on giving grant money grant programs. said, noting that it’s hard to require dissidents directly to dissidents in Cuba turned the pro- NED and IRI are both better known for to sign receipts. “We’re not professional grant gram into a “political patronage system in their work in the former Soviet Union, and seekers. It’s a lot of stress.” South Florida” aimed at keeping exile leaders more recently countries like Burma and Hernández also said State Department pro- loyal to the administration. Venezuela. But they have also been modestly grams aimed at fostering change in Cuba are Larry Birns, head of the Council for Hemis- involved in Cuba. likely to be endangered after Bush leaves

pheric Affairs and a frequent critic of U.S. pol- Jane Riley Jacobsen, NED’s director of pub- office, even if McCain wins the presidency. icy toward Cuba, said grant money was often lic affairs, told CubaNews in an email that her “Even a Republican administration isn’t distributed to Cuban-American supporters of organization “has not had any in-depth discus- going to keep pumping money into this if Bush and other Republicans. sions about whether to apply for additional nothing happens,” he suggested. He said the cash often helped those exiles funding” from the State Department. Nick Gutiérrez, co-founder of one of the fund talk radio stations which support White “That said, Cuba will continue to be one of first groups to receive funding from Section House efforts to tighten the embargo. the Endowment’s top-priority countries in the 109, said the exile programs could have been “It’s not just humanitarian aid, it also pro- Latin America/Caribbean region,” Jacobsen more effective if they hadn’t been banned vides income to people so they can be profes- said. “NED will continue its support for pro- from giving cash to dissidents. sional militants,” Birns said. grams promoting human rights, independent “Cash in Cuba is a devastating weapon media and the development of civil society on against the regime,” he said. “But instead, we GAO REPORT SULLIED PROGRAM’S IMAGE the island through its annual appropriation.” sent them packets of soap.” The Cuba grant program received a black eye by a Government Accountability Office GROUPS MULL ASKING FOR NEW GRANT MONEY CRITICISM UNFAIR, COMPLAINS MIAMI LAWYER report released in late 2006 that accused The Bush administration has several rea- Gutiérrez, a Miami attorney who played a grantees of keeping poor accounting records sons for wanting to shift Cuba democracy crucial role in crafting property sanctions in and misspending funds. efforts away from USAID. the Helms-Burton Act, founded the Institute It found that money aimed at sparking dis- Besides the negative fallout from the GAO for Democracy in Cuba with nine other exiles. sent in Cuba was spent instead on a gas chain- report, USAID is beset by organizational This institute, which received $1 million saw, computer gaming equipment — includ- problems. Its former administrator, Randall from USAID, tried to help democratic acti- ing Nintendo Gameboys and Sony Play- Tobias, was forced to resign abruptly last year vists in Cuba but disbanded after a couple of Stations — a mountain bike, leather coats, after it was disclosed that he had patronized years because of “differences of opinion” that cashmere sweaters, crab meat and Godiva an escort service run by Deborah Jeane “are not untypical among Cuban-Ameri-can chocolates. Palfrey, known as the D.C. Madam. groups,” said Gutiérrez. Attempts by several organizations to renew “There was also a question of the effective- But he complains that the GAO’s criticisms their grants were rejected after the critical ness of the [Section 109] groups,” said a State of how groups like the Institute for Demo- report. But the Bush administration agreed to Department official on condition of anonymi- cracy in Cuba spent their money were unfair. a recommendation from the Commission for ty. “We know the NED and IRI are effective.” “OK, so we spent $50 on some sweaters a Free Cuba to increase Cuba-related grant Currently, only eight groups are receiving and some chocolates,” he quipped. “Guilty as money by $80 million. money from USAID’s Cuba program (see box charged.” The Democratic leadership of Congress ob- below). The two groups which have gotten the Section 109 grantees who aren’t exiles also jected to any increase in funding above the most cash are Grupo de Apoyo a la Democra- found it difficult to meet the program’s goals. $15 million established for the program. But cia, a Miami-based group formed by exile Washington’s prestigious Georgetown Uni- Democratic Cuban-American lawmakers in activists, and the Washington-based Center versity was given $400,000 back in 2003 to Congress kept the program alive by sponsor- for a Free Cuba headed by exile Frank Calzón. fund two-year scholarships at junior colleges ing amendments to a massive omnibus spend- But most of the grants these groups have and technical schools for the children of ing bill in December that allocated $45.3 mil- received will expire this year unless the Cuban dissidents. lion for Cuba democracy efforts. grantees apply for renewals. Five years later, only two students have Bronke said the State Department hasn’t “We’re debating whether or not to contin- actually received scholarships. One has com- decided how to allocate all this money. But ue,” said Frank Hernández Trujillo, executive pleted a two-year program and the other is she hinted that much of it will be given to the director of Grupo de Apoyo a la Democracia, currently in school. ❑ March 2008 ❖ CubaNews 7 DEMOGRAPHICS Cuba’s population drops again in 2007, worrying officials BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT n the long list of pending dilemmas calling for a desperate solution, Cuba’s new lea- Idership will soon be forced to include the demographic crisis — a problem acknowl- edged in the past but never properly faced. In 2007, Cuba’s population fell again, this time for the second year in a row. Not since the deadly epidemics of the 19th century and the island’s war of independence from Spain in the late 1890s has this happened. According to official figures released by Cuba’s Oficina Nacional de Estadísticas, at the end of 2007 Cuba had 11,237,154 inhabitants. That’s 1,889 fewer than the 11,239,043 people living in Cuba a year earlier (revised downward from 11,240,121) and lower still than the 11,243,836 inhabitants in 2005. In fact, rather than a statistical oddity, Cuba is facing a very serious demographic trend. A medley of demographic factors has driv- en Cuba’s population growth to a halt. The birth rate remains at its lowest in more than a century — 10.1 births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2007 — with abortion playing a key role in keeping the rate low. A graying population ensures that the mortality rate grows slowly, while steady and sizeable emigration costs the island more than 150,000 inhabitants every five years, translating into a departure rate of 3.0 per 1,000 over the past five years. The reluctance of women to reproduce, the graying population and the stampede of Cubans to the four corners of the world are alarming signs of a widespread distrust in the future of an economic and political system un- able to solve the excruciating problems of daily life. For a complete analysis of Cuba’s current demographic trends, see CubaNews, February 2007, pages 1, 7 and 8. ❑ CUBA’S POPULATION GROWTH RATE 8 CubaNews ❖ March 2008 OPINION From the White House: A presidential speech in 2009? BY MAURY SILVERMAN invite key leaders of the Cuban-American and I say to them that violence is not the solution oday I am making an important an- U.S. business, travel, sports and entertain- nor is an embargo, nor will it be the policy of nouncement with respect to relations ment community who have maintained a this government any longer. Some of my T between our country and the nation of peaceful desire to assist with the rebuilding predecessors and candidates for this office Cuba. I am declaring that our tortured histo- and reconstruction of Cuba to join me and have stood before you and made a series of ry of poor relations is now over. begin having a truly meaningful dialogue and empty promises about what they would do to After more than 50 years of failed policies purpose with their ancestral neighbors and Cuba to free it over many decades. with Cuba, I am moving our country in a new island nation. You even heard some of the same rhetoric direction towards the normalization of rela- There will be no violence or covert action in the 2008 campaign. And you gave your tions between our two countries. tolerated or sanctioned by this government campaign donations and votes because you I have directed the secretary of the treas- any longer on Cuba. liked what you heard. But as many of my pred- ury to suspend all activities related to the While the idea of a communist state so ecessors, they did effectively nothing. I will enforcement of the trade embargo, travel and close to us offends our political notions, it has not mislead you. I am not such a politician. It remittance restrictions, and will formally ask been a poor and ineffectual use of our is my commitment as president of the United the Congress to repeal or sunset the follow- resources and foreign policy to have isolated States to deal with our foreign policy in a ing laws with respect to Cuba: the Helms- an island nation of 11.2 million inhabitants more thoughtful manner than my immediate Burton Act, the Cuban Democracy Act, the that no longer poses any threat to the securi- predecessor has, especially in Latin America. ty of our country. And it is better that you invest your money Trading With the Enemy Act, and the Cuban This is 2009, not 1962. And anyone with Adjustment Act. and resources towards the rebuilding of your knowledge of politics knows that communism ancestral homeland rather than be on the All appropriations for projects such as is a failed political ideology and economic sys- Radio Martí, TV Martí and Cuba-related sidelines with an ineffective embargo and tem. The Iron Curtain fell from the Soviet hoping for an American military intervention democracy projects will be deposited into an Union not because we isolated it, but because account to be used for the reconstruction and that will not occur. That is how you will really we engaged and challenged it. This is the best change things in Cuba. reconciliation of Cuba in the name of friend- way to confront and challenge communism ship between our two nations. We will call it There will not be another Bay of Pigs inva- peacefully and effectively. sion or any military action on Cuba while the Inter-American Development Bank for One of my predecessors, President Richard Cuban Reconstruction. Cuba does not pose a threat to the national Nixon, had the foresight and political intellect security of the United States. As part of our country’s new foreign policy to travel to China and begin a dialogue that in Latin America, one of the outstanding and U.S. military and foreign policy cannot be has forever changed that country and its rela- held hostage to the Cold War ideas of the unresolved issues has been Cuba. tions with the west in a positive direction. With this in mind I will appoint a special past. Nor will I allow as president the risking For far too long, our policy of isolation of American soldiers' lives in an incursion envoy to work with the secretary of state and through the embargo and travel restrictions travel to Cuba to begin laying a framework for with a nation that may have an offensive polit- has been rooted in, and focused on ven- ical system but poses no military threat to the the unraveling of the complex issues that geance, retribution and hatred. Fidel Castro remain for over 50 years between our two United States. Some of our closest political is now retired. The Cuban people and history and economic allies in the world have political countries immediately. will judge him and his performance as their We will find solutions to the issues of systems that are quite different from ours. leader accordingly. Cuba’s future is, and will be, determined expropriated American properties, assets and With the fear of interference by the United claims left outstanding since Jan. 1, 1959. We ultimately by Cubans who live on their island, States into the internal affairs of Cuba no not by Americans. The Cuban people have to will have a more constructive discussion and longer an issue, I call upon the Cuban presi- dialogue on issues like human rights, migra- come to grips with the realities, failures, and dent to free all political prisoners and to begin limitations of their own political and econom- tion, drug enforcement and extradition. building a society that allows an opposition to And it is my intention to personally go and ic system. We cannot do it for them or humil- freely exist and participate in the governance iate them to change their ways. travel to Havana and meet with the Cuban of its nation. There are no mercenaries of the We can stand by them as good neighbors to president and commence negotiations to fol- United States in Cuba. There are only Cubans assist them to change as they decide. The Cu- low through on these declarations. I intend to with a sincere desire to change a repressive ban-American community can have a great in- political system. fluence on the island’s future through a path- PRESIDENTS OF PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLIES 2008 Cuba can never call itself a free and way of peaceful dialogue and engagement. democratic nation in a world of a one- Families, the American people and Ameri- Pinar del Río: Ernesto Barreto Castillo party police state rule and where no can goods and services are our best ambas- La Habana: Armando Cuéllar Domínguez opposition can freely exist to keep a sadors of democracy and free market ideas. I Ciudad de La Habana: Juan Contino Aslám check and balance on power. say to Cuban-Americans with families in Cu- Matanzas: Nilo Tomás Díaz Fundora True democracy exists when opposi- ba: you can now begin to enjoy the full meas- Cienfuegos: Rolando Díaz González tion parties can co-exist and exercise ure of that sacred relationship, the family. their primary function to hold account- Our responsibility as a nation is to maintain Villa Clara: Alexander Rodríguez Rosada able the government and participate in Sancti Spíritus: Fidel Orlando Pérez Luzbert security for our hemisphere and to work with free elections. This is a system we all of our Latin American neighbors to create Ciego de Avila: José Ignacio Quiñones Venegas know that has worked well for more opportunities for a more vibrant and demo- Camagüey: Jesús Arturo García Collazo than 200 years and a process I would cratic future. Bringing Cuba back into this Las Tunas: Victor Luís Rodríguez Carballosa like our nation to honorably influence dialogue will make such a vision more possi- Holguín: Vivian Rodríguez Rondín in, and not interfere with, our neighbor ble and likely to occur. Thank you. ❑ Granma: Jesús Antonio Infante López in the Caribbean. To members of the Cuban-American Maury Silverman is a medical scholar who Santiago de Cuba: Rolando Yero García community who advocated a violent has studied Cuba’s health-care system and U.S.- Guantánamo: Luís Fernando Navarro Martínez overthrow of the government in Cuba, Cuba relations. He resides in Silver Spring, Md. March 2008 ❖ CubaNews 9 OPINION Calif. official: ‘If we don’t sell to Cuba, someone else will’ BY DOUG MOSEBAR payments. Since then, Cuba has spent over $2 consumer and tourism demands. recently returned from an agricultural billion for such purchases. Cuba is among the Our delegation was welcomed by a variety trade trip to Cuba feeling hopeful about largest undeveloped markets for California of Cuban trade and government officials Ibusiness opportunities there for California agricultural commodities in the world. including representatives from the Ministry farmers and ranchers. Cuba currently imports an estimated $180 of Foreign Trade and the Ministry of Agricul- Having never been to Cuba before, this was million worth of agricultural products that ture. We also met with staff from Alimport, a company that manages Cubas purchasing, an eye-opening look into a country that shows could be supplied by California farmers and ranchers. Yet in 2006, California exported on- and CIMEX, a Cuban trading company. potential as a future market for our products. I was impressed with the caliber of the offi- Our country’s almost 50-year-old trade ly $735,000 in agricultural products to Cuba. We also learned that tourism is a fast-grow- cials we met, and the fact that many were embargo prevented U.S. tourists from visiting very young was also unexpected. I later ing industry in Cuba, with 2.3 million visitors Cuba and prohibited nearly all trade with learned that the average age in the Cuban them. But a law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2005, mostly from Canada and the EU. This National Assembly is under 50. I think this in 2000 allowed the Cuban government to buy growing industry gives California even more speaks volumes about their desire for innova- U.S. food and agricultural products with direct potential to export commodities that will meet tive and energetic leaders to take the country to its next stage of development. Realistically speaking, there are challenges WORLD REACTION TO FIDEL CASTRO’S RESIGNATION to overcome in facilitating trade with Cuba. But this trade mission left me and the rest “The Cuban people, facing the legacy of decades of tyranny, merit our solidari- of the delegation feeling optimistic that in the ty and support as they seek to construct a brighter future. We urge the Cuban near future our trade relationship with Cuba government to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by releasing all could realize its potential. If we don’t sell to political prisoners, respecting human rights and creating a clear pathway toward them, someone else will. ❑ free and fair elections.” — U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Doug Mosebar is president of the California Farm Bureau Federation, which granted us per- “The news could have been more open, better. I’m not sure that the transition mission to reprint this article. Mosebar may be has begun from the political point of view.” contacted at [email protected]. — Javier Solana, the European Union’s top representative for foreign policy. CARIBBEAN BRIEFS “Castro was a symbol of totalitarianism. One can only hope that once he stands down a new path will open and there will be more democracy in this JAMAICANS SNARED IN CUBA LIGHT-BULB PROBE country, that it takes a path other countries have taken.” — Jean-Pierre Jouyet, French secretary of state for foreign and European affairs. Jamaican police have charged former junior energy minister Kern Spencer and two other persons with fraud in connection with a con- “Raúl was always there, working tirelessly, faithful to the revolution, loyal to the Cuban people and totally devoted to Fidel ... Only united will we move for- troversial Cuban light bulb project, the BBC ward, and this century is the century of the victory.” reported Feb. 27. — Hugo Chávez, president of Venezuela. Spencer, 33, who is in custody until his court appearance, has been charged along with his former personal assistant, Coleen “We are continuing to monitor developments in Cuba. It is our hope that this Wright, and businessman Rodney Chin. decision will open the way for the Cuban people to pursue a process of political and economic reform.” In early February, Spencer requested a leave of absence from Parliament and also — Maxime Bernier, Canada’s foreign affairs minister. took leave from any leadership position within Jamaica’s main opposition People’s National “We don’t think Cuba is the best example of democracy for other countries to Party (PNP). The charges against Spencer fol- follow. As long as there are no free elections, no political parties and no freedom of expression, El Salvador will not contemplate relations with Cuba.” low weeks of investigations into allegations of misappropriation of funds under the project — Tony Saca, president of El Salvador, in an exclusive interview with CubaNews. initiated during the last PNP administration of then-Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller. “China will continue to work with Cuba to push forward reciprocal and friend- The irregularities in the distribution of the ly relations. We hope that Cuba will maintain stability and development under light bulbs donated by the Cuban government the new leadership, and that this conforms to the interest of the people and is conducive to regional peace and stability.” came to public attention last October, when Energy Minister Clive Mullings called for a — Liu Jianchao, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. probe into the project, under which four million florescent light bulbs were to be distrib- “We trust the decision by the Cuban people and the government are the prop- uted free of cost to consumers. er ones for their future.” But reports indicated that more than J$270 — Francisco Vidal, spokesman for the government of Chile. million (US$3.79 million) had been spent on the project. “[North Korea] believes comradely and military friendly and cooperative rela- Auditor General Greg Christie said several tions between our two countries will steadily grow stronger.” of the contractors were handpicked and en- — President Kim Jong Il of North Korea, quoted by Korean Central News Agency. gaged directly by the former junior minister, including the mother of one of his children and the grandmother of another child. 10 CubaNews ❖ March 2008 INFRASTRUCTURE Due to location, Port of Matanzas well-poised for growth BY OUR HAVANA CORRESPONDENT berthing large vessels, which encounter no This is the third in a series of articles on he Port of Matanzas has been histori- natural barriers entering or leaving the port. Cuba’s major ports. The first installment (Jan- cally one of Cuba’s most important — Like the case with other Cuban ports, oper- uary 2008) looked at Mariel; the second ana- ations at Matanzas declined abruptly after the T and it’s likely to remain that way in the lyzed the Port of Cienfuegos (February 2008). future, despite its present state of neglect. collapse of the Soviet bloc in the early 1990s Located along the northern coast 56 miles and with the downsizing of the sugar industry and the rest as refined sugar and alcohols) east of the busy Port of Havana, Matanzas is after 2002. through its bulk sugar terminal, with a load- also the nearest Cuban port to U.S. east-coast In 1986, at the peak of Cuba’s trade with the ing capacity of 10,000 tons per day. ports. It’s only 188 nautical miles southwest of Soviet Unon, Matanzas was the island’s sixth At that time, Matanzas served as the ship- Miami and 94 nm southeast of Key West. busiest port, handling 363 vessels carrying ping point for 29 sugar mills within a 75-mile Matanzas Bay, where the port is located, is 1,883,200 metric tons — 45% of that exports. radius. Besides sugar, the port was special- an exception to the normal pattern of Cuba’s The port ranked 2nd in Cuba for sugar ex- ized in oil and fertilizer operations. Matanzas landlocked bays accessible only by a narrow is now a shadow of its past since the disman- canal. It is an ample deep-sea cove, open to tling of most of the sugar mills it served and a one of the world’s busiest maritime routes on steep drop in the movement of petroleum the Straits of Florida, at the entrance to the products and fertilizers. Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The harbor is wide and deep, six miles long INFRASTRUCTURE by three miles across at its mouth, over 2,000 Several factories of national significance feet deep at the entrance, and well in excess are served by the Port of Matanzas, among of 30 feet deep right in front of the harbor's them a fertilizer plant, the 330-MW Antonio berthing places. Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the Rayonera It’s flanked by marine terraces, in places as chemical factory, a large tannery and the high as 400 feet, covered by dense shrubs. Matanzas port slogan: “Oil yes, inefficiency no!” warehouses of the bulk sugar terminal. Except for the low muddy flats of the bay’s In 1990, Matanzas almost became the cen- southwestern end, where part of the city of ports, only after Cienfuegos (see CubaNews, terpiece of Cuba’s oil industry. A large and Matanzas rises, the rests of the shoreline is February 2008, page 10), a ranking shared complicated system for the storage and distri- high, with scenic rocky cliffs carved in coral- with the highly specialized Port of Guayabal bution of oil and petroleum byproducts — in- line limestone and some nice pocket beaches along the southern shore of eastern Las cluding a supertanker terminal — was built very popular among local residents. Tunas province. with Soviet assistance, but never completed. As a wide open bay, the port is especially Matanzas was then capable of handling The huge tank farm of the Matanzas Petro- vulnerable to the north and northeastern one-sixth of all Cuban sugar exports, or near- leum Node, as it was then called, was de- storm winds, but it is also the best place for ly one million tons of sugar (85% as raw sugar signed to store 3.6 million barrels of crude oil March 2008 ❖ CubaNews 11

Port of Matanzas engraving from 1853, some 160 years after its founding. and byproducts. It was served by the Matan- Both the port and the city of Matanzas were by the Central Railroad and by highways link- zas oil terminal, with three piers on the north- founded in 1693. By the early 19th century, it ing it to Havana and the rest of Cuba. west side of the harbor capable of handling had become Cuba’s second-largest city, The Juan G. Gómez International Airport is tankers of 150,000, 70,000 and 45,000 tons. thanks to the development of the sugar indus- located close to the port, and is one of Cuba’s The system is linked by hundreds of miles try. In 2007, Matanzas had about 130,000 inha- busiest air terminals, thanks to the Varadero of pipelines to the recently opened Cienfue- bitants, up from 100,813 in 1981. It is served tourism industry. ❑ gos oil refinery (see CubaNews, February 2008, page 1), to the Eastern Havana thermoelectric plant at Santa Cruz del Norte (see CubaNews, August 2007, page 15) and to the local oil fields of eastern Havana, northern Matanzas and Varadero-Cárdenas, producing in excess of 17,000 barrels a day. Today, the tank farm and terminal are only in limited operation, along with the pipeline linking it to Cienfuegos. Venezuelan and Cuban officials have recently expressed their intentions to refurbish the Petroleum Node and bring it back to life as a key element in the regional and domestic distribution of oil and byproducts.

— FROM PAGE 3 plete restructuring of government and state Former Cuban intelligence officer Domingo Analysis institutions will be implemented. Although he Amuchastegui has lived in Miami since 1994. Cuba’s dilemma, well-known to the country’s didn’t mention it, the next Community Party He writes regularly for CubaNews about inter- political class regardless of age, is that drastic congress is already in the making — with nal politics within Cuba, the South Florida exile changes in “concepts and institutions” are vital more and greater changes down the road. ❑ community and Cuba’s international relations. to any understanding of how to ensure the future and a sense of continuity, safeguarding bers of the Cuba Working Group, a con- — FROM PAGE 2 the basic legacy of the revolution. Congress gressional caucus intent on changing Cuba Reform or perish; this is the dilemma. This Manley said it isn’t likely Reid would stop policy. Berman was also one of the first is what unites the older with the younger gen- blocking anti-embargo legislation, which is sponsors of legislation that would eliminate erations; this is what builds consensus among opposed by his Nevada gambling industry restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba. the Cuban leadership. And this is the reason constituents. The switch in chairmanships means that why Raúl Castro focused his closing remarks “Senator Reid will discuss the issue with legislation introduced in the House to ease on the many changes and reforms to be adopt- members,” Manley told CubaNews, “but he the embargo may finally get hearings — ed in the future. continues to support the embargo.” and committee action. These reforms — to begin within weeks — One event that may change the atmos- November’s elections may also usher in include the elimination of a host of restrictions phere in Congress more than Fidel Castro’s more Democrats who favor relaxing sanc- on individual activities and transactions, push- resignation is the death in early February of tions. Some key races will take place in ing forward with badly needed reforms in Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), former head of South Florida, where Ros-Lehtinen and two agriculture and land tenure, and ending most the House Foreign Affairs Committee. other Cuban-American GOP lawmakers, remaining subsidies on the state economy. Lantos, 80, was a Holocaust survivor and Reps. Lincoln Díaz-Balart and Mario Díaz- Raúl also intends to gradually and prudent- staunch anti-Communist who worked with Balart, face Democratic challengers who ly adopt a policy of monetary reform, aimed at the highest ranking Republican on the com- want to reverse Bush’s restrictions on establishing the Cuban peso as an effective mittee, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), to Cuban-American travel and remittances. currency, while bringing salary levels up to keep all legislation that would ease the But real change in U.S. policy toward par with the cost of living, as well as other embargo bottled up in his committee. Cuba isn’t expected to come unless the new major reforms that eventually may require Lantos will be replaced by Rep. Howard president, to be sworn in Jan. 20, 2009, approval in the form of a national referendum. Berman (D-CA), one of the original mem- presses congressional leaders to act. ❑ This is only the first inning. Soon, a com- 12 CubaNews ❖ March 2008 Cuba has also increased the export of serv- “the one state that doesn’t allow its employees BUSINESS BRIEFS ices to Caribbean countries under Venezuela’s to go there.” PetroCaribe, which offers preferential financ- Childs says that he is about halfway through CUBA SEEKS TO BOOST FRENCH TOURISM ing for oil at 1% interest over 24 years if saved writing his second book, but that he needs to The Cuban Tourism Office has launched a revenues are used for economic and social spend another four to six months in Cuba to promotional campaign in France with the development, often with Cuban participation. wrap up his research. He will conduct that objective of increasing the number of French research from a new perch at the University tourists who travel to the island, reports MEXICO TO RESTRUCTURE $400m IN CUBA DEBT of South Carolina at Columbia, where he will Prensa Latina. Mexico has agreed to restructure $400 mil- join the history department in the fall. Colorful posters with the slogan “Viva lion in Cuban debt and re-open credit lines Cuba!” are on display in subway and train sta- with Havana after a six-year hiatus to boost CUBA TRIES TO LURE BACK SPANISH VISITORS tions throughout Paris with the goal of sur- bilateral trade amid improving diplomatic ties. Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero passing the 100,000 French tourists who visit- Reuters reported Feb. 17 that officials from said the country is expected to fully recover ed the island last year. Mexico’s foreign trade bank Bancomext, who the Spanish tourist market this year. Carmen Casal, representative of the Cuban signed the deal in Havana, said the agreement Speaking to local reporters Feb. 12, he Tourism Office in Paris, said the advertising would lift trade flows that fell to a historic low noted that in late 2006, the flow of Spaniards campaign has caught the attention of people of $200 million in 2007, less than half the lev- to Cuba was affected by the buyout of Spanish in diverse cities with the participation of Paris- els of the 1990s. enterprises Pullmantur and Iberojet by U.S. based SKAL International Tourism Agency. “With the signing of this agreement ... a companies, which immediately cut business Large billboards and ad spots will soon ex- great step has been made to normalize finan- with the Cuban Tourism Ministry. tend beyond Paris to Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon, cial and commercial ties between both coun- The action caused a 70% drop in the arrival Marseille, Nice, Toulouse and Bordeaux. tries,” Bancomext said in a statement, without of Spanish visitors, but the number will likely giving details of the restructuring plan. bounce back in 2008, leading to full recovery. CUBA BUYS $300m WORTH OF RUSSIAN JETS Traditionally close ties between Mexico and At the FITUR-2008 show in Madrid, Mar- Cuba has now used up a $203.4 million cred- Cuba hit a low in 2004 when Mexico criticized Cuba’s human rights record at the UN and rero said Cuba received 2.15 million tourists it line, having bought Tupolev Tu-204-100E in 2007, about 133,000 of them from Spain. passenger jets from Russia. former President Vicente Fox withdrew Jorge Vneshekonombank, its subsidiary Rosek- Bolaños, Mexico’s ambassador to Havana. PERFUME MAKER AIMS TO DOUBLE 2008 SALES simbank and VTB bank have closed the credit line opened for Cuba’s Aviaimport SA in 2006 DENIED CUBA TRAVEL, FSU PROF HEADS TO S.C. Suchel Camacho SA, Cuba’s top perfumes to fund the purchase of Ilyushin Il-96-300 and Florida won’t Matt D. Childs go to Cuba. So and cosmetics company, contributed 60 mil- Tupolev Tu-204 aircraft. In so doing, the com- Childs, a historian who studies Cuban slavery, lion pesos to the domestic economy in 2007, pany used the third and fourth tranches of is moving to South Carolina, reports the by making twice its target for the period. $67.5 million each. Chronicle of Higher Education. Company manager Sonia Gomez told state- Three Il-96-300 and three Tu-204 aircraft Childs, an associate professor at Florida run news agency ACN that a new line of toi- were sold to Cuba between 2005 and 2007. State University in Tallahassee, says Florida letries will be produced in 2008 under the The total value of the deals is close to $300 has always been a natural home for Cuba name “las cosas de mi botica” (my pharmacy million, Prime-TASS said. scholars, with its large Cuban-American popu- stuff). The new products will focus on tradi- lation and proximity to the Communist island. tional pharmacopoeia and will consist only of CUBAN SERVICE EXPORTS DOUBLE IN 2007 But a law passed by the State Legislature in natural raw materials. Cuban service exports increased dramati- 2006 has turned Florida into a uniquely bad Suchel Camacho also makes 25 million bot- cally for the third consecutive year in 2007 to place for Childs to conduct his research: tles for its own products and 10 million tubes $8.36 billion, more than twice the level report- According to the law, no Florida state employ- of toothpaste to substitute imports. ed in 2004, Reuters reported Jan. 10. ee may travel to Cuba. The toiletries manufacturer intends to make The mounting service income, mainly from “The one state that has the highest concen- $1.3 million in 2008 by exporting cosmetics leftist ally Venezuela, has enabled Cuba to tration of Cuba experts across the disciplines and other products to Venezuela, France, more or less balance its external finances is Florida,” says Childs. And it is now also Panama, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. despite a huge trade deficit, pay debts con- tracted since 1991 and register strong growth after years of crisis that followed the demise Fidel quits, sending Herzfeld Fund skyward of the Soviet Union. The National Statistics Office reported that homas J. Herzfeld’s Caribbean Basin year old leader’s failing health. On Jan. 16, the 21.5%, or $1.5 billion, jump in service Fund is doing very well these days — 2007, it surged 20% after it was reported exports was not related to tourism revenues, Tall thanks to the resignation of Fidel that Castro was in serious condition follow- which stagnated at $2.2 billion. Castro and his Feb. 24 replacement by ing three surgeries on his large intestine. A Cuba doesn’t specify what it includes within younger brother Raúl. few days later, it topped out at more than the service export category, though on occa- The fund, established in 1994, is a $16 a share, but has seen its price erode sion, officials have said tourism and related closed-end mutual fund that invests in U.S. since then.” revenues, the export of medical and other companies that stand to benefit from the Among the fund’s five largest positions, technical services and donations fall within it. end of the United States embargo on Cuba, the top gainer was Trailer Bridge, a truck- Revenues from pharmaceutical and other which began when Castro came to power ing and marine freight carrier that provides joint ventures abroad may also be included, on New Year’s Day in 1959. truckload freight transportation from the according to local economists, as well as the Fidel’s resignation, according to Forbes mainland United States to Puerto Rico. It training of foreign students. magazine, sent the fund soaring 19.4%, or rose 9.8%, or $1.05, to $11.75. Seaboard, a Non-tourism related service exports began $1.44, to $8.88. The fund came public at shipper and commodity producer, was up their dramatic increase after a 2004 accord $5.20 a share, so investors have had to wait 3.6%, or $55.00, to $1,590.00 per share. with Venezuela, under which that country a long time for Herzfeld’s thesis to play out. Details: Thomas Herzfeld, PO Box 161465, pays for the presence of 39,000 Cuban doctors According to Forbes, “this was not the Miami, FL 33116. Tel: (305) 271-1900. Fax: and other professionals. first time the fund, which trades like a (305) 270-1040. URL: www.herzfeld.com. At the time, service exports were just under stock, skyrocketed as a result of the 81- $4 billion, of which half were from tourism. March 2008 ❖ CubaNews 13 OPINION Cuba strives to protect coastal and marine ecosystems BY DAN WHITTLE Mexico, it is important that it has access to — fishing, reduce the use of destructive gears, f Christopher Columbus were alive today, and uses — the best environmental technolo- and to protect fish habitats. what would he say about Cuba — an island gies and practices available. As the U.S. Reforestation efforts appear to be working Ihe called “the most beautiful land human explores new renewable energy sources, as evidenced by the growth in forest cover eyes have ever seen”? among the most promising source of ocean from 14% in 1959 to 25% today. In the five centuries since the great explor- energy is the Florida current, which flows Cuba is making strides in energy efficiency er landed in Cayo Bariay, Cuba has witnessed between Florida and Cuba and becomes the and the use of cleaner sources of energy, significant change. Yet despite the severe en- Gulf Stream. Such shared resources benefit including wind, solar, ocean power, and bio- vironmental degradation that’s taken place from collaboration, scientific exchange, and mass. For example, 100 stations now measure along Cuba’s coastlines, Columbus wouldn’t shared solutions. wind power potential and plans are in place to declare his paradise lost. Rather, he’d find Cuba’s beaches, bays and rugged coastlines still captivating and beautiful. Environmental problems such as those described in CubaNews and other publications provide sobering reminders that many of LARRY LUXNER Cuba’s diverse natural areas are at risk. Continued impairment of marine and coastal ecosystems and the many benefits they provide have economic and environmental implications not only for Cuba but for the U.S, Mexico, and other countries in the region. But inventories of environmental degradation tell only part of the story. As the crown jewel of the Caribbean and its largest island, Cuba is unmatched in biodiver- Pristine beach graces Cuba’s southern coast near Trinidad, while factory belches smoke in Havana. sity. Cuba’s coastal waters are strung with islets, keys and massive reef tracts, some of LAWS AND POLICIES install two large wind farms this year. Solar- which equal or exceed the Florida Keys. In the mid-1990s, the Castro government power systems are now in some schools, clin- These waters provide spawning grounds implemented a number of environmental ics, and other facilities. Hundreds of biogas and breeding areas for snappers, groupers, reforms that set an impressive foundation for plants today produce energy from sugar cane lobsters, and other marine life — many of sustainable coastal development as the coun- and wood waste. which also support U.S. commercial and re- try began expanding its tourism, mining, and Renewable resources comprised up to 35% creational fisheries. Large parts of the island of Cuba’s energy supplies before the reduc- are off-limits to tourism and industrial devel- other natural resource-based industries. In 1994, the government established a tion in available biomass from sugar cane opment common in other countries. production. That number may again be Pressure to develop Cuba’s most valuable Ministry of Science, Technology and Environ- ment — the first cabinet-level agency for the achieved or even exceeded in the future with coastal areas is growing. It must therefore the expansion of wind and ocean energy. make environmental protection a top priority environment. This ministry has spearheaded now and in the future. Cuba will never again the adoption of many new environmental laws CHALLENGES and policies, including the comprehensive be what it was when Columbus saw it, but its Environmental problems are chronic in remaining natural beauty can be sustained. “Law 81 of the Environment.” Since then, Cuba has adopted other laws developing countries throughout the region, and Cuba has its share. Sewage treatment SHARED RESOURCES and regulations to protect natural areas, im- pose strict standards on coastal development continues to be a major problem, along with While politically distant, Cuba and the solid and hazardous waste management. United States are ecologically close. and require that all major developments undergo environmental review and licensing. Aging industrial facilities continue to oper- Every spring, millions of songbirds gather ate without sufficient pollution controls. Soil on the northern coast of Matanzas province, The National Assembly has also adopted laws on fisheries and forestry conservation. erosion from intensive agriculture is severe waiting for just the right conditions to make and replenishing the soil will be long, difficult the short flight to the Florida Everglades. Late last year, top officials released a new and costly. U.S. and Cuban ornithologists study the National Environmental Strategy that exam- Add to that polluted bays, loss of man- flight patterns of migratory birds and collabo- ines problems and challenges, and includes groves and other critical nursery areas for rate on strategies to protect bird habitat in an action-oriented plan for addressing them. fish, and impacts to coral reefs. Restoration both countries. Larvae of snapper, grouper This strategy highlights the special need to and clean-up is daunting and expensive. and other fishes that spawn off the southern minimize impacts associated with tourism Environmental laws can address degrada- coast of Cuba float on ocean currents to the development and the infrastructure needed to tion but, as is the case everywhere, laws are southeastern United States, where the fish support it. only effective if implemented and enforced. mature and become prime targets of lucrative Progress in implementing these laws has Cuban officials acknowledge that implemen- commercial and recreational fisheries. been mixed, but Cuba is making significant tation of environmental mandates is a chal- Success in protecting fish stocks, sea tur- strides on several fronts. During the last lenge and that success so far has been mixed. tles and other marine life depends upon decade, Cuba has protected coral reefs by The future growth of coastal tourism also sound fisheries and habitat management in expanding its network of marine parks and presents challenges. Demand for new hotels, both countries. reserves. It has made progress in enforcing golf courses, roads and related infrastructure Cuba’s energy future also may be tied to coastal zone regulations aimed at keeping will test Cuba's resolve to give environmental that of the United States. If Cuba proceeds new construction out of sensitive coastal eco- with plans to develop oil and gas in the Gulf of systems. Officials have begun to curb over- See Environment, page 15 14 CubaNews ❖ March 2008 RELIGION Fidel’s resignation has little effect on Cuba’s few Jews BY LARRY LUXNER Asís, a former Hebrew teacher in Havana communities in the U.S. and Canada. idel Castro’s retirement may be cause and general secretary of Cuba’s B’nai B’rith “Actually, if you compare it with other for- for celebration in South Florida, but lodge, told CubaNews that the local Jewish merly communist countries, the situation for F exiles say that with Raúl in charge, little community frequently exaggerates its size “in Jews in Cuba is better,” said Asís, who now will change for the few Jews still on the island. order to show that they need more assistance lives in South Florida. “This means absolutely nothing for the and more money.” “Fidel Castro was hostile to religion in gen- Cuban Jewish community,” said Jaime Such- eral, but not to Jews in particular. He was licki, who fled the island in 1960 and is now more hostile to Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnes- director of the University of Miami’s Institute ses, Baptists and Seventh-Day Adventists, but for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies. because the Jews were so few — and most of “There will be no change in policy.” LARRY LUXNER those attending services were elderly — they Bernardo Benes, a 73-year-old banker who weren’t a challenge to his power. That’s why also left Cuba in 1960, played varsity soccer he was tolerant of the Jewish community.” with Raúl Castro, now 76, while both men Yet for all his tolerance, Fidel was no friend were students at the University of Havana. of Israel. While he wouldn’t speculate on what might In 1966, he opened guerrilla training camps happen, he did say that neither brother has for Palestinians, beginning a lifelong relationship with the PLO and its leader, Yasser Ara- ever exhibited anti-Semitic tendencies. fat. In 1974, a year after cutting diplomatic ties “I can assure you that Fidel has great admi- with Israel, Castro declared that “Arafat is a ration for the Jewish people. I had some con- Cuban Jews play chess in Miami’s Little Havana. man we deeply love and admire and to whom versations with him about Judaism and Israel, we have always shown our solidarity.” and he showed a tremendous amount of inter- He said about 800 Cuban Jews have emigra- In 1975, Cuba co-sponsored a UN resolu- est,” said Benes, former legal counsel for ted to Israel since 1992, of which maybe half tion equating Zionism with racism, and in Cuba’s largest synagogue and an advocate of are still there; the rest have since moved to 1991, it voted against another UN proposal to dialogue with the Castro regime. “In spite of the United States. At least 80% of the people revoke the earlier resolution. And at the first that, his government’s policy has been hor- who attend weekly synagogue services in UN World Conference Against Racism in Dur- rendous for Israel.” Cuba “have nothing to do with Jewish life,” he ban, South Africa, in 2001, Castro called on While large numbers of Jews have left the speculated, because in today’s Cuba, it’s actu- delegates to “put an end to the ongoing geno- island in recent years, there have also been ally an advantage to be Jewish. cide against the Palestinian people” by Israel. conversions to Judaism. Some say Cuba has Among other things, Jews get kosher meat Even so, private Israeli businessmen are as many as 1,300 Jews, while others like rations three times a month and frequently the top investors in Cuba’s citrus industry, Moisés Asís put the number at only 400. receive “care packages” from wealthy Jewish and have poured tens of millions of dollars into a suburban Havana office complex. Asís said he doesn’t expect any dramatic changes in Cuba’s Mideast policy — or in TOP VATICAN OFFICIAL CALLS ON RAÚL CASTRO anything else — as long as Fidel is alive. ardinal Tarciscio Bertone, the Holy nity to talk about the need to improve rela- “He will be giving opinions under the table See’s secretary of state, met Cuban tions between the government and the and behind the scenes about everything,” he CPresident Raúl Castro on Feb. 27, local Church and to allow a “wider partici- suggested. “Raúl Castro is very dependent on becoming the first foreign dignitary to call pation” of the Church in Cuban society. Fidel. If Fidel has an opinion, Raúl will not on Raúl since his selection as Cuba’s head The meeting ended, however, without contradict him. It will be the same.” of state three days earlier. any specific commitment on the part of Stanley Cohen, international chairman of The meeting, held at Havana’s Palacio de Cuban officials to grant the Church in Cuba the B’nai B’rith Cuban Jewish Relief Project, la Revolución, included Carlos Lage and greater leeway on evangelization, educa- agrees that Fidel’s retirement will have no Esteban Lazo Hernández, vice presidents tion or access to the media. effect on Cuba’s foreign relations. of the Council of State, as well as Cuba’s for- Cuba’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime “In Cuba, they’ve resigned themselves to eign minister, Felipe Pérez Roque; the head Ortega, who along with the Cuban govern- the fact that Fidel is no longer there. It’s the of the Cuban Communist Party’s Office of ment invited Bertone for the six-day trip, rest of the world that’s concerned,” he said. Religious Affairs, Caridad Diego Bello; earlier told AP “the imprint that Pope John Cohen, who has taken over 900 Americans Eumelio Caballero Rodríguez, vice-minister Paul II left on Cuba [during his 1998 visit] to Cuba on 35 humanitarian missions through of Foreign Relations, and Raul Roa Kouri, is very deep. From that moment, things B’nai B’rith, estimates there are 1,300 Jews on Cuba’s ambassador to the Vatican. were different in the relationship between the island today — with the increase resulting According to the state-run news agency the church and society and with the state.” from conversions, especially in smaller cities Prensa Latina, Castro and Bertone “held Relations were mixed between the like Sancti Spíritus and Santa Clara. formal talks during which they discussed Vatican and the Castro regime, which never Rabbi Mayer Abramowitz, spiritual leader the progress of relations between the outlawed religion but expelled priests and at the 200-member Cuban Hebrew Congre- Cuban state and the Holy See and the closed religious schools upon his takeover gation of Miami Beach, says his members are Catholic Church in Cuba. In addition, they of Cuba in 1959. anxiously awaiting a change of government in talked about issues of multilateral and Church-state relations eased in the early their homeland. international interest.” 1990s when the regime took out references “As soon as the Castro regime is gone and During a brief meeting with reporters to atheism in the constitution and let believ- the possibility for democracy exists, there will before heading back to Rome, Bertone said ers of all faiths join the Communist Party. be a tremendous influx of Jews to Cuba,” talks with Cuban officials had been “satis- Relations warmed more with John Paul’s Abramowitz told CubaNews. “But they’ll be factory and hopeful” and were an opportu- visit — the first ever to Cuba by a pope. tourists, not immigrants. Nobody I know is even thinking of going back to live there.” ❑ March 2008 ❖ CubaNews 15 RELIGION AGRICULTURE BRIEFS STATE AG CHIEFS URGE FLEXIBILITY ON TSRA Catholics face daunting obstacles in Cuba The National Association of State Depart- he Roman Catholic Church’s main ob- people who are willing to commit to the task ments of Agriculture has called on the Bush stacle in Cuba is a lack of staff, espe- — and likewise of native Cuban priests.” Administration to interpret the Trade Sanc- T cially priests who are natives to the is- Legorreta pointed to the Diocese of Guan- tions Reform and Export Enhancement Act land, said Javier Legorreta, a Cuba specialist tánamo-Baracoa, which John Paul II estab- (TSRA) as broadly as possible, in order to for the group Aid to the Church in Need, a lished during his visit to Cuba in 1998. enable U.S. companies to compete with other German-based pastoral branch of the Catho- “Currently there are 10 priests working countries in Cuba. lic Church, which offers financial support to there altogether, of whom just a single one is “Our trade policy with Cuba is completely between 5,000 and 6,000 projects worldwide. Cuban,” Legorreta explained. “Even in the inconsistent with respect to our relations with Legorreta and his aid organization have seminary there is just one single candidate other countries,” said North Dakota turned their attention to Cuba, as Vatican Sec- from this diocese, so that the situation will not Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, retary of State Tarciscio Bertone makes an change so quickly in the next few years. The the president of NASDA. “Cuba is a major official visit to Havana. Church in Cuba is dependent on foreign mis- potential market for U.S. products, especially Though Bertone’s visit wasn’t planned to sionaries. But for them it is often difficult to agricultural products, but our efforts to coincide with Fidel Castro’s resignation and obtain an entry visa.” increase trade there are severely restricted by in fact marks the 10th anniversary of Pope Father Joaquín Alliende, spiritual director our own federal government.” of Aid to the Church in Need, said he sees John Paul II’s visit to Cuba, Legorreta called Johnson led a North Dakota trade mission Fidel’s resignation as “a great opportunity for to Cuba in mid-February, coming back with the coincidence “a great grace from God.” the Church.” He invited “all those who love “Cardinal Bertone may indeed play an im- the Church in Cuba to accompany it in these an order for 12,000 tons of field peas and len- portant role in the political transformation of crucial moments, especially through prayer tils worth $7.5 million. But the delegation did the country,” Legorreta said. “After 49 years and with a watchful attentiveness that will lead not sell any seed potatoes as they had hoped. of rule by Fidel Castro, the cardinal can help us to a still more profound solidarity with her.” “I was assured that the final copy of U.S. this change of power to take place in peace The Chilean priest said he hoped the pope’s phytosanitary protocols for table potatoes had and in a spirit of reconciliation within the prayer would now be fulfilled, that Christians been sent to Cuba several weeks ago,” said country. This is something the Catholic might “live according to their faith” and those Johnson. “We got down there and learned that Church in Cuba has already long seen as her who had lost this faith “might regain it.” neither the Cubans nor our own government mission, and Cardinal Bertone will endeavor There are 26 bishops in Cuba, caring for 11 representatives in Havana had seen them yet.” to strengthen her in this.” dioceses. Nearly 60% of the nation’s 11 million Details: Rick Kirchhoff, CEO, National Asso- The Aid to the Church in Need official said inhabitants are Catholic. That percentage is ciation of State Departments of Agriculture, that a particularly important challenge will be increasing in recent years, though Cuba was 1156 15th Street NW, Suite #1020, Washington, working for a better understanding and col- 85% Catholic before Castro came to power. DC 20005. Tel: (202) 296-9680. Fax: (202) laboration between Cuban exiles and those Details: Aid to the Church in Need, Bischof- 296-9686. Email: [email protected]. who remained on the island. Kindermannstr. 23, D-61462 Königstein im He said the Church’s greatest obstacle in Taunus, Germany. Tel: +49 6174 2910. Fax: PINAR DEL RÍO DEVELOPS NEW RICE VARIETY this is “the lack of hands, of coworkers, of +49 6174 3423. Email: [email protected]. A new variety of rice obtained at the experimental station of Los Palacios in Pinar del Rio province has been added to over 10 strains of — FROM PAGE 13 gies to protect Cuba’s marine and coastal Environment areas. The environmental professionals with rice registered by Cuba’s Ministry of protection equal billing with economic devel- whom we have worked are diligently pursu- Agriculture. opment. Lasting growth in the tourism sector ing real solutions and results. Known as Anays LP-14, the new variety is will only occur if the goose that lays the gold- They welcome our partnership and we the result of a biotechnological technique for en egg is protected. appreciate their candor and their receptive- the genetic improvement of the grain that’s a More fundamentally, the environment does ness to our ideas, suggestions and even criti- staple of the Cuban diet. not yet rank as a high priority for most Cuban cism. Other universities and research centers The procedure allows faster growth of the people. Daily life in Cuba is marked by the in the U.S. have had similar success in work- plant with greater resistance to tropical dis- pursuit of more immediate needs. ing with Cuban experts and institutions. eases. The new variety grows well in its Law 81 includes a mandate for environmen- Expanded collaboration on renewable ener- experimental stage and among its qualities is tal education and for providing public access gy programs, fisheries research and manage- a short cycle harvest with a reduced require- to information, participation, and justice. The ment, and marine and coastal conservation ment of water and fertilizar, while showing environmental ministry has taken steps in strategies will be critical to building a more good yields in the field and being more resist- recent years to implement these mandates, sustainable future throughout the region. ant to plagues and illnesses. but more needs to be done to ensure that cit- Protecting Cuba’s marine and coastal Noraida Pérez León, a researcher at the ex- izens are meaningfully included in efforts to resources will take time, money, political will perimental station attached to the Rice Agro- protect their natural heritage. and collaboration. But for the Cuban people industrial Complex in Los Palacios, says many and future explorers to the island, the journey Effective environmental protection in any ❑ farmers plan on introducing the Anays LP-14 country depends upon broad public aware- will be worth it. in future planting cycles. ness and advocacy, and Cuba is no different. Daniel Whittle is a senior attorney for Envi- The anther method for rice cultivation was ronmental Defense Fund, a leading U.S. advo- first reported in 1968. Besides Los Palacios, COLLABORATING TO PROTECT THE OCEAN cacy organization that links science, economics, the island’s most important rice-growing reg- Scientists with Environmental Defense’s law and innovative partnerships to create solu- ions are La Sierpe, in Sancti Spíritus province, Oceans Program have worked with Cuban tions to serious global environmental problems. and in the eastern province of Granma. experts for more than eight years to research Whittle wrote this analysis exclusively for Cuba currently harvests 250,000 tons of rice and assess environmental conditions on the CubaNews. The opinions are expressed are his a year and consumption is double that amount. ground, facilitate exchange of information alone, and do not necessarily reflect the position Imports come mainly from China, Vietnam and ideas, and to identify conservation strate- of CubaNews or its publisher. and, to a lesser extent, the United States. 16 CubaNews ❖ March 2008

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of the largest Cuba-related academic conferences held outside Cuba, this event will fea- Editor & Publisher ture 35 panels bringing together over 100 experts. No charge. Details: Bildner Center for ■ LARRY LUXNER ■ Western Hemisphere Studies, 365 Fifth Ave., #5209, New York, NY 10016-4309. Tel: (212) Washington correspondent ■ ANA RADELAT ■ 817-2096. Fax: (212) 817-1540. Email: [email protected]. URL: www.bildner.org. Political analyst Apr. 28-May 1: 10th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Develop- ■ DOMINGO AMUCHASTEGUI ■ ment (STC-10), Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands. Cuba to participate in this event. Feature writers ■ VITO ECHEVARRÍA ■ Details: Turks & Caicos Islands Tourist Board. Tel: (800) 241-0824. URL: www.turksand- ■ HELEN J. SIMON ■ caicostourism.com. Caribbean Tourism Office, New York. Email: [email protected]. Cartographer ■ ARMANDO H. PORTELA ■

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