Editor's Note
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www.cubanews.com ISSN 1073-7715 Volume 6 Number 2 THE MIAMI HERALD PUBLISHING COMPANY February 1998 Editor’s Note MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS CIA Trade Report When Cuba Opens Up... After a wait of literally years, the pope has come and gone. Now the real wait As the Cuban economy recovers, trade Some U.S. port authorities are getting begins in earnest. with overseas partners continues to improve. ready for the day when the embargo Before the pope’s visit, Cuba watchers The annual report prepared by the U.S. becomes history and the country begins to and Cubans were abuzz with speculation Central Intelligence Agency shows a 17.8 trade with Cuba. Which ports are closest? about the pope’s visit. Would there be overall increase for 1996. The trade deficit Which are likely to do best? What are they demonstrations? Would the police pre- grew as well, however. likely to ship? vent people from attending Mass? See Trade & Commerce, Pages 6 & 7 See Trade & Commerce, Page 11 Fidel Castro to all outward signs appeared the gracious host. In a move Embargo Breakthrough? CEPAL Report either diabolical in its cleverness or con- When even conservative U.S. Sen. Jesse The report of the Economic Commission ciliatory in its openness, depending on Helms is willing to talk about shipping more for Latin America (CEPAL) on how the your view, Castro made certain the food and medicine to Cuba, it’s time to think region’s economies performed in 1997 says pope’s appearances were packed by pub- that a softening of the embargo is possible Cuba’s “stabilization” program is improving, licly encouraging everyone, believer or after all. but there’s plenty of room for improvement. not, to show up. The resulting crowds See Helms-Burton, Page 4 See The Economy, Page 12 made it impossible to say for certain that attendance at a papal Mass was a political statement. Everything was televised. U.S. Chamber Supports Move Friends Once Again The pope, as predicted, denounced the Some say Helms is just trying to head off Most of the countries in Latin America U.S. embargo. He also pleaded for the an even bigger loophole proposed in legisla- followed the U.S. lead and broke diplomatic release of political prisoners. Castro tion filed in Congress. The U.S. Chamber of relations with Cuba in the 1960s. Now, most smiled, took the pope’s arm. They shook Commerce is supporting this bill. have mended fences with their Caribbean hands. See Washington Report, Page 5 neighbor. Guatemala is the latest. Now we wait to see if anything will See International, Page 2 change. At this writing there has been no Poor Prospects Population Trends release of political prisoners, no new eco- nomic reforms introduced. For Joutel, the Canadian mining compa- The economic crisis and the high rate of But the pope’s visit did have impact ny, expectations of rich finds in Cuba have abortion have combined to keep Cuba’s elsewhere. Jesse Helms, the Republican not come true. Its once vast holdings have population growth nearly stagnant. The use senator and co-author of the Helms- been substantially reduced, and operations of “menstrual regulators” is the latest trend Burton law, and the Cuban American may shrink even further while hard times in birth control. National Foundation have teamed to pro- last. See Demographics, Page 10 pose that U.S. food aid be earmarked for See Mining, Page 8 Cuba, as long as the Cuban government is not the distributor. The idea was reject- INSIDE ed by Castro, but opponents of the U.S. line saw a change — at last there was an International Washington Report acknowledgement that the embargo has Guatemala Renews Ties ..............2 Embargo Legislation ..................5 adversely affected Cuba’s poorest. History of Diplomatic Relations ......2 Mining Hope for change in Cuba has been on Trade & Commerce Joutel Prospects....................8, 9 a roller coaster the last few years. There was great anticipation in 1993 after the Ferradaz on Investments..............3 Public Health dollar was legalized and self-employment Biotech Sales Report..................3 AIDS Update............................9 given approval that Cuba would continue Export, Import Charts .................6 Demographics to encourage economic freedom. There CIA Trade Report.......................6 Population Growth ...................10 has been deep dismay at the paralysis Huge Trade Deficit.....................7 that struck economic reform just as it Abortion in Cuba .....................10 was delivering results. Now the Cuban U.S. Ports and Cuba..................11 The Economy interest train is rising again. We can only Helms-Burton CEPAL Report .........................12 wait for the outcome. Clinton Postpones Title III ............4 Calendar — Mark Seibel Helms Endorses Bill...................4 Upcoming Events.....................12 INTERNATIONAL Guatemala And Cuba Cold War Prompted Decades of Severed Relations Renew Diplomatic Ties Most countries in Latin America broke relations with Cuba at the behest of the United States between 1961 and 1964, one of the most tense periods of the Cold War, prompting Nearly 40 years after it broke diplomatic an era of estrangement and regional isolation that lasted roughly a third of a century. relations with Cuba in 1961, Guatemala has The key event during these early years was the application of sanctions against Havana become the latest country in Latin America by the Organization of American States. In 1962, Cuba was excluded from the OAS, and, to announce that it intends to re-open an in 1964, the Council of the OAS determined that, as a consequence, OAS members were embassy in Havana and restore normal required to follow suit individually. diplomatic links with the government of Only Mexico, Colombia and Chile resisted the pressure from Washington to isolate Fidel Castro. Cuba diplomatically at that time. Of these three, Mexico alone managed to maintain The announcement came only days after friendly relations with the Castro government throughout the years without interruption. the visit to Cuba of Pope John Paul II and his (Canada never broke relations either, despite U.S. pressure.) call for Cuba and other countries to under- Chile broke relations with Cuba in September of 1973, following the coup d’etat by Gen. take actions to reduce the isolation of the Augusto Pinochet against the government of Socialist Salvador Allende, a Castro ally. Not Caribbean nation. until 1995, after Pinochet stepped down and democracy returned to Chile, did relations Since isolating Cuba—diplomatically, eco- return to normal. nomically and in every other way—is the Colombia, for its part, suspended relations in 1981 due to Castro’s alleged support of essential principle of U.S. foreign policy the guerrilla movement in that country. Relations were restored in 1993, but the contin- toward that country, the pope’s declaration ued presence of Marxist guerrillas in Colombia is an occasional source of contention represented a direct challenge to between Havana and Bogota. Washington, and Guatemala was quick to COUNTRY RELATIONS BROKEN RELATIONS RESTORED respond. Argentina 1962 1973 In an effort to forestall a certain rebuke Bolivia 1963 1983 from the State Department, Foreign Brazil 1964 1986 Minister Eduardo Stein of Guatemala Colombia 1981 1993 declared, “The re-establishment of our rela- Costa Rica 1961 None tionship with Cuba in no way signifies a dis- Chile 1973 1995 tancing or an act of enmity against the Ecuador 1963 1979 United States.” El Salvador 1961 None Nevertheless, the move was seen as a set- Guatemala 1961 1998 back for officials in Washington, where the Honduras 1961 None policy of isolation has been losing ground Nicaragua 1961 1979 slowly since the end of the Cold War. If Panama 1961 1974 Guatemala, once a fortress of anti-commu- Paraguay* 1961 1996 nist sentiment, is willing to normalize rela- Peru 1962 1970 tions with the Marxist government in Dom.Republic 1962 1997 Havana, it seems safe to say that Latin Uruguay 1964 1985 American support for the the policy of isolat- Venezuela 1962 1974 ing Cuba has all but vanished. *CONSULAR RELATIONS ONLY As the chart below in the accompanying story shows, only four countries in the region have not restored full diplomatic rela- tions with Cuba: Costa Rica, El Salvador, When Will Spain Name New Envoy to Havana? Honduras and Paraguay. The latter re-estab- The diplomatic spat between Cuba and refuge for political dissidents. lished consular relations in 1996. Cuba has Spain remains unresolved and the Spanish As a result, Cuba immediately withdrew an interests office in Tegucigalpa, and ambassador’s post in Havana remains vacant its consent. Madrid, in turn, has shown its Honduras is expected to reciprocate; the two more than a year after strained relations displeasure over the snub by failing to make countries are expected to establish a con- developed between the two countries. a new appointment. The job has been vacant sular relationship in March, according to the Even the arrival of the 100th anniversary since November of 1996. head of the Cuban office in Tegucigalpa. of the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine on In late January, Spanish Foreign Minister Costa Rica has an interests section in February 15, an event of historical signifi- Abel Matutes told reporters that he had spo- Spain’s embassy in Havana. Only El cance that Spain would like to observe by ken several times with his Cuban counter- Salvador, where the scars of the decade-long showing that it has fully reconciled with the part, Roberto Robaina, in an effort to make civil war of the 1980s between the govern- last Spanish colony in the New World, has sure that the new envoy “will have the ability ment and Cuban-backed guerrillas are still failed to end the quarrel. to work with all sectors of Cuban society.” evident, has made no move to restore com- Spain is probably Cuba’s most important Matutes said he was “in no hurry” to mercial or diplomatic relations at any level.