Chronicle on Cuba - February 2008

US-Cuba Relations

February 3: Florida's surgeon general has filed a complaint with the state Board of Psychology against Carlos Alvarez, a psychologist and former Florida International University professor convicted of conspiring to act as an unregistered agent for Cuba. The administrative complaint is being reviewed by the department's attorneys before it goes to the board, said Eulinda Jackson, a spokeswoman for Ana Viamonte Ros, the state surgeon general and Florida health secretary. Viamonte Ros’ complaint, filed in December, asks the board to consider penalties against Alvarez, including revocation or suspension of his license, limiting of his practice, a fine or a reprimand. Steven Chaykin, Alvarez's attorney, said the complaint will have no impact on his client, because he did not practice psychology. (The Miami Herald, 3/2/08)

February 3: A group of Cuban rafters who had been detained in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo has arrived in Miami. It is also believed that Mexican authorities will soon be releasing another group of 40 Cubans held in the municipality of Tapachula, near Chiapas. (El Nuevo Herald, 4/2/08)

February 4: At least 65 journalists were killed in 2007, nine more than the previous year, as violence in Iraq and Somalia continued to put reporters in danger, a press freedom watchdog said in Hong Kong. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) report also singled out China, Russia, the Philippines and Cuba as the worst offenders in recent years in limiting press freedom and failing to counter danger to journalists. (AFP, 4/2/08)

February 5: The US intelligence community sees Cuban leader Raul Castro pursuing a cautious economic-reform agenda as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez continues his push to challenge US interests in Central and South America. The conclusions were part of Director of National Intelligence J. Michael McConnell's annual threat-assessment report, presented before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. In his written statement, McConnell, speaking on behalf of 16 US government intelligence agencies, painted a picture of Chavez as stung by a domestic electoral defeat and a worsening economy at home but determined to "unite Latin America, under his leadership, behind an anti-US, radical leftist agenda and to look to Cuba as a key ideological ally." In Cuba, Raul Castro is seen taking "cautious, incremental steps" on some expanded role for the private sector, especially in agriculture. The report also addresses the widely reported— but not publicly acknowledged— differences between Raul Castro and Chavez. The "sidelining of Fidel Castro in favour of his brother Raul may lead to a period of adjustment in Venezuela's relations with Cuba," McConnell says. But the two are expected to "smooth over" any differences. Venezuela is thought to provide a net subsidy of $1 billion to Cuba, according to McConnell. [Report by US Director of National Intelligence] (The Miami Herald, 5/2/08)

February 8: Three associates of anti-Castro Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles were each sentenced to less than a year in prison for refusing to testify against Posada. Santiago Alvarez, Osvaldo Mitat, and Ernesto Abreu pleaded guilty last year to obstruction of justice for refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating allegations that Posada lied to federal investigators in a bid to become a US citizen. Posada's case was thrown out last year by a US district judge, but the government is appealing. Alvarez, a wealthy Cuban national from Miami who has been Posada's benefactor, was given the longest term at 10 months. Mitat was ordered to serve eight months, and Abreu was given two months in prison and five months of house arrest. All three were ordered to serve two years' probation. But Alvarez, a legal permanent resident in the United States, is likely to remain jailed because he now faces deportation proceedings in immigration court. Miguel del Aguila, Abreu's lawyer, said the sentence was fair. Gary Weiser, who represented Mitat and Alvarez, declined to comment. (The Miami Herald, 8/2/08)

February 9: The CODEPINK organization continued in Miami its campaign for the imprisonment of Luis Posada Carriles, who is walking freely in that city despite his criminal records. "We hope the Miami police protect our constitutional right to stage a rally in this community," said Medea Benjamin, founder and co-director of the organization, who early January had to suspend a similar campaign because of the Cuban-American extreme right's hostility in the city. CODEPINK will demand the Bush government to include Posada Carriles on the list of the most wanted terrorists by the Federal Bureau of Investigations. The organization will also request the extradition of the criminal to Venezuela, whose justice calls him for the explosion in mid air of a Cubana de Aviacion plane in 1976 that killed 73 passengers. (Prensa Latina, 9/2/08)

February 11: Cuban leader Fidel Castro denied US presidential hopeful John McCain's claim that Cuban agents helped torture American prisoners of war in Vietnam in the 1960s, calling the assertion "a strange legend." "Let me remind you, Mr. McCain: the commandments of the religion you practice prohibit lying," Castro wrote in an essay published by the Communist Party newspaper Granma. "The years in prison and the wounds received because of the attacks on Hanoi do not excuse you from the moral obligation of the truth," the essay added. McCain, Republican front-runner for the November presidential contest, was a military pilot taken prisoner in 1967 and held for five years in communist North Vietnam. McCain has said that while he was held in Hanoi, a Cuban agent came to show his Vietnamese captors "some new interrogation techniques." While he has said that Cubans helped torture other American prisoners, they were not among those who tortured him. [The Republican Candidate] (The Miami Herald, Prensa Latina, 11/2/08)

February 11: Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro took on front-running US Republican presidential candidate John McCain, accusing him of lying about Cubans torturing American prisoners of war in Vietnam. Castro's criticism brought a sharp retort from McCain as he campaigned in Annapolis, Maryland. "For me to respond to Fidel Castro, who has oppressed and repressed his people and who is one of the most brutal dictators on earth, for me to dignify any comments he might make is certainly beneath me," he said at a press conference. "It's a matter of record and you can ask several of the POWs who had direct contact with some, some thug that came to Hanoi with an underling assistant." In Miami on January 25, McCain had said: "There's a person I want you to help me find when Cuba is free, and that's that Cuban that came to the prison camps of North Vietnam and tortured and killed my friends. We'll get him and bring him to justice, too." (Reuters, 11/2/08)

February 12: Though the average American can't travel to Cuba, 10 Brown students will have the opportunity to spend next semester in Havana studying with 10 Cuban students at the Casa de Las Americas, taught entirely by Cuban professors. "This is the perfect opportunity to look at the past, present and future of Cuba while sitting next to Cuban nationals," said Kendall Brostuen, director of international programs and associate dean of the College. Brown has a license from the Department of the Treasury authorizing semester programs in Cuba for its students, Brostuen said, meaning students can travel only by going through Brown's program. (The Brown Daily Herald, 12/2/08)

February 12: Ten members from Fayetteville First United Methodist Church and one member from Peachtree City United Methodist Church experienced first-hand what La Iglesia Metodista en Cuba (The Methodist Church in Cuba) is doing to spread the Gospel in that country. The Rev. Mark Westmoreland, pastor of Fayetteville First UMC, said of the trip, “We saw a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.” The group worshiped with and worked with Iglesia Metodista Nuevitas in Nuevitas, a port city of 40,000 on the northern coast of Cuba 350 miles east of Havana. (The Citizen.Com, 12/2/08)

February 12: Vietnam and China are led by Communists, but they aren't anti-American like Cuba. That puts the Caribbean island 90 miles south of Florida in a special category among the pantheon of nations - one that demands tighter trading controls, said the US secretary of commerce. Speaking to the board of directors of US Wheat Associates, Carlos Gutierrez said the bottom line is Cubans don't want US friendship. "I know this sounds dramatic (...) but Cuba is essentially an anti-US country," he said. "You may not see that when you go there and are wined and dined, but since the early 1960s, Cuba's dream scenario is a world without the US. It's difficult to do business with a country that would like to see yours disappear." At the USW meeting, Gutierrez made it clear he is in full support of his boss's continued hard line against Cuba. "They don't want our friendship, but blame everything wrong in Cuba on us," Gutierrez said. Cubans claim poverty on the island is because of the embargo, he said, and not because they put all their money into the military. They claim there are Central Intelligence Agency agents all over the island, which is why they imprison political dissidents and have such an imposing police state. (Capital Press, 12/2/08)

February 12: Former Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp officials denied claims made by Senator John McCain, and supported by US government research, that Cuban interrogators tortured American POWs in Hanoi during the Vietnam War. Campaigning last month, Republican presidential candidate and former Vietnam POW McCain said fellow POWs had been tortured by "a couple of Cubans." Fidel Castro denounced McCain for making the claim, calling it "a strange legend." Vietnamese officials and former POW camp administrators supported Castro. "I don't think there was any Cuban involvement in any camp for US POWs," said Tran Trong Duyet, who was director of Hoa Lo prison, known by the Americans as the "Hanoi Hilton," from 1970 to 1973. "No Cubans ever came to the prison while the US pilots were there," said Nguyen Thi Don, former manager of the Hoa Lo prison museum. "It is incorrect for John McCain to have made such a statement." (DPA, 13/2/08)

February 12: Fidel Castro stated that proposals by US republican candidate for the presidency John McCain sound like the dreams of a castaway in the middle of a storm. In the second part of his article entitled "The Republican Candidate," the Cuban Revolution leader continues analyzing McCain's words. More than 2400 years ago, wrote the statesman, Socrates, the famous Athenian wise man, celebrated for his method and martyr to his ideas, conscious of human limitations, said: "One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing." Today, McCain, the Republican candidate, proclaims before his fellow citizens: "One thing only I know, and that is that I know everything." [The Republican Candidate, second part]

February 13: Fidel Castro took another swipe at Republican US presidential hopeful John McCain, in an editorial published in Cuban official media. Fidel Castro, 81, wrote in the Communist Party newspaper Granma that McCain was in the pocket of conservative Cuban-Americans, most of whom live in Florida and strongly oppose his policies. "It is incredible that at this point in history, the Republican candidate, decorated as a hero, would become the pawn of that mafia. No one who believes in himself would commit such a serious ethical mistake," Castro wrote in his third in a series of articles picking apart McCain.[The Republican Candidate, third part] (AFP, 13/2/08)

February 13: The next Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba will be on the road on June/July visiting more than 120 US and Canadian cities along 14 routes. It will collect donations of medical and educational supplies all across the US and Canada as a collective challenge to the inhuman and immoral US blockade and travel ban, said organizers. Five of the buses will be named in honor of the Five Cubans incarcerated in US jails. This year's caravan will also host the second Hiphop Without Borders Exchange. Accompanying the caravan will be many hiphop artists to participate in an international hiphop festival, as well as carrying turntables, keyboards and other musical equipment to support Cuban hiphop. (Prensa Latina, 13/2/08)

February 14: The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture called on the Bush Administration to interpret the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act as broadly as possible, to enable US companies to compete with other countries in Cuba. "Our trade policy with Cuba is completely inconsistent with respect to our relations with other countries," said North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, the president of NASDA. "Cuba is a major potential market for US products, especially agricultural products, but our efforts to increase trade there are severely restricted by our own federal government." Johnson leads a 12-member trade North Dakota trade delegation to Cuba. The policy amendment, offered by Nebraska Agriculture Director Greg Ibach, was adopted unanimously. (USAgNet, 14/2/08)

February 14: Agribusiness professionals can learn more about marketing products to Cuba at a conference scheduled for March 6 at the Texas Department of Agriculture in Austin. “Exporting to Cuba” will help agribusiness, export service providers, producers and government officials better understand how to distribute goods to the Cuban export market, said Dr. Parr Rosson, Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist and director of the Center for North American Studies at Texas A&M University. “Participants can expect to learn more about the marketing opportunities and the steps necessary to travel to Cuba and do business there, and what steps you have to go through getting your product licensed,” Rosson said. “We’re also going to talk about potential markets and what they are looking for, and what a company can expect once they go into business.” The Cuban market has been focused on such bulk commodities as wheat, soybeans and soybean meal, rice and corn, Rosson said. (USAgNet, 14/2/08)

February 15: Fidel Castro stated that the basic problem at this time is to know whether the Republican candidate John McCain is aware of the economic crisis which, shortly or immediately, will beset the United States. In the fourth part of his article entitled "The Republican Candidate," the Cuban Revolution leader wrote: "Only from that point of view will it be possible to evaluate any candidate with the possibility of assuming the leadership of that powerful country." [The Republican Candidate, fourth part] (Prensa Latina, 15/2/07)

February 15: After two years of shrinkage, US sales to Cuba of agricultural goods during 2007 bounced back to $437.7 million, the highest annual total since such sales were authorized in 2000. The 2007 total represented a strong increase over the $340.4 million recorded in 2006 and the $350.2 million recorded in 2005, according to figures compiled by the US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a New York group that monitors bilateral trade. The $437.7 million made Cuba the United States' 37th largest trading partner for the year, according to the council, which obtains its data from the US government. Since Washington first authorized such sales to Cuba as a humanitarian exemption to the US trade embargo, Havana has bought nearly $2 billion in those goods from US companies. (The Miami Herald, 15/2/08)

February 16: Cuban President Fidel Castro ended his reflections on John McCain, republican candidate for the US presidency, with quotations and references to arguments on the article "Why The Debt Crisis is Now the Greatest Threat to the American Republic," by Chalmers Johnson. In the fifth and last part of his article entitled "The Republican Candidate," the Cuban revolution leader stated, "When I refer to Chalmers Johnson’s article, I am strictly abiding by the irrefutable arguments he used. I use the method of selecting essential paragraphs textually." [The Republican Candidate, fifth and last part] (Prensa Latina, 16/2/08)

February 16: Key West’s much-ballyhooed connection with Cuba has some folks worried. With Cuban dictator Fidel Castro ailing and a US presidential election looming, many speculate that change, perhaps dramatic, might soon surface in the half-century old standoff between the United States and communist Cuba. “Americans are going to be so curious and are going to want to go to Cuba,” said Harold Wheeler, head of the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. “I don’t see it as a threat, but you have to be prepared and have a plan available to offset any potential negative impacts.” Should Cuba undergo radical, rapid change, Key West could see anything from a chaotic influx of Cuban-Americans hoping to make their way by boat to Cuba to a sudden drop in vital tourist bookings as Americans flock to the long-forbidden island, forgoing more familiar domestic destinations. A 2002 study by the University of Colorado projected that up to 1 million Americans would visit Cuba in the first year should the island open to the United States, with the numbers leaping to 3 million within five years. Another study found one in five Florida tourists surveyed would choose Cuba over Florida as a vacation destination. (Cox News Service, 16/2/08)

February 19: President Bush expressed hope that the end of Fidel Castro's presidency will launch a transition to democracy in Cuba after nearly 50 years of ironclad, communist rule. ''What does this mean for the people in Cuba?'' Bush said at a news conference during his trip to Africa. ''They're the ones who suffered under Fidel Castro. They're the ones who were put in prison because of their beliefs. They're the ones who have been denied their right to live in a free society. So I view this as a period of transition and it should be the beginning of the democratic transition in Cuba.'' Bush said he anticipates debate about Cuba's future, and that some people will say ''Let's promote stability.'' ''In the meantime, political prisoners will rot in prison and the human condition will remain pathetic in many cases,'' he said. ''The international community should work with the Cuban people to begin to build institutions that are necessary for democracy,'' Bush said. ''Eventually, this transition ought to lead to free and fair elections -- and I mean free, and I mean fair -- not these kind of staged elections that the Castro brothers try to foist off as true democracy,'' Bush said. ''The United States will help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of liberty,'' Bush said. [Video of George W. Bush’s statements to the press] (Globe and Mail, Reuters, CNN, 19/2/08)

February 19: Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said the United States will not soon lift its embargo on Cuba despite Fidel Castro's resignation. Asked by reporters at the State Department if Washington planned to change its Cuba policy now that Castro has stepped down, Negroponte replied: "I can't imagine that happening anytime soon." He declined further comment. (AP, 19/2/08)

February 19: Senator Mel Martinez said Fidel Castro's announcement that he will not seek reelection as president made Tuesday "a good day for the Cuban people.'' Martinez, (Republican-Florida), also noted the irony of the Havana government first posting the Castro decision on the Internet, which the "Cuban people are not allowed to freely access. It's unavailable to the average Cuban.'' It's “a good day for the Cuban people, who are no longer ruled by the Cuban dictator,'' Martinez said in an interview with the press from Orlando. He added that with Raúl Castro in charge, Cuba continues to be ruled by a dictator. "But we have one down, maybe one to go.''  Martinez said the issue now is "how do we move forward so the Cuban people have an opportunity for a better day, for democracy?'' Martinez said he doubts Raúl Castro will be much of an improvement: ``If we saw some difference, some change, but there's been no hope that Raúl Castro, who has been his older brother's enforcer, will be the kind of agent of change Cuba needs today. ''We'll see hopefully in the future a new set of leaders who will come with new ideas,'' he added. (CNN, 19/2/08)

February 19: Presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, called for the release of political prisoners in Cuba following Fidel Castro's resignation. "We need a president who will work with countries around the world — Europe, Western hemisphere — to push Cuba now to join the community of nations and become a democracy, and I will certainly do that as president," Clinton told patrons at a diner in Parma, Ohio, where she is campaigning ahead of the state's March 5 Democratic primary. In a statement released by her campaign, the New York senator said that if elected president, "I will engage our partners in Latin America and Europe who have a strong stake in seeing a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba, and who want very much for the United States to play a constructive role to that end. The United States must pursue an active policy that does everything possible to advance the cause of freedom, democracy and opportunity in Cuba." (AP, 19/2/08)

February 19: Presidential candidate Barack Obama urged that the US be prepared to take steps to normalize relations with Cuba and to ease the trade embargo of the last five decades if the Cuban leadership "begins opening Cuba to meaningful democratic change." Castro's resignation "should mark the end of a dark era in Cuba's history (…) Fidel Castro's stepping down is an essential first step, but it is sadly insufficient in bringing freedom to Cuba," said Obama, an Illinois senator. "Cuba's future should be determined by the Cuban people and not by an anti-democratic successor regime," Obama said. "The prompt release of all prisoners of conscience wrongly jailed for standing up for the basic freedoms too long denied to the Cuban people would mark an important break with the past. It's time for these heroes to be released." (AP, 19/2/08)

February 19: Republican presidential candidate John McCain underscored that "freedom for the Cuban people is not yet at hand" despite Castro's resignation. "We must press the Cuban regime to release all political prisoners unconditionally, to legalize all political parties, labor unions and free media, and to schedule internationally monitored elections," the Arizona senator said in a statement. "Cuba's transition to democracy is inevitable; it is a matter of when not if. With the resignation of Fidel Castro, the Cuban people have an opportunity to move forward and continue pushing for the moment that they will truly be free. America can and should help hasten the sparking of freedom in Cuba. The Cuban people have waited long enough." (AP, 19/2/08)

February 19: Several US government officials and lawmakers reacted to Fidel Castro's resignation. "We would hope that the departure from the scene of Cuba's long-ruling dictator Fidel Castro would allow for a democratic transition (…) We would be willing to provide assistance to Cuba in a period of real democratic transition, " said Tom Casey, deputy spokesman at the State Department. "Today's news from Cuba should not focus on one man who is merely formalizing the transfer of power he initiated a year and a half ago. It should focus on the more than 11 million Cubans who still seek the freedom they deserve, " said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Democrat-Nevada). “The resignation of Fidel Castro is a reason to hope that freedom is closer than it was when he was the public face of an oppressive regime, but is not a guarantee of a democratic future for the people of Cuba," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat-California). "Fidel's comings and goings are irrelevant (…) The Cuban people want freedom. Replacing one dictator for another doesn't amount to a hill of beans," said Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Republican –Florida). (Washington Post, 19/2/08)

February 19: Florida officials are watching and waiting for developments in Cuba, but the surprise resignation of an ailing Fidel Castro had not prompted an alert by mid-morning. The state and federal government have elaborate plans to respond to a repeat of the Mariel-style mass exodus that swamped South Florida with up to 125,000 Cuban refugees from April 15 to October 31, 1980. Responding to a sharp economic downtown, Castro allowed anyone who wanted to leave the island nation to flee, causing an administrative nightmare in South Florida. But emergency management officials have not moved to put the plan in place, at least not yet. "Like everyone else, we're just maintaining awareness," said Technical Sgt. Thomas Kielbasa, a spokesman for the Florida National Guard from its headquarters in St. Augustine. (Florida Today, 19/2/08)

February 19: Despite Fidel Castro’s resignation, Cuba’s abusive legal and institutional mechanisms continue to deprive Cubans of their basic rights, Human Rights Watch said. The counterproductive US embargo policy continues to give the Cuban government a pretext for human rights violations. “Even if Castro no longer calls the shots, the repressive machinery he constructed over almost half a century remains fully intact,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “Until that changes, it’s unlikely there will be any real progress on human rights in Cuba”. The Cuban government still needs to take concrete steps to decriminalize political dissent, Human Rights Watch said. Specifically, it should unconditionally release all political dissidents. It should also repeal the provisions of the penal code that provide the basis for gross violations of human rights. “This would be a good time for the US government to revisit its failed embargo policy,” said Vivanco. “By lifting the embargo, Washington could deprive Raúl Castro of the underdog image that his brother exploited so effectively.” [Cuba: Fidel Castro’s Abusive Machinery Remains Intact] (HRW Press Release, 19/2/08)
 
February 20: As word spread that Fidel Castro would not vie for the presidency of the Council of State, business leaders said the expected Cuban power shuffle is unlikely to bring immediate changes -- if any at all. For most, that meant business as usual. Miami charters to the island were flying on schedule, phone traffic to Cuba was reportedly normal, and in the exile-rich heart of Hialeah, Jesús Ovidez was in the back of his Chico's Restaurant counting cash like he would on any rainy week day. ''What's to celebrate?'' asked Ovidez, who fled Cuba 40 years ago. "While his brother Raúl is in power, nothing changes.'' The reaction was a marked shift from July 2006, when news that Castro was temporarily handing over power to Raúl sparked a wave of interest and hopes for renewed business activity with the island, said John Kavulich, senior policy analyst at the US-Cuba Trade and Economic Council in New York. ''This time I haven't had a single company executive call me, as opposed to 18 months ago, when they were calling asking what to do,'' he said. Kavulich said he thinks the business community has learned a few things about Cuban reality over the past several months. ''It's another moment in the series of moments that is Cuba,'' he said. Locally, Akerman Senterfitt lawyer Pedro Freyre wasn't getting many calls either, but he said the firm continues to work with clients interested in doing business on the island some day. ''The reality is, we need to look at this in a very dispassionate way,'' said Freyre, who is also on the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce's Cuba committee. ``As far as US policy and law, this is a nonevent.'' (The Miami Herald, 20/2/08)

February 20: Some in Congress and foreign-policy leadership roles would like to see the United States change a policy that, they contend, has brought hardship on the Cuban people while achieving little that is in the United States' interest. "Our policy toward Cuba is a relic from the Cold War," said Representative Jim McGovern (Democrat-Massachusetts). "It makes no sense, and quite frankly it's an embarrassment. "We should use this as an opportunity or an excuse to review our entire policy. It is time for a grown-up policy," he said. He said more than 100 bipartisan members of Congress were signing a letter to the administration asking for a thorough review of US policy toward Cuba. Among the needed moves, he said, was removal of restrictions on US citizens to visit Cuba: "Enough is enough. The Cold War is over. It's time to move forward." Retired colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, co-chair of the US-Cuba Policy Initiative and chief of staff to former secretary of State Colin Powell, said it was clear to most Americans that "our Cuba policy is a failure." Senator Christopher Dodd (Democrat-Connecticut), chairman of Senate subcommittee involved in Cuba policy, called the US embargo on Cuba "one of the most backward and ineffective foreign policies in history." Representative Howard Berman (Democrat-California), acting chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he plans hearings on reviewing US policy toward Cuba. (USA Today, 20/2/08)

February 20: A multibillion-dollar battle over property confiscated after Cuba's 1959 revolution edged closer with the retirement of veteran leader Fidel Castro, a leading lawyer for Cuban exiles believes. "Historically, it's a milestone," Miami lawyer Nicolas Gutierrez told the press. He is handling nearly 400 claims against Cuba's government, mostly on behalf of exiles who left their homeland in a hurry and had their property seized after Castro's guerrillas entered Havana and took power nearly half a century ago. Castro's retirement raises hopes that the property claims will finally be settled, Gutierrez said in an interview. "We may still be years away but we're closer to the end." He says US citizens and companies lost roughly $8 billion at today's prices in confiscated property in Cuba and have 5,911 claims pending with the US government's Foreign Claims Settlement Commission. The nationalized property of Cubans far exceeds that, however, and Gutierrez said it could total as much as $200 billion. "You're talking about some serious, serious value." (Reuters, 21/2/08)

February 21: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said in a nationally televised debate that if elected president, he would meet with Fidel Castro's successor in Cuba ''without preconditions'' following preparation of an agenda that called for the release of political prisoners, respect for human rights and a free press. ''This moment, this opportunity when Fidel Castro has finally stepped down, I think, is one that we should try to take advantage of,'' Obama said. Rival Hillary Clinton said she would not meet with Castro's presumed successor, brother Raúl, "until there was evidence that change was happening, because I think it's important that they demonstrate clearly that they are committed to change the direction (…) Then I think, you know, something like diplomatic encounters and negotiations over specifics could take place.'' The question about Cuba was the first in the debate at the University of Texas sponsored by CNN, the Spanish-language Univisión TV network and the Democratic Party. Obama said the first step should be reversing President Bush's policy that limits Cuban Americans who want to visit family on the island and send them money. ''It is important precisely because the Bush administration has done so much damage to American foreign relations that the president take a more active role in diplomacy than might have been true 20 or 30 years ago,'' he said. (The Miami Herald, 21/2/08)

February 22: Three days after stepping down as Cuban leader, Fidel Castro was back in the fray calling on the United States to change its longtime policy of sanctions toward Cuba. Castro said in an article that he had intended to take a few days off from writing when he announced his retirement on Tuesday after 49 years in power, but could not keep silent. The international reaction to his departure, including calls for "liberty" in Cuba, forced him to "open fire" again on his ideological enemies in the United States, he said. "I enjoyed seeing the embarrassing position of all the U.S. presidential candidates," he wrote in a column published by the Communist Party newspaper Granma. "One by one, they felt obliged to make immediate demands on Cuba to avoid risking a single vote," Castro said. "'Change, change, change!'" they cried in chorus. I agree, 'change!' but in the United States," he wrote. [What I wrote on Tuesday 19] (Reuters, 22/2/08)

February 23: Tour operators believe that the US travel embargo of Cuba could be lifted in the wake of this week's announcement that Fidel Castro is stepping down - ending a “golden era” of tourism to the Caribbean island. Companies say that Castro's departure is likely to combine with a more open approach to the island after November's presidential elections. This could bring an end to the US travel ban. The embargo has been in place since Castro took charge in an armed revolution 49 years ago and introduced communism. The effect has been to keep mainstream Westernisation out of the country. But news of Castro's departure had an immediate effect on tour operators, with people booking trips to see the country before it changes. “It's been mad,” said John Faithfull, of Trips Worldwide, a Cuba specialist. Bookings with the company have risen by a third since Castro's last public appearance 19 months ago. “It looks likely that the embargo will be reviewed and relaxed under a new US president. It's not a question of that happening immediately, but it could happen in a year or two,” he said. “When the embargo is over, I'm not sure where Cuba will find the beds to accommodate its new guests.” Vesella Baleva, product manager for Cuba at Cox & Kings, said: “The end of the embargo would make it touristy. There's a charm now as it's not crowded with Americans. These are the golden years.” (Times Online, 23/2/08)

February 23: Twenty-four Cuban immigrants, including a pregnant woman, arrived at Key West, the first group to arrive after Fidel Castro announced he was stepping down from Cuba’s presidency. The group arrived at Smathers Beach in a homemade boat after sailing for more than 26 hours, Christie Phillips, a spokeswoman for the Key West police said. “They were all dehidrated, but fine”, Phillips said. (El Nuevo Herald, 24/2/08)

February 24: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Cuba to move toward "peaceful, democratic change" as Cuba's one-party legislature picked a communist successor to Fidel Castro. "We urge the Cuban government to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by releasing all political prisoners, respecting human rights, and creating a clear pathway towards free and fair elections," Rice said in a statement. She stressed that "at this significant moment in Cuba's history, we reaffirm our belief that the Cuban people have an inalienable right to participate in an open and comprehensive dialogue about their country's future, free of fear and repression, and to choose their leaders in democratic elections." "We also urge the international community to work with the Cuban people to begin to build institutions necessary for democracy, and to support Cuban civil society. "The Cuban people, facing the legacy of five decades of tyranny, merit our solidarity and support as they seek to construct a brighter future." Rice's statement was released as Cuba's National Assembly met to pick a successor to Fidel Castro after his almost 50 years in power. [Condoleezza Rice’s statement] (AFP, 25/2/08)

February 25: The White House said its embargo on Cuba would remain and that the Communist-ruled island's decision to name Fidel Castro's brother Raul as president offered no sign of democratic change, a spokeswoman said. "The only thing that changed yesterday was a new leader emerged but there is no indication that the Cuban people are going to be allowed to pursue a free and prosperous future," said White House press secretary Dana Perino. "What we would hope is that they would be able to start on a path to democracy. We are going to continue to support their aspirations for a better life but the president's position on the embargo has not changed." (AFP, 25/2/08) 

February 25: Cuba picked a new government, installing Raul Castro as president after his ailing brother Fidel Castro retired following 49 years in power. In a sign that change is unlikely to be deep or abrupt, communist party ideologue Jose Ramon Machado Ventura was named first vice president, or Cuba's No. 2. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that, “at this significant moment in Cuba's history, we reaffirm our belief that the Cuban people have an inalienable right to participate in an open and comprehensive dialogue about their country's future, free of fear and repression and to choose their leaders in democratic elections." The US said Raul Castro's appointment offered potential for change but said its embargo would remain until there was a transition to democracy. "There is a possibility and potential for change in Cuba, but those changes will have to be born inside Cuba," said Assistant Secretary of State Tom Shannon. US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, who co-chairs a commission created by the Bush administration to press for a democratic transition in Cuba: "Our policy hasn't changed. We want (the release of) political prisoners, we want freedom. We want freedom of the press, we want freedom of religion, we want freedom for people to read what they want. We want Cuban people to live with a sense of hope and not with a sense of fear." While, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuba-born south Florida Republican said: "To the long oppressed Cuban people it does not matter one bit who the communist Castro brothers choose as the next face of their oppressive, tyrannical regime. What the Cuban people want is freedom to express their dissent from the oppressive regime and enjoy the liberty and freedom that other nations around the globe have." (Reuters, 25/2/08)

February 25: University of Miami professors who specialize in Cuban issues gave a grim assessment of the political climate in Cuba now that Raul Castro has officially succeeded his brother as the island's leader. ''There is no reform. We are not looking at a Chinese model. We are not even looking at a Vietnamese model. This presents a very bleak outlook for Cuba,'' said Jaime Suchlicki, director of the university's Institute for Cuban & Cuban-American Studies, during a panel discussion at the school. Noting the advanced age of Raul Castro and the rest of the reconstituted leadership, Brian Latell, a senior research associate at the institute and the author of “After Fidel”, said: "This signals no rejuvenation at the top.''' Added Andy Gomez, a senior fellow at the institute: "The pressure cooker is now at the highest level it has been in the last 19 months (since Fidel stepped aside to temporarily recuperate). He said South Florida needs to watch developments on the island carefully. ''If there is a mass exodus, we do not have the infrastructure in place. Our social services and educational system are already strained. The immigration bill in the US has not been dealt with,'' Gomez said. (The Miami Herald, 25/2/08)

February 26: Luis Posada Carriles, the anti-Castro Cuban militant, celebrated his 80th birthday this month at an undisclosed location in Miami, but many serious legal and political questions about his alleged crimes as a younger man still loom as large as ever. In New Jersey, Posada is the "target" of a federal grand jury investigation into the series of 1997 tourist-site bombings in Havana, his attorney Arturo Hernandez confirmed to the press. Posada has denied any involvement in the bombings. In Washington, Posada's alleged role in the bombing of a 1976 Cuban airliner that killed 73 people is being revisited by a Democratic lawmaker from Massachusetts, who plans to hold congressional hearings on the matter in the spring. And Posada's immigration status remains an issue with the Justice Deparment, which is pressing its appeal of a Texas judge's decision to dismiss an indictment that charged the Cuban with lying about his 2005 entry into the United States. Perhaps Posada's most serious legal challenge is in Newark, New Jersey, where a federal grand jury, now in its third year, is weighing whether to indict Posada on conspiracy charges for the killing of an Italian tourist in a 1997 hotel bombing in Havana. Justice officials won't comment, but they have a fax and other documents showing that Posada allegedly coordinated $3,200 in wire transfers from Cuban exiles in New Jersey to co-conspirators in Central America for the bombing campaign. (The Miami Herald, 26/2/08)

February 26: Fidel Castro's resignation is a positive step for rice producers in Southeast Texas and others hoping for an end to a trade embargo with Cuba, a Beaumont rice mill executive said. However, obstacles remain and any change likely will be gradual, said Louis Broussard Jr., president of Beaumont Rice Mills Inc. "I think it's a positive step, but (the embargo is) something we don't have much of a say in," Broussard said. Before the United States imposed the embargo in the early 1960s, Cuba was a major market for the long-grain rice grown in Southeast Texas, where farmers planted 13,500 acres last year. Broussard said the majority of rice grown in Southeast Texas is sold in overseas markets that include Iraq, Ghana and Central America. "Cuba would be a plus," he said, noting that the Caribbean nation would probably consume about 1.2 million tons of US rice each year if the embargo were removed. (The Enterprise, 27/2/08)

February 27: Cuban instability could rise in the next half-year after a period of initial calm following Fidel Castro's retirement, US intelligence leaders told Congress. The officials said they expected no change in the communist country's hard-line policies under Castro's brother, Raul, who has named old-guard allies to top posts. The officials likened Cuba's current transition to leadership changes which maintained communism after the Soviet revolution. But rising public expectations and political open-mindedness in a younger generation could incite change. "The political situation probably will remain stable during at least the initial months now that Fidel Castro has handed off power to his brother Raul," Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Economic subsidies from Venezuela under Castro ally Hugo Chavez have helped stave off any immediate pressure on the Cuban government, but missteps in policy or crisis management could spark instability, McConnell said. The transition itself may awaken desire for change, said Lt. Gen. Michael Maples, head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. "That is something we need to watch over the next six or seven months," Maples told the committee. "There may be an expectation on the part of the population to see where a new presidency will go, and a failure to deliver could increase concerns." (Reuters, 27/2/08)