[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 131 (Friday, September 20, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11088-S11089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     REPORT CONCERNING THE CUBAN LIBERTY AND DEMOCRATIC SOLIDARITY 
       (LIBERTAD) ACT OF 1966--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT--PM 171

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

To the Congress of the United States:
  This report is submitted pursuant to 1705(e)(6) of the Cuban 
Democracy Act of 1992, 22 U.S.C. 6004(e)(6) (the ``CDA''), as amended 
by section 102(g) of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity 
(LIBERTAD) Act of 1996, Public Law 104-114; 110 Stat. 793 (the 
``LIBERTAD Act''), which requires that I report to the Congress on a 
semiannual basis detailing payments made to Cuba by any United States 
person as a result of the provision of telecommunications services 
authorized by this subsection.
  The CDA, which provides that telecommunications services are 
permitted between the United States and Cuba, specifically authorizes 
me to provide for payments to Cuba by license. The CDA states that 
licenses may provide for full or partial settlement of 
telecommunications services with Cuba, but does not require any 
withdrawal from a blocked account. Following enactment of the CDA on 
October 23, 1992, a number of U.S. telecommunications companies 
successfully negotiated agreements to provide telecommunications 
services between the United States and Cuba consistent with policy 
guidelines developed by the Department of State and the Federal 
Communications Commission.
  Subsequent to enactment of the CDA, the Department of the Treasury's 
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) amended the Cuban Assets 
Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 515 (the ``CACR''), to provide for 
specific licensing on a case-by-case basis for certain transactions 
incident to the receipt or transmission of telecommunications between 
the United States and Cuba, 31

[[Page S11089]]

C.F.R. 515.542(c), including settlement of charges under traffic 
agreements.
  The OFAC has issued eight licenses authorizing transactions incident 
to the receipt or transmission of telecommunications between the United 
States and Cuba since the enactment of the CDA. None of these licenses 
permits payments to the Government of Cuba from a blocked account. In 
the period October 23, 1992, to June 30, 1996, OFAC-licensed U.S. 
carriers reported payments to the Government of Cuba in settlement of 
charges under telecommunications traffic agreements as follows:

AT&T Corporation (formerly, American Telephone and Telegr$39,647,734.42
AT&T de Puerto Rico..........................................524.646.58
Global One (formerly, Sprint Incorporated).................4,870,053.05
IDB WorldCom Services, Inc. (formerly, IDB Communications, 3,038,857.00
MCI International, Inc. (formerly, MCI Communications Corp17,453,912.00
Telefonica Larga Distancia de Puerto Rico, Inc...............150,282.40
WilTel, Inc. (formerly, WilTel Underseas Cable, Inc.)......7,792,142.00
WorldCom, Inc. (formerly, LDDS Communications, Inc.).......3,349,967.88
                                                       ________________
                                                       
      Total..............................................$76,827,595.33

  I shall continue to report semiannually on telecommunications 
payments to the Government of Cuba from United States persons.
                                                  William J. Clinton.  
  The White House, September 20, 1996.

                          ____________________