[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 26, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E315-E316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  REPORT BY THE DELEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES ASSOCIATION OF FORMER 
                   MEMBERS OF CONGRESS VISIT TO CUBA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 26, 1997

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to submit to the record the 
following policy recommendations from the report by the delegation of 
the United States Association of Former Members of Congress Visit to 
Cuba. I commend the members of the delegation--Hon. Louis J. Frey, Jr., 
Hon. James W. Symington, Hon. Michael Barnes, Hon. Jon Christensen, 
Hon. Dennis DeConcini, Hon. Toby Roth, Mr. Walter Raymond, Jr., and 
Ambassador Timothy Towell--for their decision to take the trip and 
study this pressing issue in U.S. foreign policy.
  As my colleagues will see, the delegation's policy recommendations 
amount to a serious reexamination of United States policy toward Cuba. 
This call for a reexamination of policy is not based on some nostalgic 
view of the dictator--Castro--who continues his grip on power in Cuba. 
In fact, by calling for the release of political prisoners and for free 
and fair elections, the members of the delegation demonstrate that they 
clearly understand the dictatorial nature of the Castro regime. These 
recommendations are made because they advance the United States 
national interest in a peaceful transition in Cuba away from 
dictatorship to democracy.
  Unsurprisingly, the Cuban economy is in very bad condition, Cubans 
suffer shortages of basic necessities and electricity, and the Castro 
police state remains intact. Surprisingly, the majority of the 
dissidents the delegation met with in Cuba stated their opposition to 
the Helms-Burton law. According to the delegation's report, many 
dissidents favor an increased flow of people, information, and ideas 
into Cuba. It is this increased flow of people and information to Cuba, 
not the continued isolation of that nation's people, that poses the 
greatest threat to the Castro regime.

 Report by the Delegation of the U.S. Association of Former Members of 
              Congress Visit to Cuba, December 9-14, 1996

       Possible actions envisioned by the delegation to be taken 
     in 1997 include:
       (1) A comprehensive bilateral program to reduce drug 
     trafficking. The effort which led to the recent 6-ton cocaine 
     bust should be expanded. Consideration might be given to 
     developing joint counter-narcotics interdiction strategies, 
     including undertaking joint naval patrols in the Bahamas and 
     in Cuban and U.S. waters.
       (2) Visit by the International Human Rights Law Group to 
     monitor the judicial process. This idea was raised with 
     Minister of Justice Sotolongo who said he received many 
     visits, but he was not closed to the idea. He said Cuban 
     sovereignty and principles would have to be observed. The 
     delegation urged the Minister to review all convictions, as a 
     satisfactory resolution of cases concerning prisoners of 
     conscience would evoke a positive U.S. response.
       (3) Consultation with U.S. nuclear experts before 
     completion and operation of Cuba's first nuclear plant. The 
     delegation urged closer international supervision and were 
     advised that IAEA had paid a visit. The plant is being 
     built with Russian equipment and technology and, with the 
     precedent of the Chernobyl plant disaster in Ukraine, is a 
     cause of international concern. The Cuban officials took 
     pains to remind the delegation that they are as interested 
     as the United States in constructing a safe facility. An 
     offer of a visit by a technical group from the southern 
     United States (possibly Florida) whose citizens would be 
     the most directly affected by any nuclear waste, emissions 
     or malfunction should be considered.
       (4) Support for human rights in Cuba. The delegation urges 
     the U.S. Government, in conjunction with the EU, to press for 
     the initiation of a process permitting free and open 
     elections, maintained by a responsible international body. 
     Further, the Cubans should be urged to invite the 
     International Committee of the Red Cross to examine the 
     conditions of Cuban prisons. Such a demarche to the Cubans 
     would probably most effectively be pressed through the 
     appropriate third party from the EU or Central Europe. The 
     concurrent release of a number of political prisoners, 
     estimated by the dissidents at 300-500, would be a dramatic 
     gesture with little downside. In the judgment of the 
     delegation, the political prisoners are considered as 
     political chips and insurance rather than a security threat.
       (5) An offer to open property settlement discussions. The 
     Cubans acknowledge that this is still an outstanding issue in 
     the bilateral relationship, but politics aside, they have 
     neither the funds nor the will to make a new offer, unless it 
     is part of a larger negotiation concerning bilateral 
     relations. Nevertheless, an effort should be made to 
     establish a process with a payment schedule even if actual 
     funding is deferred to a future date.
       (6) The elimination of barriers to two-way communication. 
     This could range from the current--and significant--
     establishment of the CNN Bureau to the sale of Western books, 
     magazines and papers and the removal of impediments to 
     Internet connections. In this regard, the delegation was 
     advised by the democratic opposition that TV Marti is never 
     heard in Cuba except by party officials who have satellite 
     dishes. Ordinary Cubans cannot own a satellite dish. Congress 
     should explore how effective TV Marti actually is and if it 
     proves to be as ineffective as the delegation was advised, 
     funding should be stopped for TV Marti. These funds, however, 
     should continue to be allocated for information programming 
     to Cuba. The delegation believes the estimated $12 million 
     currently allocated for TV Marti could be effectively spent 
     on more informational and academic exchanges and improvements 
     to other communications channels including the provision of a 
     broad Internet capability. In addition, serious program 
     attention should be given to developing and broadcasting, via 
     a variety of communication channels, basic educational 
     materials concerning the development of a political and 
     economic democracy. Paralleling U.S. programming to Central/
     East Europe and the NIS, the time is right to provide 
     materials to support a peaceful transition in Cuban.
       (7) Lifting of restrictions on air travel from the United 
     States to Cuba. This could be done on a step-by-step basis, 
     such as for holidays, to monitor the new arrangements. 
     However, it should be noted that Americans do get to the 
     island now through a very complicated routing. The FMC 
     delegation, for example, traveled via Costa Rica and Mexico. 
     Others go via Nassau and, in comparatively large numbers, 
     travel onward to Cuba by charter. In other words, travel 
     restrictions are finessed and the difficulties imposed are 
     counterproductive. These restrictions do not appear to have 
     any redeeming value. Lifting them would facilitate and 
     energize a range of contacts between Cubans in Cuba, their 
     relatives in the United States and with the wider American 
     community. Such contacts would provide a source of physical 
     and moral support to the Cuban citizens and could temper the 
     conduct and course of the regime itself.
       (8) The removal of barriers to humanitarian assistance. 
     Discussions with Caritas, the international arm of the U.S.-
     based Catholic Relief Services, were very positive and 
     members of the delegation will be in further communication 
     with it. Other channels may also be explored. The Cuban-
     American community in the United States has been very helpful 
     in assisting their families, but the current restrictions 
     have reduced this assistance. The delegation sees no reason 
     to create obstacles to such assistance.
       (9) The removal of remaining impediments to exchange 
     programs. Significant increases in exchanges should be 
     authorized and, as needed, financed. On the basis of our 
     discussions with faculty and students, stringent visa 
     restrictions--which they said appeared to be getting 
     tighter--have directly hampered two-way student and professor 
     exchanges involving the University of Havana. On the basis of 
     the knowledge of the important role such exchanges have 
     played in the past and continue to play in Central/East 
     Europe and the NIS, the free flow of information can directly 
     benefit the democratization process.
       (10) A U.S. Government call for the formal adoption of the 
     ``Sullivan-Arcos Principles'' by the foreign investment 
     community (EU, U.S. and others) as an integral component of 
     their business arrangements in Cuba. International and 
     domestic trade unions should be urged to enlist their support 
     and intercession with Western governments and the business 
     community.
       (11) Enhanced foundation support for academic and 
     scholastic programs. The MacArthur and Kellogg Foundations 
     currently support the Center for American Studies at the 
     University of Havana. Others with equivalent interests should 
     be encouraged to determine if such programs (see Paragraph 5 
     above) meet their criteria for support.
       (12) Development of a Speakers Program. Encourage the 
     extension of speaking invitations from non-governmental Cuban 
     groups to U.S. leaders. The delegation asked if Billy Graham 
     were to visit Cuba could he speak to the Cuban people. The 
     answer was that if invited by a Cuban institution, Billy 
     Graham and other religious leaders could visit and speak in 
     Cuba. By this measure, the openings for speaking 
     engagements for scientific, cultural, farm and business 
     leaders would be considerable.

[[Page E316]]

       (13) Consideration by Members of Congress of fact-finding 
     trips to Cuba. Hill staffers from the House and Senate 
     foreign affairs committees have been invited to visit Cuba 
     and should be encouraged to do so.
       The FMC delegation believes that the contacts developed and 
     candid discussions which took place in mid-December in Havana 
     were an important start. The bipartisan quality of the group, 
     its liberal to conservative construction, and its ability to 
     be one step removed from the direct domestic political 
     pressure that a formal Congressional delegation would have 
     suggest that this opening should be pursued. The delegation 
     was asked by the Cubans to plan a sequel trip at an 
     appropriate time in the future and the FMC will consider such 
     a possibility if and when it appears such a mission could 
     serve a constructive purpose.
         Representative Louis Frey, Jr., Republican-Florida (1969-
           1979), Chairman of Delegation; Representative Toby 
           Roth, Republican-Wisconsin (1981-1997); Representative 
           Jon Christensen, Republican-Nebraska (1995-----); 
           Representative James Symington, Democrat-Missouri 
           (1969-1979), Vice Chairman of Delegation; Senator 
           Dennis DeConcini, Democrat-Arizona (1977-1995); 
           Representative Michael D. Barnes, Democrat-Maryland 
           (1979-1985).

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