    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [August 16, 1996]
    [Pages 1299-1300]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Efforts To Bring Democracy to Cuba
    August 16, 1996

        To further our continuing effort to help bring democracy to Cuba, I
    have asked Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Stuart E.
    Eizenstat to serve as Special Representative of the President and
    Secretary of State for the Promotion of Democracy in Cuba. His mission
    will be to engage our allies over the next 6 months on concrete measures
    to advance democracy in Cuba as we implement title III of the Cuban
    Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act (LIBERTAD) in the manner I
    described last month. I have also asked U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
    Madeleine Albright and former U.S. Representative Dante Fascell,
    distinguished former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, to
    serve as our advisers on how best to pursue this important objective.
        On July 16, I decided to allow title III of the Cuban Liberty and
    Democratic Solidarity Act (LIBERTAD) to enter into force, putting
    companies doing business in Cuba on notice that by trafficking in
    expropriated properties they face the prospect of lawsuits in the United
    States. I also suspended the right to file suit for 6 months to allow us
    time to forge a common approach with our allies and trading partners to
    accelerate democratic transition in Cuba. U.S. allies and friends have
    long shared this goal, but we have not always agreed on how to achieve
    it. The time has come for us to take more concrete steps together.
        At that time, I also announced that I would appoint a special
    representative to build international support for increasing pressure on
    Cuba to open up politically and economically; encouraging forces for
    change on the island; better targeting foreign assistance in ways that
    advance democratic goals; and promoting business practices that will
    help bring democracy to the Cuban workplace. In coming weeks and months,
    Stu Eizenstat will consult with Cuban-American civic leaders and Members
    of Congress here in the U.S. before traveling to Europe, Canada, and
    Latin America to enlist the cooperation of allied governments,
    nongovernmental groups, and companies.
        As stipulated by law, at the end of this 6-month period I will
    review the progress we have made with our allies before deciding whether
    to continue the suspension of the right to sue under title III.
        I am confident that the democratic values and far-reaching interests
    that we share with our allies and partners will allow us to overcome
    dis-

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    agreements over some aspects of the LIBERTAD Act and refocus our
    attention where it belongs, on promoting democracy in the hemisphere's
    only nondemocratic nation.
        Cuba's recent actions underscore the need for the United States and
    the international community to press hard for change on the island. In
    February, Cuban MiG's shot down without warning two unarmed U.S.
    civilian aircraft in international airspace, killing four innocent men.
    The Cuban Government has systematically repressed prodemocracy activists
    and independent journalists.
        Stu Eizenstat has a unique combination of domestic and foreign
    policy experience as former President Carter's chief domestic policy
    adviser and as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union. Ambassador
    Eizenstat will continue to serve as Under Secretary of Commerce and as
    the State Department's special envoy for property restitution in Central
    and Eastern Europe.