Exile groups join in urging an easing of Cuba restrictions

Posted on Mon, Dec. 04, 2006

U.S.-CUBAN RELATIONS
Exile groups join in urging an easing of Cuba restrictions
Moderate Cuban exile groups urged the Bush administration to ease travel
restrictions and limits on humanitarian aid to Cuba.
BY OSCAR CORRAL
ocorral@MiamiHerald.com

An umbrella group of influential Cuban exile organizations has joined
the growing chorus of Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits
calling for the United States to ease restrictions on travel and
remittances to Cuba.

About two dozen exile organizations, speaking in unison under the
umbrella group Consenso Cubano, or Cuban Consensus, will release a
report today calling for the Bush administration to ease travel
restrictions. The groups say U.S. policies that restrict Cubans from
visiting family members and that limit remittances and other
humanitarian aid ``violate fundamental rights of Cubans, damage the
Cuban family, and constitute ethical contradictions.''

The announcement underscores a growing rift between hard-line exile
leaders who want to preserve the sanctions, and more moderate Cuban
Americans in Miami and dissidents in Cuba who feel that increasing
interaction can help promote a peaceful transition to democracy.

The disconnection has manifested itself at a time that an ailing Fidel
Castro is no longer in power in Cuba, having temporarily transferred
authority to his brother Raúl. And last month, Democrats took control of
the U.S. House and Senate, which could trigger a reexamination of
U.S.-Cuba policy.

Just last week, U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Díaz-Balart
appeared on a popular Spanish-language television talk show, A Mano
Limpia, in which they defended U.S. policy toward Cuba.

The station conducted a viewer poll during the program, and it showed
that most callers favored the easing of travel and remittance restrictions.

`ON THE BRINK'

''We are on the brink of potentially monumental changes in Cuba relating
to Fidel Castro's demise,'' said state Rep. David Rivera, who
spearheaded a call three years ago for the Bush administration to
tighten the U.S. embargo.

``Now is not the time to be considering any relaxing of sanctions on the
Castro dictatorship. That is not an option for the administration or the
majority of Cuban Americans.''

Consenso Cubano, which includes mostly moderate exile groups such as the
Cuba Study Group, Democracy Movement and the Cuban American National
Foundation, plans to hold a news conference today.

Consenso groups are also asking the Cuban government to lift
restrictions on family travel.

''The measures which limit or deny Cubans their fundamental rights to
travel freely to and from Cuba for humanitarian or family reasons . . .
and their ability to freely send and receive personal and family aid,
violates the fundamental rights of Cubans,'' said Consenso's
``humanitarian agenda.''

Oscar Visiedo, executive director of the Instituto de Estudios Cubanos,
or Institute of Cuban Studies (not to be confused with the Cuba Study
Group), said current restrictions on family travel and humanitarian
assistance seem to be impeding a democratic transition on the island.

''My personal opinion is that we've seen that current policy isn't
working,'' Visiedo said.

The announcement comes just a few days after top dissidents in Cuba
signed a letter saying that easing remittance and travel restrictions to
Cuba would help them in their struggle for freedom and democracy from
within Cuba.

The dissidents said restrictions on family travel and on sending
humanitarian aid ``in no way help the struggle for democracy we wage
inside our country.''

SHARED VIEWS?

Marcelino Miyares, president of the Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Cuba,
or Christian Democratic Party of Cuba, one of the Consenso
organizations, said the dissidents' position shows that pro-democracy
Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits are coming closer together
in their policy thinking.

''They are thinking the same thing in Cuba as we are here,'' Miyares said.

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