[Editor's Note: The last few months have seen some positive developments in US-Cuba relations both in public opinion and in Congress. A recent Gallup poll found that 71% of Americans support re-establishment of US diplomatic relations with Cuba [see box, p21] . Humanitarian aid legislation favored by the Senate would allow food and medicine trade with Cuba, and the Treasury Department has issued new regulations that loosen travel restrictions. These regulations enable schools, religious groups, and humanitarian organizations to obtain institutional licenses which permit an organization to travel to and from Cuba for the duration of the license, without applying separately for each trip or individual participant. Eligible organizations are only just beginning to take advantage of the opening provided.]
There is some good news for people who have always wanted to visit Cuba. Although you still cannot travel to Cuba legally either as a tourist or to do business there, in mid-May the Treasury Department issued new regulations that make travel to Cuba easier for those previously eligible for licenses. These regulations also open up a few new categories for legal travel.
If you are doing professional research in your field or attending an international professional conference, you no longer need a specific license from the Treasury Department. You can travel to Cuba under "general license," i.e., no specific piece of paper needs to be requested, you may affirm that you qualify, but should carry some official identification or document that demostrates that you qualify..
The same applies to full-time journalists. If you are a free-lance journalist, you still need a specific license but that license is good for multiple trips to Cuba. Anyone may also travel to Cuba legally on a religious or humanitarian trip; a specific license is still required, but no special qualification is required.
University and secondary school students, as well as professors and colleagues may travel to Cuba if their university or school has applied for a specific license. Such a license is good for two years and covers any person the institution chooses to include in the license. We urge any professor, student or alumnus to request that his or her university apply for such a license from Treasury.
"Hosted" travel is also legal: this means you have been invited as the guest of a Cuban government institution or that someone in a third country is paying all of your Cuba-related expenses. If you are a hosted traveler, you may not travel on Cubana Airlines (which means that you cannot travel from Nassau, for example, as only Cubana flies between Nassau and Havana), and you may not travel on any direct flight between the United States and Cuba.
In addition, the Treasury Department regulations limit your spending in Cuba to $183 a day for accommodations, food, and transportation. Money spent on informational materials _ books, music, art and the like _ does not count against this daily allowance; nor does it count against the $100 worth of goods you're allowed to bring back from Cuba. In other words, you can still spend thousands of dollars on books, music, art, etc.
The following is a selection from a letter novelist Alice Walker wrote to President Clinton on March 13, 1996. Having declined his invitation to visit the White House in January, 1996, Walker took the opportunity to challenge Clinton's Cuba policy, and criticize the Helms-Burton bill he had signed the day before. The full text of Alice Walker's eloquent statement can be found at http://www.igc.org/cubasoli/awalker.html.
I have seen how the embargo hurts everyone in Cuba, but especially Cuban children, infants in particular. I spend some nights in utter sleeplessness worrying about them. Someone has said that when you give birth to a child-and perhaps I read this in Hillary's book, which I recently bought_you are really making a commitment to the agony of having your heart walking around outside your body. That is how I feel about Cuba: I am quite unable to think of it as separate from myself. I have taken seriously the beliefs and values I learned from my Georgia parents, the most sincere and humble Christians I have ever known: Do unto others…Love thy neighbor…All of it. I feel the suffering of each child in Cuba as if it were my own. …
[T]he embargo is wrong, because it punishes people, some of them unborn, for being who they are. Cubans cannot help being who they are. Given their long struggle for freedom, particularly from Spain and the United States, they cannot help taking understandable pride in who they are. They have chosen a way of life different from ours, and I must say that from my limited exposure to that different way of life, it has brought them, fundamentally, a deep inner certainty about the meaning of existence (to develop one's self and to help others) and an equally deep psychic peace. One endearing quality I've found in the Cubans I have met is that they can listen with as much heart as they speak. …
The world, I believe, is easier to change than we think. And harder. Because the change begins with each one of us saying to ourselves, and meaning it: I will not harm anyone or anything in this moment. Until, like recovering alcoholics, we can look back on an hour, a day, a week, a year, of comparative harmlessness.
Record re Freedom of Travel
On June 30, the Senate voted to set aside an amendment that would have lifted all travel restriction on Cuba, enabling US citizens to visit the island freely. Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn) and Senator Patrick J. Leahy (D- Calif.) proposed the legislation as an addition to S.1234, the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2000. Arguing that there was no longer any grounds for limiting travel to Cuba, Leahy urged his colleagues "Let's have the courage to admit the Cold War's over."
Ultimately, the Senate passed a motion to table the Amendment by a vote of 55 to 43 with two members absent. The amendment may be reintroduced in the upcoming year. Advocates of ending travel restrictions were heartened by the vote, believing that with serious constituent work, several senators who voted to table would reconsider. A partial text of the amendment, as well as the voting list, follows. For further information on the vote and the senate debate, along with the complete text, view the legislative record at: http://www.senate.gov/legislative/vote1061/vote_00189.html#summary.
In the list at right, asterisks indicate Senators who voted to table the Ashcroft amendment, Food and Medicine for the World Act of 1999, effectively a vote to uphold the present terms of the embargo. (Senators Domenici and Kennedy did not vote on the Ashcroft amendment, as indicated by double asterisks.)
The Senators on the upper right without an asterisk voted to table the Dodd-Leahy amendment but did not vote to table Ashcroft, and may be open to reconsidering their support of travel restrictions.
To approve the Dodd-Leahy Amendment favoring freedom of travel: 43
Mack (FL) *
Voinovich (OH)
Abraham (MI)
Allard (CO)
Ashcroft (MO)
Bayh (IN)
Bennett (UT)
Breaux (LA)
Brownback (KS)
Bryan (NV) *
Bunning (KY) *
Burns (MT)
Byrd (WV) *
Campbell (CO)
Cochran (MS)
Collins (ME)
Coverdell (GA) *
Craig (ID)
Crapo (ID)
DeWine (OH) *
Domenici (NM) **
Edwards (NC)
Fitzgerald (IL)
Frist (TN)
Gorton (WA)
Graham (FL) *
Gramm (TX) *
Grassley (IA)
Gregg (NH) *
Hatch (UT)
Helms (NC) *
Hollings (SC)
Hutchinson (AR)
Hutchison (TX)
Inhofe (OK)
Kohl (WI) *
Kyl (AZ) *
Lieberman (CT) *
Lott (MS) *
McCain (AZ) *
McConnell (KY) *
Murkowski (AK) *
Nickles (OK)
Reid (NV) *
Robb (VA) *
Roth (DE)
Santorum (PA) *
Sessions (AL)
Shelby (AL)
Smith (NH) *
Smith (OR)
Snowe (ME) *
Stevens (AK) *
Thomas (WY)
Thompson (TN) *
Thurmond (SC) *
Torricelli (NJ) *
The Center For Cuban Studies is committed to providing US citizens with information about Cuba. Their Cuban Resource Center organizes trips to Cuba for both groups and individuals that fall within the legal exemptions to the US ban on travel to Cuba, i.e., professional research, news-gathering and educational study. The Center can organize custom trips to meet a variety of needs for groups or individuals, and they can help with guidelines and suggestions on carrying donations to Cuba. For travellers who have planned a trip but need help with contacts, the Center can provide a list of contacts in Cuba related to a specific area of interest for a fee of $150 to $500, depending on the complexity of the request.CCS considers the US embargo against Cuba to be illegal by all rules of international law, and immoral; and feels that the prohibition on travel is unconstitutional, disguised though it is as a prohibition on the spending of money in Cuba. That said, within the limits they are forced to work, they will do their best to help you travel to Cuba! The Center arranges comprehensive custom-planned trips to Cuba for individuals, groups and organizations wishing to engage in legal travel. The cost of any trip depends on the length of stay, the hotel, the amount of travel within Cuba, but in general, a week in Havana would run about $1,300 per person on a group trip, including round-trip airfare between Cancun, Nassau, or Jamaica and Havana, Cuban visa, hotel accommodation with breakfast and a few special meals, and all seminar-related travel.
The Center is organizing several professional seminars to take place over the New Year 2000 in Cuba, including a seminar on US-Cuba relations. Other seminars will include: art and architecture, performing arts, health care, socialist legality, interfaith delegation, and a Jewish delegation. Most trips will take place between December 26-29 and January 3-7. To reserve space, send a $250 deposit and you will recieve a complete packet of information. Trips are also planned for fall and spring.
Costs given are approximate and calculated via Nassau, Montego Bay, Cancún or Miami, unless otherwise stated. More information and a full description of each trip is available from the Center for Cuban Studies' website.
On August 3, the Clinton administration announced that direct charter flights to Cuba will now be available from New York and Los Angeles for the first time since the onset of the embargo in 1962. Previously, such flights were only allowed from the Miami airport, though even these were suspended for two years after the 1996 downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes by the Cuban airforce. As with the Miami charters, only travelers licensed by the Treasury Department will be allowed on the flights. Administration spokesman James Rubin said that the department "has decided that New York and Los Angeles will be gateway cities for charter flights to Cuba. The selection was based on current demand, demographics, and the availability of Customs and INS personnel to process flights. Hub cities were given priority in order to facilitate travel.'' Newark Airport was initially considered in place of Kennedy, but was ruled out due to complaints by Senator Robert Torricelli (D-NY) and Representative Bob Menendez (D-NY). The Treasury Department is contemplating allowing air carrier flights as well as charter planes. The flights will most likely begin sometime after October, but the starting date and frequency of the trips is to be determined by the airline providers.
The Carlos Finlay Institute of Havana reached an agreement with SmithKline Beecham over sales of a meningitis B vaccine developed by Finlay. SmithKline obtained worldwide rights to market the vaccine outside Cuba. The vaccine, already distributed in South America by Finlay, may now become available in the United States and Europe. SmithKline, a British company with a US branch headquartered in Philadelphia received permission from the Clinton administration to test the vaccine in a Belgium laboratory owned by their US subsidiary. Cuban researchers report the vaccine to be 83 percent effective. Currently 1,000 to 2,000 people in the United States contract the potentially fatal strain every year.
On August 3, 1999, The Food and Medicine for the World Act of 1999, sponsored by Senator John Ashcroft (R-MO) passed vote 70-28 as an amendment to the Senate Agriculture Appropriations bill. Ashcroft hailed it as "a major shift in national policy and an important gain for farmers in Missouri and the rest of the country." Americans for Humanitarian Trade with Cuba_a coalition of business, religious and legal groups who lobbied extensively on the issue of food and medicine trade with Cuba_considers the vote "a milestone victory."
The non-Cuba specific bill requires the approval of Congress for the imposition of any new unilateral agricultural sanction, or any new unilateral sanction with respect to medicine, medical supplies, or medical equipment, against a foreign country. It also excludes agriculture and medicine from unilateral US sanctions. The addition of restricting provisions expected from Senator Torricelli (D-NJ) could disallow private financing or require specific licensing. If the plan does become law, there will be a 180-day review period to decide whether to maintain broad sanctions against those countries classified as authoritarian nations, which includes, among others, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan and North Korea.
Despite all these contingencies, the outlook appears hopeful as the Clinton Administration has expressed interest in allowing trade of food and medicine with Cuba. A spokesman for the White House National Security Council stated that Clinton appeared interested in hearing "credible ideas" about that possibility as advanced by Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) and other members of Congress.
The following three bills are also all currently pending in Congress. To find out their current status check out Cuba Hill Watch provided by the Center for International Policy at http://www.ciponline.org/hill.htm, or go directly to http://thomas.loc.gov, the official webpage of the US Congress. Enter the number of a bill, and you can find the full text, as well as current status, and voting lists if it has already gone to a vote.
The Cuban Food and Medicine Security Act of 1999, to provide the people of Cuba with access to food and medicines from the United States, and for other purposes. Introduced by Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn) on April 29, 1999, S.926 exempts from the trade embargo with Cuba the export of food and other agricultural products (including fertilizer), medicines, medical supplies, instruments, or equipment, or any travel incident to the delivery of such items. The amendment also declares that such exemption shall not apply to certain restrictions imposed under the Export Administration Act of 1979 or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. It amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to study and report to specified congressional committees on existing US agricultural export promotion and credit programs to determine how such programs can be carried out to promote the consumption of US agricultural commodities in Cuba.
HR230: The Cuban Humanitarian Trade Act of 1999, To make an exception to the United States embargo on trade with Cuba for the export of food, medicines, medical supplies, medical instruments, or medical equipment, and for other purposes. Introduced by Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) on January 6, 1999, HR230 amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to exempt from the embargo on trade with Cuba the export of food, medicines, or medical supplies, instruments, or equipment, or any travel incident to delivery of such items. It exempts the same items from the President's authority to restrict exports to Cuba under the Export Administration Act of 1979 or the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The bill directs the President to report to the Congress with respect to the uses, and end users, of the permitted exports to Cuba.
The Food and Medicine Sanctions Relief Act of 1999, A bill to exempt agricultural products, medicines, and medical products from US economic sanctions. Introduced by Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)on January 28, 1999, S327 prohibits the President from restricting or prohibiting exports (including financing) of food, other agricultural products (including fertilizer), medicines or medical equipment as part of any policy of existing or future unilateral economic sanctions imposed against a foreign government, with specified exceptions.
The Licensing Division of the Treasury Department provides detailed requirements for travel licenses. Licensing Division, Office of Foreign Assets Control, US Department of the Treasury, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Treasury Annex, Washington, DC 20220. Tel: (202)622-2480, fax: (202)622-1657 or (202)622-0077, http://www.ustreas.gov/treasury/services/fac/fac.html.
Marazul Tours sponsors research tour packages on such topics as film, health care and Latin American studies, and books travel on charters for licensed travelers. 250 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10107. Tel: (800) 223-5334 or (212)582-9570.
Cuba Travel arranges flight reservations, hotel reservations, scuba diving, private tour guides, trip planning, conferences and group travel. Cubatravel works in conjunction with Havanatur, the largest tour provider in of Cuba. Their web site contains general visitor information and group tours, as well as a summary of US law and travel restrictions. Central Office, Tijuana: 011 (526)686-5298 or US voicemail: (310)842-4148, http://www.cubatravel.com.mx
A. Nash Travel is a Canadian agency which can handle all aspects of travel for Americans who want to go to Cuba, with or without a license. Unlicensed visitors may feel their travel is morally and constitutionally legitimate but they are currently still vulnerable to grave US legal sanctions at worst and hassles from US immigration and customs officials at least. Extensive information on air schedules, hotels, sightseeing tours and tourist visas may be found at www.nashtravel.com.
INTERNET
CONFERENCES
TRAVEL RESOURCES
NACLA Report on the Americas: Inside Cuba 1999. Produced by the North American Congress on Latin America, this issue of their Report on the Americas focuses on contemporary issues in Cuba. In particular, the content addresses "how critical, self-reflective Cubans within the revolution are thinking and talking about the massive changes the country is undergoing." Articles such as "Thinking about Socialism: the New Cuban Social Sciences" and "The Cuban Revolution: Resilience and Uncertainty" attempt to explain the changes and intellectual debates occurring in Cuba through the eyes of those in the midst of this period of transition. NACLA Volume XXXII No 5, March/April 1999, $4.95. (NACLA; 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 454; New York, NY 10115; telephone: (212)870-3146; fax: (212)870-3305; e-mail: nacla@nacla.org; http://www.nacla.org)
The Greening of the Revolution: Cuba's Experiment with Organic Agriculture. Edited by Peter Rosset and Medea Benjamin, 1994. First-rate scientific and social examination of Cuba's agriculture. Cuba's social and economic systems have been in crisis since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The prime concern of the country is how to feed its citizens so that every member has an adequate and nutritious diet. Rosset and Benjamin's scientific delegation to Cuba examined the history leading up to the current crisis, and the social, political and economic factors which maintain the food shortage up to this day. A fascinating account of the development of organic agriculture, with detailed looks at the relationship between economics and agriculture in Cuba; organic management of pests, diseases & weeds; soil management; labor mobilization; the politics and generation of agricultural knowledge and more. 85 pages paperback, 88 pp., $11.95. (Food First, 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618. Tel: (510)654-4400, fax: (510)654-4551, e-mail: foodfirst@foodfirst.org, http://www.foodfirst.org/pubsorder.htm)
The Greening of Cuba (Verde Que te Quiero Verde): A Food First Video directed by Jaime Kibben, 1996. In their quest for self sufficiency, Cubans combine time-tested traditional methods with cutting edge bio-technology. Told in the voices of Cuba's campesinos, researchers, and organic gardeners who are leading the organic agriculture movement, The Greening of Cuba reminds us that First and Third World nations alike can choose a healthier life and still feed their people. color 38 minutes VHS, $29.95. (Food First, 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618. Tel: (510)654-4400, fax: (510)654-4551, e-mail: foodfirst@foodfirst.org, http://www.foodfirst.org/pubsorder.htm#)
Cultivating Havana: Urban Agriculture and Food Security in the Years of Crisis by Catherine Murphy, 1999. The break up of the Soviet Bloc in 1989 plunged Cuba into the worst economic crisis of its history. The conventional system of agriculture was highly dependent on imported pesticides, fertilizers, and farming equipment, and without these inputs, domestic production fell. Cuba responded to the crisis with a national call to increase food production by restructuring agriculture. Cuba now has one of the most successful urban agriculture programs in the world and continues expanding urban production with the goal of putting 100 percent of arable land under cultivation, increasing irrigation potential with new wells and water tanks, and maintaining high standards of quality in all aspects of production. Murphy chronicles this process of transformation towards organic and urban farming in modern Cuba. $6.00. (Food First, 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618. Tel: (510)654-4400, fax: (510)654-4551, e-mail: foodfirst@foodfirst.org, http://www.foodfirst.org/pubsorder.htm#)
Cuba: Confronting the US Embargo by Peter Schwab, 1999. Peter Schweb attempts to describe contemporary life in Cuba with an explanation of how economic sanctions impact the average Cuban. "Confronting the US Embargo" tells the citizens of the United States what the direct effects of the embargo are on the average Cuban citizen and explains how they continue to survive, as well as providing a detailed look at United States foreign policy. ISBN: 0312216203 224 pages $29.95 (St Martin's Press)
AVAILABLE FROM THE US-CUBA RECONCILIATION INITIATIVE