Lawmakers Seek to Curtail Cuba Embargo

[Judi Lynn]

Lawmakers Seek to Curtail Cuba Embargo
Thu May 20, 2004

By Pablo Bachelet
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill that would subject the four-decade-old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba to an annual review by Congress.

The bipartisan measure, the latest effort to chip away at the embargo, comes as President Bush prepares to make it harder for Cuban Americans to travel to the communist-run nation and send money to relatives there.

Bush's critics say the steps, set to go into effect on June 1, pander to Cuban-American voters in Florida and hurt ordinary Cubans instead of Cuba's government.

"These new restrictions are simply the latest in a long series that have been implemented without congressional consultation," said Sen. Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat sponsoring the bill.
(snip/...)

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5210454

[Judi Lynn]

1. Also, a great story of Cuban-Americans to be in conference in Cuba

Conference casts eye to the future

By Vanessa Bauzá
Havana Bureau
Posted May 21 2004

Havana · Could Cubans living abroad retire on the island someday or set up small businesses with relatives in their homeland the way émigrés from other countries routinely do?

At a Cuban government sponsored conference that starts today in Havana, about 200 invited émigrés from South Florida and other Cuban communities around the world are expected to raise these issues and others as part of their ongoing efforts for reconciliation and normalized relations with Cuba.

As in years past, the Cuban government invited moderate exiles who oppose the U.S. trade and travel embargo and favor a political dialogue. The three-day conference offers a timely platform for Havana to extend an olive branch to the Cuban diaspora while continuing to attack new Bush administration sanctions that seek to topple Fidel Castro's government.
(snip)

"There are Cubans who might want their children to study medicine , who might want to retire in Cuba, who want to invest with their families in a small business in Cuba," said Francisco Aruca, a Miami-based radio host who opposes the U.S. embargo and founded a travel agency booking flights to Cuba.
(snip/...)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-acuba21may21,0,7073419.story?coll=sfla-news-cuba

[Vogon_Glory]

2. Good For Senator Baucus!

Good for Senator Baucus! I hope he succeeds. The sooner the props are kicked out from under the continuing infringement on American liberties that goes by the "Cuban embargo," the better.