Saturday Morning News

U.S. Cuba Head for Showdown Over Expelled Cuban Diplomat

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KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's becoming the case of the spy who refused to go. Cuba and the U.S. are digging in their heels over the expulsion of a Cuban diplomat.

And as CNN's Pierre Thomas reports, today's the showdown.

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PIERRE THOMAS, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. government says this man is a spy and has ordered him out of the country by Saturday afternoon. There's just one problem. Jose Imperatori, a Cuban diplomat based in Washington, may refuse to leave, and the Cuban government says it won't recall him.

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is unprecedented if he is not removed by the Cuban government.

THOMAS: Imperatori has been declared persona non grata, which means Saturday he will lose his diplomatic immunity and face possible legal action.

JAMES RUBIN, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: He would be subject to the laws of the United States if he doesn't leave.

THOMAS: The FBI says it has evidence Imperatori is really a Cuban intelligence officer, and they say he secretly met with Mariano Faget, a senior U.S. immigration officer recently charges with spying for Cuba. But the U.S. has never publicly detailed the evidence, and the Cuban government says there is no case.

RICARDO ALARCON, PRESIDENT, CUBAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: I would say it is symptomatic of the state of poor relations. I would say further that the fact that it is unprecedented simply underlines the fact that relations between the United States and Cuba are Silijaneros (ph).

THOMAS (on camera): Diplomatic parlance for one of a kind and unique. And unique is exactly the word some U.S. officials are using as they ponder a situation for which there is no clear guide.

(voice-over): Government sources say U.S. officials are considering a range of options, from arresting Imperatori on immigration violations to studying whether there is enough evidence to bring spy charges.

So two longtime Cold War adversaries are engaged in another confrontation -- and a deadline: 1:30 p.m. Eastern Saturday.

Pierre Thomas, CNN, Washington.

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