|
|
Clinton imposes anti-Cuba sanctions, but delays implementation
|
|
|
(254K AIFF or WAV sound) |
July 16, 1996
Web posted at: 7:45 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton cleared the way Tuesday for legal action against companies doing business with Cuba, but he suspended the right to file lawsuits for six months while the administration takes steps to improve the island nation's human rights record.
"At the end of that period I will determine whether to end the suspension, in whole or in part, based upon whether others have joined us in promoting democracy in Cuba," Clinton said in a statement read by spokesman Mike McCurry.
Clinton called on European allies to join with him to bring democracy to Cuba.
"They can join our efforts ... or they can face the full implementation" of the Helms-Burton law, Clinton said.
Title III of the Helms-Burton Law would allow U.S. citizens to file lawsuits in U.S. courts against international companies believed to be using for profit property confiscated by the Castro government in the early years of the communist revolution.
But Clinton's decision meant that no lawsuits could be filed until after February 1. At that time, the president could waive Title III entirely, because of provisions in the law that allow it to be reviewed for renewal every six months.
Some 5,900 properties and more than 100 international firms could be affected by the law.
The Cuban government criticized Clinton's decision.
Carlos Fernendez de Cossio, Chief of U.S. Department of Cuban Foreign Ministry, said countries that do business with Cuba should ignore the Helms-Burton Law. Those companies, he said on CNN, should "follow their law, the Cuban law and international law, not a law that is being issued in the United States, which is illegal and against customary international law."
Conflicting pressures
Clinton faced a difficult decision regarding that portion of the law. The United State's European allies, protecting firms within their borders, threatened to retaliate if sanctions were imposed. Cuban-Americans, considered vital to the president's re-election chances in at least two states, strongly backed the law.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms, one of the law's original sponsors, accused Clinton of capitulating to Cuban President Fidel Castro.
"President Clinton has once again taken a firm stand on both sides of an important issue," he said.
Neither the allies nor the Cuban-Americans were pleased with Clinton's decision. Earlier, Sir Leon Brittan, the European Union's Trade Commissioner, questioned the effectiveness of using sanctions to force Cuba to change.
"The best way to get change in Cuba is not to clobber your allies," he said, "and that's what they have done."
A lever, not sledgehammer
But Deputy National Security Adviser Sandy Berger challenged Brittan's assertion. (254K AIFF or WAV sound)
"In a sense, the president's approach uses Title III not as a sledgehammer but as a lever to promote democracy in Cuba," he said Tuesday.
A statement released by the EU after Clinton's statement said that the allies would continue their plans to retaliate, protesting the overall law's design to punish other countries for Cuba's perceived transgressions.
Helms-Burton, signed into law last March, was designed to tighten economic sanctions on the island nation after Cuba shot down two civilian aircraft in February. Four Cuban-Americans were killed in the incident.
Another section of the law allows the U.S. government to deny visas to the executives of firms believed to own confiscated property. On Wednesday, the White House announced that it had sent letters to executives of a Canadian company warning them to divest or face visa denials.
The State Department is expected to target four other companies -- one Mexican, one French, one Spanish, and one Israeli -- in the near future.
Related story:
- U.S. threatens to deny visas to firms with Cuba ties - July 13, 1996
Related sites:
- Helms-Burton Act from the Library of Congress
- U.S. State Department
- National Web Site for the Republic of Cuba
Related newsgroup:
(Certain newsgroups may not be available on your news server)
|
Tell us what you think! You said it... |
|
|
© 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.