| Let me begin by thanking Sam Gibbons and Bob Stallman for
organizing and co-chairing this truly special summit today. I would also
like to thank my Congressional colleagues who participated in today's summit
- Representatives Jeff Flake, Bill Delahunt, George Nethercutt, former
Congressman Bob Edgar, and Senator Chuck Hagel - as well as all of the
distinguished panelists and participants who presented informed and
compelling arguments in support of a long-overdue new approach for U.S.
foreign policy toward Cuba.
Let me say at the outset - I am not here as an apologist for the
Cuban government. Nor are any of my Congressional colleagues who have
participated in this event. We all readily acknowledge that the government
of Fidel Castro is an oppressive regime that does not serve the interests of
its people.
Former President Jimmy Carter - one of the world's most highly respected
advocates for human rights - took Fidel Castro to task for his failure to
respect the human rights of the Cuban people. He also publicly praised those
who have organized the so called Varela project - an effort by those in Cuba
to peacefully promote democratic change on the island. President Carter also
rightly stressed that the US policy of isolation is outdated and
counterproductive.
I know many of you here today will be meeting with Members of Congress
and with White House officials tomorrow in a day of lobbying on behalf of
initiatives and policies that will help us begin to build new bridges
between the American people and the Cuban people, and spark a new dawn in
American-Cuba relations.
I would like to thank all of you in the audience for getting involved in
this issue - it is your passion and your energy that will
bring about positive change in America's relationship with Cuba, and
positive change in the lives of the Cuban people.
Your voice matters a great deal in this debate, and your power to help
correct the wayward course of American foreign policy toward Cuba is today
more needed - and more appreciated - than ever.
For far too long, America's embargo against Cuba has been a taboo issue.
For far too long, questioning America's embargo against Cuba was off limits.
But, with your help, we are finally beginning to expose the truth - the
truth that the embargo has failed to bring about the changes in Cuba that
all of us wish to see, such as freedom, democracy, and prosperity.
I believe that what has made this summit so important is the diverse,
bi-partisan nature of the people who have come together in support of a
common objective - to help bring American foreign policy toward Cuba into
the 21st Century, and to help bring about an American foreign policy toward
Cuba that will truly benefit those who need it most - the people of Cuba.
We have come together today to take America's head out of the sand and
call American policy toward Cuba exactly what it is - a failed policy.
The fact is, our 40-plus year old embargo has done nothing to improve
the lives of ordinary Cubans, and has done nothing to help bring
about a democratic Cuba.
Like many of you here today, I have experienced first hand the effects of
American policies on the daily lives of the people of Cuba.
In 1998 I visited Cuba for the first time in more than 20 years - the
city of Havana looked very much as it did when I was there in the seventies,
although the physical decay was clearly more evident. In many ways, Havana
is a city that has remained frozen in the 1960's - just as U.S. policy has.
I believe that, at its core, our policy toward Cuba is one that severely
limits the availability of medicine and medical supplies to the Cuban
people.
It is a policy that denies U.S. Citizens the right to travel where they
choose.
It is a policy that prevents Cuban and American diplomats from
establishing meaningful channels of communication to improve our
relationship and prevent misunderstandings.
It is a policy that denies American companies and businesses access to an
important and potentially enormous new market for American goods, services,
and ideas.
It is a policy that prohibits a country ninety miles from our shores from
being a partner in our global effort to thwart terrorism, to counter drug
traffickers, or protected our overlapping ecosystems.
In short - it is a policy that is inconsistent both with America's values
and America's self-interest.
I share the common goal of everyone in this room - and the common goal of
the Cuban exile community - to bring democracy to Cuba. I share the common
goal of seeing to it that Cuba enters the community of nations and the
people of Cuba enjoy the blessings of political freedom and economic
prosperity.
But I believe that American policy has been - for decades - harming
the cause of democracy in Cuba, by weakening the will of the Cuban people
and strengthening the power of those most opposed to freedom and democracy.
In Cuba today, you will not find people "inspired" by our embargo aimed
at the removal of Fidel Castro from power, but rather you will find hungry
families living in unnecessary poverty.
In Cuba today, you will not find a Fidel Castro weakened by our 40-year
embargo, but a Cuban leadership solidified by what can only be thought of as
bullying tactics by the world's strongest superpower against one of our
hemisphere's poorest nations.
Most importantly, the summit today has exposed America's policy toward
Cuba as profoundly hypocritical - during the 40 years that we have
maintained our embargo against Cuba, the U.S. has normalized trade relations
with Russia, China and even Vietnam.
The fact is, free trade and economic development is the best route to
ensuring political freedom and democracy in all developing countries,
including Cuba.
The summit today has also helped expose the myth that a majority of
Cuban-Americans favor maintaining a complete embargo. The fact is, most
members of the Cuban exile community support, at the very least, an easing
of travel restrictions and lifting dollar limitations on the remittances
that Cuban Americans can send to their loved ones on the island.
The more we try to prevent contacts between Cuba and America, the more we
are robbing ourselves of the benefit of our most powerful and influential
ambassadors - our own people. Elsewhere in our hemisphere, it has been such
person-to-person contact that has encouraged democracy and forged lasting
connections between our nations.
I must say, that I believe that this summit, and other events like it are
why I am optimistic that a new day is coming with respect to US/Cuba policy.
I predict that in the not too distant future a new era of U.S.-Cuba
relations will be upon us - an era when walls come crashing down and bridges
are built in their place.
I am optimistic because over the past few years, there has been growing
support in the United States Congress for making changes to U.S. policy. And
there have been some successes. Thanks to provisions enacted into law two
years ago, American farmers have now been able to sell more than $100
million of their harvests to Cuba, albeit in a more cumbersome manner than
necessary.
This year, the House has already debated and supported easing
restrictions on travel, remittances and credit sales of agricultural
commodities during consideration of the FY 2003 Treasury, Post Office
Appropriations bill. The Senate will soon debate the companion
appropriations bill and is likely to adopt similar provisions.
The adoption of these amendments would never have happened even five
years ago.
This year the votes weren't even close.
What is even more remarkable is the vote that occurred on an amendment
offered by Congressman Charles Rangel to lift the embargo entirely. Had only
twelve votes changed - that amendment would have prevailed as well.
Whether the House Leadership will once again hijack the process and
continue to thwart the will of the Majority in both legislative bodies
remains to be seen. There is a certain irony that the most concerned about
the lack of democracy in Cuba are prepared to resort to undemocratic methods
to prevent legislative changes to our policy.
It falls to people like yourselves in the audience today to hold your
elected officials accountable. You must make it clear to Members of Congress
and to Administration officials that the time is now to move forward
with a new policy toward Cuba. You must make it clear that 40-years of a
failed policy is enough. You must make it clear that the people of Cuba
deserve better.
Once again, I thank you all for being here today, and I thank and
congratulate Sam and Bob for helping to make this summit so very special,
and so very successful. I look forward to working with all of you in coming
months as we begin a new and exciting era in American-Cuban relations.
Thank you. |
