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President Bush Talking Cuba Again Today

Aired May 20, 2002 - 13:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: I want to shift our focus now President Bush in Cuba. He's talking Cuba again today, in fact in two hours in Miami, using Cuban Independence Day to make the case for maintaining that controversial trade ban that came under fire last week from Jimmy Carter.

Kathleen Koch, front lawn of the White House with more on this. The president off to Florida at about an hour ago.

Kathleen, good afternoon again to you.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill.

Well the president had some very tough words for Cuban leader Fidel Castro this morning, calling him a tyrant and a relic from another era. And quite roundly, turning down pleas and request for an end to the trade embargo the U.S. has had against Cuba for the last 40 years, a request that came from former President Jimmy Carter after his visit there last week from members of Congress, and from numerous humanitarian organizations. saying that it's responsible for the grinding poverty in that country.

But President Bush says, no, first there has to be reform. There has to be reform in Cuba's economy, reform in Cuba's government. There have to be free and fair elections starting in 2003, and the president said that then and only then will the trade embargo and the U.S. travel ban be lifted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today's initiative offers Cuba's government a different path, leading to a different future, a future of greater democracy, and prosperity and respect.

With real reform in Cuba, our countries can begin chipping away at four decades of distrust and division. And the choice rests with Mr. Castro.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: Now President Bush did say that in the interim, he thinks the United States needs to do something to help the Cuban people. First of all, resuming mail service between the United States and Cuba. Then relaxing aid restrictions from nonprofit organization, giving federal dollars to help the Cuban people.

And then establishing U.S. scholarships for Cuban professional, and students who want to build civil institutions in Cuba, as well as scholarships for the family who are political prisoners in Cuba.

And President Bush is on way right now, as you pointed out, Bill, to Miami down to Florida to reiterate this new policy before a very supportive crowd, a crowd of 1,000 -- 11,000, excuse me -- that's expected at a Cuban independence rally down there, and then after that, he will be touching down and visiting, and speaking at a Republican fund-raiser before heading back to Washington later today.

HEMMER: Kathleen, thank you. Kathleen Koch at the White House.

And we mentioned former President Jimmy Carter, giving that speech in Cuba last week, giving that speech and now returning back to the U.S., and that speech was broadcast live, uncensored nationwide.

Today, the vast majority of Cubans have no idea what President Bush said earlier today. Let's go to Havana, Lucia Newman now, tracking reaction from there, in a small way anyway.

Lucia, good afternoon again.

LUCIA NEWMAN, HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: Good afternoon, Bill.

Most ordinary Cubans will hear all or at least part of what President Bush had to say in a special television program this evening, where more than likely the government will reject everything he had to say as more of the same.

However, we did invite a small group of prominent Cuban dissidents to come here to listen to this speech and to give us their reactions. They said that they agreed and applauded Mr. Bush's support for democracy, for free speech, for a multi-party system. However, they said they disagreed with his plan to send economic aid to independent groups to the church, and presumably to the opposition movements themselves here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIRO ROCA, CUBAN DISSIDENT (through translator): The relations are still tense between Cuba and the United States, and I believe he talked about the friendship ID, American people, the conditions of the friendship between our two peoples, as I think that our relations, our friendship is never under doubt. It's always existed and always will. The friendship between the U.S. and Cuba is actually the one that is very difficult at the moment, and it is the one that we have to fix and force and violence are not the way to do this.

On the other hand, I consider that the help should not come from the U.S. to Cuba. The help should come from humanitarian and NGOs, all these organizations, but not directly from the government to the U.S. to Cuba.

I don't believe in that part of the address.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWMAN: Mr. Roca also told us that any direct U.S. to the opposition would make it seem as though they were mercenaries in the pay of the USA, to quote him.

Now the rest of the group also said that they had hoped that President Bush would not maintain his hardline stance. That is maintaining the U.S. economic embargo and the travel ban on Americans coming here, because, they say, that simply plays into the hands of President Castro. It helps justify the failures of this system, and also the repression against its opponents -- Bill.

HEMMER: Lucia, thank you. Lucia Newman, our bureau chief in Havana.

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