What's going on in Cuba? U.S. doesn't know
What's going on in Cuba? U.S. doesn't know
By Lesley Clark and Pablo Bachelet
McClatchy/Tribune newspapers
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Published August 4, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration said Thursday that it does not have detailed knowledge of the workings of Cuba in the days following Fidel Castro's historic relinquishing of power to his brother Raul.
"Our insight into the decision-making process of . . . this particular dictatorship isn't that great," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday, three days after Castro named his brother to run the country temporarily after what was described as complicated surgery to stem gastrointestinal bleeding.
"I don't think there are too many people outside that small core group of people who run Cuba who really know what is going on," McCormack said. "I don't have an assessment for you on Fidel Castro's health."
Later in the day, President Bush issued a statement saying the U.S. government is "actively monitoring the situation in Cuba" following Castro's transfer of his powers to Raul Castro, Cuba's defense minister.
But in private encounters with lawmakers and other Cuba watchers, U.S. officials concede that monitoring has yielded little, people in contact with administration officials say.
White House spokesman Tony Snow has attributed the lack of information to Cuba's status as a "closed society" with a government-controlled media and a long tradition of secrecy because of fears of U.S. attacks.
Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), a Cuba native who has met with Bush and other high-ranking administration officials in recent days, acknowledged Thursday that "sometimes people in Miami know more than what the government knows."
"I've asked, and we don't have any more information than what the Cuban government has released," Martinez said.
The Bush administration is not alone in being mystified.
A diplomat with the Organization of American States who asked for anonymity said the Cuban government has been "pretty hermetically sealed" since Monday. His embassy had no information on recent events in Havana, and he noted that U.S. diplomats were "blind down there" because they are confined to Havana and under close watch.
A European diplomat who attended a meeting to discuss Cuba at the State Department said the administration was "as confused as we are."
By Lesley Clark and Pablo Bachelet
McClatchy/Tribune newspapers
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Published August 4, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration said Thursday that it does not have detailed knowledge of the workings of Cuba in the days following Fidel Castro's historic relinquishing of power to his brother Raul.
"Our insight into the decision-making process of . . . this particular dictatorship isn't that great," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday, three days after Castro named his brother to run the country temporarily after what was described as complicated surgery to stem gastrointestinal bleeding.
"I don't think there are too many people outside that small core group of people who run Cuba who really know what is going on," McCormack said. "I don't have an assessment for you on Fidel Castro's health."
Later in the day, President Bush issued a statement saying the U.S. government is "actively monitoring the situation in Cuba" following Castro's transfer of his powers to Raul Castro, Cuba's defense minister.
But in private encounters with lawmakers and other Cuba watchers, U.S. officials concede that monitoring has yielded little, people in contact with administration officials say.
White House spokesman Tony Snow has attributed the lack of information to Cuba's status as a "closed society" with a government-controlled media and a long tradition of secrecy because of fears of U.S. attacks.
Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.), a Cuba native who has met with Bush and other high-ranking administration officials in recent days, acknowledged Thursday that "sometimes people in Miami know more than what the government knows."
"I've asked, and we don't have any more information than what the Cuban government has released," Martinez said.
The Bush administration is not alone in being mystified.
A diplomat with the Organization of American States who asked for anonymity said the Cuban government has been "pretty hermetically sealed" since Monday. His embassy had no information on recent events in Havana, and he noted that U.S. diplomats were "blind down there" because they are confined to Havana and under close watch.
A European diplomat who attended a meeting to discuss Cuba at the State Department said the administration was "as confused as we are."
posted by Carlos T Mock at 10:31 AM
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