An unidentified woman, who said she had family in Cuba, told Clinton that people are suffering there and asked if he truly believes the U.S. trade embargo will ``help the regime fall.''
After a few false starts, Clinton replied:
``Well, let me just say this. I tried another approach. My approach was the Cuban Democracy Act [of 1992], which I liked very much . . . Even though it was signed before I became president, I endorsed it when I was running for president even before President Bush did. And what it basically said was: The United States will attempt to work out an accommodation with Cuba in which as they become more open, we will take more forward-looking steps to reach out to them. If they close up, we will close up.''
Then, Clinton noted, two planes piloted by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue were shot down on Feb. 24 of last year.
``They shot down those two airplanes and killed those [four] people and there was no way to stop a stronger piece of legislation coming before the Congress,'' he said, referring to the Helms-Burton law passed last year.
Clinton began to draw a parallel between the present Cuba policy and the onetime international embargo against the racist regime in South Africa, then observed: ``It is more difficult for us in Cuba, because we don't have many people who support us.''
But, he continued, ``I still believe in the end the ball is in Cuba's court [and] if there could be some signal that they want to open up and change direction, then I think even the hardest-line people in Miami -- who are basically responsible for the policy -- would be open to a different approach.''
Finally, Clinton confessed he was uncertain as to what motivates the government of Cuban President Fidel Castro.
``It's a very sad thing, because . . . we are so estranged from one another, and it seems so unnecessary, given the way democracy and opportunity are sweeping the modern world,'' he said. ``For a long time, I thought the Cubans were afraid they'd have to give up their health-care system and their education system -- both of which work better than most other countries' -- just in order to have a democratic human rights- or market-oriented system. I don't know so much anymore.''
Copyright © 1997 The Miami Herald