U.S. still weeks away from allowing aid, flights to Cuba

Published Sunday, May 10, 1998, in the Miami Herald

THE AMERICAS

U.S. still weeks away from allowing aid, flights to Cuba

By CHRISTOPHER MARQUIS
Herald Staff Writer

WASHINGTON -- Nearly two months after President Clinton announced steps to ease restrictions on travel and humanitarian aid to Cuba, the administration is still weeks away from authorizing the resumption of direct flights and remittances to the island.

Those hoping to fly to Cuba directly from Miami will have to wait until mid-June, because the U.S.-based charter companies will have to reapply for licenses from the Treasury Department, administration officials said.

Companies that plan to resume the direct transfer of cash to relatives of Cuban Americans also must be relicensed, and U.S. pharmaceutical firms hoping to export medicines to the island are still awaiting an explanation of how to proceed.

Lula Rodriguez, a State Department spokeswoman, said the administration is proceeding cautiously because it hopes to address humanitarian concerns in Cuba without providing a windfall for the government of Cuban President Fidel Castro.

``It has taken a little bit longer because we're taking the necessary steps to ensure that the measures are not abused,'' Rodriguez said.

U.S. officials said they plan to unveil details of the liberalizing steps this week.

Update on measures

The administration curtailed direct remittances in 1994 during a refugee exodus from Cuba and halted direct flights in 1996 after Cuba shot down two planes piloted by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Medical sales to Cuba have been permitted since 1992, but few U.S. companies have moved forward in the face of onerous bureaucratic requirements.

Officials provided the following update on the measures:

Flights: The three Miami-based charter services currently flying to Cuba through third countries -- ABC, C&T Charters and Wilson International -- are all expected to be relicensed by mid-June at the earliest.

With seven flights a week currently going from Miami to Cuba via third countries, charter operators say demand is high even at higher prices. Direct flights will cost about $150 less per passenger than current fares totaling $399 round trip to Havana, they said.

U.S. officials say they hope to expand the number of operators, possibly to include other airlines that hold licenses to service Cuba but have never used them.

But one such carrier, American Airlines, doesn't ``have any plans to begin charter flights to Cuba,'' said spokeswoman Martha Pantin. And U.S. officials concede that the Castro government would probably demand reciprocal rights for Cuban planes to fly to the United States in return for allowing a commercial airline into Cuba on a regular basis.

Miami will be gateway

By law, Cuban Americans are allowed only one ``emergency'' trip to the island per year, such as to visit a sick relative. The administration now plans to keep track of travelers by entering their data into a computer; until now, the Treasury Department has relied on the honor system.

All direct flights will be from Miami. The administration considered allowing flights from Newark, but rejected the idea after objections were raised by Rep. Bob Menendez. The New Jersey Democrat said he opposes direct flights philosophically, and he does not believe demand could sustain them in his state.

Remittances: Cuban Americans will soon be allowed to send cash legally to close relatives on the island again -- up to $300 every three months. U.S. officials concede that many exiles ignored the 1994 ban, and the United Nations estimates that remittances are as high as $800 million a year.

Sometime this week, administration officials plan to specify what they mean by ``close relatives'' -- spouses, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, first cousins, in-laws and spouses, as well as widows or widowers of the preceding.

Before the ban, more than 60 companies held Treasury Department licenses to send cash and goods to Cuba; their licenses must be reactivated, which may take a few weeks. With so many freight forwarders and banks involved, officials concede they will be hard-pressed to enforce the regulations, though they hope to conduct electronic audits.

Medicine allowed

Medicine: The administration is drafting an instruction sheet for U.S. pharmaceutical and medical products firms, detailing how to export medicine to Cuba. The document will be posted on the Internet.

U.S. officials will identify nongovernmental groups in Cuba that are able to verify that such shipments are not misused -- as U.S. law requires -- and will give license requests speedy consideration.

``It's pretty clear that a lot of people out there still don't understand that you can sell medicines to Cuba,'' said one U.S. official involved in the planning. ``We want to get that message out.''

Clinton announced the easing of restrictions March 20, saying he sought to build on the momentum for change sparked by the visit of Pope John Paul II to Cuba in January.