Reno Urges Calm and Patience in Elian Case
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON --
Attorney General Janet Reno today appealed
for calm in
the growing political firestorm enveloping Elian
Gonzalez, his
father in Cuba and his relatives in the Cuban-American
community of
Miami.
"It is a community
I was born in, and raised in," she said. "It's a
community I
love, and when it's hurting, it hurts me."
At her weekly
news conference, Reno reiterated that the Clinton
administration
would try to be patient amid the clamor over custody of
the 6-year-old
boy, whose mother and 10 others died when their boat
sank as they
tried to flee to the United States last November.
As officials
of the Immigration and Naturalization Service resumed
discussions
today with the boy's uncle over Washington's insistence that
Elian's Cuban-American
relatives accept whatever the courts rule, Reno
voiced concern
about possible unrest in Miami.
Of Cuban-Americans,
she said, "These people have made a very
wonderful contribution
to that community. They have worked very hard.
... They are
also very warm and generous people and they also believe
passionately
in what they believe in.
"The mother died,
the boy survived miraculously. Relatives have taken
him in and they
have cared for him and love him dearly," Reno added.
"This case has
been heartbreaking for everybody involved but we believe
the law is clear.
The father must speak for the little boy because there is a
sacred bond
that must be honored -- and the boy must be reunited with
his father."
Reno said the
federal government could have moved by now to take
custody of the
boy, but has practiced a patient, cautious approach.
"Nothing, no
court order, prevented us from doing so," she said. "The
relatives had
their day in court and we gave them an opportunity to file. A
federal district
court judge in Miami heard their case and affirmed our
decision."
She noted that
"we have been engaged in conversation and we are
continuing conversation
in Miami to try to work out a resolution to ensure
that an appeal
is heard in a timely way. And nothing will be done to
return Elian
if that happens and everybody agrees that they will abide by
the ruling that
comes down."
The attorney
general declined to discuss what officials would do if the
boy's father,
Juan Miguel Gonzalez, travels to the United States.
"I don't deal in what-ifs," she told reporters.
Asked if the
federal government is prepared ultimately to enforce the law,
Reno replied,
"You bet."
She voiced concern
about statements Wednesday indicating local police
would not be
allowed to assist federal authorities if, and when, a decision
is made to remove
him from his great-uncle's home.
"Some officials
yesterday decided that if we take action, it is a
provocation,"
Reno said, "provoking a people that would produce risks
that would contribute
to violence.
"They said they
would not be responsible for that, but that I would be,"
she added. "The
people that I know in that community came to this
country and
contributed so much to it because they believe in the rule of
law. They came
to this country seeking a democratic society. ... I don't
think they came
to this country to incite violence."