Visiting Republicans point to role in fighting terror, drug trafficking

 BY NANCY SAN MARTIN

 Two influential Republican senators who met privately with President Fidel Castro of Cuba said the United States should take a role in Cuba's battle against terrorism and drug-trafficking.

 ``I believe there are areas where Cuba could be of great assistance on the war on terrorism,'' Sen. Arlen Specter, of Pennsylvania, told reporters at a press conference in Havana during a visit there last week. "Cuba has vast intelligence sources which could be of great aid.''

 Specter and Sen. Lincoln Chafee, of Rhode Island, are the highest-ranking U.S. lawmakers to visit Cuba since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The visit is one of an
 increasing number of visits to the island by U.S. politicians, business people and lobbyists who often return with renewed enthusiasm for lifting the four-decade-old
 economic embargo against Cuba.

 Specter and Chafee said that during a 6 1/2-hour meeting with Castro, the Cuban leader told them he was interested in cooperating with the United States in drug
 interdiction efforts and the war on terrorism. They also said Castro confirmed that he would not oppose the use of the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to house detainees from the war in Afghanistan.

 Although Cuba has opposed U.S. military action in Afghanistan, it condemned the Sept. 11 terror attacks and has said it supports efforts to eliminate international
 terrorism. Still, Cuba remains on the State Department's list of nations that support terrorism, an issue that Specter said needs to be ``examined and reexamined.''

 Castro's indifference to the use of the naval base -- an operation that has been an ongoing source of dispute between both nations -- concerns lawmakers such as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami.

 ``It makes me wonder if there's been any secret negotiations taking place,'' she said. ``Normally that would be the sort of thing that Fidel would say, `no way.' ''

 SEPARATE TRIP

 Six other lawmakers who represent agricultural states also were in Cuba on a separate trip -- a sign that Cuba will remain part of the legislative agenda this year.

 ``This trip is part of a broader effort to lift the embargo,'' said Mac Carey, chief executive officer of the Lexington Institute, a private Washington think tank that organized the trip for members of the House of Representatives. The six visitors were Reps. Jo Ann Emerson and William Lacy Clay of Missouri; Bill Delahunt and Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts; Hilda Solis of California; and Vic Snyder of Arkansas. All, except Emerson, are Democrats.

 ``It comes at a time when the ice is starting to melt . . . and the balance of power [in Congress] has shifted tremendously,'' Carey said. ``All indications are that Congress and public opinion is moving away from isolating Cuba.''

 Pro-embargo congressional leaders acknowledge a tougher time ahead on Capitol Hill for keeping the embargo intact.

 ``It's definitely a threat,'' Ros-Lehtinen said. ``There is no doubt that we are losing ground in Congress. If it weren't for the Bush administration, we would not be in good shape.''

 President Bush has said he will not support changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba unless there are democratic changes in Cuba, such as free elections.

 Even so, pressure is mounting as more Republican politicians take the side of farmers and other powerful business sectors that favor lifting trade sanctions in a market that was profitable prior to Castro's revolution.

 ``What's interesting is that the number of visits [to Cuba] and the intensity of those visits have come from conservative Republicans,'' said Rep. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who, like Ros-Lehtinen, is a strong supporter of the embargo.

 ``This is about monied interests from those who view lifting the embargo as a vehicle to provide for more trade and less about bringing democratic change in Cuba,''
 Menendez said. ``Everybody seems to be going over there to hug [Castro]. It certainly puts our policy, which includes the embargo, under pressure.''

 On the drug front, Cuba has promoted the idea of joint drug interdiction efforts. Although there have been incidents of cooperation in the past, they have been on a
 case-by-case basis. There is no organized cooperative effort by both nations, and attempts to pass legislation that would fund joint interdiction programs have failed.

 Meanwhile, efforts to loosen components of the economic embargo have succeeded, such as the sale of food and medicine, which last month led to the first shipment of U.S. products to Havana in more than 40 years. Cuba purchased food and other products from U.S. companies to replenish its reserves, depleted or destroyed by Hurricane Michelle in November.

 This report was supplemented with Herald wire services.

                                    © 2002