Speech #960241579

In an area long plagued with instability and economic problems of its own. the Cuban model is not the answer. No matter how desperate their condition. no Latin American country should be unaware of the economic and political nightmare that is Cuba. In Central and South America where leftist agitation continues unabated the moving exodus of Cuban refugees should serve as a clear and simple statement. Castro. however. has sought to minimize the enormous damage to his reputation which the refugees pose. He canceled the Costa Rican airlift of the original 10.000 preferring to consolidate his opposition in one spotFlorida. He cannot afford the story of his failure spread throughout Latin America. In opening the floodgates of the sealift he seeks to embarrass and confound the United States by overwhelming us with sheer numbers. In our attempts to reorganize the refugee problem we must not be manipulated by Castro in his attempts to cloud the issue and turn his own failures into a United StatesCuban confrontation. The administration is only now taking belated efforts to place the burden of responsibility back on the Cuban Government where it should remain. While Castro shifts the spotlight with huge antiAmerican rallies and ridiculous demands for normalized U.S. relations and American withdrawal from Guantanamo we must calmly keep the refugee issue upon the international stage. In the light of the disappointing Costa Rican Conference we must redouble our efforts to keep the issue one of worldwide concern. Costa Rica along with Peru. Ecuador. and Venezuela remain the sole Latin American countries pledged to accept refugees. They are to be heartily commended. but we must increase this number and spread out the economic and political impact. It is a problem as appropriate for United Nations resolution as any. and we should be making the effort there as well.