Fidel Castro has terrorized Cubas people. destroyed its economy. and used it as a base for subversion. I could never have imagined circumstances under which the United States would treat Castros Cuba like just another negotiating partner. But last month. thats just what the Clinton administration did when it cut a deal reversing 30 years of United States policy on welcoming refugees from Castros Cuba. I will not dignify what the administration did by calling it "secret diplomacy." It was a craven exercise. As A.M. Rosenthal wrote in the New York Times. the Clinton administration "got a contemptuous zero from Castro for breaking its promises. not even the release of some political prisoners. not the grant of a single civil liberty." At a briefing on Capitol Hill the day the policy Uturn was announced. a Clinton administration official was asked whether. under the terms of a deal between the United States and Cuba on interdiction and repatriation of refugees. the Castro regime had pledged to repeal the Cuban law that makes it a crime to leave Cuba without permission. The official didnt know. Then the official was asked how we can be sure the Castro regime wont use the law to retaliate against returned rafters. "Prosecutorial discretion." replied the official.
Keywords matched
refugees