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THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press
Secretary November 5, 1999 INTERVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT BY TELEMUNDO Artists Collective Hartford, Connecticut 7:20 P.M. EST [EXCERPT] Q Let's talk a little bit about Cuba. The democratically-elected leaders of 17 Spanish-speaking nations will gather in Havana in the next couple of weeks. Are you concerned that they are legitimizing Castro's government? THE PRESIDENT: I'm a little concerned about it. I think the important thing is, when they go there I hope that they will reaffirm their support for democracy and for human rights, and for a transition to democracy, and to an open economy in Cuba. As you know, most countries don't agree with our policy on Cuba. They think that it hurts the Cuban people, that it hurts the American business community, and that it doesn't speed the transition away from Castro because they think we give him an excuse for the failures of the Cuban society -- that he can blame everything on us instead of having to take responsibility for himself. And, you know, this argument is now occurring more and more among Cuban Americans of all age groups. And so it's a debate we ought to continue to have. The most important thing for me, though, is, I have -- every time I have reached out to Cuba -- and I have tried to increase contacts, to make it easier for people in America to send money home, to have direct telephone service, to have more trips to Cuba more accessible for people -- and, you know, something happens. He puts journalists in jail, or shot the Brothers to the Rescue people out of the air. And they were -- those people were murdered. It was illegal for them to be shot. I don't care -- even if they had been inside the territorial waters of Cuba, which they weren't, there is a convention which binds the United States and Cuba which would not have permitted them to be shot down, because they did not present a threat. So all my efforts to change things have been met with a rebuff. And it makes me wonder whether he really wants this to change, because he can always use us as an excuse. But if the countries want to go there and meet, I understand that. If they differ with us on their policy, I respect their right to differ. But I hope when they're in Cuba, they will make it clear that they're for democracy and human rights. Q Have you expressed this to any of the Presidents? THE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. Yes, I have. I have said that to every one of them that I have seen since they made the decision to go down there. Q And do you ever foresee normalized relations with Castro and the United States? THE PRESIDENT: I think it would be difficult for relations to be completely normal. I think we could certainly do a lot more for food, for medicine, in other ways, if the circumstances were right. And I think that if there were a clear commitment to a transition to democracy and human rights, which were clear and verifiable, I think that you could see some really dramatic changes. I think -- you know, if we could just have a commitment to have no more shootings, like the shootings of the airplanes, and to have no more clear repressings of human rights, it would be easier. I think the American people would like to be reconciled with the Cuban people. And I think we are -- it is painful. It's painful most of all, I think, for the Cuban Americans. Q Definitely. I come from that group. ...
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