Jimmy's Comments on Departure from Cuba (excerpted)

Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit

AP 05/17/02 20:51 

Leaving Cuba: Comments by Former President Carter

HAVANA (AP) - Selected comments by former President Carter on Friday
as he was ending a six-day tour of Cuba:

"I have been pleasantly surprised at the welcome I received and the
freedom that my party has been granted to meet with whom we chose, to
visit places of our desire and to have unimpeded discussions with
leaders of all kinds in this society."

"I recognized far in advance that after 43 years of misunderstanding
and animosity that one brief trip cannot change the basic
relationships between our peoples, but my hope is that in some small
way at least, our visit might change that situation in the future."

"If the Varela Project is pursued, it would be a clear demonstration
to foreigners, very critical foreigners, that Cubans are not afraid
within their own system of government to consider dissident views in
an open and positive and legal way."

(referring to a proposal for a referendum on democratic rights)

"I believe it is too early to assess the final reaction of Cuban
government to this unprecedented ability to exchange ideas. There may
be a tightening in the future or there may be more inclination toward
open discussion. I hope it's the latter, but that's not a decision
for me to make."

"They (dissidents) expressed to me hope that visitation, for
instance, from the United States to Cuba could be increased in the
future and not decreased. They expressed a desire to have financial
assistance from foreign sources, provided those sources were
non-governmental in nature, from churches, from private foundations,
from private individuals.

"I feel now that the embargo is not the cause of any economic
problems of Cuba.... Cuba can trade with more than 100 other nations.
Cuba can buy medicine cheaper from Mexico and other countries than it
can from the United States."

"I see the embargo and travel restraints as an imposition on the
human rights of American citizens. I think an American private
citizen or an American company should have the right to visit any
place on earth and the right to trade with any other purchaser or
supplier on earth."

"I don't feel uncomfortable with President Bush at all. I have a
personally friendly relationship with President Bush.

"I would like to see cooperation in the field of bioterrorism to make
sure that the international agreements which Cuba requires from every
nation in the world with whom they cooperate.... be monitored to make
sure that the ability to produce hepatitis B vaccine or treatment or
meningitis vaccine does not lead to the use of this same technology
for bioterrorism activities."

"That any nation in the world that can produce meningitis treatment
or treatment concerning hepatitis B or C would also have the ability
to produce simple nerve gases and others that might be used in
bioterrorism, that is known by any reasonable person. The question
is, is this done, is it supported?

"In the field of bioterrorism, narcotics and others I think it would
be mutually beneficial and nonpolitical in nature for the United
States and Cuba to have complete cooperation.

05/17/02 20:51 EDT

Copyright, 2002. The Associated Press. All rights reserved

source - JosePertierra@aol.com
 
=================================================================
  NY Transfer News Collective   *   A Service of Blythe Systems 
           Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us          
              339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012             
  http://www.blythe.org                  e-mail: nyt@blythe.org 
=================================================================
 
nytact-05.18.02-21:58:12-5128