200 US Companies to Exhibit Products in Cuba Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit (Spanish original follows English translation) 200 US COMPANIES TO EXHIBIT PRODUCTS IN CUBA Minnesota Governor to Visit Havana Fair with Entrepreneurs from His State by Dick Pons Special to NY Transfer News Havana, Aug 19 (NY Transfer)--For the second time in the last 40 years, 200 U.S. companies will display their products in Havana -- another step in the growing relationship between commercial sectors of both countries, say observers in this city. The industrial fair will take place from September 20 to 26, with the approval of Cuban authorities and the authorization of the US Treasury Department. The show is organized by PWN Exhibition International, LLC in Westport, Connecticut, the same enterprise that coordinated the first such exchange with a February, 2001 medical fair in Havana. Peter Nathan, PWN's general director, comes back this time with the agricultural and foods industry, whose representatives have been trying for a long time to get permission from their government to export to Cuba. Nathan has managed to include relevant companies such as Archer Daniels Midland Co. of Illinois, an announced main sponsor of the exhibition; Perdue Inc. Farms of Maryland; Riceland Food of Arkansas; Bunge of New York, and various producers' federations such as the USA Curl Federation. The Cuban coordinators are the Alimport Company (Ministry of Foreign trade of Cuba). According to its president, Pedro Alvarez, the exhibit is an important step in the commercial relationship between both countries, a good opportunity to know each other and to study the requirements and characteristics of their respective markets. During four decades of estrangement, US entrepreneurs have watched with frustration as one of their nearest markets was enjoyed trade with European, Canadian and Asian companies, while their hands were tied by the laws of their own government. Nowadays, that landscape is changing, because an important sectors of US industry are pushing to alter the situation, supported by politicians in both houses of Congress and the House, such as Senator Julia Campbell, one of the forces behind the September exhibition. From the other side of fence, Miami extreme Cuban-Americans right-wing circles have reacted with anger and continue to press the Bush administration to fulfill his political commitments to them, They would like to torpedo this exhibit and any other future efforts aimed at transforming 40 years of discord into dialogue. According to observers, the discord has been very profitable for the high ranks of the Cuban exile community in Miami, because as long as the confrontation lasts, they will be able to keep profiting from the conflict, as they have been doing during four decades, collecting money for "demolishing Castro," whose government is still thriving, in spite of its economic difficulties. In the middle of this atmosphere of antagonistic interests, the extreme right received a new blow when Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura officially announced that he will go to Havana for the exhibition, heading a large delegation of entrepreneurs from his state. The political struggle indicates that for industrialists and politicians from American agricultural states -- the major beneficiaries of potential food trade with Cuba -- the need to maintain voters' approval and employees' jobs and to earn fresh income are at the top of their agenda, regardless of the US Federal Government's attitude toward Cuba, which has only become more hostile since George W. Bush was positioned in the presidential chair. The occupant of the White House has been caught in the crossfire between the extreme right-wing Cuban-American exiles and the agricultural industry in the farm states, which has employed heavy artillery in the battle to lift the restrictions against trade with Cuba. Dan Kleckner, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, told the press during last Annual Sugar Symposium at California, that 40 years of blockade have not resulted in any appreciable outcome, and said that since it doesn't work, it's time to try something different. The debate has now extended widely to the major media. A couple of weeks back, USA Today published a commentary in favor of lifting the travel restrictions to Cuba, asserting that the prohibition harms American citizens' rights to travel freely. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently passed a proposal to nullify the travel ban, and similar legisltion is waiting for discussion at the House. Analysts think that if those restrictions are eliminated, up to three million Americans could travel to Cuba yearly, including about 300,000 Cuban-Americans. Other studies published in the US conclude that trade with Cuba could generate a significant number of jobs and income for American companies. The Brattle Group of consultants calculates that 20,000 new jobs could be created, and result in multi-million dollar sales. Dan Kleckner of the American Farm Bureau Federation is even more optimist, saying that agricultural product sales could reach $500 million initially, and could total $1 to $2 billion in the first five years. Ironically, if both trade and travel restrictions were lifted, Cuba would receive an important boost to its tourist industry, and the dollars earned would in turn contribute to purchases of imports from the US. After all, Adam Smith said it long time ago in "The Wealth of Nations" -- the really important thing is to move the capital, not to leave it static. For Cubans, it is quite clear that being able to import from a nearby supplier would decrease the transportation costs that have been associated with their purchases on other continents during four decades of the blockade imposed by successive White House administrations. According to Alimport's director, after the damages caused by hurricane Michele in November 2001, Cuba has bought $115 million dollars' worth CIF (located at ports of the island) of agricultural goods and food from the United States. Around $100 million has been paid in cash, and sources in Havana say there new purchases of green peas and other grains from various states in the U.S. have been negotiated. It seems that in this antagonistic and long-time struggle of interests around US-Cuba trade, pragmatism and economic realities will prevail over the political commitments between George W. Bush and Miami Cuban-American right-wingers, the major beneficiaries of the hard measures of the American presidency towards Cuba. It should be remembered that even after their exhibition of political muscle during last elections, Miami is not the United States. * Espanol: Exhibiran productos en Cuba 200 empresas de EE.UU. Jesse Ventura, gobernador de Minnessota, visitara la muestra con un grupo de empresarios. Dick Pons La Habana, 19 agosto (NY Transfer)--Por segunda vez en los ultimos 40 anos, unas 200 empresas de EE.UU. presentaran sus producciones en La Habana, hecho que los analistas interpretan como un nuevo paso en el acercamiento entre los sectores comerciales de ambos paises. La muestra se realizara del 26 al 20 de septiembre proximo, con el visto bueno de las autoridades cubanas y la autorizacion del Departamento del Tesoro estadounidense. El logro se debe a la firma PWN Exhibition International LLC, de Westport, Connecticut, la misma que coordino en febrero del 2001 la muestra medica norteamericana en la Habana, que fue la primera de estas operaciones. Peter Nathan, director general de PWN, vuelve a la carga esta vez con el sector agroalimentario, cuyos representantes llevan bastante tiempo intentando obtener franquicias de su gobierno para exportar a Cuba. Nathan ha logrado incluir empresas de relieve en la muestra: Archer Daniels Midland Co. de Illinois, anunciada como patrocinadora principal de la exhibicion, Perdue Farms Inc. de Maryland, Riceland Food de Arkansas, Bunge de Nueva York, y diversas federaciones de productores como la USA Rice Federation. Por la parte cubana las coordinaciones corren a cargo de la empresa Alimport (Ministerio de Comercio Exterior de Cuba). Segun su presidente Pedro Alvarez la muestra constituye un paso importante en el acercamiento comercial entre ambos paises, una oportunidad valida para conocerse y estudiar los requerimientos y caracteristicas de los respectivos mercados. Durante cuatro decadas de alejamiento, el mundo empresarial norteamericano ha visto con frustracion como uno de los mercados mas cercanos a su pais era asimilado por firmas europeas, canadienses y asiaticas en su mayoria, mientras ellos quedaban con las manos atadas por las leyes de su propio gobierno. Actualmente ese panorama esta sufriendo cambios, pues existe un sector importante entre los industriales estadounidenses, apoyado por influyentes grupos de opinion que estan impulsando proyectos para reajustar la situacion, especialmente en el Congreso y la Camara , como el caso de la senadora Julia Campbell, una de las impulsoras de la futura exhibicion. Del otro lado de la cerca, los circulos ultraderechistas cubano-americanos de Miami han recibido la noticia con iracundo rechazo, y continuan poniendo en juego los compromisos politicos que la administracion Bush ha contraido con ellos, para torpedear este y cualesquiera otro esfuerzo de acercamiento que intente transformar en dialogo el diferendo que ya dura 40 anos. Diferendo que por otra parte es conveniente a los intereses de la cupula miamense, segun observadores, ya que mientras dure el enfrentamiento podran mantenerse quienes han vivido durante cuatro decadas recaudando fondos para "derribar a Castro" -cuyo gobierno sigue gozando de buena salud, a pesar de las dificultades economicas. En esta atmosfera de intereses encontrados, la ultraderecha recibio un nuevo golpe cuando el gobernador de Minnessota, Jessee Ventura, adelanto en comunicado oficial que acudira a la muestra de La Habana acompanado de una numerosa comitiva empresarial de ese estado. La pugna indica que para empresarios y politicos de los estados agricolas estadounidenses, principales beneficiarios del posible comercio en alimentos con los cubanos, la clara necesidad de mantener los puestos de trabajo de sus electores y empleados y obtener ingresos frescos esta por encima de los criterios politicos de su gobierno hacia Cuba, recrudecidos desde la asuncion de George W. Bush a la presidencia. Esta claro que el inquilino de la Casa Blanca se ha visto atrapado entre dos fuegos, por un lado la ultraderecha cubano-americana y por otro los empresarios y granjeros de los estados agricolas, quienes han puesto en juego su artilleria pesada para influir en la presentacion de nuevos proyectos dirigidos a levantar las restricciones del comercio con Cuba. Por ejemplo, un empresario tan influyente como Dan Kleckner, presidente de la American Farm Bureau Federation, no ha tenido empacho en expresar a la prensa, durante el ultimo Simposio Anual del Azucar realizado en California, que 40 anos de bloqueo no han logrado resultados apreciables, y que si no funciona, es hora de intentar algo diferente. El debate esta trascendiendo mas que antes a los grandes medios de prensa. Un par de semanas atras, el periodico USA Today publico un comentario a favor de levantar las restricciones de viajar a Cuba, que considera esta vulnerando los derechos de los ciudadanos estadounidenses a viajar libremente. El Comite de Relaciones Exteriores del Senado adopto recientemente una propuesta para anular ese veto, otro texto similar espera por su discusion en la Camara de Representantes, y los analistas estiman que de eliminarse las restricciones, podrian viajar a Cuba hasta tres millones de estadounidenses al ano -entre ellos, unos 300 mil cubano-americanos. Otros estudios publicados en los EE.UU. estiman que el comercio con Cuba seria un elemento generador de empleos y ganancias para las empresas de estadounidenses. La consultoria Brattle Group calcula que podrian crearse unos 20 mil nuevos puestos de trabajo, con ventas por mil millones de dolares. El citado Dean Kleckner es aun mas optimista, pues afirma que las ventas de productos agricolas podrian llegar a 500 millones de dolares inicialmente, con incrementos hasta niveles de 1000 - 2000 millones en los cinco primeros anos. De manera que, ironicamente, si ambas restricciones -comerciales y de viajes- fueran levantadas, Cuba recibiria un importante refuerzo a sus ventas de servicios turisticos, y esos dolares contribuirian a pagar las exportaciones cubanas de productos norteamericanos. Ya lo dijo Adam Smith en "La riqueza de las Naciones", lo importante es mover el capital, no tenerlo estatico. Para los cubanos, resulta evidente que la importacion desde una plaza tan cercana abarataria los actuales altos costos de transportacion que vienen pagando por sus compras en otros continentes desde el inicio del bloqueo, mantenido durante cuatro decadas por las sucesivas administraciones de la Casa Blanca. Segun el director de Alimport, tras los danos ocasionados por el huracan Michele en noviembre del ano anterior, Cuba ha comprado a Estados Unidos productos agroalimentarios por un valor de 115 millones de dolares CIF (situadas en puertos de la Isla). De esa cifra, 100 millones fueron pagados al contado, y estan en marcha negociaciones para adquirir peras, guisantes verdes y otros productos de diversos estados norteamericanos. Queda por ver si en esta pugna de intereses alrededor del comercio USA - Cuba, prevaleceran el pragmatismo y las necesidades economicas, o bien los compromisos politicos con la cupula miamense, principal beneficiaria de las medidas agresivas del presidente Bush. Con todo, no debe olvidarse que aun cuando ha demostrado tener un peso nada despreciable en el rejuego electoral, Miami no es los Estados Unidos. Copyright (c) 2002 by Dick Pons and NY Transfer News. 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