Washington, DC - Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), reacting today to press reports indicating that a few members of the United States Congress will host a reception in honor of the Cuban tyrant, Fidel Castro, at the Seattle Ministerial meeting early next month, issued the following statement:

“I am outraged that certain elected Members of Congress would even consider hosting a reception to honor a tyrant who is responsible for killing Americans.

The Cuban dictatorship is the only terrorist state in the world that has murdered unarmed American citizens with its own Air force and has engaged in the trafficking of illicit narcotics into the United States.

Castro’s Cuba is a terrorist state and honoring the Cuban dictator constitutes an insult to the oppressed people of Cuba, as well as the families of American citizens who have been murdered by Castro.

The primary objective of Castro’s trip, though he will not admit it, will be to use the Ministerial to meet with as many members of the U.S. Congress as possible in order to push his number one foreign policy objective — the unilateral lifting of U.S. sanctions against his dictatorship, which would only serve to strengthen his totalitarian dictatorship.”

November 18, 1999

 Dear Colleague:

It is very possible that the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro, will attend the WTO Ministerial to be held in Seattle, Washington, beginning on November 30th.

The primary objective of Castro’s trip, though he will not admit it, would be to use the Ministerial, to meet with as many members of the U.S. Congress a~ possible in order to push his number one foreign policy objective - the unilateral lifting of U.S. sanctions against his dictatorship.’

If you attend the WTO Ministerial, and should the Cuban dictator speak with you, we would respectfully request that you inform him that three fair and elemental steps would lead to the immediate lifting of U.S. sanctions against Cuba: the liberation of all political prisoners; the legalization of all political parties, labor unions and the press; and the scheduling of internationally supervised, free and fair elections.

The Cuban people are being denied all human rights by the Castro dictatorship, including and most especially, basic labor rights. They do not deserve to be the only people in the Western Hemisphere condemned to live under a totalitarian dictatorship.

Furthermore, the Cuban dictatorship is the only terrorist state in the world that has murdered unarmed American citizens with its own Air force and has engaged in the trafficking at illicit narcotics into the United States.

We ask for your strong support for the three basic steps to bring freedom to that long oppressed island: the liberation of all political prisoners₁ the legalization of all political parties, labor unions and the press; and the scheduling of internationally supervised, free and fair elections.