News Release, October 5, 2000

DIAZ-BALART AND ROS-LEHTINEN: PASSAGE OF AGREEMENT KEY VICTORY FOR FREEDOM IN CUBA

Travel restrictions to be codified into law Washington, D.C. - Congressmen Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen today thanked Speaker Dennis Hastert, Majority Leader Dick Armey, Majority Whip and Chief Deputy Whip Tom Delay and Roy Blunt, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, Senator Connie Mack and Appropriations Chairmen Young and Cochran, for standing firmly with the agreement that Diaz-Balart and Ros-Lehtinen entered into last June with Congressman George Nethercutt on the issue of Cuban sanctions.

After long days of working on language to implement the agreement entered into by Diaz-Balart and Ros-Lehtinen in June, the agreement has been passed by the Agriculture Appropriations Conference Committee.  As reported in June, the agreement calls for:  no barter;  no extensions of credit; no Cuban imports into the U.S.; no public financing; no U.S. private financing; and in the most important victory since Helms-Burton, all travel restrictions are codified into law, so that President Clinton cannot increase U.S. travel revenue to Castro before he leaves office.

"Passage of this agreement constitutes a manifestation of solidarity by the U.S. Congress with the oppressed people of Cuba. The denial of credits and tourism to the Cuban dictatorship constitutes an extraordinarily important victory for freedom," said Diaz-Balart.

"Despite all the pressure against us, we have achieved a tremendous victory by freezing the prohibition on U.S. tourism to Castro's Cuba," said Ros-Lehtinen.