Bush Tests Cuba's Willingness to Loosen Rules

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President Bush today challenged the Cuban government to make good on its apparent to reform. Since taking over from his brother Fidel, three months ago, Raul Castro has introduced some modest changes. For example, Cubans can now have cell phones. Today, President Bush said he would allow Americans to send cell phones to Cubans.

As NPR's Tom Gjelten reports, it's just one example of how the new situation in Cuba has changed the old U.S.-Cuba debate.

TOM GJELTEN: Since this time last year, Fidel Castro has disappeared even further from view, and Raul Castro has won some praise for allowing Cubans a bit more freedom, at least to buy things. President Bush is not impressed.

President GEORGE W. BUSH: Now that the Cuban people will be allowed to have toasters in two years, they should stop needing to worry about whether they will have bread today.

(Soundbite of applause)

GJELTEN: The policy challenge for the Bush administration is how to respond to the changing situation in Cuba. President Bush today found one small way to test the Cuban government's willingness to loosen up.

Pres. BUSH: And since Raul is allowing Cubans to own mobile phones for the first time, we're going to change our regulations to allow Americans to send mobile phones to family members in Cuba. Raul's serious about his so-called reforms, he will allow these phones to reach the Cuban people.

(Soundbite of applause)

GJELTEN: Some cell phones purchased in the United States will work in Cuba, but Cubans will probably have to get phone service through the government telephone company there, and that's where the expense comes in. The White House event today commemorated the day in 1902 - it was actually May 20th - when a four-year U.S. military occupation of Cuba came to an end - on one condition - that the United States could still intervene in Cuba. Because Cuba's independence was limited that way, Fidel Castro has refused to call May 20th Independence Day. For him and his followers, U.S. interference in Cuban affairs is a big and continuing issue. This week, for example, the Cuban government charged that the ranking U.S. diplomat in Cuba, Michael Parmly, has been delivering cash to Cuban dissidents.

In a press conference yesterday, Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon said there was nothing new in the accusations.

Assistant Secretary THOMAS SHANNON JR.(Western Hemisphere Affairs, Department of State): The United States has a well-known policy of humanitarian assistance to the Cuban people, especially to political prisoners, to families of political prisoners and to dissidents. And we will continue that practice and policy.

GJELTEN: The issue of how the United States can support democracy in Cuba, under the changing conditions there, is again the subject of debate. Martha Beatriz Roque, one of the decedents identified by the Cubans as receiving cash from Michael Parmly, happened to participate in a video teleconference earlier this month, with President Bush.

In that conversation, Roque asked the president to loosen current restrictions on how much money Cuban-Americans can send their families in Cuba, and on how often they can visit the island. President Bush is not yet responded to her recommendation, but it's that issue - family assistance, not cell phones - that is the top priority these days of the Cuban American National Foundation in Miami. The foundation's president, Pepe Hernandez, says changing Cuba is more likely to come from Cuban-Americans sending money to their families on the island than from anything the U.S. government does to pressure Raul Castro.

Mr. FRANCISCO HERNANDEZ (President, Cuban American National Foundation): I usually start (unintelligible) come out of the hands of Raul Castro. This is not going to happen. So, we are going to have to find ways to help the Cuban people help themselves to open the ways for their own destiny. What better way than to help the family support itself, this is really what we are asking the Bush administration, and we have been asking them for a long time now.

GJELTEN: The Cuban American National Foundation has historically been a big supporter of Republican Party policies on Cuba. But much is changing these days. On Friday, the foundation is hosting a Miami event for Barack Obama.

Tom Gjelten, NPR News, Washington.

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