William Helms: “I was astonished to learn this morning that President Clinton's advisers have recommended that he ease up on the embargo…”

“I was astonished to learn this morning that President Clinton's advisers have recommended that he ease up on the embargo against Fidel Castro's Communist Dictatorship in Cuba. If these advisers are parading under the flag of expertise, it's a false flag, and they are doing great harm to the President with such advice. This is no time to be reducing U.S. pressure on Castro. It is precisely the wrong way to go. Backing off on Castro will help the Castro Communist dictatorship and do great harm to the Cuban people-- who already have suffered too much for 36 years. I have made it clear that, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, doing everything possible to bring freedom and democracy to Cuba is at the top of my priority list. That is why I introduced the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity [Libertad] Act as my first piece of legislation as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. Fidel Castro's brutal and cruel Communist dictatorship has persecuted the Cuban people for 36 years. He is the world's longest reigning tyrant. Let me be clear: Whether Castro leaves Cuba in a vertical or horizontal position is up to him and the Cuban people. But he must--and will--leave Cuba. I categorically reject suggestions to lift or soften the embargo. For 36 years, both Republican and Democratic Presidents have maintained a consistent, bipartisan policy of isolating Castro's dictatorship. There must be no retreat in that policy today.”