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From: C-afp@clari.net (AFP)
Newsgroups: clari.world.americas.caribbean,clari.news.issues.human_rights,clari.world.americas,clari.world.americas.meso,clari.news.issues,clari.news.issues.misc
Subject: US blasts new Cuban legislation toughening penalties for dissidents
Organization: Copyright 1999 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)
Message-ID: <Qus-cubaURVZK_9FG@clari.net>
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Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 14:46:27 PST
ACategory: usa
Slugword: US-Cuba
Threadword: us
Priority: urgent
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   WASHINGTON, Feb 16 (AFP) - The United States on Tuesday blasted  
proposed Cuban legislation that severely increases the penalties for 
political dissidents. 
   State Department Spokesman James Foley called the new laws,  
proposed Monday by Cuban President Fidel Castro "regrettable" but 
"in keeping with the repressive nature of the regime" in the 
communist nation. 
   "The legislation under consideration is clearly intended to  
stifle independent thought," Foley said of Castro's proposal that 
would hike the maximum sentence for "counterrevolutionaries" by ten 
years to 30 years in prison. 
   The proposed laws also include the death penalty for drug  
traffickers. 
   Foley said he did not know whether the legislation would make  
Washington more or less likely to give up on its new "people to 
people" initiatives with Cuba, announced with fanfare earlier this 
year. 
   "I think it's difficult to speculate at this point," he said,  
indicating that permission for a planned concert by American 
musicians in Havana would not be revoked. 
   Castro's proposed legislation is seen in part as a response to a  
series of US initiatives that include sending money to Cuban 
individuals as well as organizations, including groups seeking to 
change the communist system. 
   Foley said the new laws appeared to dash hopes for a freer Cuba  
raised last year with the historic visit there of Pope John Paul 
II. 
   "We've really not seen those hopes materialize," he said. "The  
basic nature of the regime, its repressive nature, has remained 
unchanged." 
   "The high hopes raised by the pope's visit, as I said, have  
largely failed to materialize and we regret that very much, because 
it's to the detriment of the Cuban people." 
  	   	

