Published: Saturday, 6 October, 2007, 02:25 AM Doha Time
WASHINGTON: The US government is prepared for a possible mass exodus of
Cubans after the death of elderly leader Fidel Castro, Caleb McCarry, US
Cuba Transition Co-ordinator, said on Thursday.
"We have contingency plans for a possible massive exodus," McCarry said
in Washington. "We have the obligation to secure our borders."
McCarry is one of the most controversial political figures in US-Cuban
relations. The communist island interpreted the creation of his bureau
by US President George W Bush as a clear statement of purpose to annex
Cuba in the near future.
The US official admitted that "something changed" in Cuba since Fidel
Castro, 81, temporarily gave up power to his brother Raul on July 31, 2006.
"For the first time in decades there is uncertainty," McCarry noted.
For example, he mentioned the "significant" decrease in attempts to
reach Florida since shortly after the power transfer.
Based on explanations given by Cubans who were intercepted by the US
Coast Guard, McCarry interpreted that "people stayed because they wanted
to see what would happen".
He encouraged Raul Castro to liberalise the country.
"Freeing political prisoners would be a very important step towards
political reconciliation," McCarry noted.
The US through an agreement with Cuba has an annual quota of 20,000
visas for Cubans, but has consistently issued more than the quota,
giving a total of 273,598 since the programme started in 1994, said
McCarry. – DPA
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