Stewart Stogel
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2002

The news conference, called by Cuba's foreign minister Felipe Perez Roque, who was in New York City to visit the United Nations, left no doubt that Havana felt stung by the new charges from Washington.

Deputy assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere Dan Fisk claimed that since Sept. 11, 2001 "tips" on terrorist activities have been arriving from Havana "almost monthly" and have led U.S. investigators on numerous "wild goose" chases.

Fisk went on to claim the the Castro government is "actually impeding [U.S.] efforts to defeat the threat of terrorism," because prudence dictates that every lead is followed up.

Fisk explained that: "This is not harmless game-playing. It is dangerous and unjustifiable, it damages our ability to assess real threats."

Addressing reporters at Cuba's U.N. mission, Roque said his government "firmly rejects the cynical statements made by Mr. Fisk."

He called Fisk "a liar" whose words were "degrading."

The foreign minister also labeled the accusations "false and slanderous and a colossal lie."

Roque pointed out that just last year the State Department accused Cuba of producing and distributing biological weapons. A charge that was never followed up on by the Bush administration.

The Cuban claimed that on March 12, Havana offered a formal bilateral pact to Washington to combat terrorism. Roque says the White House refused.

Not only did the White House refuse the cooperation pact, Roque says that on October 26, 2001 it offered to help address the shortage of the drug Cipro (used to fight anthrax) by offering to send "100 million" tablets to the U.S. The State Department, he claims, never responded.

It was at that same time the Bush administration had to negotiate with the Bayer Corporation (makers of Cipro) to increase production of the critical anthrax fighting drug which was in short supply.

Roque challenged Fisk to retract the accusations and reaffirmed that "the deputy assistant secretary of state is a liar."

Privately, the Cubans are concerned that if the White House can convince politicians on Captiol Hill that the obstructionist charges are true, it could seriously weaken or even kill efforts to ease the 40-year-old economic blockade first imposed by President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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