MIKHAIL GORBACHEV: A last wall remains to be torn down in Cuba

THE changes that have occurred in the world in the past 20 years are truly remarkable. We have left behind the Cold War and the confrontation between two irreconcilable ideological systems. The symbol of divided Europe -- the Berlin Wall, which Ronald Reagan famously urged me to tear down in 1987 -- has long since been destroyed. But one relic of the Cold War remains: the wall of the economic embargo imposed by the United States on Cuba 43 years ago.

The lack of relations between the U.S. and Cuban governments, enshrined as it is in the U.S. policy of economic and diplomatic isolation of Cuba, has not allowed for an understanding that could benefit the citizens of both nations. The burden of the isolation of Cuba has been borne by ordinary people on both sides of the Florida Straits: the divided Cuban family.

That this situation is abnormal and that the embargo is counterproductive is increasingly recognized throughout the world and in the United States. The high-profile visit of Pope John Paul II symbolized the willingness of the world to open to Cuba and of Cuba to open to the world. Former President Jimmy Carter's trip to that country was a courageous and responsible step.

Many other U.S. political leaders have spoken in favor of normalizing relations. Yet the U.S. government prohibits average Americans from even traveling to Cuba. While it calls for human rights in Cuba, the United States prevents its own citizens from sharing free enterprise, freedom of movement and free thinking with the Cuban people.

The only way to get out of this time warp is to replace the current policy with a policy of constructive engagement similar to the one being pursued toward other so-called Communist countries.

This view is shared not only by most members of the international community, it has support among those most affected by the current policy, namely the Cuban people and Cuban-Americans in the United States. They would also benefit the most if the United States were to liberalize its policies, starting with opening the door to travel to Cuba.

Remember that expanding contacts and exchanges, agreed to by President Reagan and me at our 1985 summit in Geneva, did much to increase mutual understanding between our countries.

Many Cuban-Americans who traditionally backed punitive measures against Cuba are increasingly calling for dialogue between the two nations. Polls show that most Cuban-Americans would like to take the first steps to heal the wounds of the past 43 years. I think the leaders of both states should recognize that true courage is demonstrated by a willingness to engage in a difficult and honest dialogue, to admit mistakes and to seek common ground for the good of future generations.

An end to the embargo would complete the unfinished business of the Cold War in the Western Hemisphere. It is because of the Cold War that a country that saw an anti-dictatorial revolution, which had nothing to do with communist ideology, became involved in the superpower confrontation. Isolated and belonging ideologically to the "socialist camp," its choice of the path of socioeconomic development became all but inevitable. And during the missile crisis, Cuba nearly became the trigger for a nuclear war.

Yet it would be unfair to reduce Cuba's entire post-revolutionary history to that. The achievements of the Cuban people in education, health, science and the arts have been widely recognized. The Cubans withstood the consequences of the withdrawal of Soviet economic subsidies, and the country's economy has recently shown an 8 percent growth in gross domestic product. Cuba has pursued a responsible foreign policy, as I can confirm based on my own experience working with Fidel Castro to defuse regional crises in Central America and Africa.

The time has come to develop a policy responsive to those realities. Constructive engagement would not just make it possible to normalize relations between two close neighbors; it would also improve prospects for positive evolution in Cuba's domestic situation and create a different set of conditions for raising human rights issues.

What's needed is a first step, and it is up to the United States to take it. I urge President Bush to tear down the wall of the embargo now, in order to lay the foundation for a new relationship with Cuba.

Frontpage Magazine Not In Our Name and the World Wide Terrorism Web: The "Peace" Movement's Trojan Horse.***In the run-up to this war, Not In Our Name became one of the major "peace" organizers and coalitions in the United States. Not In Our Name has spared no cost purchasing ads in newspapers around the world to publish its anti-American Statement of Conscience. Its signatories include scores of Hate America bigwigs, like Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Michael Parenti, Gloria Steinem and Barbara Kingsolver. Hollywood icons (and many more has-beens) like Danny Glover, Jessica Lange, Tyne Daly, Martin Sheen and Ed Harris have also signed or endorsed the statement. NION organizes marches and other protest activities in its support.

However, Not In Our Name is deeper than the latest academic babblers and limosuine liberals. NION professes peace, yet it is involved - directly as well as indirectly - with terrorist organizations and anti-American propaganda campaigns headed by fanatical Communist and Muslim groups. NION has cemented alliances with bona fide radical organizations like the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and the Revolutionary Communist Party.

……. NION: Castro and Islamist Terror

The Interreligous Foundation for Community Organization is a pro-Castro proxy group. Members of their staff such as Lucius Walker (Executive Director), Marilyn Clement (Treasurer) and Ellen Bernstein (Grants Administrator) are all Castrophiles In Havana in November 2000, Lucius Walker proclaimed, "Long live the creative example of the Cuban Revolution! Long live the wisdom and heartfelt concern for the poor of the world by Fidel Castro!" This was a follow-up to his pro-Castro speech in 1996, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Communist Party USA. Marilyn Clement is a co-organizer of the WILPF's Sister-to-Sister Cuba project. The WILPF also issued a condemnation of Clinton's Cuba policy in 1998. Bernstein was also quoted as saying she believes Cuba is the paradigm of democracy.

IFCO does not limit its activity to pro-Castro factions, though. Its management maintains relationships with extremist Islamist groups as well. Walker travels frequently to Iraq, usually alongside Ramsey Clark. IFCO is a member of ANSWER Steering Committee.) Bernstein is a member of the American Muslim Council's campaign against the use of secret evidence. Clement met with Palestinians during a WILPF "solidarity" conference in May 2002. IFCO is also a fiscal sponsor of the National Coalition to Protect Political Freedom (NCPPF). The co-founder of NCPPF was the recently indicted terrorist financier Sami Al-Arian.

However, NION's links with Muslim terrorists are not just indirect, through IFCO. NION invited both Sami Al-Arian and Lynne Stewart to address their October 6, 2002 rally in Central Park. Stewart was indicted for passing messages on behalf of her terrorist client Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman.

One of the members of NION's Advisory Board, Abdeen Jabara, is a member of the legal advisory board for the American Muslim Council. He is a past president of the Arab-American Ant-Discrimination Committee, a board member of William Kunstler's Center for Constitutional Rights, and a co-counsel with Lynne Stewart for Sheik Rahman, the terrorist convicted for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The American Muslim Council is one of the current members of Al-Arian's NCPPF (the same group to which IFCO's Bernstein belongs). Leaders of the AMC have been quoted as praising Hamas and Hezbollah. Jabara's AMC advisory board colleagues include Fakhri Al-Barzinji. Al-Barzinji is involved in Mar-Jac Poultry, which was raided last year by the FBI for links to Sami Al-Arian.

Bashir Ahmad is another of Jabara's AMC advisory board colleagues. Ahmad is a member of the SAMAD Group (a financial operation) and Justice Taqi Usmani works for the SAMAD Group. Taqi Usmani is a suspected major player in the Muslim Brotherhood International money laundering network of Dallah Al-Baraka, Al-Taqwa, Al-Rahji Investment and Development Corp. Taqi Usmani operates the Al-Balagh.net, which has a online bookstore in California selling books written by individuals who are on the U.S. and UN terrorist lists.***

U.S. News and World Report Terror Close to Home In Venezuela, a volatile leader befriends Mideast, Colombia (FARC) and Cuba *** The oil-rich but politically unstable nation of Venezuela is emerging as a potential hub of terrorism in the Western Hemisphere, providing assistance to Islamic radicals from the Middle East and other terrorists, say senior U.S. military and intelligence officials. Bush administration aides see this as an unpredictably dangerous mix and are gathering more information about the intentions of a country that sits 1,000 miles south of Florida.

One thing that's clear is that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is fast becoming America's newest nemesis, U.S. officials say. He has forged close ties with Cuba's Fidel Castro and has befriended some of America's other notorious enemies, traveling to Saddam's Iraq and Qadhafi's Libya. Now, after surviving an attempted coup and a nationwide petition demanding his recall, Chavez is flirting with terrorism, and Washington is watching with increasing alarm.

"We are not disinterested spectators," says Roger Noriega, the new assistant secretary of state for Latin America. "Any actions that undermine democratic order or threaten the security and well-being of the region are of legitimate concern to all of Venezuela's neighbors." U.S. officials are monitoring three sets of developments:

Middle Eastern terrorist groups are operating support cells in Venezuela and other locations in the Andean region. A two-month review by U.S. News, including interviews with dozens of U.S. and Latin American sources, confirms the terrorist activity. In particular, the magazine has learned that thousands of Venezuelan identity documents are being distributed to foreigners from Middle Eastern nations, including Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, and Lebanon.

Venezuela is supporting armed opposition groups from neighboring Colombia; these groups are on the official U.S. list of terrorist organizations and are also tied to drug trafficking. Maps obtained by U.S. News, as well as eyewitness accounts, pinpoint the location of training camps used by Colombian rebels, a top rebel leader, and Venezuelan armed groups.

Cubans are working inside Venezuela's paramilitary and intelligence apparatus. The coordination between Cuba and Venezuela is the latest sign that Venezuelan President Chavez is modeling his government on Castro's Cuba.***

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