| THE U.S. IMPOSES ITS LAWS SOUTH OF THE BORDER |
| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, February 20 2006 |
| |
| One of the reasons given by the Bush administration for going to war in Iraq was to remove a ruthless dictator from power. Some wondered: If that was the case, why were we not invading Cuba, which has had a ruthless dictator for 47 years? A cynic might respond: Because Cuba doesn't have oil. Well, guess what? The communist island might indeed have large quantities of
medium-grade crude oil -- and some U.S. oil executives want to tap into it.
Representatives of several American companies and U.S. trade organizations were exploring investment opportunities in Cuba's oil industry a couple of weeks ago in Mexico City. Their scheduled meeting with Cuban officials was ready to go when it ran into a little snag: The 16 Cubans got kicked out of the hotel where the meeting was being held. Not that they were being unruly or anything -- the hotel was just following orders from the U.S. government.
As it turns out, U.S. Treasury Department officials informed the U.S.-based Starwood hotel chain that lodging the Cuban delegation at its Maria Isabel Sheraton was a violation of U.S. sanctions against Cuba. After the Cuban officials were expelled from the hotel, outraged Mexicans held protests outside the Sheraton, which happens to be across the street from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. They even burned an American flag and accused the U.S. of violating Mexican sovereignty.
Both houses of the Mexican Congress unanimously rejected the application of a U.S. law on Mexican soil, but the government of President Vicente Fox refused to take the matter further. Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez said he had decided not to send a diplomatic note to Washington, arguing that there was no need since the order by the Treasury Department to expel the Cubans was given from the hotel's headquarters on U.S. territory.
The hotel itself didn't get off so easy. Local authorities determined that the Maria Isabel Sheraton violated at least nine Mexican laws, several of which prohibit discrimination against consumers based on their ethnic origin. The hotel faces a penalty of anything from a stiff fine to being shut down.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the U.S. Treasury Department reaffirmed its position, saying that U.S. firms may not engage in economic activity with Cuba, or in activity that would benefit the Cuban government. "No matter where they operate, they have to remain within the law," said Tony Fratto, the Treasury's assistant secretary for public affairs.
The irony of this story is that the meeting between the Cuban officials and the American businessmen took place anyway. It was rescheduled for two days later and was held at another location. There did not seem to be any calls from the Treasury Department to the companies and entities represented in the delegation, which included Valero Energy Corp. -- the largest oil refiner in the U.S. -- Caterpillar Inc., the Texas Port of Corpus Christi, the Louisiana Department of Economic Development and the National Foreign Trade Council.
Surely the executives didn't go to Mexico just to eat tacos and drink margaritas, and they didn't meet with Cuban officials to get a Mojito recipe. The purpose of the meeting was to explore the possibility of tapping into Cuba's oil potential, as countries like China, India, Norway, Canada, Spain and Brazil have. I guess not being able to do business with Cuba doesn't necessarily mean you can't explore the possibility.
Evidently, the U.S. is engaging in selective enforcement of its laws. If that is not the case, then anytime a Cuban government official eats a Big Mac, drinks a Starbucks latte or rents a car from Hertz, those companies will be getting threatening letters from the Treasury Department. |
