Commerce secretary says no change on Cuba trade rules

Commerce secretary says no change on Cuba trade rules U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Wednesday the Bush administration has no plans to ease requirements on trade finance with Cuba, rejecting congressional proposals to change the current restrictions.
   As reported Wednesday in Florida Caribbean Connection, proposed legislation would allow Cuba to pay for imported goods on arrival, rather than requiring payment before ships carrying the good leave U.S. ports.
   In a speech before the Council of the Americas in Washington, Gutierrez said there would be no change in the restrictions until there are changes in Cuba. He told the pro-business group that the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba 'is not the problem or the solution. The problem is the repressive communist system. The solution is to change the system.
   Gutierrez, a native of Cuba who co-chairs Bush's Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, said Cuba is at a critical point in its history, and the Bush administration's policy is aimed at helping the Cuban people 'achieve their freedom through democratic change.'
   The full text of Gutierrez's speech is available at https://www.commerce.gov/opa/speeches.