Bush continues Cuba emergency status
President Bush has extended the national emergency status for Cuba that gives the U.S. Coast Guard the authority to regulate the anchorage and movement of vessels moving between the United States and Cuba.
The emergency declaration dates back to the 1996 'Brothers to the Rescue' incident in which two U.S.-registered civilians were shot down when the planes approached Cuba. Four men from the program were killed. Miami-based 'Brothers to the Rescue' had dropped leaflets over Cuba on previous flights, prompting Cuban threats of retaliation.
When Cuba actually attacked the two planes, the United States declared a national emergency in response. The proclamation authorizes the Coast Guard to regulate vessel movements and intervene in the movement of any vessel, foreign or domestic, that is within U.S. territorial waters, and is being used, or suspected of being used, for any voyage into Cuban territorial waters that could 'create unsafe conditions' and 'threaten a disturbance of international relations.'
In extending the decree, the White House said, 'the Cuban government has not demonstrated that it will refrain from the future use of reckless and excessive force against U.S. vessels or aircraft that may engage in memorial activities or peaceful protest north of Cuba,' requiring a continuation of the emergency authorization.
Bush continues Cuba emergency status
