CAFC I Implementation Highlights

Fact Sheet
Washington, DC
July 20, 2006

In May 2004, the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba (CAFC), chaired by the Secretary of State, submitted its initial report to the President. The report represents an inter-agency effort that serves as a blueprint for an integrated, comprehensive U.S. Government approach to hasten a transition to democracy on the island and assist the Cuban people after a democratic transition. After meeting with the Commission, the President directed agencies to begin implementation of the recommendations contained in Chapter One of the report. The implementation of the CAFC recommendations has made a tangible contribution to empowering the Cuban people through information and assistance, while at the same time keeping the pressure on the regime by denying it resources.

Hastening the End of the Cuban Dictatorship

1. From 2004 through 2006, over $58 million has been provided by the U.S. government to support the implementation of CAFC I.

• The Administration has expanded support for democracy-building efforts in Cuba, including small grant awards to support democratic and human rights groups on the island, and to provide information about democratic political systems with the goal of empowering women, youths, Afro-Cubans, and other member of civil society.
• In an effort to increase Cuba’s access to reliable information on events in Cuba and the world, Commando Solo aircraft has provided transmission of TV Marti broadcasting to Cuba since August 2004. Reception reporting from the island indicates that the TV Marti is being seen like never before.
• The Office of Cuba Broadcasting is acquiring access to and refitting a dedicated airborne platform for continued transmission of TV Marti broadcasting. OCB anticipates that its airborne platform will be ready to begin broadcasting by September 2006. When airborne, the aircraft will provide unprecedented broadcasting reach on the island.
• The Administration has increased information dissemination about U.S. policies towards Cuba, helped promote international involvement in support of democracy and the development of civil society in Cuba, and supported publications specializing in penetrating academic discussions about Cuba.
• The Administration has engaged in international efforts in Europe and Latin America to support NGOs committed to highlighting the plight of political prisoners as well as promoting human rights and democratic transition on the island.
• In January 2006, U.S. Interest Section inaugurated its Streaming Billboard to transmit uncensored news, messages of hope, and other information to the Cuban people. Although the Cuban regime to erected scores of flagpoles to obscure this "provocation" from view, the Cuban people still see messages of democracy and freedom.
• The U.S. Interests Section in Havana has used these funds to construct two Internet Centers that provide 23 workstations with unfiltered web access. The Interests Section has also used webcams to link Cubans with U.S. and Latin American universities, NGOs, and youth movements for seminars on English teaching, fundamentals of journalism, human rights, and other topics.

2. Deny Resources and Legitimacy to the Regime
The following new measures designed to deny resources to the regime have reduced significantly licensed U.S. travel (by approximately 50%) and remittances to Cuba, which in turn has cost the regime hundreds of millions of dollars in reduced income from taxes and fees on travel and remittances:

• Undermine Regime-Sustaining Tourism - Enforce travel restrictions:
• The regime is being denied resources through Treasury Department regulations drafted to implement the CAFC I report including:
• eliminating the provision allowing for the import of $100 worth of Cuban goods;
• limiting educational travel to full-semester study programs; and,
• eliminating the concept of fully-hosted travel;
• U.S. pleasure boat traffic has declined dramatically, including a 90% drop at "Marina Heminway" as a result of the implementation of new authorities provided to the Coast Guard and revised regulations that limit the issuance of Temporary Sojourn Licenses for private travel to Cuba;
• Limit the Regime's Manipulation of Humanitarian U.S. Policies - Tighten current policies on remittances, gift parcels, and family travel to decrease the flow of resources to the regime.
• Pursuant to the recommendations of the CAFC , Treasury issued new and revised regulations to decrease resource flows to the regime by:
• prohibiting remittances to certain Cuban government officials and Communist Party members;
• permitting remittances only to immediate family members; and,
•  limiting visits to immediate family once every three years by specific license.
• The Commerce Department also played an important role in implementing the CAFC report by making regulatory changes that include :
• limiting the types of non-food items that may be included in gift parcels (to medicines, medical supplies and equipment, receive-only radio equipment and batteries);
• limiting eligible recipients to include only immediate family members;
• limiting the frequency of such parcels to once per month per household; and,
• prohibiting gift parcels to be sent to certain Cuban government officials and Communist Party members.
• Deny Other Revenue Sources to the Regime - Neutralize Cuban government front groups; pursue Title IV visa sanctions.
• The Administration created the Cuban Assets Targeting Group (CATG) at Treasury to facilitate intelligence sharing between law enforcement agencies in order to target Cuban front companies and other channels through which the Cubans are seeking to acquire hard currency. The CATG is developing a targeting list of the top ten entities for enforcement actions, as well as sting operations against illegal remittances forwarding networks.
• The Administration is actively investigating 28 entities for possible enforcement of Title IV of the Libertad Act. The most recent Title IV trafficking determination against a new entity was made on April 13, 2004. This was the first determination since 1997. On May 6, August 11, and November 15, 2005, the Department implemented Title IV visa sanctions against additional officers of an entity already determined to be trafficking in confiscated property in Cuba.
• On July 28, 2005, the Secretary of State appointed Caleb McCarry as the senior U.S. official responsible for coordinating U.S. efforts to support a Cuban transition to political and economic freedom.

3. Encourage International Diplomatic Efforts to Support Cuban Civil Society and Challenge the Castro Regime.

• The Administration has engaged European and Latin American governments and delegates to the Organization of American States with the goal of generating additional discussion of transition planning and to seek out areas for international cooperation on ways to hasten the transition.
• The Administration has worked with partners to highlight the situation in Cuba and to try to build a consensus around the idea that the Cuban people deserve to be free, including supporting the September 2004 three-day conference of the "International Committee for Democracy in Cuba" (ICDC) comprised of distinguished former world leaders, including Vaclav Havel, in Prague. The "Declaration of Prague" called for the release of all political prisoners, and condemned the Castro regime. The Administration also supported a November 2005 two-day conference of the "Common goals, different strategies? Options for a Transatlantic Agenda on Cuba" in Brussels and the October 2005 "Cuba Transition Project Conference" in Madrid.
• Encouraged engagement and action in support of Cuban civil society, in the area of corporate social responsibility, focusing on Cuba.

4. Undermine the Regime’s "Succession Strategy."

• The Administration has placed the names of more than 300 regime officials who participated in the 2003 "show trials" resulting in the convictions of 75 civil society activists on the visa lookout system.
• Several agencies have been asked to provide on an ongoing basis the names of human rights abusers and regime officials who assist fugitives from U.S. justice for inclusion in the visa lookout system.
• Support NGOs committed to highlighting the plight of political prisoners as well as promoting human rights and democratic transition on the island.