Commission decries 'communist dictatorship'

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A presidential commission recommended Thursday that the United States take steps to subvert the planned succession in Cuba under which power would pass from President Fidel Castro to his younger brother, Raul.

The commission, headed by Secretary of State Colin Powell, said the United States "rejects the continuation of a communist dictatorship" on the island.

The commission recommended measures "to focus pressure and attention on the ruling elite so that a succession by this elite or any one of its individuals is seen as what it would be: an impediment to a democratic and free Cuba."

"We're not waiting for the day of Cuban freedom, we are working for the day of freedom in Cuba," President Bush told reporters.

The 500-page report was made public after Bush discussed it with commission members at the White House.

A White House fact sheet listed several immediate actions ordered by Bush based on the report. He restricted family visits by Cuban-Americans to once every three years instead of the current one-per-year. He retained the $1,200-a-year limit on dollar transfers that Cuban-American families can send to the island.

He also restricted remittances and and gift parcels to immediate family members. Recipients could not include "certain Cuban officials and Communist Party members."

The authorized per diem amount for a family visit was lowered to $50, compared with $164 now.

It was unclear how these restrictions would be enforced.

The plan under which Defense Minister Raul Castro would succeeded his brother, now 77, has been in place for years.

Fidel Castro is president of the council of state and of the council of ministers. Raul, who will turn 73 in June, is the first vice president of both councils.

"The Castro dictatorship is pursuing every means at its disposal to survive and perpetuate itself through a `succession strategy' from Fidel Castro to Raul Castro and beyond," the commission said.

It was uncertain whether that issue is addressed in more detail in a classified section of the report.

Asked a few years ago whether he planned to step down, the elder Castro said, "Revolutionaries don't retire."

Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega said Bush embraces, in general terms, the report's recommendations, which the president received Monday.

The White House fact sheet stated that it is the objective of U.S. policy "to bring an end to the ruthless and brutal dictatorship in Cuba."

That policy statement, coupled with the commission's determination to block Cuba's succession plan, goes beyond the previous policy of attempting to hasten a democratic transition in Cuba.

Bush directed the spending of as much as $59 million over the next two years to help promote the goal of a democratic Cuba. This would include as much as $39 million would help carry out democracy-building activities and support family members of the political opposition. Up to $18 million would go for evading Cuba's jamming of Radio and TV Marti, which are U.S. government broadcast operations tailored for Cuban audiences.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-born Florida Republican and a past critic of Bush's policy, said Bush's comments and the report were "as a great victory for the people of Cuba."

A second Cuban-American in Congress, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Florida, predicted that a more robust U.S. policy "will hasten the day that freedom and democracy will return to Cuba."

But five senators, in a letter to Bush, said the "best way to prepare for change in Cuba is to undertake a transition in our own policy."

"Opening America's doors to Cuba -- and challenging Cuba to open its doors to the rest of the world -- will be an act of strength and magnanimity," they said.

Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, said the best way to plant democratic seeds in Cuba is to allow Americans to travel freely to the island.

In recent weeks, the Cuban government has shown intense interest in the commission report. Officials have warned Cubans that the United States has a penchant for solving problems through violence.

U.S. policy toward the island tends to harden in election years. As examples, penalty-tightening legislation was approved by Congress and signed by presidents in 1992 and 1996.

Some members of Congress have said in recent days that Bush's designation of the Cuban commission and his May 1 deadline for its completion were geared to retaining Cuban-American support for the November elections.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press.