R 141343Z DEC 01
FM USINT HAVANA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9600

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HAVANA 004690 
 
S/CT FOR REAP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER CU
SUBJECT: CUBA: 2001 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT 
 
REF: A)STATE 198912  B)HAVANA 3721 C)HAVANA 3817 
     D)HAVANA 4110   E)HAVANA 4186 
 
RESPONSES ARE KEYED TO REF A, BEGINNING WITH THE QUESTION 
IN PARAGRAPH C. 
 
C) POST IS NOT AWARE OF ANY JUDICIAL RESPONSE IN THE GLOBAL 
FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM AFTER THE TERRORIST ACTS OF 9/11. 
ON DOMESTIC TERRORISM ISSUES, THREE GUATEMALANS ACCUSED OF 
PLANNING A BOMBING CAMPAIGN TO DESTABILIZE THE CASTRO 
GOVERNMENT WERE FINALLY BROUGHT TO TRIAL AND SENTENCED IN 
NOVEMBER.  THEY HAD BEEN IN DETENTION SINCE 1998. 
SPECULATION IS THAT CUBA DECIDED TO TRY THE THREE IN THE 
WAKE OF THE 9/11 ATTACKS TO DEMONSTRATE HOW CUBA HAS ALSO 
BEEN A VICTIM OF TERRORISM. 
 
D) IN 2001, THE GOC DID NOT REQUEST THE EXTRADITION TO CUBA 
OF ANY SUSPECTED TERRORISTS, NOR THE USG REQUESTED THE 
EXTRADITION OF ANY SUSPECTED TERRORISTS FROM CUBA FOR 
PROSECUTION IN THE U.S.  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE U.S.-CUBA 
EXTRADITION TREATY WAS SUSPENDED FOLLOWING THE BREAK IN 
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS IN 1961.  HOWEVER, DURING A 
CONVERSATION WITH GOC OFFICIALS FOLLOWING 9/11 WHEN GOC 
COOPERATION WAS SOUGHT, PO SUGGESTED THAT CUBA RELEASE INTO 
U.S. CUSTODY FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE RESIDENT IN CUBA. 
 
E) CUBAN AFFINITY WITH AND SYMPATHY FOR COUNTRIES, GROUPS 
AND INDIVIDUALS WHO PURPORT TO ADVOCATE INTERESTS 
ANTITHETICAL TO THE UNITED STATES COULD IMPEDE CUBAN 
GOVERNMENT PROSECUTION OF TERRORISTS, AND EXTRADITION COULD 
BE IMPEDED BY THE LACK OF A FUNCTIONING EXTRADITION TREATY. 
NEVERTHELESS, USINT IS AWARE OF NO INSTANCE IN 2001 IN 
WHICH THIS OCCURRED. 
 
F) PUBLIC STATEMENTS FROM THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT IN RESPONSE 
TO 9/11 BEGAN WITH AN INITIAL MESSAGE OF SYMPATHY AND 
STEADILY DETERIORATED.  (REF C)  HOWEVER, EVEN IN THE FIRST 
MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCE, THE NOTION THAT CUBA HAS BEEN A 
VICTIM OF TERRORIST ATTACKS PERPETRATED BY INDIVIDUALS 
RESIDING IN THE UNITED STATES WAS UNDERSCORED.  THE GOC 
HELD A MASSIVE DEMONSTRATION IN LATE SEPTEMBER PROTESTING 
THE 1976 DOWNING OF A CUBANA AIRLINER BY ALLEGED TERRORISTS 
ORLANDO BOSCH AND LUIS POSADA CARRILES, AT WHICH CASTRO 
UNVEILED HIS NEW MANTRA, "NO TO TERRORISM, NO TO WAR." (REF 
B)  THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY TWO MONTHS OF HIGHLY CRITICAL 
MEDIA REPORTING ON THE `MURDEROUS' WAR WAGED BY THE U.S. ON 
AFGHAN CHILDREN. (REF D)  GOC OFFICIALS PRIVATELY MADE 
MINIMAL EFFORTS TO COOPERATE WITH POST EFFORTS TO COLLECT 
INFORMATION ON THE ATTACKS, ALTHOUGH GOC OFFICIALS, 
INCLUDING THE FOREIGN MINISTER, REPORTED PUBLICLY THAT THEY 
HAD COOPERATED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT POSSIBLE. (REF E) 
 
G) THE GOC PARROTED ITS THEME "NO TO TERRORISM, NO TO WAR" 
AT BOTH THE UNGA AND THE IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT.  CUBA 
SIGNED THE IBERO-AMERICAN DECLARATION ON TERRORISM AT THIS 
YEAR'S IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT - A DEPARTURE FROM ITS 
ATTITUDE DURING THE PREVIOUS SUMMIT, WHEN IT REFUSED TO 
SIGN A SIMILAR DECLARATION BECAUSE IT DID NOT INCLUDE 
SPECIFIC LANGUAGE CENSURING TERRORISM AGAINST CUBA.  CUBA 
HAS SIGNED AND RATIFIED ALL 12 INTERNATIONAL 
COUNTERTERRORISM CONVENTIONS. 
 
H) CUBA PERMITS UP TO 20 MEMBERS OF ETA TO RESIDE IN CUBA, 
AND PROVIDES SOME DEGREE OF SAFEHAVEN AND SUPPORT TO 
MEMBERS OF THE COLOMBIAN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS FARC AND 
ELN.  THE GOVERNMENT OF COLOMBIA IS AWARE OF THIS 
ARRANGEMENT AND, TO POST'S KNOWLEDGE, DOES NOT OBJECT.  A 
GOC SPOKESPERSON REVEALED IN AUGUST THAT SINN FEIN'S 
OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CUBA AND LATIN AMERICA, NIALL 
CONNOLLY, WHO WAS ARRESTED IN COLOMBIA UNDER SUSPICION OF 
TRAINING COLOMBIAN REBELS IN THE USE OF EXPLOSIVES, WAS 
BASED IN HAVANA FOR FIVE YEARS. 
 
I) CUBAN PRESIDENT CASTRO AND VISITED IRAN, SYRIA AND LIBYA 
IN MAY 2001.  CASTRO WAS QUOTED AS SAYING "IRAN AND CUBA, 
IN COOPERATION WITH EACH OTHER CAN BRING AMERICA TO ITS 
KNEES.  THE U.S. REGIME IS VERY WEAK, AND WE ARE WITNESSING 
THIS WEAKNESS FROM CLOSE UP." 
 
J) THERE HAS BEEN NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE CUBAN 
GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE TOWARD INTERNATIONAL OR DOMESTIC 
TERRORISM IN 2001, OTHER THAN POST 9/11 COMMENTS NOTED 
ABOVE. 
 
K) THERE HAS BEEN MINIMAL COOPERATION FOLLOWING THE EVENTS 
OF 9/11, ALTHOUGH THE GOC AGREED TO INCREASE SECURITY 
AROUND USINT.  THEY BY PROVIDED INFORMATION FOLLOWING 9/11, 
BUT IT PROVED TO BE NOTHING OF VALUE. 
 
L) SHORT OF POST 9/11 COMMUNICATIONS REPORTED IN REFTELS, 
POST IS NOT AWARE OF ANY U.S. REQUESTS FOR COOPERATION FROM 
THE GOC DURING THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS IN THE INVESTIGATION 
OR PROSECUTION OF AN ACT OF INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM AGAINST 
U.S. CITIZENS OR INTERESTS. 
 
M) AS THERE HAVE BEEN NO U.S. REQUESTS FOR COOPERATION FROM 
THE GOC IN THE PREVIOUS FIVE YEARS, POST HAS NO INFORMATION 
THAT WOULD BE RELEVANT TO THIS SUB-SECTION. 
 
 
NIGRO