VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUB #0207/01 0972005
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 072005Z APR 09
FM USINT HAVANA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4294

UNCLAS HAVANA 000207 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL OREP PGOV CU
SUBJECT: CODEL LEE VISIT TO CUBA 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  A CODEL led by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) visited 
Cuba April 3 - 7.  The CODEL met with GOC officials including 
former President Fidel Castro, President Raul Castro, Foreign 
Minister Bruno Rodriguez, National Assembly President Ricardo 
Alarcon, and with the wives of the 5 Cuban agents currently 
incarcerated in the U.S.  The CODEL also visited a 
bio-medical production center, the Latin American Medical 
School, and several churches on Palm Sunday.  The delegation 
met with senior USINT staff at the beginning of the trip, and 
came to the Section for a "meet and greet" session with US 
and Cuban employees.  The CODEL's focus was on improving 
bilateral relations between the U.S. and Cuba.  President 
Raul Castro told the delegation that he favored bilateral 
talks without preconditions and that nothing would be off the 
table. End Summary. 
 
¶2.  A congressional delegation led by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) 
and including  Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver 
(D-MO), Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH), 
Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA), and Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) 
visited Cuba from April 3 until April 7.  Due to an illness 
in his family, Rep Honda was forced to depart on April 5. 
Ellen Bernstein of the U.S. NGO Pastors for Peace accompanied 
the CODEL on most of its appointments. 
 
¶3.  During the visit, the CODEL participated in meetings with 
Cuban government officials including National Assembly 
President Ricardo Alarcon, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, 
Minister of Foreign Trade Rodrigo Malmierca, and Pedro 
Alvarez of ALIMPORT, the food importation parastatal.  The 
delegation also met with wives and other family members of 
the five Cuban intelligence agents currently imprisoned in 
the U.S.  Delegation members took part in a ceremony at the 
Martin Luther King Center in Havana and split up to attend, 
and in some case speak at, several different church services 
on Palm Sunday.  They also visited a bio-medical production 
facility and the Latin American Medical School (ELAM) to meet 
with U.S. students.  All of these meetings were arranged by 
the GOC without USINT participation.  At our request, the 
CODEL also came to the Interests Section on April 6 for a 
"meet and greet" session with US and Cuban employees.  There 
was no formal agenda for the "meet and greet," so the Members 
were able to mingle and converse with many Section staff. 
Following the "meet and greet," the CODEL went with the COM 
to his office and had a chance to see USINT's Billboard close 
up. 
 
¶4.  In addition to the scheduled events, the delegation had a 
four and a half hour meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro 
on April 6, and a meeting with former President Fidel Castro 
on April 7. 
 
¶5. The CODEL's visit opened with a discussion on US-Cuba 
relations with senior USINT staff on April 3.  Rep. Lee 
defined the goal of the delegation as trying to open channels 
of communication between the two governments.  COM noted that 
USINT has attempted to communicate with the GOC at several 
levels but has not gotten a response.  Rep. Lee and the other 
members of the delegation promised to raise that issue in 
their contacts with Cuban officials.  COM also requested that 
the CODEL raise the specific issue of exit visas for Cuban 
students selected to receive scholarships in the U.S., 
recalling that the USG facilitates the travel to Cuba of U.S. 
students who benefit from the GOC's scholarship program. 
Rep.  Lee reported in her outbrief with COM that she had 
raised this issue on several occasions. 
 
¶6.  Although not fixed on the original schedule, the April 6 
meeting with President Raul Castro occupied the largest block 
of time.  CODEL comments on the meeting matched those 
reported in the Cuban and international press.  Raul Castro 
told the CODEL he was willing to sit down with the U.S. 
without preconditions as long as Cuban sovereignty is 
respected.  He said that no topic for discussion is off the 
table.  Rep. Lee reported that CODEL members suggested 
several possibly controversial subjects and Castro simply 
repeated that nothing was off of the table.  The meeting with 
former President Fidel Castro took place after the CODEL had 
already departed for its last appointment (at the ELAM) en 
route to the airport.  Therefore, post has no information on 
what was discussed. 
 
¶7.  CODEL members reported that their GOC interlocutors 
repeated the same talking points at each meeting. These were: 
that the U.S. should lift the embargo, that it should provide 
visas to all of the spouses of the five agents, and that the 
USINT billboard is an impediment to better relations.  CUBINT 
chief Bolanos took part in the meeting between the CODEL and 
President Raul Castro and complained about travel 
restrictions limiting his staff to DC (sic).  Since COM had 
told the CODEL that we had proposed lifting the restrictions 
mutually several months ago, Rep. Lee said she thought that 
working with the restrictions on the respective interests 
sections might be some low hanging fruit for improved 
relations. 
 
¶8.  The CODEL made itself available to the press each morning 
and had a large press conference on April 7.  As a result, 
the visit was covered extensively in both the Cuban and 
international press. 
 
¶9.  The CODEL did not clear this message before departure. 
 
 
 
FARRAR