A U.S. Offer and a Cuban Counter-Proposal

On November 3rd and 4th, Central America and the Caribbean were hit by Hurricane Michelle, the second devastating hurricane in three years. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused 6000 deaths and over $6 billion U.S. in damages throughout the region. Among the countries most affected and still struggling to recover from its effects were Honduras, Haiti, Guatemala and Nicaragua, some of the poorest countries in the world. The World Food Organization recently reported that nearly 70 million people in Latin America were already suffering from hunger. The destruction caused by this latest hurricane to crops and industry seriously worsens their already dire situation.

Hurricane Michelle was the worst natural disaster to hit Cuba in more than 50 years. The damage was extensive, although the measures taken by the entire country before the storm hit reduced the impact. More than 750,000 people were evacuated from their homes and the entire electrical system of the country was shut down in preparation. As a result of these and other measures, this storm resulted in the loss of only five lives instead of the large number of deaths that might otherwise have occurred.

Immediately after Michelle swept out of Cuba, repair brigades began their work with the aim of restoring all services and housing as soon as possible. This response is typical of the willingness of the Cuban people and all levels of government to work together to tackle the huge tasks that beset their nation.

On November 7th, the U.S. State Department made an offer of aid to Cuba, in the form of a team of specialists to evaluate the country's humanitarian needs. This marked the first time in more than 40 years that the U.S. has made such a gesture. Though White House spokesman Ari Fleischer qualified the offer by adding that any aid from the U.S. must not "benefit the Fidel Castro regime", Cuba thanked Washington for its concern and humanitarian gesture, noting its precedence, but respectfully declined, assuring them that Cuba is well equipped to carry out this work itself.

Cuba did state, however, that what would be helpful in these special circumstances would be for the U.S. to allow Cuban firms to buy food, medicines and raw materials from American companies to speed up the post-hurricane recovery. Cuba called on the U.S. government to authorize the transportation of these goods in Cuban merchant marine vessels for the sake of expediency and offered immediate payment in U.S. dollars or any convertible currency the U.S. wanted.

If the U.S. offer of humanitarian assistance is sincere and not just another propaganda ploy, it will accept the Cuban counter-proposal and sell Cuba the materials it requires.