[NYTr] Excerpt from the US GAO's  Report on Travel to Cuba
 
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:42:48 -0600 (CST)


Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
See earlier reports here - Dec 19, 2007

"GAO Report: US Agents Obsessed with Cuba Travelers 
Over Real Security Needs"
http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/Week-of-Mon-20071217/073220.html

sent by Bob Guild via Jane Franklin - Dec 20, 2007

The full report is available from the US Government Accountability
Office (96 pages as a pdf): http://www.gao.gov/ 

Economic Sanctions:

Agencies Face Competing Priorites in Enforcing the US Embargo on Cuba

U.S. Government Accountability Office
Report to Congressional Requesters

Released December 19, 2007

Excerpt:

"Several U.S. organizations have engaged in acts of civil disobedience
against the embargo, such as refusing to apply for licenses for religious
travel or humanitarian exports to Cuba, claiming that in their view the U.S.
embargo violates protected constitutional, human, or religious rights (note
below). Agency officials told us that before 2005, they had unilaterally
issued licenses to at least one of these groups to deliver humanitarian
exports to Cuba and that *the decision in 2005 to enforce the restrictions
against these groups strictly created an enforcement and public relations
dilemna.*

One group, Pastors for Peace, for example, reports having organized and
conducted 18 unauthorized "friendship caravans" to Cuba since 1992
See http://www.pastorsforpeace.org

Another group, the Venceremos ("we shall overcome") Brigade, reports
that over the past 35 years, it has organized unauthorized travel to
Cuba for more than 8,000 people from the United States. See
http://www.venceremosbrigade.org
                                 *
=================================================================
 NY Transfer News Collective     *    A Service of Blythe Systems
           Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us
            Our main website:   http://www.blythe.org
   List Archives:       http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/
   Subscribe:     http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr
=================================================================