@ Pedrito

die Fakten in der Reportage haben im wesentlichen gestimmt, ich persönlich habe auch das sehr informative Buch der interviewten amerikanischen Journalistin Ann Louise Bardach "Cuba Confidential" gelesen. (die sich übrigens jahrelange gerichtliche Auseinandersetzungen mit Jore Mas Canosa und dem CANF geliefert hat)

Leider war die Darstellung der Fakten sehr selektiv, die Story Line: "Kubanische Kapitalistenfamilie Bacardi möchte mit Terroraktionen des CIA Fidel Castro und sein Regime stürzen", ist heute so nicht mehr nachvollziehbar.

Es ist aber zweifellos richtig, dass in den 60er Jahren mehrere, grossenteils dilettantische Terroraktionen gegen Kuba unternommen worden, größtenteils von den Miami-Exilanten finanziert und ausgeführt, mit und ohne Wissen der CIA.

Dies wurde aber alles schon aufgearbeitet etwa in einer Dissertation der University von Texas: "Cuban Exiles and Cuban Americans" von María Christina García aus dem Jahre 1991.

Das Terrorregime Castros mit diesen alten Kamellen zu rechtfertigen, halte ich allerdings für nicht angemessen.

Hier ein Schmankerl für unsere Fidelfreunde, Neues von der Bacardi-Saga:

In Antwort auf:

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House Majority Leader Tom DeLay & Cuba; The Bacardi Connection

I was puzzled by an argument about trademarks in Congress. Tim Ashby sends me this Cox News Service item (10/24/03) which may explain it:

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's behind-the-scenes attempt to help rum maker Bacardi-Martini fend off Cuban competition is drawing fire on Capitol Hill. Last week, four House Judiciary Committee members formally protested after an article in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported that DeLay planned to slip an amendment revising U.S. trademark statutes into the annual defense authorization bill. Watchdog groups and business interests also have objected to the Texas Republican's efforts. The amendment had not been properly ''vetted'' by their panel, which is supposed to oversee trademark law, said the letter signed by the Judiciary Committee objectors.

DeLay's effort is not the first attempt to help the Bermuda-based company run by a politically plugged-in Cuban exile family. Bacardi's Miami-based U.S. division has donated generously to both political parties for the past several years. The rum company won a major Capitol Hill victory in 1998, when then Sen. Connie Mack, R-Fla., inserted an obscure amendment, known as Section 211, into a catch-all spending bill 4,000 pages long. Months later it became apparent that the language cleared the way for Bacardi to win its lengthy court battle for the U.S. rights to one of the world's oldest rum labels, Havana Club. The label is also claimed by Pernod-Ricard, a French company that sells rum by that name in partnership with the Cuban government.

The legislation denies U.S. protection to foreign trademarks when government confiscation is involved. France complained to the World Trade Organization, which ruled that the United States has violated treaty obligations to protect copyrights. DeLay is seeking to insert new language to bring the statute into technical compliance with the WTO ruling. Several major corporations, including Dupont, Ford and General Motors, have joined in asking Congress to repeal Section 211 altogether to avoid possible retaliation by Cuba's President Fidel Castro against their own trademarks.

Also objecting is a liberal group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, whose director, Melanie Sloan, links Bacardi's success in Congress to its campaign donations. The company has spread more than $650,000 to political party committees since 1997. Bacardi has also been one of DeLay's top benefactors, giving a total of $40,000 to political action committees that he founded. DeLay's spokesman Jonathan Grella responded that "It's wrong and unethical to link legislative activity to campaign contributions.'' A spokeswoman for Bacardi was unavailable for comment".

RH:
This is one more example of how the US political system is corrupted by money.

Ronald Hilton - 11.07.03

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