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JAMAICA'S prime minister spoke out in August against an attempt by a Florida congresswoman to block the Caribbean community from inviting Cuba into its economic fold.
Prime Minister P.J. Patterson, who also is chairman of the Caribbean Community economic group, or Caricom, spoke at a midtown New York luncheon as the latest Caribbean leader expressing dismay about the actions of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fl.
Almost two weeks ago, Ros-Lehtinen outraged a number of Caribbean ambassadors by inviting them to a breakfast, and then passing out a letter msaying legislation she introduced the night before would punish their countries if they engaged Cuba as an economic partner.
"My bill sort of captured the attention of those folks in the Caribbean islands," Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the House subcommittee on International Economic Policy and Trade, said Tuesday in a telephone interview from Miami.
While some Caribbean leaders already expressed their displeasure with the congresswoman, Caricom is still two days away from formally replying, Patterson said in speaking before a group of U.S.-based Caribbean journalists hosted by the National Minority Business Council.
Patterson said there are no policy differences between the United States and Caricom nations concerning democracy, human rights or economic stability.
But there is a difference in their approaches to Cuba; the United States has a long-standing economic embargo against Cuba while the Caricom nations have been talking with Fidel Castro for several months about having their fellow Caribbean nation join the trade bloc.
"Cuba is a Caribbean nation. It is part of the Western hemisphere. We did not make Cuba a Caribbean nation," Patterson said. "We as Caricom countries are determined ... to deal with Cuba."
But Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Cuba, introduced legislation late on July 30 that would withdraw tariff agreements and withhold assistance other than humanitarian from any Caribbean nation that advocated, voted for or negotiated Cuba's entry into two Caribbean economic groups, Caricom and the
Ros-Lehtinen said that if Cuba were to join these groups, it would indirectly receive benefits from the United States by circumventing the embargo under the groups' economic umbrella.
Caricom could feel free to enroll Cuba, or if "Mussolini were still around, they would be free to invite him," the Florida congresswoman said, but "they certainly don't have to accept any U.S. taxpayer dollars."
"They should not invite a communist country like Cuba," she said. "It expresses their independence from the United States. I think that's what this does for a lot of these countries."
The Jamaican prime minister also said that the Caricom nations are trying to more fully engage the United States because of ongoing mutual concerns like drugs, gun-smuggling, immigration and "NAFTA parity," which would enable their goods and manufacturers to more freely cross borders.
"I can't say that the approach by the congresswoman is helpful," Patterson said.