Issuing a "powerful, unified message to Havana," President Clinton on Tuesday approved harsh new sanctions against Cuba for shooting two civilian planes from the skies over the Florida Straits.
Clinton signed legislation designed to choke off foreign investment in the communist nation as punishment for shooting down the unarmed planes Feb. 24. Four Cuban-Americans, activists with the exile group Brothers to the Rescue, were killed."The world received a harsh reminder of why a democratic Cuba is important not only to us, but to the people of Cuba," Clinton said. The sanctions, he said, "will send a powerful, unified message to Havana: The yearning of the people for freedom should not be denied."
Clinton signed the bill as Cuban-American voters streamed to the polls in Florida's presidential primary. He was surrounded by members of Congress and relatives of the four men who died.
"We're here today around a common commitment to bring democracy to Cuba," Clinton said. "In their memory, I will continue to do everything I can to help the tide of democracy that has swept our entire hemisphere finally, finally reach the shores of Cuba."
Within days of the incident, Clinton halted all charter flights between the United States and Cuba, added new restrictions to Cuban diplomats' U.S. travel and pledged to ask Congress to compensate the victims' families out of $100 million in frozen Cuban assets.
By approving the sanctions during a primary campaign, Clinton stood to gain new appreciation from Cuban exiles who generally vote Republican.
In addition to stricter sanctions, the Helms-Burton Act gives Cuban exiles the right to sue over property they lost during Fidel Castro's 37-year Communist rule. Anti-Castro feeling is strong among many Cuban exiles and immigrants in south Florida.
Also under the bill, foreign investors who deal in confiscated property are barred entry into the United States, and products made with Cuban sugar are banned.
In Havana, the sanctions were met with bitter headlines in Communist newspapers and taunting political cartoons.