MIAMI (AP) -- Attorney General Janet Reno reiterated her belief that 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez should be returned to Cuba, saying it is time for the boy to be "reunited with his father."
Reno commented Wednesday evening after meeting in Washington with a lawyer for Elian's father. She said the boy would be returned in an "orderly, fair and prompt" manner.However, Justice Department officials have said they want to avoid traumatizing the boy or provoking a confrontation with Miami's Cuban exile community.
The boy is with relatives here who want him to remain in the United States. Attorneys for Elian's great-uncle say they will take their battle to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.
"This (is) an extraordinary case that could reach the highest levels of our court system," attorney Kendall Coffey said. "I've never seen a more compelling or dramatic story in my life."
U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore this week essentially upheld the government's decision to send Elian back to Cuba by dismissing a lawsuit seeking an asylum hearing for the boy. The ruling has been appealed.
The case has become a tug-of-war between the Cuban government and U.S. family members who oppose the Cuban government's Communist ideology and want to raise the motherless boy.
On the web: INS home page: www.ins.usdoj.gov
Web site by son of Miami relatives' spokesman: libertyforelian.org
Coverage of Elian's case from the Cuban Communist Party newspaper, Granma: www.granma.cu/sitioelian/indexing.html