White House urges Cubans and exiles to stay put

By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Wednesday urged
Cubans on the communist-ruled island and exiles living in south
Florida not to begin a mass migration spurred by uncertainty
over Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s health problems.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators also sought swift
action on a bill to release up to $80 million to promote
democracy and human rights in Cuba, regardless of whether
Castro recovers from the intestinal surgery he underwent this
week.

Washington, which maintains a tight embargo on Cuba, has
long anticipated that Castro’s death could prompt a chaotic
flood from Miami of Cuban exiles crossing the narrow Straits of
Florida to visit or pick up relatives in their homeland and of
Cubans trying to reach the U.S. mainland.

There have been no signs of such movement in recent days.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said it was difficult to
assess the situation since Castro fell ill and temporarily
transferred power to his brother Raul earlier this week because
Cuba was a “closed society..”

“It’s also, however, important at this juncture to tell
people stay where you are. This is not a time for people to try
to be getting in the water and going either way,” Snow said.

“We’ve talked about the importance of eventually finding an
orderly and safe way for people to try to make transit between
the two places,” he added.

The departure of Castro from power has long been a goal of
U.S. policy, but the administration has been cautious since
word of the 79-year-old leader’s illness surfaced on Monday.

Snow said President George W. Bush wanted a “free and
democratic Cuba in the post-Castro era.”

Castro handed over power to his 75-year-old defense
minister brother after surgery to halt stomach bleeding.

As speculation swirled that his rule might be nearing an
end, the state-run newspaper Granma published a message from
Castro on Wednesday saying details of his health were secret
but that he was stable and in good spirits.

The legislation being pushed in the U.S. Senate would aid
dissidents, workers’ rights organizations, libraries,
journalists, doctors and economists and help promote human
rights reforms, the sponsors said.

Money could go directly to such groups as well as through
international bodies such as the Organization of American
States, senators and aides said.

Florida Republican Sen. Mel Martinez, who is Cuban-born,
said this bill would be a first step, and Congress could take
further action after its summer break.

Cuban officials have condemned U.S. planning for
post-Castro Cuba as a violation of international law.

(Additional reporting by Joanne Kenen and Vicki Allen)