diamond geezer
Apr 4, 2004, 07:14 PM
TOP Bush administration diplomat has renewed and refined charges that Cuba is a "terrorist and (biological weapons) threat to the United States" amid the ongoing US war on terror, and as the US presidential election looms.
John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, told Congress in written testimony yesterday that the island "remains a terrorist and (biological weapons) threat to the United States".
"I believe the case for the existence of a developmental Cuba (biological weapons research and development) effort is strong," Bolton said.
Bolton's charge came as part of a 25-page written statement on the development and spread of nuclear, chemical and biological arms, despite the fact the Bush administration gently backed away from the same allegations after Bolton made them in May 2002 and did not offer evidence.
For Wayne Smith, who was the top US diplomat in Havana during president Jimmy Carter's administration: "There's no evidence whatever.
"It's more WMD. You say they have this, and there's no evidence they do, but you say it anyway," Smith said, referring to the Iraq war.
"I would say all of that is quite absurd," Smith said.
In addition to the independent Centre for Defence Information which visited Havana "others have travelled down, been through the biotech industry and no one finds any evidence at all that the Cubans are developing a bioweapons system or even preparing to do such a thing", he said.
"Cuba does have a biotech industry that produces medicines and vaccines and its true that if you have that sort of infrastructure (potential exists yet) any country with the capacity to manufacture aspirin would have that capability," Smith stressed.
Havana is fiercely proud of its biotech industry's development of vaccines and medicines that are more affordable for developing countries.
link (http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1274&storyid=1132851)
It all sounds rather familiar. Accusations with zero proof.
John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, told Congress in written testimony yesterday that the island "remains a terrorist and (biological weapons) threat to the United States".
"I believe the case for the existence of a developmental Cuba (biological weapons research and development) effort is strong," Bolton said.
Bolton's charge came as part of a 25-page written statement on the development and spread of nuclear, chemical and biological arms, despite the fact the Bush administration gently backed away from the same allegations after Bolton made them in May 2002 and did not offer evidence.
For Wayne Smith, who was the top US diplomat in Havana during president Jimmy Carter's administration: "There's no evidence whatever.
"It's more WMD. You say they have this, and there's no evidence they do, but you say it anyway," Smith said, referring to the Iraq war.
"I would say all of that is quite absurd," Smith said.
In addition to the independent Centre for Defence Information which visited Havana "others have travelled down, been through the biotech industry and no one finds any evidence at all that the Cubans are developing a bioweapons system or even preparing to do such a thing", he said.
"Cuba does have a biotech industry that produces medicines and vaccines and its true that if you have that sort of infrastructure (potential exists yet) any country with the capacity to manufacture aspirin would have that capability," Smith stressed.
Havana is fiercely proud of its biotech industry's development of vaccines and medicines that are more affordable for developing countries.
link (http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1274&storyid=1132851)
It all sounds rather familiar. Accusations with zero proof.
