Senate votes to end Cuba ban
The United States Senate has voted in favour of lifting a 40-year-old ban on Americans travelling to Cuba.
In a major rebuff to President George W Bush, Senators voted 59 to 36 to bar the use of government money to enforce the travel restrictions.
The vote follows a similar move by the House of Representatives last month.
The White House has said Mr Bush will veto the bill if it is backed by Congress.
Both houses of Congress are, nonetheless, controlled by Mr Bush's own party, the Republicans.
Ban 'futile'
Senators called for the travel restrictions to be lifted, saying it made no sense to ban Americans from visiting Cuba while they were allowed to go to countries like North Korea.
Republican Senator Mike Enzi said: "For 40 years we've said 'sanctions', and for 40 years it hasn't worked," referring to the failure of the ban to unseat Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
But the White House said it was premature to lift the ban.
"The administration believes that it is essential to maintain sanctions and travel restrictions to deny economic resources to the brutal Castro regime," it said in a statement.
About 160,00 Americans visited Cuba legally last year, as members of groups with special dispensation or travelling via Canada and Mexico.
Cuba has said it expects about a million Americans to visit in the first year if the ban is lifted.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/3209555.stm
Published: 2003/10/23 21:00:57 GMT
© BBC MMIII
The United States Senate has voted in favour of lifting a 40-year-old ban on Americans travelling to Cuba.
In a major rebuff to President George W Bush, Senators voted 59 to 36 to bar the use of government money to enforce the travel restrictions.
The vote follows a similar move by the House of Representatives last month.
The White House has said Mr Bush will veto the bill if it is backed by Congress.
Both houses of Congress are, nonetheless, controlled by Mr Bush's own party, the Republicans.
Ban 'futile'
Senators called for the travel restrictions to be lifted, saying it made no sense to ban Americans from visiting Cuba while they were allowed to go to countries like North Korea.
Republican Senator Mike Enzi said: "For 40 years we've said 'sanctions', and for 40 years it hasn't worked," referring to the failure of the ban to unseat Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
But the White House said it was premature to lift the ban.
"The administration believes that it is essential to maintain sanctions and travel restrictions to deny economic resources to the brutal Castro regime," it said in a statement.
About 160,00 Americans visited Cuba legally last year, as members of groups with special dispensation or travelling via Canada and Mexico.
Cuba has said it expects about a million Americans to visit in the first year if the ban is lifted.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/3209555.stm
Published: 2003/10/23 21:00:57 GMT
© BBC MMIII
