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Lisa Valanti
President
US-CUBA Sister Cities Association, Inc.

Under this administration, and since 9/11, travel both to and from Cuba is becoming more regulated and complex. Since Cuba remains (despite every rational to remove it) on the list of 'terrorist nations,' travel to Cuba is further complicated under new regulations under the Patriot Act.

Instead of investigating 'real' terrorist threats, this administration has sworn to use unlimited resources for 'enforcement' to investigate and prosecute people traveling to Cuba without government authorization.

In their zeal to track U.S. citizens exercising their (still) constitutional right to travel, there is now a questionnaire some of you may be receiving regarding your sister city trip last February.

If you are the recipient of such an inquiry, it is important that you let us know and that our responses be uniform and under legal advice. This is not so much about you as an individual, as a new level of monitoring travel to Cuba.

No one (to my knowledge) has done anything that requires being investigated, and our congressional representatives and others concerned with individual privacy and civil liberties need to track this to determine if this is a few isolated incidents, or a more targeted investigation and respond appropriately. We need to make sure that our fellow citizens, employees of OFAC, in their eagerness to fulfill their job responsibilities are not taking liberties with our liberties, which could be 'politically' motivated. We also want to inquire from OFAC a disclosure to what use such information they collect will be used. No one needs to be added to any 'list' for going to Cuba. No matter how much some folks would like to make it otherwise, its not a crime.

The centerpiece of official US policy is promoting 'people-to-people' exchanges. There is no one within the US doing more than we are to build sustainable relations with the Cuban people. You can take pride in all of your efforts in such trying times. It sure will be great when we finally 'de-politicalize' this issue in the US, and Cuba is accepted as just another sovereign country with its own unique society and culture.

Lastly, our next USCSCA sister city gathering will again be held in Cuba, the first week of April 2003. Details will be forthcoming. We hope to see you there, and bring all the new recruits who share our desire to make friends, and build mutually beneficial relations with our Cuban neighbors.

On behalf of the USCSCA executive board,

Sincerely,

Lisa Valanti
President
US-CUBA Sister Cities Association, Inc.

This is VERY IMPORTANT regarding our upcoming USCSCA 2003 conference in Cuba -- please read and respond with your thoughts.

We have received confirmation on our USCSCA 2003 conference dates from Cuba -- April 1-5, 2003. If you look at your calendars that's a Tuesday thru Saturday.

We have to figure out how best to use all (or some) of those dates, as we need to connect them to provincial/city visits, either before, or after the main national conference. We welcome your input on this.

It is possible there will be a congressional break during that time. We urge you all to make TREMENDOUS efforts to bring officials from every level of government (or their aides) to see Cuba for themselves, and support more proactively, your efforts to build people-to-people relations.

Last year we had over 160 people officially representing 32 cities and 17 states. We'd like to have 300-500 people at our upcoming conference to demonstrate the GROUNDSWELL among diverse sectors (community, educational, health, religious, cultural, business, officials) who work within sister cities towards the normalization of relations.

Because USCSCA's U.S. (city council/mayors/legislature/governor's sister city/state) Cuban counterparts are likewise government officials, and our community hosts are therefore the provincial folks in international relations island wide, our conference, unlike other organizations, has the distinction of being in a special category -- thus we truly are treated (and expected to act) as 'citizen diplomats', and are requested to observe standard diplomatic protocol. As usual, only USCSCA sister city credentialed representatives will be allowed to participate in the Havana conference.

The USCSCA 2003 conference will be held where Cuba holds all of its official international conferences, the Convention Center in Havana, where simultaneous translation can be given. As part of our official status as an international conference, our people need to stay in the adjoining Palco Hotel, (or another designated hotel) during the actual conference, and not with friends or in homes, etc. This makes logistics easier for Cuba to provide buses for special (or difficult to schedule) events. This is very important, and a special request from Cuba.

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL EVENT, AND PARTICIPANTS MUST UNDERSTAND THEY ARE A PART OF A DELEGATION REPRESENTING THEIR CITY--AND OUR NATION, NOT THERE FOR THEIR INDIVIDUAL AGENDAS. (At least during the main few days of the conference part)

With the crackdown on travel and new and more restrictive license procedures, this conference presents more logistical complexities than usual. Thus we must be VERY professional in how we organize this conference -- which means each of you must be more proactive not only in bringing your own local delegation, but in helping facilitate the overall conference. We will be calling on many of you to help.

Without question, 9/11, and its continuing aftermath, has negatively impacted our work. People are coping with many new difficulties. Travel is harder. Yet we are called to show our strength, and demonstrate our sustained our commitment to our Cuban friends. We must not pause, and be perceived by more reactionary forces, as retreating. Never, has our presence, as citizen diplomats, been more important than it is for this upcoming conference.

These are fragile times for fragile relations. Relations seem deteriorating on official levels between the US and Cuba. The US despite all evidence, and despite the best efforts by Cuba, stubbornly continues to keep Cuba on the list of terrorist nations. The US also keeps making irresponsible and unsubstantiated claims that Cuba poses some sort of threat to our nation. There are also new restrictions on Cuban's getting visas to the US which will add months more delay to the process, and more complicated and invasive procedures and penalties for US citizens trying to go to Cuba, both licensed and unlicensed.

People-to-people exchanges are being caught in the crossfire. If the US actually attacks Iraq without provocation, international relations worldwide will suffer, and especially with Cuba, which supports mediation through the UN as essential in international conflict resolution.

So please understand how important an event this collectively is for all of us, and for Cuba, to stand together, united and solid behind our commitment to uncompromised people-to-people relationships. Now we are called to stand up and out, and step forward in this historical moment, no matter what obstacles and inconveniences impede the way.

Peggy Edwards, our board convener, will, as usual, take the lead on helping organize the actual logistics/program in Havana. But we will be having internal elections and adding to our board so that it will be more regionally representative this year also, which further complicates issues. Our executive committee is 'elected' by and from the board. Thus, we ask all board members to be present at next year's conference.

Last year we found we needed at least one whole day for US concerns and reportbacks. People want and need to tell about their local efforts. This year we need to schedule more time for that. We also invite people to make reports on their local efforts, which we can include in the informational packets each conference participant will receive.

Last year we visited the Latin American School of Medicine. The purpose behind that was to encourage sister cities to aid in the recruitment of US students for that program as part of their sister city program. I am unaware of many sister city groups taking up that challenge. We need to do that again.

Last year we also visited the School of Social Work, so that we could better understand Cuba's use of its own community in constructive problem solving, by engaging students to see for themselves the problems their neighbors were facing.

This year we might request several other trips -- like Cuba's response to HIV/AIDS, water treatment, etc. We are trying to encourage INSTITUTIONAL links-schools to school, hospital to hospital, etc. We would like sister cities to link with schools of the performing arts, sports, among others, as ongoing and sustained projects.

Lastly, our Cuban partners only work through official channels. Therefore we ask you to work with us, and have your local travel providers work through and with the assigned travel agents, etc.

We recommend you begin fund raising for this conference now. We will determine costs and rates as soon as possible.

We look forward to seeing you at our 2003 USCSCA Family Reunion in Havana.

On behalf of the USCSCA executive board,

Sincerely,

Lisa Valanti

President
US-CUBA Sister Cities Association, Inc.
National Office:

320 Lowenhill Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15216
412-563-1519
Fax: 412-563-1945

Email: USCSCA@aol.com

Website: www.USCSCA.org

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Mission Statement

"To foster sister city relationships and understanding through mutually beneficial exchanges between individuals, community groups, organizations, and institutions in the United States with counterparts in Cuba."

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