The issue arose in private talks Albright had with Prime Minister Basdeo Panday of Trinidad and Tobago on the eve of her meeting today with the foreign ministers of the members of the Caribbean Community, or Caricom, a close economic association of Caribbean states.
While details of the talks here on the island of Tobago were not disclosed, Panday told a news conference: "I don't think Cuba poses the kind of problem it did when there was a cold war. Caricom has taken the position that Cuba is a Caribbean state."
Asked if Caricom would accept Cuba as a member, the Trinidadian leader replied: "If Cuba applies, it will be con
sidered. We don't see Cuba as a problem." He said he sensed a softening of the American position on Cuba, adding quickly, "But there is the Cuban lobby." This was a reference to Cuban-American organizations that pressure the White House and Congress to maintain the trade embargo imposed on Cuba more than 35 years ago.
Pick almost any environmental topic, from urban pollution to deforestation, and Southeast Asia has a track record that is among the world's worst. The result eventually could derail the region's hope to achieve sustainable development and cause immeasurable global harm, ecologists say.
04-06-98
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