November 29, 2001

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Bush:

We, the undersigned organizations, applaud the steps your Administration has taken to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Cuba caused by Hurricane Michelle. Michelle was the worst hurricane to hit Cuba in 50 years, killing 5 people, destroying thousands of homes, downing telephone and electricity lines, and wiping out citrus, coffee, and sugar crops. Last week, Administration officials announced that they would expedite the process for approving the Cuban government's request to purchase U.S. agricultural and medical products to restock warehouses after the hurricane, "given the humanitarian nature of the request."

We urge you to ensure that the approval process moves as quickly as possible, in order to respond to the immediate humanitarian needs in Cuba.

In particular, we hope that the inter-agency review process currently required for U.S.-Cuba food and medical sales will not unduly delay the approval process. The current regulations envision initial review within 10 days, but it is our understanding that similar sales to other countries under these regulations have taken significantly longer. When the formal license requests are submitted, we hope that approval could come within forty-eight hours.

It is our view that there ought not be restrictions on the sale of food and medicine to Cuba at all, and we hope the restrictions that currently exist will be ended in the near future. At a minimum, we support the language adopted recently by the Senate Agriculture Committee, which would end all restrictions on private financing of agricultural and medical sales. We hope the Administration will support this approach as well.

While those restrictions remain in force, we believe the Administration ought to act to minimize the difficulties that exist, and make sales possible where the Cuban government and U.S. companies have expressed interest. This is especially important in situations like the current one, where humanitarian concerns increase the urgency and the need.

We believe that humanitarian sales would benefit the Cuban people in a time of crisis, and help American farmers in a difficult economic moment. We hope these sales begin an ongoing and productive process of contact between Cuba and the United States.

Again, we commend this overture to the Cuban government, and we encourage the quickest possible approval of sales of agricultural and medical products to Cuba in response to Hurricane Michelle.

Sincerely,

Rev. Robert Edgar
Secretary General
National Council of Churches of
Christ of the United States

John McCullough
Executive Director
Church World Service

Rev.Clifton Kirkpatrick
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Rev. Luis R. Perez
Executive Director
Council for Hispanic Ministries
Reformed Church in America

Jose Ortiz
Executive Director
Mennonite Central Committee U.S.

Kathy Thornton, RSM
National Coordinator
NETWORK, A National Catholic
Social Justice Lobby

Richard Erstad
Director, Latin America
and Caribbean Region
American Friends Service Committee

Rebekah Helsel
Legislative Associate
Church of the Brethren Washington Office

Rev. Elenora Giddings-Ivory
Director, Washington Office
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Edward (Ned) W. Stowe
Legislative Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation

Raymond C. Offenheiser
President
Oxfam America

Alfredo Duran
President
Cuban Committee for Democracy

Canice Connors, OFM Conv
President
Catholic Conference of Major
Superiors of Men

Judy Cannon, RSM
Interim Executive Director
Leadership Conference of
Women Religious

David A. Vargas
Program Associate, Latin America
and the Caribbean
United Church of Christ/Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Dr. Valora Washington
Executive Director
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

Russell O. Siler, Director
Mark B. Brown, Assistant Director
Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

David A. Moczulski, OFM
Executive Director
Franciscan Washington Office
for Latin America

Gary Cozette
Executive Director
Chicago Religious Leadership Network
on Latin America

Wayne Smith
Senior Fellow
Center for International Policy

Silvia Wilhelm
Executive Director
Puentes Cubanos

Albert Fox
President
Alliance for Responsible Cuba Policy

Pamela Montanaro
Coordinator, Cuba Program
Global Exchange

Steven Bennett
Executive Director
Witness for Peace

Brian Alexander
Giraldia.com
Ralph Fine
Interim Director
Washington Office on Latin America

John McAuliff
Executive Director
Fund for Reconciliation and Development

Bob Schwartz
Executive Director
Disarm Education Fund

Alice Zachmann
Director
Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA

Cristina Espinel and Barbara Gerlach
Co-Chairs
Colombia Human Rights Committee

Quest for Peace/Quixote Center