| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 19, 2008 |
CONTACT: CLARK G. REHME (202) 225-2276 |
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REPRESENTATIVE DAN BURTON RESPONDS TO THE RETIREMENT OF FIDEL CASTRO |
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| (Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congressman Dan Burton [R-IN-05] issued the following statement in response to Fidel Castro’s resignation as Cuba's president. Congressman Burton was an original sponsor of The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (Libertad) Act of 1996( also referred to as the Helms-Burton Act), a bill which strengthens and continues the United States embargo against Cuba and includes a wide variety of provisions intended to bring about a peaceful transition to a representative democracy and market economy in Cuba. The legislation was signed into law by President Clinton in 1996. Burton stated: “I really hope that the resignation of Fidel Castro will be the end of a long, sad chapter in Cuba’s history. I call upon the next leader of Cuba to give the Cuban people the freedom they have been denied for so long. Only at that point, can the U.S. and Cuba embark upon a new era of friendship and peace.” ### |
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