Cuba Calls US Screening Rules "Anti-Terrorist Paranoia

HAVANA (AFP)--Cuba's official newspaper Gramma said Monday that the new U.S. rules tightening security checks for airline passengers traveling from or through 14 countries, including Cuba, were the result of "anti-terrorist paranoia."

"As part of its anti-terrorist paranoia," the United States strengthened security measures at its airports and has imposed "tighter checks" on passengers from 14 countries, including Cuba and others it accuses of "supporting terrorism," the Communist Party's daily said.

"These desperate guidelines affect all airlines, U.S. or otherwise," Gramma added, noting they went into effect Monday.

The U.S. Transport Security Administration said the new measures would include random "enhanced" checks on all international passengers flying into U.S. airports, as well as compulsory stricter checks on those coming from or via 14 nations.

The countries targeted by the new measures include Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria, all U.S.-designated state sponsors of terrorism. It will also apply to passengers traveling from or via Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen, and Nigeria.

The New York Times and Washington Post quoted government officials as saying the other four countries were Algeria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

There are no regular flights between Cuba and the U.S., but four daily charter flights connect Havana with three U.S. cities, including Miami, Florida, where more than one million Cuban exiles and emigres reside.

The charter flights were increased to eight a day in late December, after U.S. President Barack Obama earlier in the year lifted some travel and remittance restrictions to Cuba.

Washington broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 and imposed an economic boycott on the island.

Both governments recently resumed negotiations on migration and postal exchange issues, but efforts to end the boycott are stymied by U.S. insistence that Cuba should change, while Havana suggests the U.S. do the same.

Source:wsj.com/