Cuban Coast Guard Tries to Break Blockade.
U.S. Navy Sinks Three Cuban Gunboats.
Washington, DC. USA (ZWN)- (AP)

ZWN Senior Correspondent: Jack Duffy
Posted: July 28, 2007

The White House confirmed this afternoon, the sinking of three Cuban Coast Guard gunboats yesterday morning by elements of the United States navy in the waters surrounding the “Necro-Mortosis” infected mainland of Cuba.

According to White House Press Secretary, Tony Snow, “At least 12 Cuban light gun boats attempted to circumnavigate the American and Mexican navies’ blockade in an attempt to either escape the island, or to draw our forces out of position, thereby allowing other vessels to pass through.

At 5:45 am, EDT Coast Guard helecopters from Air Station Miami increased surveillance patrols of the area south of Key West

“At 7:30 am, EDT, the Presidents of the United States authorized their navy under the command of the United States Coast Guard's Seventh District, Rear Admiral Leonard L. Shaffer, USCG to use deadly force to enforce the quarantine of the island, and prevent the “Necro-Mortosis” virus from spreading to the North American mainland

Snow had no comment on whether any of the Cuban sailors tested positive for the Mortosis virus, or when, or if, they will be returned to the Cuban mainland.

Concern:
President Putin of Russia has voiced concern that the USA is out reaching it's jurisdiction by imposing a quarantine around Cuba. "This should be an international operation conducted by UN Peacekeeper forces. They are already in the region of Haiti and could simply expand their operation to include Cuba. I have to question America's motives."

A proposed 'exclusion and quarantine zone' of a 12 mile radius around Cuba is to be a major topic of discussion next week when U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meet with UN Officials .One UN official (who spoke on the condition of anonymity) said the Bush administration is mindful that the US must maintain its "qualitative edge" in the region.

Coast Guard Headquarters officials met with representatives of agencies on the National Security Council, and Department of Homeland Security which included personnel from the Department of State, Justice and Treasury at the White House, to review U.S. policy.

The Cuban government issued a protest to the United Nations claiming their Coast Guard vessels were “protecting the Cuban people’s rights under the ‘Freedom of the Seas’ convention of the United Nations Charter,” against “the illegal and unauthorized blockade of the Cuba by the United States, Britain, and Mexico.”

Tensions escalating:
Yesterday’s events are further escalating the tensions surrounding the growing armada of Cubans taking to the sea in an effort to escape the Mortosis outbreak on their island. Hundreds of boats, ranging from fishing boats, and pleasure craft, to makeshift rafts are filling the coastal waters of Cuba, and the number is growing every day.

Unconfirmed reports from sailors and private aircraft owners claiming to have flown near the area, report many of these vessels are “zombie boats,” with no living survivors on board.

Boats filled with 'undead':
This poses a problem for both Cuba and its neighbors, says Clyde Vickers, an infectious disease expert out of the University of Miami. “If many of these boats are in fact, undead carrying boats, the Cubans are going to want them floating further out to sea. They are already struggling against a major outbreak, and the last thing they need is to worry about these boats full of Undead floating into shore at unpredictable locations. Another consideration is if there are thousands of people trying to flee the island that can’t, they are going to return to shore and possibly cause civil unrest.

“This very well might have been an attempt by the Cuban government to either test the response time and rules of engagement of the blockade navies, or open up a passage for some of these civilian craft to escape into the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Florida is only 90 miles to the north, and Cancun, Mexico about 100 to the west. It does not take much time or space for these small vessels to slip through and reach these locations. However, it could also be nothing. There are many reports about breakdowns in the discipline of the Cuban armed forces. So, this might also have been a renegade group of Coast Guard sailors just trying to escape the island.”

Congressional leaders from both parties voiced support for the President’s decision and the continuation of the blockade. Gina Boyle, a political analyst from Brown University says, “The politicians know next year is an election year, and right now, nobody wants to be seen as soft on “Necro-Mortosis.”

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