Cuba May Have Bio Warfare Program
By GEORGE GEDDA
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (May 6) - The Bush administration believes Cuba is trying to develop biological weapons and transferring its technical expertise to countries hostile to the United States.
Undersecretary of State John Bolton's accusation Monday marked the first time the United States raised the possibility of Cuban involvement in weapons of mass destruction. He said transfers to what he described as ''rogue states'' involve biotechnology that can have legitimate uses as well.
Bolton, the State Department's top official dealing with proliferation of mass-destruction weapons, spoke to a gathering at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research group.
The allegations appeared to add to the administration's rationale for keeping Cuba on State's list of countries accused of engaging in international terrorism.
Bolton said the administration believes a definite link exists between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., a leading congressional opponent of the President Fidel Castro's government in Cuba, praised Bolton for the speech. ''It's about time that those who continue to defend Castro realize that they are defending a terrorist,'' he said.
An administration official said U.S. intelligence officials have known for some time about Cuba's secret program but withheld the information to protect its sources. Bolton believed the information was too important not to be made public, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.