Cuba's Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque denied a charge by Washington's top diplomat for Latin America that Havana is developing biological weapons.

Responding to the allegation Thursday by Otto Reich, a Cuban-born US diplomat now assistant secretary of state in the bureau of western hemisphere affairs, Perez Roque demanded Washington back up its allegations, and told reporters Cuba's research facilities were open to visiting scientists.

"These statements can be called bald-faced lies," said Perez Roque, who said Havana does not produce weapons of mass destruction and noted its biotech facilities "are visited systematically by specialists from other countries, including the United States."

Reich said Thursday Cuba has at least a limited offensive biological weapons research and development program.

Perez Roque said his denial was "categorical," and challenged Reich to "put up some proof of it, a bit of evidence, the slightest bit of proof."

In May, Havana and Washington -- which do not maintain full diplomatic relations -- slid into a diplomatic huffing match after US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton, said May 6 "the US believes Cuba has at least a limited offensive biological warfare research and development effort. Cuba has provided dual-use biotechnology to other rogue states."

A week later President Fidel Castro offered visiting former US president Jimmy Carter "free and complete access" to personally inspect Cuba's scientific research centers with experts of his choosing to help refute the US government charge that Havana was producing biological weapons. Castro did not take up Castro's offer.

But Carter on May 13 strongly suggested US President George W. Bush's administration sought to complicate the context of his landmark visit to Cuba by charging Havana developed and exported biological arms, after telling him there was no evidence to back any such claims.

Cuba has aggressively challenged the charge of involvement in bioterror. Castro has called them "Olympic-sized lies."

Havana, which the US State Department lists as a state sponsor of terrorism, is fiercely proud of what it sees as the humanitarian component of its biotech center's development of vaccines and medicines that are more affordable for developing countries.

On June 5, another senior US official softened Bolton's charge that Cuba was developing and exporting biological arms, saying Washington did not have evidence Havana had a full-fledged weapons "program."

"We never tried to suggest we had a smoking gun," Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Carl Ford conceded in testimony before Congress.

The United States and Cuba do not have full diplomatic ties, and Bush has kept his rhetoric harsh against neighboring Cuba, the only communist-ruled country in the Americas.

Elections are looming November 5, and the president's brother, Governor Jeb Bush, is seeking reelection in the state of Florida, which has the largest concentration of anti-Castro Cuban-Americans.

Copyright 2002 AFP

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