Source reveals that U.S. government pressured to prevent the NY Philharmonic concert

From Cubadebate. Revised and translated by Walter Lippmann

From the Editor (Progreso Weekly): It is shameful that Democratic Party Senator Bob Menendez (from New Jersey) use the fight to reform health care, awaited anxiously by millions of Americans, as hostage in order to get his way for his many money-backers in Miami. We also believe shameful that the Obama Administration concede to this political blackmail in favor of a very narrow Cuban exile agenda — especially when one considers that what is in play is of utter importance to this country and its people.

Edmundo Garcia, host of the radio program (in Spanish) “La Tarde Se Mueve” in Miami, revealed that a recognized source in the city told him that the Treasury Department denied visas to the sponsors of the New York Philharmonic under pressure from New Jersey Cuban-American Senator Bob Menendez.

“The reason for the decision of OFAC’s denial of visas to the Philharmonic was a political blackmail by Senator Bob Menendez,” said the source, who preferred anonymity because there is such a hostile environment against Cuba in Miami, where there were recent incidents against the concert organized by Juanes in Havana.

Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey is the son of Cuban immigrants and chairman of the Committee in charge of the election of Democrats to the Senate. He has been associated with the anti-Cuban causes in the United States together with republicans Lincoln Diaz Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. He has come under investigation in the past for charges of corruption.

“The Cuban-American senator was amazed at the success of the Juanes concert and did not want this to happen again,” the source told Garcia.

The unidentified source also revealed that the U.S. administration favors “holding off the concert until after they pass health legislation, which has become a pitched battle between Democrats and Republicans.

Menendez, who has a strong influence within the Democratic Party, has put pressure on the White House to stop Obama’s Cuba-friendly measures. He was responsible for the February delay of the Serrano Bill on family trips and relaxation of the rules for sales of agricultural products to Cuba, which caused a delay in approving the 2009 Federal Budget.