U.S. Orders 3 Cuban Diplomats Expelled

The United States on Wednesday ordered three Cuban diplomats at the United Nations to pack their bags and leave the country “for activities incompatible with their status as members of a U.N. mission,” a diplomatic euphemism for spying.

The expulsions, which must be carried out by 5 p.m. EST Monday, were ordered because of activities that amounted to “violations of U.S. laws and endangerment of our national security interests,” State Department spokesman James P. Rubin said in a statement.

Rubin said that “this action was taken as a result of evidence developed during an exhaustive investigation by the FBI.” But he offered no details.

Both the Associated Press and Reuters, however, reported that the diplomats under expulsion had some connection with 10 Cubans arrested in Miami two months ago on charges that they had tried to infiltrate anti-communist Cuban exile groups and to spy on U.S. military bases for Cuba.

Two Cuban American congressmen from Florida, both Republicans, insisted that the expulsions dealt only with the tip of the iceberg and demanded that the Clinton administration do more to battle Cuban Communist leader Fidel Castro.

“We are optimistic we have not seen the last of these arrests or expulsions . . . ,” said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. “It is high time the administration finally stopped looking the other way, which is what they’ve been doing for years, and start really looking into this information.”

“It is to be hoped,” said Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, “that the FBI will continue its very serious work and that the United States will not only continue to expel Castro’s spies but will bring to justice the Cuban dictator.”

Rubin said that five members of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations had actually engaged in the “incompatible” activities but that two had already left the country on their own.

A U.N. spokesman said that the U.S. mission had notified the Cuban delegation on Monday that three members of the Cuban mission had engaged in conduct outside their official capacity. The Cubans were given 24 hours to explain these activities but failed to do so.

The United States has no official diplomatic relations with Cuba but maintains a staff as part of the Swiss Embassy in Havana, which acts as an intermediary on diplomatic issues. Cuba could retaliate by expelling some of them.

Cuban diplomats serve in New York as part of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations. The U.S. government, as the host nation for the international agency, has pledged to allow diplomats536870913from all member states to enter the country, even from nations, such as Cuba and Iraq, that lack diplomatic relations with the United States.

“The United States takes its host country responsibilities for the United Nations seriously,” said Rubin. But, he went on, “under the U.N. headquarters agreement, the U.S. has the right to require the departure of individuals who have engaged in activities constituting an abuse of the536870912privilege of residence in the United States.”

In Havana, Cuban Foreign Ministry officials said they were aware of the expulsions but had no immediate comment, Reuters reported.

Cuba’s tightly controlled state media carried no immediate reports on the ordering out of the Cuban diplomats, so most Cubans were unaware of the news.

Times staff writer John J. Goldman at the United Nations contributed to this story.