March 2013 Havana Real Estate FROM PAGE 10


emerging. The term is a reference to transactions in which a Cuban citizen acquires a property – on paper – while a contract with a foreigner, usually outside the country, establishes a separate ownership agreement.


At present, these arrangements


are largely being carried out between Cuban citizens, who in January gained the right to travel abroad without an exit visa, and foreigners in Mexico, where prestanombres has a long tradition.


"For $10,000 USD, I'd be willing


to be a prestanombre for anyone," said Joaquin Bustamente, who recently visited the southern Mexican city of Merida. "As long as it's someone who wants an investment in a residential building, I don't have a problem with that."


At the same time, officials at


Cuba's consulate in Merida report "a substantial" increase in the number of Mexican citizens inquiring about residency requirements. "Suddenly,” noted one consular employee, “there's an increase in the number of Mexicans who want to go to Cuba to pursue their studies, as 'residents' in Havana."


From Exile to Investor This latest development, which


has further emboldened Cuba watchers, is also changing attitudes within Cuban exile communities where family ties to the island remain strong.


"I'd love to have a vacation house


in the Vedado, or a beachfront property in Mirarmar," said David, a long-time California resident whose wife is Cuban. David, who asked that his last name not be used, added he is hopeful that through his wife's family in Cuba he will be able to find an investment property.


Bustamente has other plans. He is


currently organizing a trip to Havana for a group of Mexicans and Cuban exiles under the euphemistically titled "Architectural Tours of Havana."


Those far-reaching entrepre-


neurial impulses are driven in part by economic limitations.


"Houses and family are in Cuba,


but the money is abroad,” Alexis Aguilar, a Cuban exile living in Spain, told reporters at the Spanish news


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


agency EFE. “For the majority of Cubans on the island, it's unreasonable to purchase a house on their salaries, [but] many people have relatives abroad who are willing to help them.”


Unless of course those relatives


live in the United States, where an ongoing embargo against Cuba can make money transfers that much more complicated.


“It's more difficult to send money


to purchase real estate," said David, who explained that funds intended for family in Cuba must first be wired to a bank in Mexico, and then authorized for a subsequent transfer to Cuba’s Banco Internacional, the only bank there authorized to receive U.S. dollars.


Pressure to End the Embargo On Feb. 20 the Cuba Study Group,


a Washington, DC-based think tank made up largely of members from the exile community, called for a repeal of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, which extended and strengthened the U.S. embargo.


Doing so, it argued, “would allow


the Executive Branch the flexibility to use the entire range of foreign policy tools at its disposal – including diplomatic, economic, political, legal and cultural – to incentivize change in Cuba.”


Carlos Saladrigas, the Group’s


chairman, put it more bluntly. “This failed policy has only isolated the United States from Cuba,” he said in a press release. “Worst of all, it is now stifling an emerging class of private entrepreneurs and democracy advocates whose rise represents the best hope for a free and open society.”


The statement marks the first


recognition by a leading Cuban exile organization in the United States that Helms-Burton has failed to secure international sanctions from other nations, such as Canada or Mexico.


It also points to the quickening


pace of change happening within exile communties abroad and on the island.


"I am going to resign. I'm turning


82 years old, and I have a right to retire," announced Cuban president Raul Castro on Friday as the Cuban leader welcomed Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.


If that's the case, I know a splendid


vacation home with sweeping views of downtown Havana.


Oh, Thank Heaven. You can now pick up a copy of the Hampton Roads Messenger at participating 7-Eleven Stores in Hampton Roads!


Photo courtesy of the State Department WASHINGTON, DC - U.S.


Senator Tim Kaine, a new member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced Secretary of State John Kerry at his first major foreign policy speech. Addressing the crowd at the University of Virginia, Kaine praised Kerry's decades of service and foreign policy expertise, emphasizing his belief that Kerry will strike a critical balance between the diplomatic and military strength of the nation in his new role.


A former Chairman and 28-year


veteran of the Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary Kerry in turn expressed his confidence that Kaine will be an integral new member of the committee. "I know that in Tim Kaine, Virginia has a senator who's going to make his mark on that committee," Kerry told the crowd in Cabell Hall. "And he's going to make his mark for your Commonwealth and our country, and we're grateful for [his] service."


During his introduction, Kaine


described his earlier meeting with Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) units at the University of Virginia. The discussion, part of Kaine's defense tour across the state this week, focused on the next generation of military leadership and


the harmful impact budget uncertainty and sequestration could have on its future.


"If the University of Virginia


ROTC cadets are the future of our military then our future is bright," said Kaine. "The camaraderie, dedication, and discipline they display is heartening. Now Congress needs to show that we value their commitment by providing budgetary certainty. The men and women who serve in our all-volunteer military—whether officers or enlisted personnel—need to know that our support for them is unwavering."


Following his discussion with


ROTC Cadets, Kaine visited the Salem VA Medical Center where he spoke about veterans care and his commitment to aiding returning veterans as they transition to civilian life. "The innovative care provided at the Salem VA hospital should be a model for veteran hospitals across the nation - including their commitment to reaching veterans in rural areas and providing job assistance to increase employment," Kaine said. "As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I am committed to finding ways to improve and streamline veterans services and ensuring servicemen and women are afforded the care they've earned."


The Hampton Roads Messenger 15


Senator Kaine Introduces Secretary of State Kerry at UVA


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