20 February 2000
(Action taken following Miami arrest of INS official) (180) (begin text) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman February 19, 2000 STATEMENT BY JAMES B. FOLEY, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN Cuban Diplomat The acting head of the Cuban Interests Section of the Embassy of Switzerland told the State Department on February 19, 2000 that his government will not voluntarily withdraw the diplomat linked by the FBI to the recent arrest in Miami of INS official Mariano Faget. In light of the Cuban government's refusal, we have informed the Government of Cuba that this diplomat is now declared persona non grata and is ordered to depart United States territory no later than 1:30 PM EST, Saturday, February 26, 2000. Should this diplomat fail to depart the United States by that time, he will no longer enjoy the privileges and immunities conferred by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and become subject to the laws of the United States. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov)