Reno, Elian's dad meeting again as decision nears

	GALLERY
Supporters of Elian's Miami relatives near the home in Miami

Attorney general considering force, other options, to reunite father and son

April 21, 2000
Web posted at: 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT)

In this story: 'They probably have a deal with Castro' Little Havana home monitored Government options Father's plea draws thousands of responses Elian 'can't grasp' the controversy RELATED STORIES, SITES

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Janet Reno, considering several scenarios for forcibly removing Elian Gonzalez from the care of his Miami relatives, met briefly Friday with the boy's father at the Justice Department.

After meeting with Juan Miguel Gonzalez, Reno issued a written statement: "I was deeply moved by Mr. Gonzalez's evident love for his son. I assured him that I would continue working toward the goal of reuniting him with his child, but I also told him that I could not commit to a particular course of action or timetable."

Juan Gonzalez had asked to see Reno, who was described by an aide as nearly out of options in the standoff. They were joined by Immigration and Naturalization Commissioner Doris Meissner and Gregory Craig, a U.S. lawyer who represents Juan Gonzalez.

The last time Reno and Elian's father met was on April 7, one day after the father's arrival in the United States.

Earlier Friday, Reno held out hope for a solution that would allow Elian to be reunited with his Cuban father in a peaceful manner.

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While Reno declined to confirm reports she is on the verge of ordering law enforcement agents to remove Elian from his Miami relatives' home, senior law enforcement sources told CNN that government preparations, which began last week, could lead to enforcement action at any time.

The attorney general continues to consult with law enforcement officials on the scene who are giving her guidance on where, when and how action should be taken. It will be Reno and Meissner who make that decision, the sources said.

'They probably have a deal with Castro'

In Miami, a spokesman for Elian's U.S. relatives indicated the family isn't worried.

"It's a shame that the government does not find a solution to this problem ... but they probably have a deal with (Cuban President Fidel) Castro so they've got to move," Armando Gutierrez told CNN affiliate WSVN.

While Reno still is open to any proposal for a negotiated transfer of Elian to his father, Justice Department spokeswoman Carole Florman portrayed the attorney general as left with virtually no choice other than law enforcement.

"There have always been three trains moving simultaneously down the track -- negotiations for a transfer, litigation and law enforcement," Florman said. "We are no longer in the engineer's seat on the negotiation train. We're just passengers."

As previously reported by CNN, the Justice Department went into "enforcement mode" last week after Elian's great-uncle, Lazaro Gonzalez, refused an order from Reno to hand over the boy.

Little Havana home monitored

Since then, according to government officials, federal agents have been assessing the situation in Miami, monitoring Elian's movements as well as the size of crowds around his great-uncle's home in the Little Havana neighborhood, in preparation for possible enforcement action there.

Senior White House officials told CNN the Easter holiday is a factor in determining how to proceed. But, they added, Reno has made it clear to President Clinton she would act whenever she believes the timing is appropriate.

Reno has said she would abide by this week's ruling by a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, which banned anyone from taking Elian out of the United States while his case is on appeal.

The ruling, however, does not prevent a reunion with his father.

Juan Gonzalez already has legal, if not physical, custody. Last week, the government revoked the temporary custody awarded to Lazaro Gonzalez following Elian's rescue at sea nearly five months ago.

The government prefers that the Miami relatives hand over the child voluntarily. The Miamians have said they won't do that -- adding that they won't resist, either, if federal agents come for Elian.

That resistance complicates Reno's goal of reuniting father and son in a way that minimizes trauma on Elian and hostility from Miami's Cuban-American community.

Government options

While Reno won't discuss publicly any specific law enforcement action under consideration, the senior law enforcement sources say much attention has been given to sending in federal personnel to retrieve Elian, with Miami police being used to maintain crowd control.

Protesters who have gathered regularly outside Lazaro Gonzalez's home have said they would form a human shield to prevent Elian from being taken.

Another Justice Department option under consideration -- but considered less likely -- is to ask a Florida federal court to order the great-uncle to surrender Elian. Refusal by Lazaro Gonzalez could lead to his prosecution on a contempt of court charge.

Any decision to remove the boy from the Miami home would require rigorous planning by federal law enforcement officials, including consideration of factors such as Miami traffic and the weather forecast, U.S. officials said, highlighting Reno's concern for Elian's safety and that of government agents.

"There is a plan. There's probably more than one," Florman said.

Father's plea draws thousands of responses

As of midday Friday, the Justice Department said it had received more than 7,000 telephone calls since Juan Gonzalez made a televised appeal Thursday afternoon for Americans to urge Reno and Clinton to help him get his son back quickly.

At the White House, spokesman Joe Lockhart said a "good volume" of calls was received on the White House comment line Thursday night, "overwhelmingly in favor of reuniting the boy with his father."

Elian 'can't grasp' the controversy

On Thursday night, father and son spoke on the telephone for about 25 minutes. Using a cordless telephone from the yard outside his Miami relatives' home, Elian blew kisses into the phone -- an act of affection shown by the son because the father insists on it, Gutierrez said.

During the conversation, Juan Gonzalez concluded that Elian does not fully understand events going on around him. "He can't grasp it," the father told the Rev. Joan Brown Campbell. She is a former official of the National Council of Churches who has been advising the father.

Campbell said Juan Gonzalez told her that, on advice from psychologists, he did not ask Elian any probing questions.

She said the father complained that the conversation, like all of his phone calls with Elian, was not private. The Miami relatives make the same argument, alleging that the Cuban government is taping the calls. "They hear beep, beep" on the phone line, said Gutierrez.

Juan Gonzalez came to the United States on April 6 in hopes of a quick return to Cuba with his son. Now staying at the suburban Washington home of a Cuban diplomat, the father promises to remain in the United States until the federal appeals court in Atlanta decides if Elian should get an asylum hearing.

A hearing on that request is set for May 11.

Elian was rescued by two fishermen while clinging to an inner tube off the Florida coast on November 25. He and two others survived, but his mother and 10 others drowned when their boat sank while trying to reach the United States from Cuba.

The boy's Miami relatives have cared for him ever since. They insist Elian will be better off living with them and argue that the boy would be psychologically harmed and face persecution if he is returned to communist-ruled Cuba.

Justice Department Correspondent Pierre Thomas, Senior White House Correspondent John King, Correspondents Jean Meserve and Susan Candiotti contributed to this report, written by Jim Morris.

Elian's father pleads for son; Clinton backs boy's return
April 21, 2000
Elian's father pleads for U.S. public support; mass protest held in Havana
April 20, 2000
Elian case has potential to alter immigration law
April 20, 2000
Transferring custody of Elian not ruled out, Reno says
April 19, 2000
Elian's well-being debated as court considers case
April 18, 2000
Unless barred by court order, INS to remove Elian from Miami home
April 17, 2000

U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
U.S. Department of Justice
Eleventh Circuit Published Opinions
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
LibertyForElian.org - Foundation to Help Save Elian
Granma Internacional Digital, Cuba
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Cubaweb
Cuban American National Foundation

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