Last modified: Mon Aug 20 18:59:07 AST 2001

ICMC 2001

United States Participation


The original pdf documents can be accessed in English and Spanish at:
http://www.treas.gov/ofac/t11cuba.pdf
OR
Go to www.ustreas.gov/ofac/cubapage.html and click "Professional Research"

Here is an excerpt from the document:

Sec. 515.564 Professional research and professional meetings in Cuba.

(2) The travel-related transactions set forth in Sec. 515.560(c) and such additional transactions as are directly incident to travel to Cuba by full-time professionals to attend professional meetings or conferences in Cuba organized by an international professional organization, institution, or association that regularly sponsors meetings or conferences in other countries are authorized, provided that:

(i) The international professional organization, institution, or association is not headquartered in the United States unless that organization, institution, or association has been specifically licensed to sponsor the meeting in Cuba;

(ii) The purpose of the meeting or conference is not the promotion of tourism in Cuba or other commercial activities involving Cuba that are inconsistent with this part; and

(iii) The meeting or conference is not intended primarily for the purpose of fostering production of any biotechnological products.

An Important announcment from the ICMA


The ICMA, as you know, is an international organization that hosts computer music conferences every year. According to US Treasury regulations, because the ICMA is headquartered in the United States, it has to be specifically licensed to sponsor the meeting in Cuba. The ICMA therefore applied for this specific license, and was denied.

In order to comply with US Treasury's decision, the ICMA is officially resigning from sponsoring the ICMC 2001; it will instead be sponsored by Tempo Reale, Luciano Berio's well-known institute in Florence, Italy. Tempo Reale has hosted the ICMC2001 website since the beginning (www.centrotemporeale.it).

The conference will therefore be able to proceed. Because the ICMC 2001 is hosted by an organization that is not headquartered in the United States, the general license for attendance at an international conference, according to Sec. 515.564, applies.

This general license authorizes travel to Cuba without the need for further authorization from OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control; a division of the Dept. of the Treasury). See above for a direct quote from US Treasury documents.

Thank you very much,

Mary Simoni
President
International Computer Music Association