Cubanophiles - keep an eye for promising developments

Cuba is cool, said Boulder entrepreneur Bob Walz. The former focal point of the Cold War is in demand for its cigars, its music and its mystery.

"It's been an enigma for so long," said Walz, who has traveled to the communist country 106 times since 1992 for a variety of business ventures.

He estimated he's taken a total of 4,000 people with him on his Cuban trips. Many are yuppies who recall the Kennedy Khruschev standoff about as clearly as the Howdy-Doody Show.

"There is a lot of nostalgia out there for the forbidden fruit," Walz said.

Today Pope John Paul II arrives in Cuba for five days. On Sunday, he is scheduled to hold a papal Mass, and Fidel Castro is encouraging citizens to attend.

People in Boulder who keep close watch on Cuba say the pope's visit likely will fuel sentiment that the United States should end its 37-year-old trade embargo against the island. That's because when the television cameras focus on the pontiff, they also will take in a vibrant, welcoming populace.

"The people are wonderful, that's the strength of Cuba," Walz said.

Walz and his company -- Last Frontier Expeditions -- promotes international sports events. He has acted as a consultant to businesses wanting to start enterprises in Cuba.

Walz sees Cuba as a land of opportunity for a variety of ventures. Cubans on the other hand, see America as the one place to emulate.

"To the last person, they are fascinated with us," Walz said. "They definitely look to us as a role model."

Castro invited the pope despite communism's atheistic bent. Castro knows that the pope's presence can influence international opinion in his favor, said Boulder's Cord MacGuire, a volunteer for Coloradan's for Cuba.

The pope, meanwhile, wants to promote his own agenda. He wants the West to see the positive changes going in Cuba, including the establishment of more churches.

The pope may even want the world to look more kindly on Castro. "I think the pope sees Fidel as a lost brother who means well," MacGuire said.

Coloradans for Cuba opposes U.S. travel restrictions into Cuba; the group will hold a rally Saturday in Denver.

Another Boulder member of the group, Tom Moore, is not as optimistic the pope's visit will lead to the American Government recognizing Cuba. Influential and stridently anti-Castro Cubans will see to that, he said. Also unlikely to budge open the issue is U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., Moore said.

But since the collapse of the Soviet Union -- Cuba's chief sponsor -- Cuba has shown resiliency in the face of the U.S. embargo, and more people are taking note. "Cuba is nowhere near the bad place it is always written up to be,"Moore said. "It's not such a bad place. There are lots of people quite content to be there."