By Vanessa Bauzá
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Posted March 8 2007
As President Bush arrives in Brazil today, the first stop in a weeklong
trip to Latin America, his focus will be on ethanol development and
other issues of common interest in the region including trade,
immigration and drug trafficking. But he could seize the opportunity for
cooperation on one of Washington's longstanding problems: how to push
for a democratic transition in Cuba.
In a roundtable discussion with foreign journalists on Tuesday, Bush
said he hopes his Latin American allies join the United States in
calling for Cubans to "express themselves at the ballot box."
"What I hope happens is that we together insist that transition doesn't
mean transition from one figure to another, but transition means from
one type of government to a different type of government," Bush said in
interviews peppered with Spanish phrases. "And I would hope those who
have lived under the blessings of liberty have the same message."
With Fidel Castro unlikely to return to power, his brother Raúl has made
an overture for dialogue with Washington. So far the Bush administration
has rejected the offer.
Bush said Cuba's future should not be "decided because somebody is
somebody's brother; the fate ought to be decided because that's what the
people want."
During its 47-year-old standoff with Cuba, the United States has long
sought alliances to exert pressure for democratic changes on the island.
But many Latin American nations oppose U.S. sanctions, preferring
diplomatic engagement and trade as tools to encourage political reforms.
"When the U.S. is looking for allies in promoting change in Cuba, it's
not very successful in Latin America because the region thinks the
fundamental approach the U.S. is taking is mistaken," said William
LeoGrande, a Latin America expert at American University.
While Cuba may come up peripherally in Bush's meetings with counterparts
in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala and Uruguay, he will be far more
concerned with the Castro brothers' top ally, Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez.
Chavez has gained influence by using his hefty oil income to finance
multimillion-dollar aid packages in Latin America. He plans to attend a
street protest in Argentina on the same day Bush visits neighboring Uruguay.
Bush said he welcomed "the right for people to express themselves" at
the protest.
Bush also said he stood by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who is
dealing with a scandal involving ties between his political camp and
brutal far-right militias. It has caused Congress to rethink the $700
million in aid the United States gives Colombia each year.
Bush also said he will use his visit to Mexico to promote the need for a
new U.S. immigration policy. His approach, which is at odds with some of
his own party's leaders, calls for a guest worker program and a path to
citizenship for illegal immigrants.
"It will help us dismantle an industry that has sprung up that uses
human beings as product, as chattel," Bush said. "The industry that has
sprung up as a result of the current immigration law is inhumane."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Vanessa
Bauzá can be reached at vbauza@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4514.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-abush08mar08,0,4704947.story?coll=sfla-news-cuba
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