'Cuba's future must be democratic,' U.S. diplomat says

'Cuba's future must be democratic,' U.S. diplomat says
Posted on Thu, Sep. 20, 2007
BY PABLO BACHELET
he top U.S. diplomat for Latin America on Thursday urged nations to push
Cuba to hold an internal dialogue that would pave the way for democracy
on the island.

''There is a quiet consensus in the Americas and in Europe that Cuba's
future must be democratic,'' Thomas Shannon, assistant secretary of
state for the Western Hemisphere, told participants at the The Miami
Herald Americas Conference in Coral Gables.

''All successful political and economic transitions, from South Africa
to Eastern Europe, have required dialogue between the existing regimes
and the citizens of their countries,'' he said. ``Cuba will be no
different.''

The call comes as Havana and Washington engage in dueling diplomatic
campaigns to lay the groundwork for a post-Fidel Castro era on the island.

Top Cuban officials have fanned the globe to lend legitimacy to the
emerging government headed by Raúl Castro, Fidel's younger brother who
assumed control last summer, American officials and diplomats say. U.S.
officials, meanwhile, have asked nations to make public statements in
support of Cuban dissidents and democracy but few countries have made
any public pronouncements since Castro became ill and ceded power to his
brother.

Shannon's comments were a rare public admission of the difficulties the
United States faces in its diplomatic efforts. Havana regards any
statements about its political system as an infringement of its sovereignty.

''Currently, the regime believes it can buy time and space through
increased repression within Cuba and aggressive diplomacy outside of
Cuba,'' Shannon said to a crowded room. ``This is not a long-term
strategy, and it does not address the forces of change that ripple
beneath Cuba's surface.''

Shannon said there ''still exist differences'' about how to promote
democracy in Cuba, given Latin America's ``historic commitment to the
principles of noninterventionism and national sovereignty.''

''But have no doubt,'' he noted, ``helping the Cuban people achieve
their democratic destiny and reintegrate their country into the Americas
will be one of the biggest diplomatic challenges we face.''

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