The Madrid Government will spend much of June representing the case of a
lifting of sanctions against the Cuban nation, before her fellow members
of the European Union. What is more, Spain demands a definitive lifting
of the sanctions, not a temporary one.
These sanctions were imposed in 2003 after a Cuban putsch against
seventy-five 'dissidents' (Cubans who do not support the Castro regime)
who were thrown into prison. The sanctions, which included a reduction
in official European visits to the capital, Havana, were in fact
suspended in 2005, again following demands from Spain. This time,
however, Spain, represented by Foreign Minister Moratinos, wants the
sanctions removed altogether.
Cuba has been one of the Ibero-American states most wooed by Zapatero's
Government since the PSOE won the elections in 2004. Miguel Angel
Moratinos has been Foreign Minister since then and has assiduously
followed his leader's policy of a strong union between Cuba, Venezuela,
Bolivia and other anti-US nations, in the face of criticism from his own
Opposition in Parliament, and frequent protests from the American
Embassy. Not only protests; at one stage a new US Ambassador arrived in
Madrid and promptly fired every Spanish member of staff without a word
of explanation. This apparently spireful move must have cost a fortune
in what is called finiquitos, whereby each sacked member of staff is
paid compensation for each year of service. In some cases Spaniards had
worked for the Embassy for more than twenty years.
Relations with Cuba will be at their best during the coming week, when
the famous EU/Latin America Summit is held in Lima, capital of Perú.
Readers will remember an incident at last year's event when the King of
Spain told bully Chavez of Venezuela to shut up and listen while Mr
Zapatero was speaking. Now that dictator Fidel is out of action,
replaced at the zenith of Cuban power by his brother Raoúl, Moratinos
will be hand-in-hand with the new Cuban chancellor, Felipe Pérez Roque.
Fidel might be 'out', but he is still very much an eminence grise in the
running of the Cuban state.
Last year during the Council on General Matters in June, Spain tried
without success to get rid altogether of the 'measures' agreed upon by
all other members of the Union. But Spain did manage to achieve
something: In the accord signed by all European Ministers of Foreign
Affairs there would be no mention of the 'common position' (attitudes
towards Castro's Cuba) adopted since 1996, presumably because of Cuba's
well-known stance on civil rights, or rather the lack of them. This
'common position' was a strong European request made to Cuba to start
the democratic process in the island, a transition not foreseen or
accepted by Fidel. Europe also demanded more pluralistic government, and
immediate respect for human rights, freedom of the press, and
'recuperation of sustainable economic growth'. Europe also called for
'dialogue' (oh dear, that over-used word again) between all social
levels in the island.
Commentators insist that the absence of mention of this 'common
position' is Europe's signal that the Twenty-five wished to have further
'dialogue' with Cuba, in Brussels. However, despite Spain's dream of
opening European doors to Cuba (and vice-versa), the Spanish Government
gave Cuba a year to 'sort itself out', which meant an end to
dictatorship, the beginning of democracy, votes for all, the release of
political prisoners, and a benign Raoúl Castro. Spain put the bite on,
by threatening to recommend the resumption of measures and sanctions if
the Cuban situation had not radically changed within twelve months.
Now, it seems, the Ministry in Madrid considers the required changes
have taken place, and the atmosphere is no longer unpalatable. It is
believed that measures adopted by Raoúl Castro in these last few months
are positive and permit, in theory at least access by Cubans to various
goods and services which were previously banned, such as computers,
mobile telephones (poor Cuba!), hotel beds etc. (did you know that under
Fidel no Cuban, unless he was in the government, could stay in a Cuban
hotel?). Madrid also believes that there have been good results in
mechanisms of dialogue concerning human and civil rights. After all,
Cuba has signed plenty of international agreements over civil rights,
and four dissident prisoners with health problems have been released
from jail (actually these four were expelled to Spain).
It is recognised in Madrid that the various changes we have seen in Cuba
are not spectacular and that much remains to be done before the island
nation can be seen as a fully-paid-up member of the democratic world.
There are still plenty of conscientious objectors to Fidel's regime
lying in Prison, and Spain will awaits the return of their stolen
Cultural Centre, nicked by Fidel's men in September, 2003. The reader
can find many more details of the situation viz. EU/Cuba at www.europa.eu.
Edition 350
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