Posted on Fri, Jun. 20, 2008
By JAN SLIVA
BRUSSELS, Belgium --
The European Union on Thursday agreed to lift its diplomatic sanctions
against Cuba, but imposed tough conditions on the communist island to
maintain sanction-free relations, officials said.
The U.S., which has maintained a decades-long trade embargo against
Cuba, criticized the move, saying there were no significant signs the
communist island was easing a dictatorship. An independent analyst
predicted it would have no affect on U.S. policy toward the Caribbean
island.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the bloc
felt it had to encourage changes in Cuba after Raul Castro took over as
the head of the country's government from his ailing brother Fidel.
"There will be very clear language also on what the Cubans still have to
do ... releasing prisoners, really working on human rights questions,"
she told reporters at an EU summit. "There will be a sort of review to
see whether indeed something will have happened."
The largely symbolic decision takes effect Monday. The diplomatic
sanctions, which banned high-level visits to EU nations by Cuban
officials, have not been in force since 2005. They were imposed in 2003
following the arrests of dozens of dissidents but suspended two years later.
In Havana, state television mentioned the EU's decision briefly but did
not give any government reaction.
Leading Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya said he hopes the move does not
signify the EU' approval of Raul Castro's government.
"This regime has not announced any change that is significant for rights
or liberty, and we know we have to conquer that ourselves," Paya said.
As part of its action, the EU approved a set of conditions on Cuba in
return for sanction-free relations. They include the release of all
political prisoners; access for Cubans to the Internet; and a
double-track approach for all EU delegations arriving in Cuba, allowing
them to meet both opposition figures and members of the Cuban government.
Officials said the bloc will evaluate Cuba's progress in a year's time
and could take new measures if human rights do not improve.
The U.S. expressed its opposition.
"We're disappointed," White House deputy press secretary Gordon Johndroe
said. "We think the Castros need to take a number of steps to improve
the human rights conditions for ordinary Cubans before any sanctions are
lifted."
State Department Deputy spokesman Tom Casey said the United States has
recently seen "some very minor cosmetic changes" in Cuba. "We certainly
don't see any kind of fundamental break with the Castro dictatorship
that would give us reason to believe that now would be the time to lift
sanctions or otherwise fundamentally alter our policies," he said.
Peter De Shazo, Americas Program director at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies in Washington, said the "decision will not
affect the U.S. position toward Cuba" because the policy is largely
fixed by legislation with key changes conditioned on a transition to
democracy.
Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said it was well known that
certain circles in the United States wanted the EU sanctions to be
maintained, but he said "we felt the need to find our own solution."
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said the lifting of sanctions in no
way means the EU was getting weak on Cuba.
"We haven't softened our approach," Bildt said. "It's a repressive
regime. ...Now we are very explicit on what we want. We want democratic
changes."
He said the EU would push strongly for Cuban authorities to open up
their economy, liberate Internet access, and release political prisoners.
The EU sanctions were introduced after Cuba's government rounded up 75
dissidents in 2003. Sixteen of those arrested have been released on
medical parole and another four were freed last month into forced exile
in Spain. But more than 200 dissidents are still serving jail terms.
Cuba has insisted the EU sanctions be eliminated completely, and said
the unilateral action violated its sovereignty.
Asked if lifting EU sanctions would weaken U.S. sanctions, Casey said
simply, "We'll see," but offered no assessment.
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