Havana asked Kent to postpone trip
Mike Blanchfield, Canwest News Service Published: Monday, May 11, 2009
OTTAWA - The Cuban government has abruptly pulled the plug on what would
have been a historic visit to Havana by Canada's junior foreign affairs
minister, Canwest News Service has learned.
Peter Kent, the minister of state for foreign affairs for the Americas,
had been scheduled to travel to Cuba next week to press the communist
regime to release political prisoners and allow more democratic freedom.
But Mr. Kent's office was told on Thursday that the trip would have to
be postponed.
No date was offered for a rescheduled visit, nor was any specific
explanation given.
"The minister is obviously still interested in going. It's unfortunate.
He's pretty disappointed. They just asked us if we could put it off for
a while," Mr. Kent spokeswoman Eleanor Johnston said Monday.
Canwest News Service revealed last month that Mr. Kent was to make the
visit on the heels of some dramatic new developments in the half-century
history of tension between Havana and Washington.
President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. was relaxing restrictions
on travel and remittances for Cuban Americans to their homeland.
Mr. Obama indicated a willingness to bring an end to the 47-year-old
U.S. economic embargo on its Caribbean Island neighbour - but only if
the communist regime freed political prisoners and made substantive
moves toward democratic reform.
Cuban President Raul Castro, who succeeded his iconic brother Fidel 15
months ago as his country's leader, expressed a willingness to talk to
the Americans about possible next steps.
"They're pretty tied up with the Americans right now," said Mr.
Johnston. "The OAS is coming up as well so they're wrapped up in that."
Cuba's future in the Organization of American States is expected to
dominate a meeting of the 34-country group in early June in Panama. Cuba
has been suspended from the organization since 1962 because it does not
embrace the democratic principles of OAS countries, which include Canada.
Several OAS countries are to push for Cuba's reinstatement, but Canada,
along with the U.S., wants to see tangible steps toward democratic
reform before allowing Cuba back in.
Mr. Kent is to represent Canada at the OAS meeting.
Ms. Johnston said it was unclear whether Mr. Kent was being punished for
his recent remarks to Canwest about the need for Cuba to embrace reform
and release political prisoners.
"You have to ask the Cubans. They just asked us to postpone it," she said.
"We've been clear about the fact we've had good relations with them for
a number of years. But obviously we try to push them more towards more
democratic governance and human rights."
The Cuban embassy in Ottawa declined a request for comment Monday.
Mr. Kent's visit would have been a rare occurrence. Two Canadian prime
ministers have visited Cuba: Pierre Trudeau in 1976 and Jean Chretien in
1999. Lloyd Axworthy visited as foreign minister in 1997.
Cuba pulls plug on Canadian diplomatic visit (12 May 2009)
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1585789
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