Cuban official dismisses Obama overtures
BY BOB GILLIES
Associated Press
KINGSTON, Ontario -- -- Cuban Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon
dismissed President Barack Obama's recent overtures to Cuba and said
Saturday for the first time that the new U.S. administration's stance is
"the continuation of an illegal, unjustifiable and failed policy."
Obama has suggested it may be time for a new beginning with Cuba, and
the White House authorized unlimited travel and money transfers for
Americans with relatives in Cuba. But his administration has said it
would like Cuba to respond by making small political and social changes
to its single-party communist system.
"In other words Cuba must change and behave in accordance with
Washington's wishes," Alarcon said at the close of a Cuban academic
conference in Canada.
"That attitude is not only the continuation of an illegal, unjustifiable
and failed policy, it is also the consequence of a profound
misconception, a false perception of itself that lies as the foundation
of the U.S. role in the world."
The U.S. has long sought what it considers real change from Cuba in
human rights, free speech, free markets and democratic government.
Last month, President Raul Castro said Cuba was willing to discuss
"everything" with the U.S., leading to hopes that a door was opening to
a new relationship.
But former President Fidel Castro insists that Cuba should make no
concessions in return for better U.S. ties.
The Obama administration has said it has no plans to lift the embargo
which bans nearly all trade with Cuba. The island's government blames
those sanctions for frequent shortages of food, medicine, farming and
transportation machinery and other basics.
Alarcon said Obama's gestures were dictated by growing domestic demand
and don't amount to much.
"Essentially he lifted newer restrictions that George W. Bush had
imposed on Cuban- American travelers," Alarcon said.
Alarcon said Obama should exercise his authority and immediately free
five convicted Cuban spies. The so-called Cuban Five are communist
agents who were convicted of espionage in Miami in 2001. The ringleader
was implicated in the death of four exiles killed when Cuban military
fighters shot their planes down off the island's coast in 1996.
"The U.S government should free them if they want us to believe that
something fundamental is changing in Washington," Alarcon said.
He also said the United States should extradite an anti-Castro Cuban
militant accused of plotting the 1976 bombing of a Cuban plane in
Venezuela that killed all 73 people on board. Cuba is hoping Obama's
administration will shift policy in the case of 81-year-old Luis Posada
Carriles, a former CIA operative and U.S. Army soldier, and turn him
over to face trial in Venezuela.
Cuba and Venezuela have accused Washington of being hypocritical in
sparing the Cuban-born militant from extradition while demanding a
global war against terrorism.
"If it's about change that we are talking than may I suggest some real
changes that could take place right now if we want to improve the
situation in the hemisphere and the relationship between our peoples and
countries," Alarcon said.
"Posada must be extradited."
The three-day forum at Queen's University examined the significance of
the 50th anniversary of the Cuba revolution but very few anti-Castro
views were heard.
A small number of anti-Castro Cuban emigres with placards demonstrated
outside the site of Alarcon's speech.
Cuban official dismisses Obama overtures - Cuba News - MiamiHerald.com
(12 May 2009)
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/more/story/1044158.html
No comments:
Post a Comment