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Saturday, May 30, 2009

Expect more from Cuba

What we think: Expect more from Cuba
May 30, 2009

Pressure has been building ahead of next week's meeting of the
Organization of American States to invite Cuba back into the group,
almost 50 years after it was kicked out. The Obama administration isn't
ruling out letting the island eventually rejoin, but it wisely isn't
rolling out the welcome wagon just yet.

As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argued earlier this month when
testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it makes
little sense to accept Cuba into an organization whose charter requires
members to adhere to democratic principles. Ms. Clinton said the
country's regime would first need to carry out political reforms,
release political prisoners and respect human rights.

The right approach in this context, however, doesn't mean that President
Barack Obama should cling to all the hard-line policies of his
predecessors toward Cuba.

We have long opposed the U.S. economic embargo on the island because it
hasn't done anything to promote fundamental reform there. Cuba's
communist dictatorship, founded by Fidel Castro and now led by his
brother, Raúl, has outlasted 10 U.S. presidents.

So far the Obama administration has linked a lifting of the embargo to
the same kind of political reforms it expects before it will support
Cuba's readmittance to the Organization of American States. But the
United States has not applied this standard to economic ties with other
nations. It has done business for decades with China, hardly a beacon of
freedom.

Rather than spur reform, the embargo has been a handy scapegoat for the
Castros. They've blamed it for the hardship their own misrule has
brought on generations of Cubans.

Mr. Obama did call this month for talks with the Cuban government on
immigration issues. That's a smart decision, precisely because of the
criticism raised by some of Florida's members of Congress.

They object because the Cuban government has not processed exit visas
for Cubans given the green light by Washington to immigrate to the
United States. In refusing to do so, Havana is defying an immigration
pact negotiated by the Clinton administration to discourage dangerous
crossings across the Florida Straits. In fact, the Castro government is
undermining the goal of that agreement.

But the better way to seek resolution of the stalemate is to reopen
discussions, rather than allow the dispute to go on endlessly. The Bush
administration's approach — suspending immigration talks — certainly
didn't resolve anything, and there's little reason to continue that tactic.

Sure, there is no guarantee talks will bring a resolution. There is
little to lose by trying, however.

There are some in Florida's large Cuban-American community who worry
that, in wooing Cuba, the Obama administration will give away the store.
So far, the administration has shown a willingness only to reach out
with pragmatic steps — such as lifting senseless travel and remittance
restrictions on Cuban Americans.

An opening of trade and travel between the United States would have a
huge impact on Florida — and not just because hundreds of thousands of
Cubans make their home in the Sunshine State. There would be a surge in
U.S. exports to the island, and much of it would originate in — or move
through — Florida. The state also would become a transit point for a
flow of U.S. tourists that could hit 1 million annually, according to an
estimate from the International Trade Commission.

The goal of U.S. policy toward Cuba should be to address the needs of
the island's 11 million people, and bolster grass-roots desire for
reforms. That's better than simply waiting for the Havana government to
change on its own.

What we think: Expect more from Cuba -- OrlandoSentinel.com (30 May 2009)

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edped-cuba-obama-florida-053009053009may30,0,7734206.story

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