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Yahoo! March 15, 2003.
Cuba slams door in UN special representative's face
Patricia Grogg, Inter Press Service. Sun Mar 16, 6:09 PM -
OneWorld.net. http://www.ipsnews.net/
HAVANA, Mar 14 (IPS) - The Cuban
government refused permission Friday for a visit by a special United Nations
representative, Christine Chanet, named to monitor the human rights situation in
this socialist Caribbean island nation.
Cuba "will not allow (Chanet) to carry out her mandate," Foreign
Minister Felipe Pérez Roque said Friday.
He clarified, however, that the refusal to authorize the visit should not be
understood as anything personal against the special representative herself or
against UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello, who
appointed her.
Pérez Roque underlined that his country viewed the designation of a
special human rights representative to visit Cuba as invalid, as it forms part
of a UN Commission on Human Rights resolution that it deems illegitimate.
The decision to name a special representative was part of a resolution
condemning Cuba, approved in April 2002 in the Commission by a vote of 23 to 21,
with nine abstentions. The initiative was presented by Peru and Uruguay and
backed by several other Latin American nations as well as Canada.
The text urged Havana to guarantee civil and political rights, and endorsed
the designation of a special representative by the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights, to visit Cuba.
The Commission has passed resolutions condemning the human rights situation
in Cuba every year since 1990, with the exception of 1998. Last year's
resolution was the first to be introduced by Latin American countries.
The condemnation of Cuba's human rights situation triggered a diplomatic row
between Cuba and Uruguay, which ended with the rupture of relations between the
two countries.
The Cuban government complains that the resolutions are "fabricated by
the United States with the basic objective of justifying its (four-decade)
blockade and aggression against the Cuban people," said Pérez Roque.
"Cuba has rejected, and will continue to reject, that anti-Cuban
exercise," for which it holds the U.S. government and the "Cuban mafia
in Miami"--an allusion to the vociferously anti-Castro Cuban exile
community in that U.S. city--responsible, the foreign minister said in a news
briefing.
Pérez Roque plans to travel next week to Geneva to attend the annual
session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, which convenes Monday.
The official said he would tirelessly fight any new attempt to condemn
Cuba's human rights record.
The socialist government of Fidel Castro insists that it respects human
rights to a greater extent than other countries, by guaranteeing broad coverage
of social services like free health care and education. It argues that countries
that fail to take care of their poor are in no position to criticize.
"Our work in favor of political, social, economic, and cultural rights
is increasingly recognized around the world," said Pérez Roque.
The minister said he hoped that on this occasion the governments of Latin
America would not yield "to pressure and blackmail" in Geneva, and
that "sovereignty and regional solidarity" would prevail. According to
Pérez Roque, the United States has already begun campaigning in Latin
America to drum up support for a new resolution against Cuba in the Commission's
meetings, which will run through April 25.
But in Geneva, no government has so far expressed interest in sponsoring a
motion against Cuba, in the current climate which is so heavily affected by the
crisis over Iraq in the Security Council.
The decision not to authorize the visit by Chanet, a French jurist, was
described as a "serious error" by dissident groups in Cuba, which are
illegal but tolerated by the government.
Cuba is negotiating admission to the Cotonou Accord, through which the
European Union offers trade advantages and economic assistance to 77 former
African, Caribbean and Pacific island colonies.
"Europe has wanted Cuba to join Cotonou, but these signals that the
government is sending out are not positive," Héctor Palacios,
director of the Social Studies Center and the head of the opposition coalition
Todos Unidos (Everyone United), told IPS.
In his opinion, Cuba's decision not to grant the UN human rights
representative permission to visit "will only help isolate the government."
Cuba's human rights record remains a cause of discrepancy between the Castro
government and the EU, which has voted as a bloc on resolutions against Cuba
submitted to the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, and has conditioned
admission to the Cotonou Accord on improvements in that area.
Pérez Roque's announcement coincided with the visit of European
Commissioner on Development and Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson, to Havana.
Nielson said he welcomed Cuba's application to join the Cotonou Accord. But
several of the 15 EU member countries continue to insist that Cuba must show
that it is moving towards greater respect for basic freedoms before it can be
accepted as part of the preferential trade agreement.
A document that Cuba will distribute in Geneva points out that in 1994, the
island nation welcomed a visit by then-UN high commissioner for human rights,
José Ayala Lasso.
However, at the same time it refused to authorize a visit by a special
rapporteur on Cuba, Carl Johan Groth, whose designation it viewed as invalid.
Ayala Lasso, who met with Castro and several opposition leaders, described
his visit to the country at that time as "positive" because it helped
open up dialogue with the Cuban government.
Cuba limits travel of U.S. diplomats; U.S. reciprocates, officials say
By George Gedda, Associated Press Writer. Fri Mar 14,11:01
PM ET
WASHINGTON - The State Department is restricting the freedom of travel of
Cuban diplomats in the United States, responding to curbs imposed by Havana on
U.S. officials in Cuba.
State Department sources said they believe the Cuban government made the
first move as a means of cutting back on travel by the chief U.S. diplomat in
Havana, James Cason.
They said Cason has logged 9,975 kilometers (6,200 miles) in travels around
the island since arriving at his post last summer.
The department officials said U.S. diplomats for the past several years have
been free to travel in a 700-kilometer (434-mile) area encompassing the city of
Havana and Havana Province. Any travel beyond that required notification —
but not prior approval — of the Cuban government. The same rules applied to
Cuban diplomats in Washington.
Last Monday, the U.S. officials said, Cuba informed the State Department
that mere notification of travel was not enough, that Cuba would have to approve
each trip beyond the free travel zone.
The officials, asking not to be identified, said that Washington imposed the
same restriction on Cuban diplomats in Washington within 24 hours. The Cubans
had been free to travel without approval to any point within the Washington
Beltway. Permission also was granted to visit Dulles Airport in suburban
Virginia and a Virginia shopping center beyond the Beltway.
The officials said the U.S. response to travel requests by Cuban diplomats
would depend on how flexible the Cuban side is in acquiescing to American
requests in Havana.
Attempts to reach the Cuban diplomatic mission here Friday night were
unsuccessful.
The State Department officials were quite certain Cuba was uneasy about
Cason's extensive travels.
"He's talked to hundreds of people," one official said.
Cason ran afoul of President Fidel Castro late last month. He showed up at a
meeting of dissidents and spoke to a group of international reporters, telling
them that "the Cuban government is afraid, afraid of freedom of conscience,
afraid of freedom of expression, afraid of human rights."
Last week, Castro issued a sarcastic response, saying, "Actually, Cuba
is so afraid that it will calmly take all the time needed to decide on its
course of action regarding this bizarre official."
"Anyone can see that this is a shameless and defiant provocation,"
Castro said, apparently referring to Cason's decision to meet with the
dissidents.
The State Department said it was protesting Castro's remarks, considering
them to be derogatory.
Meanwhile, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque said Friday in Havana
that despite the mistrust at the official level, increasing numbers of
Americans, including Cuban-Americans, support normalized relations.
Speaking at a news conference, the foreign minister pointed to several
recent polls to support his contention. He said the changing attitudes of
Americans contrast sharply with Washington's hard-line policies.
Among Havana's current complaints with Washington is the treatment of five
convicted Cuban spies held in American prisons. Cuba charges that the men are
being hindered in efforts to prepare for an appeal because they are being held
in solitary confinement.
Dan Dunne, a Bureau of Prisons spokesman, said he could not discuss specific
inmate cases but contended, "Our inmates are housed in a manner that is
commensurate to their security needs." He added that all are treated in a "humane,
fair and consistent manner and are provided with a safe and secure living
environment."
He did not discuss Cuban claims about the consequences of solitary
confinement on the appeal process.
The five were convicted in Miami of trying to infiltrate U.S. military bases
and Cuban exile groups in Florida. Their sentences range from 15 years to life.
Cuban authorities say the men were working to prevent Cuban exile groups
from launching terrorist acts against their homeland.
Cuba Won't Let Human Rights Monitor In
By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer. Fri Mar 14.
HAVANA - Cuba said Friday it will not let a U.N. human rights monitor visit
the island because the U.S.-backed resolution creating her post was
illegitimate.
Instead, French jurist Christine Chanet would be more useful visiting terror
suspects at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo, Foreign Minister Felipe
Perez Roque said.
The U.N. Human Rights Commission last year approved a resolution calling on
Cuba to allow such liberties as freedom of speech and association and to let a
U.N. monitor in to check on progress. Chanet was appointed in January.
"Cuba has not cooperated, nor will it cooperate with the resolution,"
Perez Roque said.
He charged that U.S. arm-twisting brought about the resolution and said Cuba
does not accept the legitimacy of the commission vote.
"The only place on this island where the existence of such a special
envoy could be justified is at the (U.S.) Naval Base at Guantanamo," he
said.
The United States is holding 650 suspected Taliban and al-Qaida fighters at
the base in eastern Cuba.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Sergio Vieira de Mello accused
the United States on Thursday of keeping the Guantanamo detainees in a "legal
black hole" by denying them hearings in U.S. courts.
A U.S. court ruled this week that because the prisoners are aliens held
outside U.S. sovereign territory, they are not entitled to such constitutional
rights as being charged with a crime or having access to a lawyer.
Communist-run Cuba has no control over how the base is used. To prevent
alienating Americans who support changes in U.S. policies toward Cuba, the
island's leaders officially have not opposed the prison's existence, though they
resent having a U.S. base in their country.
The U.N. rights commission is preparing for its annual meeting in Geneva
beginning Monday, and the foreign minister said he would attend with a
delegation.
The commission has voted to censure Cuba every year over the past decade
except 1998. Cuba annually accuses the United States of strong-arm tactics to
lobby support for the vote — a claim American officials deny.
Cuba insists it respects human rights by guaranteeing broad social services
such as free health care and education. It says rich nations that fail to
protect the poor are in no position to preach.
Censure by the U.N. body brings no penalties but draws international
attention to a country's rights record.
EU Commissioner Backs Cuba in Trade Pact
By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer. Fri Mar 14,10:50 PM
ET
HAVANA - A European Union commissioner on Friday supported Cuba's inclusion
in a pact with developing nations, saying it could help improve the
communist-run country's human rights record and guide it toward democracy.
"I see Cuban accession to (the agreement) as a step in taking the
EU-Cuban discussions on all issues, including human rights and democracy, to a
new level," Development Commissioner Poul Nielson said.
"It was confirmed to me this week that Cuba also sees it this way. This
is an important point."
By applying to join the so-called Cotonou Agreement with 78 other developing
nations, "Cuba has signaled its willingness to discuss these issues,"
Nielson said.
Cuba insists it respects human rights more than most nations by ensuring
broad social services, including free education and health care. But detractors
say the nation still lags in respect for freedom of speech, press, association
and assembly.
Nielson said it would be a mistake to insist Cuba improve its rights record
as a condition of participating in the EU agreement. A better option, he
suggested, was to use the framework to promote talks on rights and democracy.
Several Cuban government opponents who met with Nielson on Friday said they
also believed Cuba should be allowed to join the pact.
As a member, Cuba would have to adhere to EU guidelines for human rights and
democracy to receive trade advantages and economic help, democracy activist
Oswaldo Paya said.
During his visit, Nielson also inaugurated a new EU office in Havana that he
hoped would improve relations between Europe and the island. The EU is Cuba's
largest trade, aid and investment partner.
EU commissioner calls for Cuba's inclusion in aid and trade pact to help
nurture democracy
By Anita Snow, Associated Press Writer. Fri Mar 14, 9:24 PM
ET
HAVANA - European Union Development Commission Poul Nielson said he would
ask European states to welcome Cuba into their pact with developing nations in
hopes of guiding the communist-run country along the path to democracy and human
rights.
"Europe has serious concerns about the respect for human rights in Cuba
and — as is always the case — this has also been raised in an open and
frank talk with representatives of the Cuban government," Nielson told a
news conference Friday evening.
The EU, Nielson said, "calls on Cuba to work toward democracy and we
stand ready to continue our discussion with the Cuban authorities on these
issues on the basis of full respect for Cuban sovereignty."
Nielson said that because no nation is perfect "people should be
allowed to freely discuss and to choose their preferred model of society."
By applying to join the EU's so-called Cotonou Agreement with 78 developing
nations, "Cuba has signaled its willingness to discuss these issues in a
mutually agreed framework," Nielson said.
Cuba insists it respects human rights better than most nations by ensuring
broad social services for its people, including free education and health care.
But detractors say the nation still lags behind in respect for civil liberties
such as freedom of speech, press, association and assembly.
Nielson said it would be a mistake to insist that Cuba improve its rights
record first as a condition of membership in the EU's aid and trade agreement
with African, Caribbean and Pacific nations. A better option, he suggested, was
to use the framework to promote talks on rights and democracy.
"I want to be very clear that I see Cuban accession to Cotonou as a
step in taking the EU-Cuban discussions on all issues, including human rights
and democracy, to a new level," he said. "It was confirmed to me this
week that Cuba also sees it this way. This is an important point."
Several government opponents who met with Nielson on Friday said they also
believed that Cuba should be allowed to join the pact.
As a member, the Caribbean nation would have to adhere to the EU's
guidelines for human rights and democracy to receive trade advantages and
economic help, said democracy activist Oswaldo Paya, who was awarded the EU's
top human rights prize last year.
Manuel Cuesta Murua, of the centrist Moderate Opposition's Reflection Group,
also expressed support for Cuba's membership in the pact.
Several other dissidents this week called on the EU not to let Cuba join the
grouping known as the ACP until it improved its human rights record. They
included Vladimiro Roca, who also met with Nielson on Friday.
During his visit to Cuba, Nielson also inaugurated a new EU office in Havana
that he said he hoped would improve and deepen relations between Europe and the
island.
He also met with many top officials, including President Fidel Castro,
Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Vice President Carlos Lage.
The EU is Cuba's largest trade, aid and investment partner. EU exports to
the island have doubled over the last 10 years and stood at 1.43 billion euros
($1.57 billion) in 2001, representing 80 percent of Cuba's imports. | 
