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Freedom
House Sends Letter to Spanish Foreign Minister
Regarding Recent Visit to Cuba
Freedom
House, April 7, 2007.
April 6, 2007 - Freedom House sent a letter
today to the Foreign Minister of Spain,
Miguel Angel Moratinos, expressing disappointment
that the official met with Cuban authorities
during a recent visit to the island but
not with members of the country's dissident
movement.
Mr. Moratinos' visit, the first by a European
Union Foreign Minister since Cuba's human
rights crackdown in 2003, occurred April
2-3, 2007. During the visit, he met with
several high ranking Cuban officials, including
acting President Raúl Castro, as
well as the vice-president and the Cuban
foreign minister. However, Mr. Moratinos'
schedule did not include meetings with any
of Cuba's democracy advocates. Instead,
he tasked a lower ranking official to meet
with dissidents after his departure, in
a move possibly designed to avoid upsetting
Cuban authorities. In response, four of
the six dissident leaders invited boycotted
the gathering.
"Spain has long served as a model
of a peaceful democratic transition and
has played an important role in encouraging
democratic reform around the world,"
wrote Jennifer Windsor, Executive Director
of Freedom House, in the letter. "The
decision not to personally meet with those
individuals on the front-lines of the peaceful
struggle from democratic freedoms sent an
unfortunate -- if unintended -- message
that issues of human rights are not a top
priority in Spanish foreign policy."
During the visit, Spain and Cuba agreed
to re-launch bilateral cooperation programs
suspended after the 2003 crackdown, and
agreed to regular political talks that reportedly
may include discussions on human rights
issues. In the letter to Mr. Moratinos,
Freedom House urged the Spanish government
to reject demands by the Cuban Foreign Minister
that the agenda for talks with Spain not
include discussions regarding the political
prisoners.
Spain is a member of the European Union
as well as of the Community of Democracies,
an organization of countries that have pledged
to uphold democratic ideals and promote
human rights.
The text of the letter follows.
April 6, 2007
His Excellency Miguel Angel Moratinos
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Plaza de la Provincia, 1
28071 Madrid
Spain
Excellency:
Spain has long served as a model of a peaceful
democratic transition and has played an
important role in encouraging democratic
reform around the world. The Spanish government,
as a member of both the European Union and
the Community of Democracies, has committed
itself to the promotion and protection of
fundamental individual freedoms.
Your recent visit to Cuba was the first
by a European Union Foreign Minister since
the human rights crackdown in 2003. During
your trip, you conducted meetings with several
high ranking government officials, but unfortunately
decided not to meet with any of Cuba's democracy
advocates. Instead, after your departure,
a lower ranking member of your delegation
met with some representatives of the community.
This decision not to personally meet with
those individuals on the front-lines of
the peaceful struggle from democratic freedoms
sent an unfortunate - if unintended -- message
that issues of human rights are not a top
priority in Spanish foreign policy. It also
reinforced the perception - advanced by
the government of Cuba -- that those who
are working for reform in the country are
not legitimate interlocutors to consult
on the future of Cuba.
Freedom House encourages that human rights
issues - especially the status of political
prisoners - play an official part of the
announced ongoing political dialogue. Freedom
House strongly urges the Spanish government
to make all efforts possible to ensure that
the independent voices for democracy on
the island are included in the process of
dialogue on the ongoing transition.
Sincerely,
Jennifer L. Windsor
Executive Director
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