CUBANET ... CUBANEWS

April 19, 2001



Cuba calls human rights censure a 'moral victory'

By CNN Havana Bureau Chief Lucia Newman. April 18, 2001. Web posted at: 5:42 PM EDT (2142 GMT)

HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- A motion to censure Cuba for human rights violations, approved at the United Nations Human Rights Commission on Wednesday, was nevertheless declared a "moral victory" by Cuba's foreign ministry.

The motion passed at the commission's meeting in Geneva with 22 votes in favor, 20 against, and 10 abstentions.

As Wednesday's vote was taking place, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque spoke before members of the media and all the foreign ministry workers here, saying the countries who supported the motion were pressured by Washington.

Roque denounced what he called an unprecedented campaign of pressures and psychological torture against the countries that have a vote on the commission this year.

"They have been submitted to unconfessable pressures and blackmail," he said loudly. "From the highest levels of the United States government, headed by President George W. Bush, to try to force them to change their mind and vote against Cuba."

The motion to censure Cuba was sponsored by the Czech Republic but strongly supported by the United States. Cuba's representative indicated Washington had a larger hand.

"You don't need to have a DNA test," the representative said. "Everyone knows who is the father of this creature."

Roque said Bush personally called every president in Latin America to try to obtain the censure vote against Cuba, saying one country even received "10 phone calls in the middle of the night" to urge support.

Cuba also claimed some Latin American countries and many African nations on the Human Rights Commission were threatened by Washington with the withdrawal of vital U.S. economic aid, including support for AIDS programs, if they did not vote against Cuba.

The moral victory, Roque said, came because the United States was forced to threaten commission members in order to achieve the vote results.

Seconds after the vote was announced at the foreign ministry here, there were claps and cheers of "Viva Cuba!" Foreign ministry workers then sang the national anthem.

© 2001 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.

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