By Mark Kukis. UPI. Virtual
New York. Saturday, 21 April 2001 10:15 (ET)
QUEBEC, April 21 (UPI) -- President Bush on Saturday hailed the recent U.N.
human rights censure of Cuba, the only country in the Western Hemisphere not
invited to the weekend's Summit of the Americas.
"As you hear this I am in Canada for the Summit of the Americas,
joined by leaders of 33 other democratic nations," Bush said in his weekly
radio address from Quebec, where the summit opened Friday.
"Only one country in the western hemisphere is not represented because
that country, Cuba, is the only one that is not yet a democracy," Bush
said. "We are pleased that many countries in the Americas join us in
passing a resolution this week at the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. They have
called upon Cuba to respect the rights of its citizens. We know that for the
people of Cuba their day of freedom will come."
The White House has repeatedly pointed to Cuba's conspicuous absence at the
summit to air longstanding U.S. grievances with President Fidel Castro's
government. But the repeated criticisms have drawn questions about the U.S.
approach to Cuba in comparison to other Latin American countries like Haiti and
Chile, which became democracies only in recent years after decades of
dictatorial rule.
The White House's main objective at the summit is to press for increased
trade throughout North and South America, an initiative Bush has said fosters
democratic ideals in nascent fledgling democracies.
Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security adviser, said Castro's Cuba was
too deeply entrenched in communism to benefit politically from long-banned U.S.
trade.
"There are societies that are open enough and in transition enough
that trade and involvement and engagement can actually make a difference, and
then there are those that are so closed that any effort to engage actually ends
up simply reinforcing the regime," Rice said. "Fidel Castro is a
one-man band. We believe that just about anything that you do with Cuba simply
reinforces his regime."
Rice also said, "I might just note that the Europeans have had plenty
of economic activity with Cuba over the last few years and hasn't made one bit
of difference to Cuba's political or human rights situation."
On Wednesday, the U.N. Human Rights Commission adopted a resolution calling
on Cuba to respect human rights. The resolution failed to give an outright
condemnation of Havana's human rights situation, however, despite U.S. pressure
on other countries to support tougher language against Castro.
It was the first time in four years the United States failed to shore up
enough support for a stronger resolution. But the White House still claimed
victory since Castro did not altogether avoid international criticism on human
rights.
Castro called the resolution a "Pyrrhic victory" for Washington.
And he offered further comment as the Quebec summit opened to protests of Bush's
trade initiative.
''In the name of the people of Cuba, I would like to express our sympathy
and admiration,'' Castro said in a statement read on Cuban state television
Friday night. ''Cuba supports you, embraces you, salutes you.''
Demonstrations in Quebec turned violent when some protesters tore down part
of the chain-link fence enclosing the summit site and clashed with police, who
used tear gas to disperse a crowd of about 5,000 people, most of whom were not
involved in the skirmishes.
''Is this the way these governments treat their own people while trying to
trick the world by calling themselves defenders of human rights?'' Castro's
statement said.
The summit moved into its second day Saturday, with leaders huddling in
meetings through the afternoon. Protests were also expected to resume.
Copyright 2001 by United Press International. | 