By Nancy San Martin. nsanmartin@herald.com. Posted on Fri,
Apr. 19, 2002 in The Miami
Herald
Latin American countries are leading an effort to censure Cuba before the
U.N. Human Rights Commission today, a vote that, if approved, would underline
the increasing diplomatic isolation of the government of Fidel Castro in the
Western Hemisphere.
For the first time, the effort has the support of at least a dozen Latin
American nations, including Mexico, which has a long history of support for
Cuba.
In addition, the anticipated move would -- for the first time -- happen
without the weight of a U.S. vote. U.S. diplomats have actively sought to round
up votes against Cuba, however, even though the United States lost its seat on
the commission last year.
''The moral weight of the hemisphere is making itself felt,'' said Delal
Baer of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a moderately
conservative think tank.
''Will it bring [Castro] down? Probably not,'' she said. "Will it bring
hope and embolden the Cuban people? Maybe.''
Instead of an outright condemnation of Cuba's human rights record -- the
customary tactic -- the Latin American initiative calls on Cuba to agree to an
inspection by a representative of the U.N. High Commissioner, a recommendation
the Cuban government already has rebuffed.
For decades, Mexico has consistently ignored U.S. pressure to turn its back
on Cuba, maintaining normal diplomatic relations for an unbroken period since
Castro's rise to power in 1959.
Mexico has abstained 10 times and voted twice against similar resolutions,
in 1990 and again in 1999. In 1989, Mexico voted with the majority in a 32-1
vote accepted by Cuba that called for cooperation in examining questions over
human rights concerns. The resolution was far weaker than the original,
U.S.-backed motion.
SOME DISSENT
The vote has been met with dissent in several countries. Critics in Mexico
and Guatemala, for example, have accused their governments of being U.S.
puppets.
Mexican President Vicente Fox has brushed off those claims, saying that the
wording of the resolution was the determining factor. While the resolution
scolds Cuba for its poor human rights records, it also suggests failure on the
part of the U.S. embargo, which Mexico does not support.
''It has to do with the fact that the text in the resolution is compatible
with what Mexico has always supported,'' said Miguel Monterrubio, spokesman for
the Mexican Embassy in Washington.
"It is precise and constructive. It requests rather than condemns.''
The resolution contains relatively mild language that explicitly recognizes
Cuba's efforts in fulfilling the ''social rights'' of its citizens. It also
makes a disparaging, albeit indirect, reference to the U.S. embargo by stating
that these accomplishments have been made "despite an adverse international
environment.''
However, the resolution urges Havana to make similar efforts in human, civil
and political rights.
LARGELY SYMBOLIC
What has most enraged Cuba and invigorated supporters of the resolution is
the part asking the commission to send a representative to Havana to monitor the
application of the resolution.
While everyone agrees passage of the resolution would be largely symbolic,
it places Cuba in an uncomfortable position. If the government shuns the request
to allow a U.N. observer into the country, as it already has indicated, it risks
offending regional neighbors.
James Carragher, coordinator for Cuban affairs for the Department of State,
acknowledged that the measure does not fully satisfy U.S. concerns. But even
without a vote this year, the U.S. delegation has decided to attach its name to
the resolution.
THE POSITIVES
''There are things in it that we are not enthralled with,'' Carragher said. "Despite
that, and the reason we're co-sponsoring it, is because the positives far
outweigh the negatives. The powerful part of it is that it presents a unified
voice.''
Last year's vote, sponsored by the Czech Republic, narrowly passed by a
22-20 vote. A wider margin is expected with this year's resolution sponsored by
Uruguay.
29 CO-SPONSORS
There are 29 co-sponsors so far, including 10 from Latin America -- five of
which are voting members.
''This is a resolution that any democratic government would be honored to
sponsor,'' Uruguayan President Jorge Batlle Ibáñez recently told
the Herald.
Havana has lashed out against the resolution, calling it ''a fabrication''
conspired by the Bush administration. The Cuban government also has accused
Uruguay and the other countries backing the resolution of ''genuflecting'' to
the United States.
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque described the Rights
Commission as "a battle field divided in two . . . on one side, judges who
want to impose their concept of the world and, on the other, victims.''
He said that the resolution seeks "to create a mechanism to monitor
Cuba and keep it on the Commission agenda next year with the sole objective of
enabling the United States to justify the embargo.''
ILLUSIONS
''They're having vain illusions if they think that Cuba would let an
inspector in the service of the United States government come here, under these
conditions,'' Perez Roque said.
Carragher denied Roque's accusations.
''We certainly have had discussions with many countries on the commission
but I would simply characterize them as exchange of views, exchange of
information,'' he said.
If Latin America votes as a solid block, ''that really would be a slap in
the face of Cuba,'' said Joaquín Roy, a professor of international
studies at the University of Miami and director of the European Union Center.
"But, then again, the cost of slapping Cuba at the United Nations,
maybe some years ago, there was a cost. Now, what do they have to lose?''
''This is a yearly exercise,'' Roy said. "In the fall, the whole planet
slaps the United States for imposing the embargo. In the spring, a substantial
number of members slaps Cuba on human rights.''
"The point of view depends on how the math on the votes are
interpreted.''
Herald staff writer Andres Oppenheimer contributed to this report. |