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US says Cuba to blame for cancellation
of immigration talks
WASHINGTON, 7 (AFP) - The United States
said Cuban intransigence and not US opposition
was to blame for the cancellation of a planned
round of immigration talks this week.
The State Department said Washington was
prepared to go ahead with the talks -- which
the Cubans had proposed for Thursday --
but only if Havana would agree to address
five areas of US concern in the immigration
area.
"The United States is willing to reconsider
the scheduling of the next round of migration
talks when Cuba informs us that it agrees
to a productive agenda, including a commitment
to discuss these five issues," spokesman
Richard Boucher said.
He identified the five issues as: Cuba's
refusal to grant exit permits to qualified
Cubans who want to come to the United States,
its failure to arrange a new registration
system for a visa lottery, the need for
Cuba to provide a deep-water port for repatriation,
restoring access to Cuban return migrants
by US officials in Havana and Cuba's obligation
to accept the return of its nationals deemed
excludable by the United States.
"We have raised each of these issues
in at least the last six sessions of the
talks and Cuba has refused to discuss them
substantively," Boucher told reporters.
"Consequently when the Cuban government
proposed January 8th for the next round
of migration talks, we determined that,
given the Cuban government's expressed unwillingness
to engage on these five most important issues,
another round of talks at this point did
not serve our interests," he said.
Late Tuesday, Cuba accused the United States
of unilaterally cancelling the talks, calling
the move "irresponsible" and the
explanation "unrealistic and absurd."
The five US issues lack "the slightest
significance to the advancement of the Migration
Accords," the Cuban foreign ministry
said in a statement.
"Clearly, in the imperial language
of the US officials, 'dealing seriously'
means that Cuba should be willing to make
every unilateral concession needed and give
in to every whim and demand of the US authorities,"
it said.
But it added that Havana has "never
refused to discuss and analyze any issue
brought up by US officials" during
migration talks" and that it was "willing
to seriously discuss ... all the issues
mentioned by US authorities."
Thursday's cancelled talks were to have
been part of immigration discussions that
the two countries have held periodically
since the Migration Accords were signed
in 1994 to ensure "safe and orderly"
immigration between the Cold War foes.
After the last round of talks in New York
in June, the United States accused Cuba
in September of failing to live up to its
commitments under the accords by refusing
to issue exit visas to more than 600 Cuban
citizens that held US visas.
Cuba Says U.S. Suspends Migration Talks
HAVANA, 6 (AP) - Cuba announced late Tuesday
that U.S. officials have suspended regular
migration talks scheduled in Havana this
week. In Washington, State Department spokesman
Curtis Cooper said he had no information
about the migration talks, including whether
they had been suspended.
The talks, held every six months in alternating
countries, are the highest-level discussions
held between the two nations, which have
been without diplomatic ties for more than
four decades. The latest round was scheduled
for Thursday.
But the Cuban Foreign Ministry said in
a statement sent to international reporters
that State Department officials had informed
Havana on Monday the talks were impossible
"until Cuban authorities show a true
interest in dealing with very important
issues for achieving orderly, legal and
safe migration between the two countries."
Without specifying what issues the Americans
were reportedly concerned about, the Cuban
foreign ministry said they had nothing to
do with migration accords the countries
signed in 1994 and 1995.
The regular migration talks were set up
by accords aimed at preventing a repeat
of the mass exodus that saw tens of thousands
of Cubans take to the sea in flimsy boats
and rafts for the United States during the
summer of 1994.
Cuba's announcement comes amid increasing
concerns by U.S. officials about what they
see as a joint effort by the leftist leaders
of Cuba and Venezuela to nurture anti-American
sentiment in Latin America with money, political
indoctrination and training.
The Cuban statement blamed the reported
suspension of the talks on election year
politics, accusing the Bush administration
of giving in to pressure by anti-Castro
Cuban exiles in Florida.
Argentina enraged by US comments on
Cuba policy
BUENOS AIRES, 7 (AFP) - Argentina has been
angered by US criticism of its policy on
Cuba and President Nestor Kirchner vowed
to raise the dispute with President George
W. Bush when they meet at an international
summit next week.
The diplomatic temperature has risen following
criticism of Argentine policy by US Assistant
Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere
Affairs Roger Noriega.
Noreiga, the top US diplomat for the Americas,
said Tuesday that the United States was
"disappointed" with Buenos Aires'
approach to Cuba and is veering to the left
since Kirchner took office.
"There are particular incidents, instances
where we have been disappointed with decisions
by Argentine officials, for example, not
to meet with dissidents in Cuba," Noriega
told reporters Tuesday in New York following
a speech to the Council of the Americas.
The senior US diplomat's remarks appeared
to be aimed at a visit to Cuba in October
by Argentine foreign minister Rafael Bielsa.
"We want Argentina to have a robust
foreign policy and a principled foreign
policy," Noriega said.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro (news - web sites)
was given a red carpet welcome when he came
to Buenos Aires in May for Kirchner's inauguration.
Buenos Aires' response to Noriega's remarks
could set the ground for a tricky meeting
between Kirchner and US President George
W. Bush. The two leaders are due to meet
on the sidelines of a summit of American
leaders in Monterrey, Mexico on Tuesday.
Noriega said Washington would be sharing
some "of our concerns" with the
Argentines.
The summit brings together all countries
from North and South America except the
communist island.
Noreiga said Washington's stance reflected
concern about Castro's engagement with certain
south American states.
"(Castro) is increasingly active in
the region and this is a great concern among
Latin American leaders that I meet with
because they understand that he is not committed
to the democratic process," Noriega
had said.
"He's (Castro) a broken-down -- the
old dictator. He's fishing in troubled waters."
Noriega also lamented the warm relationship
between Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
and Castro.
"Chavez doesn't consider himself the
best friend of the US," he noted.
Both Buenos Aires and Caracas reacted angrily
to Noriega's remarks.
Argentina's cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez
said Wednesday that Noriega had been "downright
impertinent" in his criticism of Argentina.
The spat prompted Argentina's Bielsa to
register Buenos Aires' disappointment over
Noriega's remarks with Washington's ambassador
here, Lino Gutierrez, a career US diplomat
who was born in Cuba.
Separately, Venezuelan vice president Jose
Vicente Rangel was moved to comment that
the United States had "sadly"
often intervened in Latin American affairs.
Noriega's remarks came days after the United
States announced it had expelled a Cuban
diplomat from Washington and after Havana
Tuesday accused the United States of cancelling
a round of US-Cuban immigration talks.
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