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A global effort to bring
democracy to Cuba
Posted on Sat, Oct. 02,
2004 in The
Miami Herald.
Below are excerpts from the Prague Memorandum,
issued at a summit last month by the Committee
For Democracy in Cuba. It was signed by
former Czech President Vaclav Havel, former
Chilean President Patricio Aylwin and former
U.S. Ambassador Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, among
others.
It is inconceivable and unacceptable that
people continue to be imprisoned in Cuba
for their ideals and peaceful political
activity. We know that the majority of Cubans
desire nonviolent democratic change in order
to establish freedom and democracy in their
land. Further, all of us here are convinced
of the necessity of this change due to the
contact we maintain not just with the pro-democracy
movement, but also with the silent majority
of citizens who are paralyzed by the fear
of repression.
We defend Cuban sovereignty when we defend
the right of the Cuban people to democracy
and when we insist that the Cuban government
comply with the international agreements
on democracy and human rights that it has
signed. Without a general amnesty for all
political prisoners, recuperation of civil
liberties and free, multiparty, general
elections, the Cuban people cannot fully
exercise their sovereignty.
Strong civil society
Our goal is to help create the conditions
so that the Cuban people can bring about
democracy through a nonviolent transition.
Our priority is to strengthen the civil
society and civic movement that are bringing
about that democracy.
To accomplish this, we seek common objectives
for a general plan of support for democracy
in Cuba that can be implemented in a coordinated
manner at different levels and from different
parts of the world. The task of general
coordination and support for this plan will
correspond to the International Committee
for Democracy in Cuba.
The following mechanisms must be established
in order to help create the conditions so
that the Cuban people can freely choose
the political and economic system they desire:
o An international network of nongovernmental
organizations that have expressed solidarity
with democracy in Cuba.
o An international network of parliamentarians
in support of democracy in Cuba.
o A President's Task Force in Support of
Democracy in Cuba.
o An international commission of experts
that will pool resources from the transition
experiences in Europe and Latin America
to aid the Cuban people in their own transition
to democracy.
These mechanisms will function according
to a general work plan whose priorities
will be: To insist that the international
community does not and will not tolerate
any human-rights violations in Cuba. This
is vital in order to support the current
victims and prevent future violations.
To achieve greater international recognition
and legitimacy for the Cuban civic movement
through:
o Support for the current European Common
Position on Cuba.
o Creation of a regional Latin American
Working Group that will work to open the
doors of the Latin American embassies in
Havana to contact the Cuban civic movement.
o Creation of a President's Task Force
in Support of Democracy in Cuba, which will
offer itself as a mediating body to aid
the Cuban opposition in establishing fundamental
agreements on cooperation and coordination
that will lead to a peaceful transition
to democracy and rule of law.
o Furthermore, it will be a vital priority
of this plan to aid the Cuban people in
their transition to democracy through the
creation of an international commission
that will pool the experiences of transition
in Europe and Latin America in order to
aid the Cuban people in the construction
of a democratic polity.
True peace, freedom
The ICDC commits itself to long-term work
on behalf of Cuban democracy so that one
day all Cuban citizens will live in dignity
and be able to fully exercise their rights
as human beings. This summit marks the beginning
of a concerted international effort to aid
Cuba in becoming a full member of the world
democratic community. We are convinced that,
through their own efforts and with international
solidarity, Cubans will one day enjoy the
true peace that only freedom brings.
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