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Welcome
to Cuba Update
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the news and information bulletin of the
Cuba Solidarity Campaign, UK
The
frequency of Cuba Update will depend upon the news and changing
situation relating to Cuba and the Cuba Solidarity Campaign.
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In
this edition of Cuba Update:
1.Europe
steers clear of US aggression towards Cuba
2.187 MPs back parliamentary motion on UK/Cuba relations
3.Cuba rebuffs US charges of diplomatic harassment
4.End lawlessness of Guantanamo: Amnesty
1.Europe
steers clear of US aggression towards Cuba
Victory
for Cuba Solidarity organisations as EU Foreign Ministers
decide to
maintain dialogue with the island.
London
14 June: The European Union decided on Monday to maintain
the status quo of dialogue with Cuba. EU foreign ministers
meeting in Luxembourg resisted pressure from the US and its
Eastern European allies to impose diplomatic sanctions on
the island.
The
decision is a victory for Cuba solidarity groups all over
Europe, including the UK-based Cuba Solidarity Campaign, who
mounted an intense campaign prior to the meeting to persuade
their respective governments not to worsen their relations
with the island.
An
Early Day Motion calling on the UK to develop better relations
with Cuba and tabled by Ian Gibson MP, has acquired the support
of 187 MPs from all political parties.
CSC
director Rob Miller welcomed the news: "We congratulate
those European countries who opposed the attempt to sour relations
with Cuba. However, the EU is still placing unfair conditions
on its relationship with Cuba and this is an obvious interference
in Cuba's sovereignty. We must ensure that every effort is
now made to see real progress in developing a positive relationship
based on mutual respect, trade and understanding."
It
is not clear what position Britain took at the meeting but
the foreign ministers decided to maintain for another year
the policy of dialogue with Cuba, a posture adopted 17 months
ago when the bloc lifted diplomatic sanctions against the
island.
The
Council of Ministers approved a document that says the European
Union "deplores the worsening of the human rights situation"
in Cuba since the last review, which took place in June 2005,
but stops short of reimposing diplomatic sanctions on the
island adopted in 2003.
EU
officials said the EU would hold off on diplomatic sanctions
until the next policy review in June 2007, and in the meantime
promote "a genuine dialogue with Havana, peaceful dissidents
and civil society."
At
the same time, the document foresees the opening of a process
among the member states to determine what the mid- and long-term
strategy should be in the European Union's relations with
Cuba.
The
document seeks to reconcile the positions of those who want
to maintain the current policy such as Spain, and other members,
principally the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Sweden
who contend that it has not produced what they call "satisfactory"
results.
The
EU froze relations with Cuba in June 2003, after 75 US agents
were arrested and sentenced for up to 28 years in prison for
having accepted payments from an enemy power. 15 have been
released since then.
In
January 2005, EU foreign ministers suspended the sanctions
to see whether dialogue with Havana would prove a more effective
policy. Since then the US has lobbied hard in Europe to have
the sanctions reimposed.
The
Cuban government refuses to recognise the right of the EU
or any other government to dictate what its internal policies
should be. The EU 'common position' makes relations with Cuba
conditional on Cuba's alleged 'human rights' record, and is
therefore viewed as in breach of Cuba's sovereignty and therefore
unacceptable to Havana.
Only
last week, the Cuban parliament passed a resolution declaring
that Cuba would never accept any policies or economic relationships
that implied political conditions of any kind.
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org/news.asp?ItemID=776
On
the web:
http://euobserver.com/9/21829
http://www.caycompass.com/cgi-bin/CFPnews.cgi?ID=1013969
http://www.dominicantoday.com/app/article.aspx?id=14487
http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000019/001957.htm
-------------------------------------------------
2.
187 MPs back parliamentary motion on UK/Cuba relations
London
14 June: A cross-party group of MPs' Early Day Motion calling
on the
UK to improve its relations with Cuba has gathered 187 signatures
- a
record for motions on Cuba.
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org/news.asp?ItemID=714
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3.
Cuba rebuffs US charges of diplomatic harassment
Havana
13 June: Cuba on Tuesday rebuffed the US charges of harassment
against its mission in Havana, saying Washington is making
up stories
aiming to create a bilateral crisis.
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org/news.asp?ItemID=778
http://english.people.com.cn/200606/14/eng20060614_273941.html
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4.
End lawlessness of Guantanamo: Amnesty
London
11 June: Amnesty International on Sunday called on the United
States
to 'end the lawlessness' of its facility for security suspects
at
Guantanamo Bay after three detainees committed suicide.
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org/news.asp?ItemID=747
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1718376,00050003.htm
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Solidarity Campaign
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Tel. 020 7263 6452 Fax. 020 7561 0191
E.Mail: office@cuba-solidarity.org.uk
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk
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