July 25, 2007
By Frank Calzon
When the U.S. told Havana recently that it will cutback the number of
visas issued to Cubans to 10,724 from 20,000, the regime responded as it
usually does. It generated a propaganda circus covering up the issues
and complaints leading to the United States' diplomatic protest.Havana
is good at manipulating the world's media. While The Washington Post.com
headlined its Reuters story, "U.S. says Cuba obstructing consular work,"
most of the world's headlines reflected Havana's spin: "Cuba accuses US
over entry visas"; "Cuba says U.S. issuing visas too slowly" are
representative of the coverage.
A review of the episode presents a different story, and the fault does
not necessarily lie within the media. Here is what happened:
•The U.S. informed the Cuban authorities that it would be reducing the
number of visas allocated for Cubans. Havana, predictably went ballistic
and blasted the U.S. News wires and international media reported
Havana's charges.
•The State Department, which is clearly in the right, was suddenly
playing defense. The Administration has informed Congress that Havana is
not carrying out its obligations under the migration accord: the Castros
severely limit the ability of the U.S. mission to carry out consular and
other functions in Cuba by denying visas to American diplomats and
regularly harassing those assigned to Cuba. Havana also fails to honor
the understanding that American diplomats would be allowed to visit
Cubans returned by the U.S. Coast Guard to make sure they are not being
punished for trying to escape.
So it is important to ask: Why can't the U.S. State Department get the
facts out to the American public and the world, before Havana spins them
in a self-serving way. Even as the Department carries out President
Bush's policy, some diplomats remain so concerned about not giving
offense or "antagonizing" Havana despite the regime's clear breaches of
established protocol. But no amount of looking the other way will make
the Castro brothers change their hostility toward America.
Cuban officials have broken into the U.S. diplomatic pouch, but the U.S.
filed no official protest. Efforts to intimidate American diplomats have
included breaking the windshields of their cars, puncturing their tires,
burgling their homes, blackmail attempts and scattering excrement inside
one diplomat's locked apartment. In one incident, a cat was taken from
the locked home of a diplomat, hammered to death and left on the
diplomat's doorstep.
U.S. officials need to vigorously counter Castro's propaganda with the
facts. Unfortunately some argue that to defend the United States plays
into the propaganda strategy of America's enemies so it is better to
"take the attack" and wait for a better day. But that allows Castro's
apologists around the world to pickup his refrain and blame the United
States for "failing to meet its obligations" and "triggering" a new
crisis with Havana.
In this instance, immediately after notifying Havana, the U.S. Interests
Section in Cuba should have called a press conference to announce and
explain the cutbacks.
The Castro brothers have a lifetime of anti-Americanism. They are miffed
because the Congress won't this year lift the embargo and President Bush
and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recently denounced in Brussels,
Prague, Panama, and Madrid the brutalities of the regime. It is not an
easy task to deal with Cuba's anti American ruthless dictators and
cohorts in Caracas and elsewhere, but President Bush's Cuba policy, to
have a chance to succeed, requires the full hearted support of U.S.
representatives on the front line in Havana. Anything less is a
disservice to the nation they represent.
Frank Calzon is executive director of the Center for a Free Cuba, an
independent human rights organization. fcalzon@cubacenter.org
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-forum25cubanbjul25,0,5392712.story
No comments:
Post a Comment