Posted on Fri, Mar. 07, 2008
By WILL WEISSERT
Associated Press Writer
HAVANA --
The European Union's top development aid official met with Cuba's
foreign minister on Friday as part of an effort to improve chilly
relations with the communist government under new President Raul Castro.
Louis Michel's four-day mission was planned before last month's official
hand-over of power from 81-year-old Fidel Castro to his younger brother.
It is the first high-level visit of an EU official since 2005.
Michel's meeting with Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque extended well
past the scheduled 90 minutes and there was no immediate word on what
was discussed.
Michel's spokesman, John Clancy, has said the European Commission wants
to see "the resumption of an open and constructive political dialogue"
with Cuban leaders.
Though he has been official head of state for less than two weeks, the
76-year-old Raul Castro has run the government since Fidel underwent
emergency intestinal in July 2006. The EU's 27 governments last year
asked Raul Castro to restart regular bilateral talks, and Clancy said
the first new Cuban leader in nearly half a century "constitutes a new
situation."
Cuba responded to Europe's olive branch by inviting Michel to the
island, though it has remained hesitant to take steps to improve
relations, which soured in 2003 when the EU imposed diplomatic sanctions
after authorities here imprisoned 75 dissidents and independent
journalists. Cuba's government accused them of working with the United
States to undermine the government.
Cuban authorities released 16 on medical parole and four others were
freed into forced exile in Spain last month, but 55 remain behind bars.
In January 2005, the EU suspended the sanctions, restoring diplomatic
relations and ending its ban on talks with Cuban officials. But it also
asked Havana to release political prisoners and grant freedom of
expression and information to its citizens, and said it would continue
supporting dissidents and government critics.
In a statement last summer, Perez Roque's office made it clear Cuba
won't formally negotiate improve relations until the EU totally scraps
the sanctions.
It added that the EU's call for dialogue only after Havana makes
improvements in human rights "meddles, in a slanderous way, in strictly
internal Cuban affairs, making judgments and announcing unjust and
hypocritical acts that Cuba considers offensive and unacceptable and
rejects completely."
Spain is leading efforts to improve relations with Havana, while
countries including Britain, the Czech Republic, Poland and Sweden have
been more guarded.
Cuba is accused of violating human rights and basic liberties by jailing
government critics and limiting speech, Internet access, travel and
media freedoms. The government claims it respects human rights more than
most nations by offering a wide social safety net that includes a food
ration program and free health care and education. It dismisses
outspoken critics and dissidents as U.S. "mercenaries."
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