CUBA: Cautious Reaction to Pressure from EU

By Dalia Acosta Reprint | | Print |

Dalia Acosta

HAVANA, Dec 7 1996 (IPS) - Cuba’s government reacted with unusual caution to a European Union (EU) document pushing for political and diplomatic pressure for democracy on the island, in line with some of the measures proposed by the United States.

Just over a week after Cuba withdrew its support for the Spanish ambassador in Havana for similar reasons, the Cuban authorities reserved their judgment on the document approved in Brussels this week.

Head of parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, was the first high official to mention the issue Thursday, when he said this did not seem to signify “a really substantial change in the EU position on Cuba.”

The text approved proposed EU members increase pressure to achieve “improvements in the area of human rights and democratic liberties,” and to remind the Cuban government of their responsibility in reference to freedom of expression and association.

Although the European Union does not use economic sanctions and has consistently rejected the US Helms-Burton law – an instrument to toughen the economic blockade on Cuba – these changes would make any aid or governmental cooperation from the 15 member nations conditional to political reforms on the island.

Miguel Alfonso, Cuban foreign ministry spokesman, said these conditions “will not determine the direction of Cuban foreign policy,” which has always maintained the bases of non interference in internal affairs and respect for the equal sovereignity of States.

According to Alfonso, the Fidel Castro administration will not send any declaration until it receives an official communication of the decision made from the EU, via the corresponding diplomatic channels.

US State Department spokesman, Nicholas Burns, described the EU decision as “a great step forward” in showing the international concern over the situation of human rights in Cuba.

The rapid US approval of the European document appeared to confirm the idea that Bill Clinton could once again postpone the disputed section III of the Helms-Burton law.

It is this contraversial chapter which most rankles EU members, as it establishes the right of US citizens to take legal action against foreign entrepreneurs trading with companies or persons using property confiscated by the Cuban government.

A great many Cuban exiles naturalised in the United States would be only too happy to take advantage of the measure.

According to Alfonso, his government “is not up on the agreements” the EU may have made with the United States, but the differences between the new document and the bloc’s stance up until now will have to be looked in to.

Cuba is the only Latin American nation which has not signed a draft cooperation agreement with the European Union and the negotiation was suspended in May due to European demands, including the freeing of political prisoners, space for the opposition and peaceful change to a pluralist democracy.

Local observers say the Cuban government is more interested in attracting investments and European entrepreneurs than in help to resolve pressing problems, but is undefined on development.

On Nov. 27 in Brussels the community showed that humanitarian and cooperation aid for Cuba had fallen from 38.4 million dollars in 1995 to 18.7 million in the first eleven months of this year.

Cubas’s Chamber of Trade said nearly 50 percent of Cuban trade is carried out with Europe, and this is on the increase with Spain, France, Britain, Italy and the Netherlands.

Spain has more than 80 joint ventures in Cuba and the interests of only one of these companies – the Sol Melia hotel chain – is worth over 50 million dollars.

In France, 35 companies have investments in Cuba and a delegation of 60 entrepreneurs visited the island in late November, leaving 15 business ventures up and running.

Last month there was a meeting held in Havana to look into business and investment opportunities in Cuba, attended by 58 entrepreneurs from 12 EU nations.

Meanwhile, Cuba, with its 200 joint ventures, considers the encouraging of foreign investment to be one of the main priorities in overcoming the economic crisis which began with the disappearance of the socialist bloc.