Organizing for America | WE MUST FACE: The Character Factor: The Cuba test.: CUBA: The European Union's lift sanctions against Cuba.

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CUBA: The European Union's lift sanctions against Cuba.

By ! A LUIS "Cuba!" MORO. . . . . - Jun 25th, 2008 at 7:52 pm EDT

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Obama is 100% on the mark with his foreign policy direction; talking and communicating works.

Our European brothers and sisters on earth have finally said enough is enough.
The have started the process of eliminating the U.S. lead embargo against Cuba and Americans.

See full story below.
Thank you and please spread the education.
Luis Moro
www.EveryThingCuba.com

End of EU sanctions on Cuba deals US a setback

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The European Union's decision to lift sanctions against Cuba dealt a setback to US diplomacy after Washington failed to convince eastern European allies to block the move, analysts say.

"It was a failure for American diplomacy, which did everything possible through pressure on eastern European countries, like the Czechs or the Poles, to get a different result," said Janette Habel, an analyst with France's Institute of Higher Learning on Latin America.

President George W. Bush's administration, which has stiffened sanctions against Cuba, initially expressed disappointment last week when the EU said it would end the sanctions it imposed after a crackdown on dissidents in 2003.

Tom Casey, the US State Department's deputy spokesman, cautioned US allies to "be cognizant of not taking actions that would appear to give additional legitimacy" to the Cuban regime.

But a day later the department's chief spokesman, Sean McCormack, softened US criticism, refusing to repeat the White House reaction that it was "disappointed."

"This is a tactical difference," McCormack told reporters Friday.

"The US and the European Union share common objectives in Cuba: freedom, democracy and universal human rights," he said, noting that the EU would review the human rights situation in Cuba every year.

The EU officially lifted the sanctions on Monday, hoping to encourage democracy in Cuba in the wake of the historic handover of power in February, when Raul Castro took over the presidency for his ailing brother Fidel.

The measure was largely symbolic, as the EU sanctions had been suspended since 2005. It was championed by Spain, which normalized relations with Cuba last year.

Marifeli Perez-Stable, vice president of the Inter-American Dialogue think-tank here, said Washington's hardline stance against Cuba was dented because its eastern European allies backed the EU's decision.

The US position to keep up its tough stance on Cuba "until the two Castros die is running out of fuel," Perez-Stable said.

"In Europe or Latin America, no one agrees with US policy on Cuba, whether the governments are on the right or on the left," she said.

Spain's Secretary of State for the EU Diego Lopez Garrido said the decision to lift the sanctions showed the European bloc's "independence" from Washington.

"The White House has made it known to EU countries that it does not like this move at all," Lopez Garrido said, but Brussels "has shown it is capable of ... choosing its own foreign policy path."

The United States has imposed an economic embargo on Cuba since 1962. Bush tightened the sanctions four years ago.

White House contender John McCain, a Republican like Bush, has vowed to maintain the embargo. Democratic rival Barack Obama has pledged to lift some of the restrictions on Cuban-Americans imposed by Bush in 2004.

Tom Shannon, the top US diplomat for Latin America, said in a Spanish newspaper interview that the goals of the EU move regarding democracy and human rights "are the correct ones, are the right ones."

"But we are worried that it tries to go too fast in the relationship with a government that is still stuck in a dictatorship," Shannon told El Pais.

Spain's Cuba policy caused some tension between the European country and the United States. But a Spanish official said the latest move to end the sanctions would not create new problems.

"I don't think they are interested, in the end of a term, to open a new front and fight with the EU," the source said, "especially since it was an issue that was unanimously adopted and there was no opposition from the friendly nations."

Source:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gfuDkWsYl3D2_t6BZh73hwYMGIpg

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Guantanamo | Report to Admin

By Bruce Moses Jun 25th 2008 at 9:52 pm EDT

Great article Luis. I'll tell you something else we should do -Guantanamo Bay should be given back to the Cuban people as a sign of our willingness to help them bring about change in their land. This should be included in the opening salvo by the Obama administration as a gesture of good faith on America's behalf, think of what that could do for our relations! The only advantage keeping the base does is offer a beachhead in the event that military action takes place. This has the undesired effect of keeping Cuba militarily at alert. We can end these Cold War tactics once and for all.

Re: Guantanamo | Report to Admin

By ! A LUIS "Cuba!" MORO. . . . . Jun 26th 2008 at 6:38 am EDT

Thank you Bruce for taking the time to read my blog. I look forward to your comments being fulfilled. Luis Moro

Re: Guantanamo | Report to Admin

By Alain Gonzalez Jun 26th 2008 at 10:39 am EDT

Luis, thanks for posting this article. You keep the group alive with your frequent posts. Keep it up!

Bruce, excellent idea for too many reasons! I wonder if the President could do that without having to go through Congress/Senate. My guess is yes but if we can confirm it can be done as an executive decision, I suggest to float your idea to the Obama team for consideration. Given the supreme court decsion to uphold the constitutional right of habeas corpus for detainees and the talks about closing the detention center, closing Guantanamo altogether is probably going to be supported a majority of americans now, post cold-war. It would send a great message to the world about the Obama administration.

If we organize, we can even start a drive to collect signatures from Cuban exiles in US. What do you think?

Regards,
Alain Gonzalez

Time to end the Cuba embargo | Report to Admin

By The Bard of Wilmette Jun 26th 2008 at 6:06 pm EDT

Good post and comments. The U.S. economic embargo of Cuba is one of the stupidest long standing policies of the U.S. in its history. If it ever made any sense at all (which I doubt), when Cuba was a military threat as a Soviet proxy, even that questionable justification ended at least 17 years ago.

Contrary to its supposed goal, the embargo solidified Fidel Castro's power in Cuba, giving him the excuse of blaming Cuba's economic difficulties on the U.S. rather than his own misrule. American exporters lost out on good opportunities, which went instead to Canadian or European companies. Diplomatically, it made the U.S. look ridiculous even long before George W. Bush came along.

Ending this embargo is overdue (by decades).

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