EU to launch new Cuba talks
EU High Representative Catherine Ashton is planning to contact the Cuban government for talks aimed at normalizing ties, following the recent release of dozens of poltical prisoners. The move also comes after the EU Parliament voted last week to award Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to imprisoned Cuban dissident Guillermo Farina: The EU’s policy ...
EU High Representative Catherine Ashton is planning to contact the Cuban government for talks aimed at normalizing ties, following the recent release of dozens of poltical prisoners. The move also comes after the EU Parliament voted last week to award Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to imprisoned Cuban dissident Guillermo Farina:
EU High Representative Catherine Ashton is planning to contact the Cuban government for talks aimed at normalizing ties, following the recent release of dozens of poltical prisoners. The move also comes after the EU Parliament voted last week to award Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to imprisoned Cuban dissident Guillermo Farina:
The EU’s policy since 1996 has been to make contacts with Cuba conditional on progress made in human rights. But Spain is leading calls to soften that position after it and the Catholic Church successfully convinced the Castro regime to release dozens of political prisoners.
In recognition of those calls, also supported by France and Italy, ministers meeting in Luxembourg asked EU High Representative Catherine Ashton to examine options for a resumption of political contacts, diplomats said.
‘It is essentially about sending a couple of officials to Cuba,’ Italian deputy foreign minister Alfredo Mantica told reporters. He stressed that beyond agreeing on the exploratory mission, no softening of the EU’s policy was decided. Mantica explained that the issue would be taken up again once Ashton reported on her efforts.
Opposition to the proposal at the EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting was led by Germany, Sweden, Poland, and several other formerly communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Last week on FP, Anya Landau French called on the United States to make a similar overtures.
Also worth a read is this account of the contentious and occasionally ugly political debate that led to Farinas receiving the Sakharov. If only the Nobel had the same level of transparency.
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
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