U.S. Backs Out Of Talks in Cuba On Immigration

[Judi Lynn]

U.S. Backs Out Of Talks in Cuba On Immigration

By Kevin Sullivan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, January 8, 2004; Page A20


MEXICO CITY, Jan. 7 -- U.S. officials said Wednesday that they have postponed scheduled immigration talks with Cuban officials, prompting the government of President Fidel Castro to charge that the Bush administration is "aggravating the tensions between both countries" for political purposes in an election year.

The State Department spokesman, Richard Boucher, said U.S. officials declined to attend a meeting proposed by the Cubans for Thursday in Havana because the Cubans were unwilling to discuss key issues on the U.S. agenda.

"The point is not just to have a meeting; the point is to deal with the serious issues involved," Boucher told reporters Wednesday.

The talks, normally held every six months in alternating countries, are the highest-level regular diplomatic contact between the two nations, which have not had formal relations in more than 40 years.
(snip/...)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63278-2004Jan7.html

[papau]

1. paraphrased: "not in the interest of Bush in an election year"

these folks do not hide the politics.

[Mika]

2. Ignoring the majority opinion of Americans & Cuban-Americans

From the Miami Herald,

Migration talks canceled
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/cuba/7660944.htm

Cuba's foreign ministry late Tuesday called the U.S. explanation of the cancellations ''unrealistic and absurd'' and said it only served the interests of ``a small group of ultra-reactionary people interested in continuing the U.S. policy of hostility and aggression toward Cuba.''

-

After underscoring that it has ''never refused to discuss and analyze any issue brought up by U.S. officials'' during the migration talks, the <Cuban> Foreign Ministry said it was ``willing to seriously discuss . . . all the issues mentioned by U.S. authorities.''

These moves aren't aimed at gaining votes from the majority of Cuban-Americans in Miami (who support normalizing relations with Cuba). They are aimed at gaining campaign money from the extremist wing "exiles" and "free Cuba" foundations.

Unfortunately, most of the Dem presidential candidates support the Bush Doctrine regarding Cuba (in competition for the same extremist campaign dollars from Miami).



----

Poll: The Majority of Americans on Cuban sanctions
http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=770
-
Poll: Cuban-Americans focus is local
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/cuba/6269237.htm

Sadly, only ONE candidate for
US president openly states that he
would end this unjust and insane
policy against Cuba AND Americans.

That candidate is Dennis Kucinich.

-The Democratic Presidential Candidates on Cuba-
http://www.lawg.org/pages/new%20pages/Misc/prez-candidates1.htm

[Say_What]

3. Statement from Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs

<clips>

On Monday, January 5, 2004, officials at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana and the U.S. State Department communicated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, respectively, that they considered another round of migratory talks as out of the question, “until the Cuban authorities demonstrate a genuine interest in seriously approaching aspects that are ‘highly significant’ in terms of achieving an ordered, legal and safe migratory flow between the two countries.”

Of course, these “highly significant” aspects are none other than some of the subjects that have traditionally made up the agenda of the U.S. delegation at the migratory talks, subjects that bear absolutely no relation to the functioning of the Migratory Agreements and that, moreover, have been widely discussed on many occasions in talks over the last few years.

Obviously, in the imperial language of U.S. officials, “seriously approach” means that Cuba should be prepared to make all the unilateral concessions that they want and accede to all the demands and caprices of the U.S. authorities.

This is no more and no less than a new and totally unsustainable pretext aimed at aggravating tensions between the two countries and hindering the principal review mechanism to ensure that the Migratory Agreements are met.

http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2004/enero/mier7/2decl.html