The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

CUBAN Ambassador Ernesto Guzman yesterday dismissed criticisms levelled against the Republic of Cuba by a top US Embassy official as “hypocritical” given the track record of the US.

US acting Deputy Chief of Mission John Armstrong hit out at human rights abuses in Cuba on a local talk show yesterday, adding that Chinese citizens have more freedom than Cuban nationals.

But pointing to the historical summit underway in Havana between Latin American and Caribbean heads of state, Mr Guzman said the “funny” statements made by Mr Armstrong concerning the communist regime did not come as a surprise.

Mr Guzman said: “I understand that it is very difficult for some persons to understand that today, 29 head of state of government for Latin America and the Caribbean had a very successful summit in Havana. So if there is any problem with Cuba in my opinion first of all, it’s isolated and not on Cuba.

“You take a look of the news coming now from Havana, you will see that none of them mention any kind of criticism against Cuba. They highlight the results of Cuba, of 55 years of evolution in terms of social development, health development and education development.

“The most important thing is that all of the heads of states of government understand and proclaim that all Latin American, Caribbean countries need to be more united to face a common challenge, and in order to achieve that we must co-ordinate common policies to resolve common problems.”

He added: “I understand that for maybe the for the first time, [the US] are out of the play, this is a reality they cannot change.”

Prompted by the show’s host about the relationship between the two countries, Mr Armstrong had explained that the United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba in the 60s under two major tenets: the nationalisation of property without compensation; and the “radical move towards communist dictatorship”.

Mr Armstrong said: “Countries that don’t have real elections, countries that don’t allow their populace to have a voice, to gather freely to redress their grievances without fear of repression, are inherently unstable and that’s why.

“Perhaps there is an easing now but there is still a very strong repressive regime in effect.”

When asked whether or not the American government takes similar issue with China, also a communist state, Mr Armstrong said that “in many ways there is more freedom in China than there is in Cuba”.

Mr Armstrong added that reports of human rights abuses in Cuba persist despite an apparent easing of travel restrictions.

He said: “On UN Human Rights Day, the Cuban authorities cracked down on people who were just trying to celebrate UN Human Rights Day and I will repeat what was said by my government. The United States looks forward to the day when every Cuban, regardless of political opinion, can express themselves freely without fear of harassment, or physical violence from their government, and we believe that that’s in our interest, it’s the Cuban people’s interest, it’s the Bahamian government’s interest, that Cuba be a normal country.”

The handshake between US President Barack Obama and Cuban president Ra�l Castro at the funeral of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela last month renewed debate over the more than 50-year-old trade embargo imposed by the US. The policy remains unchanged despite steps taken by the US to lift travel and spending restrictions on Americans with family on the island in 2009.

According to the New York times, Mr Obama reversed restrictions that barred US citizens from visiting their Cuban relatives more than once every three years and lifted limits on the amount of money and goods Cuban Americans can send back to their families.

The ban on US telecommunications companies reaching out to the island was also lifted.

In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, Mr Guzman said: “It’s very funny that he didn’t mention anything about the human rights of the 11 million people living in the US without status. He’s not talking about them, he’s not talking about their rights.

“What about the millions of people in US that cannot pay for medical insurance, do they have rights? He mentioned that the people of the US cannot travel freely to Cuba, what about American rights? Can they not travel where they want to travel?

“As usual, [the US] is sending the message ‘Only do what I say and not what I do’. It is a hypocrisy, but he can say what he wants.”

He added: “In the past, [the US] used to say what we should do, and now they can’t, so this is a big problem for them.”

Latin American and Caribbean leaders yesterday signed a resolution declaring the region a “zone of peace” and pledged to resolve their disputes as respectful neighbours without the use of arms, according to media reports on the final day of the Havana summit.

The meeting is the second time in 200 years that the region is convening without the presence of United States or Canada, according to Mr Guzman.

He said: “The first really was in Chile in 2012, but this is the very first time we decided to organise a meeting and decided to co-ordinate policies and trade without the permission of the US government. In practical terms, it means that the Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Cuba, say we will face this challenge, and we will use policy to overcome it, and no one can come and tell us if we are right or wrong.”