Posted on 04/17/2003 2:20:16 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
U.S. vote may end up aiding Cuba at U.N.
GENEVA - The Bush administration is facing the distasteful prospect of having to vote against a resolution condemning Cuba, following last-minute amendments that substantially changed the original text of a resolution before the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, U.S. officials say.
The panel postponed action Wednesday after Costa Rica proposed tougher language censuring Cuba for human-rights abuses. Cuba took the opportunity to introduce its own amendment, amounting to a strong indictment of U.S. policies toward the island.
''Enough with the hypocrisy,'' declared Cuban Ambassador Iván Mora Godoy. His remarks against the embargo drew the only round of applause from delegates during the debate.
The 53-nation commission, which is wrapping up its annual meeting here, is scheduled to take up the issue again today. But divisions over the Cuban issue and last-minute maneuvering have presented Cuba with a chance to escape an embarrassing international reprimand altogether.
''Geneva is a complete disaster,'' a senior Bush administration official told The Herald on Wednesday. ``It's an example of good intentions gone bad.''
CUBA'S AMENDMENT
Costa Rica's proposal to add a paragraph with references to the latest crackdown on Cuban dissidents on the island opened the way for Cuba to introduce a two-part amendment criticizing the U.S. trade embargo and alleging use of U.S. territory for ''terrorist'' acts against Cuba.
There has been no vote yet on any amendment or resolution affecting Cuba. If the anti-U.S. amendment by Cuba is accepted, ''we are faced with the decision of possibly having to vote against the whole resolution,'' the senior U.S. official said.
The decision to defer the vote came after a politically charged debate over Cuba's recent detentions and prison terms of up to 28 years that were handed out to nearly 75 peaceful dissidents, as well as last week's execution of three hijackers who commandeered a ferry in a failed bid to reach the United States.
`SHAM PROCEEDINGS'
The heated exchanges began after the U.S. delegate said dissidents were subjected to ''sham proceedings'' and condemned the firing-squad executions of the hijackers.
''The totalitarian regime of Cuba should be condemned by this body for its actions,'' said U.S. Ambassador Kevin Moley, who also referred to the Cuban government as a ''throwback'' and ``Cold War relic.''
Later, Costa Rica introduced an amendment to the original draft resolution, which called on the Cuban government to immediately release the 75 recently jailed pro-democracy activists.
''In the face of human-rights violations we cannot remain indifferent,'' Ambassador Manuel González said. Costa Rica was one of the four Latin America sponsors of the more mildly worded previous draft resolution, which only urged Cuba to allow an international human-rights monitor to examine conditions on the island and prepare a report.
The original resolution has more than 20 co-sponsors, including the United States, as well as some of Cuba's trading partners, such as Canada, Italy, France and the United Kingdom. It was not clear how Mexico would vote on the draft resolution and the amendment.
TWO ABSTENTIONS
Argentina and Brazil announced Wednesday that they would abstain.
Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde, changing his country's votes in recent years condemning Cuba's human-rights abuses, said Wednesday that ''Argentina will not condemn Cuba, a small, blockaded country.'' Duhalde said he had based his decision ``taking into account this unilateral [U.S.] war [on Iraq] that violates human rights.''
The proposals to censure Cuba were criticized by several nations who sided with the government of Fidel Castro on charges that the measures were politically motivated by pressure from the United States. Algeria's delegation said resolutions ''born of a bilateral confrontation'' cannot be supported, and Syria called the annual condemnation of Cuba ``useless and even boring.''
Cuba, meanwhile, presented its own amendment calling for an end to the U.S. embargo and requesting an evaluation ``of continuous terrorist acts carried out against the people of Cuba from the territory of the United States of America.''
Administration officials said the last-minute Costa Rican proposal was not recommended by U.S. officials. They said it was suggested to the Central American country by Frank Calzon, head of the Center for a Free Cuba, a Washington, D.C., human-rights group.
Asked about it, Calzon said Wednesday that he has talked with officials of many countries in recent days about the Cuba vote in Geneva.
''At a time when there are executions in Cuba, at a time when there are Nobel Prize winners denouncing the wave of repression in Cuba, I think it would be preposterous if they would talk about the Cuban situation without taking note of the current situation,'' Calzon said.
DEFENDING ARRESTS
In an impromptu press conference following Wednesday's deferred vote, Ambassador Mora Godoy defended the recent arrests of opponents, whom the government accuses of being U.S. mercenaries trying to subvert the socialist system. Mora also repeated the government's unwillingness to allow a U.N. monitor to visit Cuba, as called for by the original draft resolution.
``Our position is clear: We will not accept even a comma in that resolution should it be adopted. We will not accept the monitoring of Cuba. It's unjust; it's immoral. We will never permit a visit from an inspector.''
Last time I looked we were selling lots of stuff to Castro. It's the communist oppression, stupid.
U.S. considers punishing Cuba for dissident crackdown*** WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is considering a series of steps to punish the Cuban government for its recent crackdown on dissidents, officials said Wednesday.
Among the more drastic are the possibility of cutting off cash payments to relatives in Cuba -- a mainstay for millions of Cubans -- or halting direct flights to the island, the officials said.
President Bush is likely to make a public statement soon about the crackdown, which has stirred grave concern among Cuba policy experts here and dampened the hopes of lawmakers and others seeking to ease the current trade sanctions.***
TYRANTS APLENTY - Saddam has lots of bad company across the globe and in the U.N***Ironically, Freedom House points out, five of the 16 most repressive countries -- China, Cuba, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Syria -- are all members of the United Nations Human Rights Commission. It's a sad, unfunny joke. "The influence of these states on the [53-member] Commission's proceedings underscores the urgent need for the democratic member states of this U.N. body to work together as an effective counter-bloc," the report states. ***
The democratic member states further defined: A coalition of the willing! Again, DUMP THE UN!!
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