Posted on 05/20/2003 7:57:13 PM PDT by Luis Gonzalez
President Bush has marked Cuban Independence Day by broadcasting a radio message to Cubans and meeting with dissidents at the White House. Mr. Bush taped his message in Spanish Tuesday, saying he hopes the Cuban people will soon be able to enjoy the same benefits and rights as people in the United States do. The president also said dictatorships have no place in the Americas.
The speech aired on Radio Marti, the U.S. government-funded station that broadcasts into Cuba. Mr. Bush recorded the message to coincide with the 101st anniversary of Cuba's independence from Spain.
President Bush later met with Cuban dissidents who now live in the United States, along with the families of some opposition figures currently imprisoned by the government of Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Both the message and the meeting were designed to showcase U.S. support for the opposition movement in Cuba. Last year, the president marked Cuban Independence Day by delivering an impassioned speech to Cuban-Americans in Miami.
In that speech, the president said the four-decade-old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba will remain in place until President Castro holds free and fair elections, releases political prisoners and reforms the Cuban economic system.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.