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• 06 / 10 / 2009

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Moratinos referred Tuesday to the Cuban situation during his appearance before the Spanish Senate's Ibero-American Affairs Committee to report on Spain's Latin American policy.

The head of Spanish diplomacy said that the current head of state will not have the submissive posture that former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar had towards former U.S. President George W. Bush, adding that he will continue calling for a dialogue with the Castro regime whatever the position of the United States and the European Union.

Despite everything, he considered the change of attitude in the White House as favorable to dialogue.
"Whatever the policy adopted by the U.S. and the European Union, I, while foreign minister, will not allow Cuba to be abandoned, nor that we are absent from Cuba, nor that we are no longer involved with Cuba," Moratinos said.
Spain cannot repeat the mistake Aznar made in 2003 of "automatically" following Bush, "breaking off all dialogue with Cuba," and opting for an isolationist policy, the foreign minister said.
"When the United States has the same policy as Spain we welcome it; when it doesn't, respecting the relationship with an ally and friend, we say that we don't share it and we don't submit to it as was the case with Aznar," Moratinos said.
There have been advances in Cuba that show the reform process undertaken by Raul Castro is alive, Moratinos said.
There is no longer so much "harassment" of dissidents and there are 100 fewer political prisoners, though out of the group of 75 dissidents jailed in 2003 only 12 have been freed, Moratinos said.
"As Cuban authorities have told us," there is a wish to "continue with the economic reforms" despite the "difficult situation" the island is going through due to the crisis and the harm done by the 2008 hurricanes, Moratinos said.
The foreign minister asked for time and patience for Cuba's chances to join the Organization of American States, or OAS, once the suspension is raised.

(EFE)