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• 01 / 28 / 2010

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While international aid continues to pour into earthquake-ravaged Haiti, improved relations between U.S. and Cuba could turn out to be an unintended - if welcome - result of both countries cooperating to save lives in the devastated island nation.

In an unusual gesture last week, Cuba opened its airspace to U.S. aircraft involved in emergency relief efforts in Haiti. No less unusual was Secretary of State Clinton thanking the Cuban government and saying the U.S. "would welcome any other
actions that the Cuban government could take in furtherance of the international rescue and recovery mission in Haiti."

Over half a million people have lost homes since the quake struck Jan. 12. It is estimated that 200,000 people have lost their lives and more than 193,000 have been injured.

In a move to aid relief efforts, the State Department said earlier this week that it is prepared to provide medical supplies to Cuban doctors working in Haiti.

"The United States has communicated its readiness to make medical relief supplies available to Cuban doctors working on the ground in Haiti as part of the international relief effort," said spokesman Darby Holladay.

This kind of cooperation to save lives obviously would strengthen Havana's already powerful response to the tragedy, especially by providing supplies to the Cuban doctors and their Haitian counterparts trained in Cuba.

Cuban medical teams have treated more than 13,000 patients in Port-au-Prince, performing more than 1,000 operations, including 550 major surgeries, said Gail Reed, international director of the California-based Medical Education Cooperation
with Cuba. The nonprofit group works to enhance cooperation among the U.S., Cuban and global health communities.

In addition to Cuban teams, Haitian physicians trained in Cuba and 60 Haitian medical students from Cuba's Latin American Medical School are working with relief personnel from other countries in field hospitals, medical posts and public parks - as
well as in three hospitals in Port-au-Prince. Furthermore, they have begun vaccinating the 400,000 patients, with tetanus vaccines donated by the Cuban government.

As thousands flee the capital seeking help, Reed added, the Cuban doctors have set up two field hospitals in Jacmel, located about 46 miles from Port-au-Prince, where Cuban medical personnel were working before the quake.

Clearly, the horrific human tragedy in Haiti calls for placing human solidarity before old enmities and traditional mistrust.
 
The Dominican Republic, Haiti's neighbor, did not hesitate to go all out to help despite the historical problems and prejudices that have permeated their relations for many years.

The U.S. and Cuba have also responded by leaving aside - even if momentarily - political and ideological differences to save lives.

That's why the attitude of some enemies of better Cuba-U.S relations is nothing short of unbelievable.

Mauricio Claver-Carone, executive director of the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC in Washington, has said that he opposes U.S. medical cooperation with Cuba to help the Haitian people. According to him, it's "absolutely unconscionable to try to use
tragic disasters - such as Haiti's earthquake - as a springboard for bilateral relations."

But Clever-Carone doesn't find it "unconscionable" to let Haitians die in order to preserve the old hatreds and failed policies that have characterized U.S.-Cuba relations for half a century. Amazing!

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Source: www.nydailynews.com