EU suspends sanctions against Cuba

[struggle4progress]

AFP: 1/31/2005

BRUSSELS, Jan 31 (AFP) - The European Union suspended diplomatic sanctions against Cuba Monday, easing a standoff triggered by a clampdown on dissidents by Havana in 2003 -- but it vowed to maintain pressure on Fidel Castro.

The suspension, to be reviewed before July, was decided after Castro's regime released a number of dissidents and signalled a re-opening of diplomatic contacts with EU embassies in Havana.

"All measures taken on June 5, 2003 have been temporarily suspended," said Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, in reference to the date the sanctions were agreed.

The decision will notably allow the resumption of high-level visits, although such trips must be used to push for improvements in human rights and the rights of dissidents in Cuba. <snip>

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=36734

[54anickel]

1. Do you ever get the feeling the world is moving on without the US? n/t

[Tempest]

2. Russia and China most certainly are

They are making economic deals with countries the U.S. is hostile against.

Cuba, Iran and Venezuela for example.

[Scurrilous]

6. Cuba, China sign oil production contract; contract's value not announced

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1821&ncid=721&e=10&u=/cpress/20050131/ca_pr_on_bu/cuba_china_oil

<snip>

"Cuba signed a production contract with China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., or SINOPEC, to work in areas around the island believed to contain oil deposits, the government announced Monday.

The agreement was reached in an early Sunday meeting attended by Li Lianfu, China's ambassador to Cuba; Cuba's Basic Industry Minister Yadira Garcia; and Minister of Government Ricardo Cabrisas, according to an official note in Granma, the Communist party daily newspaper.

"The contract confirms ascending political and commercial relations between the two countries," the front-page note said.

It did not say what the contract was worth.

The two Communist countries forged a stronger economic partnership in November during a two-day visit to Cuba by Chinese President Hu Jintao in which he agreed to multimillion-dollar investment in the island's key nickel industry and increased Chinese involvement in Cuban tourism and telecommunications."

[Tempest]

7. How timely

I knew they were in negotiations, but I didn't know it had been signed.



Russia signed agricultural contracts with Cuba recently.

Russia will importing produce and Cuba will be exporting sugar.

This will hurt the U.S. since Cuba's ability to sell more openly will cause the price of sugar to increase.

[VegasWolf]

3. The US? Who are they? n/t

[hector459]

4. HOORAY FOR THE EU!!!!!

Show the US to be what it is.

[RatRacer]

5. Frankly, I could go either way...

...but we have no consistency. All the same reasons we have sanctions in place toward Cuba can be applied to China. Either we should open up trade and have no sanctions in place for either or we should apply the ones on Cuba to China as well. As it is, the hypocrisy is obvious since China is such an economic powerhouse.

[Tempest]

8. U.S. intelligence says U.S. will no longer be a superpower by 2020

They say EU, Japan and China will surpass the U.S. economically by then.

They also say China and Russia will surpass the U.S. militarily.


Welcome to DU. :hi:

[54anickel]

13. Heh, they're giving it that long?...n/t

[Tempest]

15. They didn't want to alarm the natives

Any more than they have to.

You know how Americans are when it comes to outside threats.

Lots of hand-wringing, and the stocking up on duct tape and plastic sheeting.

[cvoogt]

19. DUct tape ... made in China /nt

[DulceDecorum]

21. Just like most support-the-troops magnets

and most US flags
and most computer keboards
and .....

[mom cat]

16. I doubt we will make it to 2020 at this rate. n/t

[Richard Steele]

11. Yes, CUBA is just a boogeyman for US politicians

A boogey man who was probably SCARY back when they waved it at my mom in the 1960's....
OOOH! SCARY COMMUNISTS!!! BoogaBooga!!!!

I could go ONE way...I'm thinking that I could get there on a raft.

Because once the USA actually implodes into barbed wire and bread lines, CUBA is gonna blossom like nobody's business!

The rest of y'all can run to Canada or Mexico....trade your future for another future.

But, if that EXODUS ever comes, I am gonna try to make it to CUBA, and trade _MY_ future for the national equivalent of "Microsoft at 50cents per share"

[OneBlueSky]

9. how is a "clampdown on dissidents in Havanna" any different . . .

than the US "detaining" individuals indefinitely on mere suspicion that they may have some connection to "terrorism," or to terrorism-related activities (e.g. donating to a Muslim charity)? . . . the mind boggles at the hypocrisy . . .

[billyoc]

12. Castro's clampdown on dissidents

is no different than the US's detentions, good point. I'm glad the EU waited to ease the sanctions until Castro started releasing them, and I'm glad they're going to keep up the pressure on Cuba.

[cvoogt]

20. does Castro torture the dissidents?

Seems to me that'd be a major difference

[SKKY]

10. Cool! Since I'm moving to Spain soon, I'll be able...

...to buy all the Cigars I can smoke and not have to worry about customs when I cross the border!!!!!

[leesa]

14. Excellent! Congrats once again to the progressive EU.

America is being shut out of all markets. What a surprise.

[Judi Lynn]

18. They get shoved around a lot by U.S. pressure toward Cuba

but it looks as if they're going to come back better than ever.

It would be superb seeing them finally telling _Bush where to put his meddling nose he's been sticking into every country he can't bully.

[gorbal]

17. For all those depressed about the direction the us is going

...it is great news that the rest of the world is moving in the right direction in many ways.

I have been watching coverage of both the world economic forum and the world social forum and it cheers me and makes me feel much better.