Clinton says Cuba not ready for OAS

[Zorro]

Source: AP

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that Cuba shouldn't be allowed to rejoin the Organization of American States until it makes political reforms, releases political prisoners and respects human rights.

Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Clinton said the charter of the Western Hemisphere bloc of nations requires members to adhere to democratic standards that the communist government of Cuba does not yet meet.

"Any effort to admit Cuba into the OAS is really in Cuba's hands," she said. "They have to be willing to take the concrete steps necessary to meet those principles."

"If Cuba is not willing to abide by (the charter's) terms then I cannot foresee how Cuba can be a part of the OAS and I certainly would not be supporting in any way such an effort to admit it," said Clinton, who plans to attend the organization's annual general assembly on June 2 in Honduras.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090520/ap_on_go_co/us_us_cuba_clinton_2

[Alamuti Lotus]

1. Not subservient enough yet for HRC'? Good.

[Alamuti Lotus]

10. Cuba needs to find some Middle East nation to invade and occupy

Better yet, pick several. That should raise itself up to the illustrious standards set by Her Majesty.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. Cuba not good enough on human rights to join the OAS in a meeting

in Honduras.

The irony is overwhelming.

[Garbo 2004]

8. Yeah, I was just thinking about the human rights records of OAS members.

Below is a list of current members. Includes Argentina, Chile and other well known "bastions" of human and civil rights. Gawd. Cuba not good enough to rub shoulders with nations who have tortured and tossed their own citizens out of airplanes over the ocean, among other atrocities.

And of course let's not forget the US that supported those dictatorships, knowing what they were doing and even providing training. Especially now that the US admittedly has engaged in the practice of torture, directly and not just by proxy. Oh that's right, it's "enhanced interrogation." It's only torture when the US condemns other nations for doing it.

http://www.oas.org/documents/eng/memberstates.asp

[EFerrari]

20. Maybe it's just the competition Clinton objects to.

Hey, if your abusers aren't trained at SOA, you're out!

[ImOnlySleeping]

23. As complained about by the United States.

I guess she was off sick for the torture memos. Also, how are the Gitmo trials going?

[imdjh]

3. It would be interesting to read Cuba's response

They have a tendency to point out our, shall we say inconsistencies, when we criticize them. Which doesn't mean that she isn't right about Cuba's shortcomings, merely that Cuban wouldn't appear to be the only member of the OAS which has some failings.

Anyway, here's a link for the charter.

http://www.oas.org/juridico/English/charter.html

[Ken Burch]

4. And her gusano in-laws in Miami have nothing whatsoever to do with her position on this

She's just like Bill-wants to redo the Bay of Pigs, only this time with the old order winning.
That's what you get when you embrace a "JFK foreign policy".

[Monk06]

5. The OAS is and always has been a creature of the CIA which formerly accepted Pinochet's Chile as

an honored member and an example for all
of South America to follow. They have as
much relevance to modern South America as
the Peace Corps and USAID.

As if any self respecting South American state
puts any value on membership in the OAS any more
than they do the World Bank

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[arikara]

7. Pot... kettle

this crap coming from the secretary of state for a country that maintains secretive ugly illegal prisons where the prisoners are not only NOT accorded any basic human rights but are TORTURED???

Do your job and clean your own backyard Hillary you have no right to criticize Cuba until you do.

[farmboxer]

9. At least Cuba has health care, unlike America the plutocracy!

America is not a democracy, it's a plutocracy. Why do our politicians have health care and we don't?!

[Ken Burch]

25. It's the health care thing that really bugs her.

She feels like they're rubbing it in.

[EFerrari]

11. LOL

[tkmorris]

12. But we're cool with China. Hypocrisy anyone?

[EFerrari]

13. China? How are we doing with political reforms, prisoners and human rights?

Hello?

[tkmorris]

15. Not sure what you're saying there

My point is that we overlook that kind of crap when China does it. We even grant them Most Favored Nation status. But when it comes to Cuba we get all bent out of shape and pretend we care. It's hypocrisy. I know it's based on political reality; we need China (they think) but not Cuba, but it still sucks.

[EFerrari]

16. I guess I was saying that our own record is so bad, the OAS

should kick US out. WE need political reform, we need to get straight about political prisoners and human rights.

[tkmorris]

17. Gotcha. Damned skippy they should boot us.

I honestly thought we'd get a lot of this squared away once we got that idiotic missing link out of the White House but things are not progressing quite as I had hoped. Better to be sure but progress is slow. Giving it time...

[joshcryer]

22. I expect better of my neighbors than I do of those another county away.

[Ken Burch]

24. Including the neighbors whose yards you've invaded?

"I crashed your barbecue three times last month, so you damn well better by my Janie's Girl Scout Cookies."

[sasquatch]

14. I still see we're placating the Batista loyalist

:eyes:

[riverdeep]

18. Let's see,

America has the largest prison population in the world, tremendous income disparity, unverifiable elections, at least eight years of a defacto dictator, and we torture our political prisoners. Now Cuba, listen up...nevermind.

[Vidar]

19. Cuba's record is a hell of a lot better than ours.

[dipsydoodle]

21. The fact that she is trying to influence the other countries

don't mean she'll succeed. This doesn't seem to an issue in which the USA has any power of veto.

[IndianaGreen]

26. America doesn't own the OAS anymore, Hillary!

Might as well accept the fact that the "Leader of the Free World" is a slogan, and a slogan based on falsehoods.