Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07HAVANA1019
2007-10-26 16:37:00
CONFIDENTIAL
US Interests Section Havana
Cable title:  

PRESIDENT'S SPEECH STRIKES CHORDS IN CUBA

Tags:  CU ECON PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PREL 
pdf how-to read a cable
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FM USINT HAVANA
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RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
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RUCTFOA/COMCOGARDGRU KEY WEST FL
RUCOWCV/COGARD AIRSTA MIAMI FL
RHMFISS/COGARD INTELCOORDCEN WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HAVANA 001019 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO WHA A/S SHANNON, DAS MADISON, S/A
MCCARRY AND WHA/CCA BISA WILLIAMS
NSC FOR SENIOR ADVISOR DAN FISK

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2012
TAGS: CU ECON PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PREL
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT'S SPEECH STRIKES CHORDS IN CUBA

HAVANA 00001019 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: COM Michael E. Parmly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HAVANA 001019

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS TO WHA A/S SHANNON, DAS MADISON, S/A
MCCARRY AND WHA/CCA BISA WILLIAMS
NSC FOR SENIOR ADVISOR DAN FISK

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2012
TAGS: CU ECON PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PREL
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT'S SPEECH STRIKES CHORDS IN CUBA

HAVANA 00001019 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: COM Michael E. Parmly for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: The President's October 24 speech on Cuba
clearly struck several nerves on the island. Among the
dissident community, especially those who attended a live
screening of the speech at USINT, the speech and the
appearance of close friends and relatives of Cuban political
prisoners was a very emotional moment. For its part, the
regime has reacted with anger and focused unprecedented
coverage on the speech and the official Cuban response
delivered by FonMin Perez Roque. Our diplomatic community
colleagues have been curious but cautious, trying mostly to
establish a message in the timing. We expect the speech has
sent the regime back to their planning rooms to arrive at a
long term response. The announcement of new programs and
funding available is already generating even more incessant
calls for our support from dissident groups that we will need
to address quickly. End Summary.


2. (C) The much anticipated speech by President Bush on US
Cuba policy is creating strong reactions on the island.
Those impacted most immediately were a mix of leading
dissidents and members of independent and international press
who observed the speech live at USINT.

-- Relatives of group of 75 prisoner Oscar Pernet Hernandez,
Jorge Luis Garcia Perez (Antunez) and Bertha Solis were
especially affected by the appearance of Mirta Pernet. Elsa
Morejon, wife of jailed dissident Oscar Elias Biscet, was
delighted to hear the President mention her husband's name
and hoped the higher profile that came from the mention of
his name and those of other political prisoners would help to
protect all of them.

-- Numerous contacts commented on how the speech was
well-conceived to speak to the hearts and the reality of

Cubans throughout the island. Former political prisoner
Guillermo "Coco" Farinas focused on the President's call to
members of the security forces "who do not have blood on
their hands" as the most important statement in the speech.
He argued that those in the security forces recognize that
change is coming, and are already considering how they might
be treated if the shoe moves to the other foot.

-- Leading Catholic lay commentator Dagoberto Valdes
described the speech as the best ever delivered by a sitting
American president because of its references to issues that
confront Cubans on a daily basis.

-- The President's mention of additional funding for Cuba
provoked further discussion among members of the dissident
community over how more of the funds ought to go directly to
the island in general, and specifically how they might get to
their organizations.

There were, nonetheless, some criticisms. One dissident
complained that the speech did not go as far as he would have
liked in proposing ways to improve the Cuban economy.
Several of the Damas de Blanco commented that they had hoped
for more of an opening on the family visitation front.
Leading dissident Martha Beatriz Roque commented that the
speech focused too much on the US point of view, and not
enough on what Cubans should be doing.


3. (C) The press and the diplomatic corps were both very
interested in the speech, but tended to approach it with
skepticism. The most frequently-asked question was why the
speech happened when it did. Many answered their own
question by saying they believed the timing was driven by the

HAVANA 00001019 002 OF 003


upcoming UN vote on the embargo, a concept we attempted to
disabuse them of at every occasion. Some of our EU contacts
complained that the timing of the speech would complicate
follow-up to the September Troika meeting with Perez Roque on
the margins of the UNGA.


4. (C) The Cuban government was clearly angry. Fidel had
been preparing the way for several days with speculative
"Reflections" columns in Granma that predicted that the
speech would be a prelude to invasion. Though the speech
turned out to be anything but that, the reaction was quick
and virulent anyway. The Foreign Ministry convoked the press
at 3:30 p.m., just after the speech, to hear FM Perez Roque's
response. Perez Roque set out of series of 12 points, in
part rejecting the points made by the President, but mostly
reiterating Cuban demands that the embargo be lifted, that
the US naval base at Guantanamo be closed, and that the 5
Cubans imprisoned in the US on espionage charges be released,
among others. In imitation of the setting, Perez Roque
introduced family members of the five Cuban spies held in the
US. While arguing that the US is obsessed with Cuba, Cuban
media has been dominated by the speech. In an unprecedented
move, the Communist daily Granma printed an (edited) version
of the entire speech, and the regime's own television
program, Mesa Redonda (Round Table) showed about 14 minutes
of the speech on its program that evening. Contacts in the
dissident community and among Interests Section staff said
they could remember no such coverage in the past. One
dissident speculated that the regime now understands that a
significant number of people on the island have access to
information via channels like satellite television and
therefore it can no longer create a complete propaganda story
from a couple of carefully chosen quotes. On the other hand,
some comments we have heard seem to have been influenced by
seeing only the redacted version. We are distributing the
full Spanish text and Spany+QQum the security forces was
left in, the reference to those without blood on their hand
cited above was not. All mention of the regime's failure to
live up to its own economic promises also disappeared. Not
surprisingly, the entire section introducing the families of
the political prisoners, which clearly had the greatest
personal impact on Cubans, was dropped. The most important
proposals in the speech, such as the announcement of funding
for Cuba, the call for greater activity by other democracies,
the initiative to provide scholarships in some Cubans
(requests are already beginning to come in),and expansion of
internet access, were left in by the regime. While they have
mocked these suggestions in official statements, it is
obvious that these are proposals the regime cannot turn into
bogey men and use to flog US policy. The regime understands
that they resonate with the Cuban people.


6. (C) COMMENT AND ACTION REQUEST: The Castro regime is
uch more comfortable dealing with US actions that can be
seen as threats to Cuban sovereignty. The points in the
President's speech appealing to known concerns of the Cuban
people took them out of that comfort zone. We expect that
the leadership is already meeting frantically to decide how
to react to this appeal to the Cuban people. For their part,
the Cuban people are already beginning to react, as evidenced
by the fact that we have already been approached on the
scholarship proposal. A sense of change is in the air in
Cuba, and so far the regime has done nothing to respond
positively to it. With the knowledge that there is more

HAVANA 00001019 003.2 OF 003


funding available, we expect requests for assistance to
expand and increase exponentially. It is therefore critical
that the process for executing the proposals be launched
immediately.


PARMLY