LETTER TO POTUS FROM CUBAN DISSIDENT MARTHA

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000426 SIPDIS WHA FOR A/S SHANNON, ALSO FOR DAS MADISON AND CALEB MCCARRY NSC FOR DAN FISK E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2013 TAGS: CU EAID PREL SUBJECT: LETTER TO POTUS FROM CUBAN DISSIDENT MARTHA BEATRIZ ROQUE REF: A. HAVANA 363 ¶B. HAVANA 397 Classified By: COM Michael E. Parmly for reasons 1.4 (c) and (d) ¶1. After a hiatus brought about by GOC attacks on dissident leaders, especially Martha Beatriz Roque, and on USINT, COM met with Roque on June 2 at her apartment. Pol/Econ Counselor and dissident leader Vladimiro Roca also were present. During the encounter, Roque handed COM the letter at para 2, which she had promised to send to POTUS in a meeting following the May 6, video teleconference. By SEPTEL we will report on overall dissident reactions now that the dust has begun to settle from the GOC's strident propaganda campaign. The original of the letter is being faxed to WHA/CCA and to the NSC Staff. ¶2. (Informal Translation) Havana June 2, 2008 His Excellency George W. Bush President of the United States of America Dear Mr. President: First of all allow me to greet you and pay my respects. My objective with this letter is to build on the proposals I made to you during our conversation of May 6. However, it is important to point out that, in spite of the events that have occurred over the past 15 days, my commitment to fight for democracy in Cuba remains unalterable. As you may know, it has been proposed that it be made a crime to receive money from any country, which the government refers to as "subversion," and for that reason, now more than ever, it is necessary to make some of the measures of the (US) embargo more flexible. In accordance with your decision on cellular telephones, and in view of the fact that it is very difficult to activate them from outside of Cuba, the following steps could be taken gradually and on the same theme: -- Increase the number of persons who can send remittances to this country to include all close relatives. For Cubans this would include: parents, children, spouses, in-laws, grandparents, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and cousins. -- Initially, bring to $400 (320 CuC) the amount that can be remitted each 4 months so that the costs of using the phones can be covered. -- Owing to the state of scarcity--of all kinds--that exists in the country it is even more critical that the time between family visits to the island be shortened to one year. I am convinced that we in Cuba are at a political, social, and economic tipping point--as much from the international standpoint, among the partners of the regime that is extremely complex, as from the internal situation. There are many variables that make up this equation and the government is not prepared to confront an abrupt change, especially an easing of the measures of the embargo. Even though these recommendations are valid for promoting a smooth shift in power, in my opinion the question of material assistance to the dissidents will only be resolved if the restrictions on travel for Cubans resident in your country are eliminated completely and transmission of remittances permitted. Using a few individuals from Europe and Latin America (to transport such assistance) puts them at great risk because they are easily identified by the regime, whereas, (assistance) entering in massive quantities would be practically uncontrollable. Mr. President, with the assurance that you can count on my highest consideration, I thank you in advance, for what you can do to help us--even more than for what you already have done--in this noble cause in support of democracy. God Bless America. /s/ Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello PARMLY