HOW THE UK SEES ITS RELATIONS WITH CUBA, AND EU-US

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000486 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/07/2019 TAGS: PREL PINR UK CU SUBJECT: HOW THE UK SEES ITS RELATIONS WITH CUBA, AND EU-US COOPERATION Classified By: COM JONATHAN FARRAR FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) & (D) ¶1. (C) Chief of Mission had lunch on August 5 with UK Ambassador Dianna Melrose to discuss her recent trip to Washington, D.C, the status of UK-Cuba relations, and her impressions of last week's Cuban National Assembly session. Some highlights: ¶2. (C) Washington, D.C: Ambassador Melrose was very appreciative of her meetings at the Department and NSC, and on Capitol Hill. She came away with the impression that the EU and U.S. positions on Cuba are closer than they have been in years, which has opened up new opportunities for better coordination between the two. (Note: positions within the EU on Cuba range from Spain's desire to abandon the EU's Common Position to Czech support for strong action on human rights issues). In her view, both the EU and the U.S. are pursuing dialogues with the GOC, albeit with different foci. The ambassador said she believes that private, low-profile consultations in Brussels, in parallel with similar consultations among our missions in Havana, could help the EU to be more coherent in regard to its own Common Position on Cuba. On the other hand, she said that public, high-profile coordination between the US and EU on these issues would evoke a strong, negative reaction from the GOC. (Comment: we agree with her points on the relative merits of private vs. public coordination). ¶3. (C) UK-Cuba relations: Bilateral relations are not warm as the GOC views HMG as one of the more firm EU members when it comes to human rights issues. The recent visit by the British DCM to check on the health of Antunez, a prominent dissident who was on a hunger strike in Villa Clara province, had put a new chill on the relationship. Ambassador Melrose said this dynamic plays out on even minor bilateral issues. For example, a UK-sponsored visit by Mariella Castro to attend a conference in the UK was cancelled with the explanation that it would be inappropriate as the two countries have not signed a bilateral aid agreement. The ambassador's December 2008 request to meet with GOC officials on a trip to eastern Cuba in February 2009 received a response a month later that she had not allowed enough time for such a request to be processed. She eventually made the trip in March. ¶4. (SBU) HMG and the GOC currently are in a stand-off over 39 British diplomatic pouches, which arrived at Havana airport and have been denied entry. The ambassador said that sending diplomatic notes and the summoning of the Cuban Ambassador in London have had no effect thus far and that HMG is upset over what it believes is blatant X-raying of its pouches to discern the contents. Her embassy here is scheduled for an update of its computer equipment and is at a loss as to how to bring in the equipment. COM shared with her our own experience with diplomatic pouches. ¶5. (SBU) National Assembly: Despite the island-wide campaign to conserve electricity, the ambassador reported that the air conditioning was going full force during the Assembly session. While she found the temperature inside comfortable, the rest of the procedings were less so. The session began with what the ambassador described as an hour-long polemic by Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon on the Cuban Five. This was followed by a lengthy presentation on Honduras and allegations of U.S. double dealing there, followed by a (unanimous) vote on a new law on museums. The diplomatic corps then was dismissed, long before the address by Raul Castro, which had been the ambassador's principal reason to attend. This was her first National Assembly session, and the ambassador said she was astounded by its lack of focus on measures to address Cuba's economic crisis. ¶6. (SBU) UK Scholarships for Cuban Students: The British Council and the embassy run a very small scholarship program for Cuban students. The GOC plays no role in selecting the students. Of the three winners in 2009, one did not receive an exit permit to accept the scholarship as she was deemed to be essential medical personnel. FARRAR