Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09HAVANA486
2009-08-07 16:00:00
CONFIDENTIAL
US Interests Section Havana
Cable title:
HOW THE UK SEES ITS RELATIONS WITH CUBA, AND EU-US
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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)
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
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