A SPLENDID LITTLE VISIT, FOR CUBA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HAVANA 000639

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/20/2019
TAGS: ECON PREL PHUM CU
SUBJECT: A SPLENDID LITTLE VISIT, FOR CUBA

REF: HAVANA 616 ("EUROS REASSESS RELATIONS WITH CUBAN
OPPOSITION")

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Classified By: COM Jonathan Farrar for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. The visit by the Spanish Foreign Minster to
Cuba highlighted the differences that have emerged among the
Europeans, in particular, on how to nudge Cuba most
effectively towards political reform. Foreign Minister
Moratinos committed Spain to diluting the EU's emphasis on
human rights during its 2010 presidency, a move which will
placate the GOC. Although Spain convinced the GOC to address
its trade accounts and to release a political prisoner, Cuba
may have bagged the bigger prize by putting the EU Cuba split
front and center. END SUMMARY.

THE FOREIGN MINISTER'S VISIT
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2. (SBU) During his October 17 to 19 visit to Cuba, Spanish
Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos met with President
Raul Castro, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, Cardinal Jaime
Ortega, and the resident diplomatic community, at a reception
organized by the Government of Cuba's (GOC) Foreign Relations
Ministry. (Note: USINT was not invited.) Moratinos also met
with the local Spanish business association, and reportedly
told them that he would obtain assurances from the GOC on
some $300 million in outstanding bills for services and
exports. Moratinos had last visited Cuba in 2007.


3. (SBU) During the visit, Moratinos stated that Spain was
against the EU's present position on Cuba, noting that it was
counterproductive to promoting political reform in the
island. He vowed to lead a campaign to repeal the EU Common
Position during Spain's 2009 EU presidency. Upon Moratinos'
departure, the GOC released one of the famed "Group of 75" of
political prisoners who had been jailed in 2003 (53 remain in
detention),and allowed another dissident to leave the
country. The Spanish also claimed credit for getting a
travel permit for the wife of Oscar Biscet, another jailed
75er, but she had a GOC-issued exit permit before Moratinos'
visit.

LOBBYING SPAIN TO SPLIT THE COMMON POLICY
--------------


4. (C) The Spanish Polcouns in Havana told us that the GOC
had lobbied Spain hard to come out publicly against the EU's
Common Position during the visit. "The Cubans strongly
object to the Common Position," the Spanish Polcouns told us.
"They call it 'unilateral' and 'interventionist'." The 1996
statement of principles, which Spain championed at the time,
commits the EU to "encourage a process of transition to
pluralist democracy and respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms," and to "remind the Cuban authorities,
both publicly and privately, of (its) fundamental
responsibilities regarding human rights," among other things.


5. (SBU) Through his visit, Moratinos vowed to do away with
the Common Position, stating that existing mechanisms like
existing EU-Switzerland-Norway seminars (which focus on
cultural, social and economic rights),and the stalled
Political Dialogue could address the Europeans' human rights
concerns with Cuba. He also suggested a bilateral agreement,
like the one the EU has with Chile, could replace the Common
Position.

LITTLE HOPES THAT THE COMMON POLICY WILL CHANGE
-------------- --


6. (C) Notwithstanding Spain's efforts, both our Spanish and
our EU colleagues agree that the Common Position is unlikely
to be abandoned anytime soon, even under a Spanish
presidency. "For us it was a matter of principle and so,
there, we said it, and that was it," the Spanish Polcouns
told us. He recognized that strong opposition from the UK,
Germany, Sweden and the Czech Republic, among others, would
make it nearly impossible to change the Common Position. His

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counterparts from those countries agree. The German
number-two said he expected Spain to try to weaken the Common
Position but wished them "good luck" in their efforts. "As
long as one says no, there will be no change, and we continue
to stand by" the Common Position, he said. Spain's hope, its
Polcouns confided, is that the GOC continues to extend more
goodwill gestures in the immediate future. "In order for us
to convince the other (EU) members, (the Cubans) know that
they would need to release many more prisoners," he added.

CUBA TRIES TO DIVIDE AND CONQUER
--------------


7. (C) Apart from its lobbying efforts with Spain, the GOC
has been trying to lobby the Europeans one by one. Starting
this summer, the GOC began approaching European missions (not
just those of the EU) individually in Havana, and presenting
them with a draft of a one-page memorandum of understanding
between Cuba and each particular country. Although we have
not seen the draft, a colleague from another mission who has
told us that it is a simply-worded, one-page document that
commits both parties to non-intervention in each other's
domestic affairs. According to her, many of her colleagues
believe that the MOU is an attempt by the GOC to check
further discussions on human rights, regardless of what
happens with the Common Position. She told us that she knew
first-hand that the UK, France, Spain, Portugal and Norway
had been presented with MOUs, and that Portugal and Spain had
signed theirs.

CIVIL SOCIETY LESS THAN IMPRESSED WITH SPANISH EFFORTS
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8. (C) Many members of Cuba's civil society in Havana had
expected that Spain would offer, at the very least, a meeting
with one of the high-ranking members of Moratinos'
delegation, as it did the last time the Foreign Minister was
here in April 2007. Although most civil society members
boycotted the meeting then, dismissing it as a pro-forma
effort to check a box, many had told us that they would
begrudgingly attend this time, even under the same terms as

2007. Instead, Moratinos and his entourage not only blew them
off, but announced prior to his visit that the delegation
would not meet with them. The GOC has been drawing a tough
line with the Europeans lately (Reftel),and there is little
doubt that, in the end, the Spanish decided not to chance
their official schedule with a civil society activity.


9. (C) Not surprisingly, the civil society reaction to the
visit was less than enthusiastic. Most were happy that one
of their own had been freed, none less than the freed man
himself, who told Poloff that he was grateful for the Spanish
efforts and agreed with their nuanced approach to Cuba
(Septel). Others were scathing. "Offensive, it was downright
offensive," Elizardo Sanchez, Amnesty International point
person in Cuba told us. Miriam Leiva, whose now-released
husband was one of the 75ers, said that U.S., EU and Spanish
NGOs deserved more credit for the release than the Spanish
government itself. Like Leiva, Laura Pollan, whose 75er
husband still sits in jail, said these token releases do
little to change existing conditions. Even blogger Yoani
Sanchez dismissed the Moratinos visit in her column as a
shallow lovefest for the cameras.

COMMENT
--------------


10. (C) The visit of Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos
highlighted the acute differences that exist among the
Europeans on Cuba policy. Although the EU split on Cuba is
not exactly a secret, it has never been made as public as it
was during Moratinos' visit. The Spanish Foreign Minister's
open challenge to abandon the Common Position plays straight
into the hands of Cuba's strategy of splitting the Europeans,
and further weakening their unified position on human rights.
The United States can play a constructive role in (quietly)
helping shore up sometimes-shaky European resolve, supporting
Common Position defenders, and leading the way by example.

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FARRAR