US embassy cable - 03SANTODOMINGO7444

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 007444 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA, WHA/CAR, WHA/ 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2008 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, CU 
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY NORIEGA DISCUSSES CUBA WITH EU 
AMBASSADOR AMADO 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Hans Hertell.  Reason: 1.5 (b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) The Ambassador and Assistant Secretary Noriega 
Hertell met December 11 with the EU Ambassador to the 
Dominican Republic, Miguel Amado, who also has responsibility 
for Cuba.  Noriega expressed his hope that the USG and the EU 
could work together on Cuban issues, and emphasized our 
effort to develop strategies to respond to the inevitable 
transition of power in Cuba. 
 
2.  (C)  Amado highlighted his own efforts to bring Cuba 
under the EU,s cultural agreement umbrella with the 
Caribbean, and possibly to open a EU "Cuba office" in Santo 
Domingo.   Amado had been working hard to encourage Cuba to 
agree to a program that included a seminar on trade, a 
dialogue with dissidents, a dialogue with Castro,s technical 
people, and cultural activities. 
 
3.  (C)  Amado felt he had been making progress until the 
EU,s criticism of Castro,s handling of dissidents.  Now, he 
said, Castro has begun to attack European leaders and has 
played on European weakness to divide the EU into several 
camps.  This divide has been critical in light of the scant 
attention that the EU pays Cuba, even in the best of times. 
Progress has been suspended for the time being. 
 
4.  (C)  That said, Amado has not given up all hope.  He told 
A/S Noriega and the Ambassador that he was trying to get the 
Church more involved. 
 
5.  (C)  Comment:  Amado, with a creative approach, has been 
a driver of thinking in the EU on how to deal with Cuba.  He 
retains a keen interest in seeing political and economic 
reforms in Cuba, and as such, is an valuable ally for our 
efforts to bring about needed reform in Cuba. 
HERTELL