US embassy cable - 02ROME5355

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 005355 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2007 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, CU, PHUM, CU, IT, ITPREL, HUMAN RIGHTS 
SUBJECT: GOI COMMITTED TO BUT PESSIMISTIC ABOUT EU-CUBA 
DIALOGUE 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 186648 
     B. SECSTATE 185884 
     C. ROME 2524 
     D. ROME 1649 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POLMINCOUNS T. COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5(B) AND (D) 
 
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1.    (C) SUMMARY:  IN RESPONSE TO A HUMAN RIGHTS UPDATE, MFA 
OFFICE DIRECTOR FOR CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN AFFAIRS 
NICOLO' GORETTI SHARED INFORMATION ON HOW THE GOI AND OTHER 
EU MEMBERS VIEWED CUBA AND THE EU DIALOGUE WITH IT.  HE 
LOCATED ITALY IN A "PRO-ENGAGEMENT" GROUP ALONG WITH OTHER 
"LATIN" MEMBERS.  SIMILARLY, HE SUPPORTED CONTINUED DIALOGUE 
EVEN THOUGH THE TALKS HAD PRODUCED LITTLE AND WERE UNLIKELY 
TO ACCOMPLISH MUCH IN THE FUTURE.  FINALLY, GORETTI TOUCHED 
ON TRADE ISSUES AND PREVIEWED DIPLOMATIC AND HUMANITARIAN 
SUBJECTS LIKELY TO BE RAISED AT THE NOVEMBER 4 EU-CUBA 
MEETING.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.    (SBU) ON OCTOBER 25 AT THE MFA, POLOFF DELIVERED REF B 
DEMARCHE ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN CUBA TO OFFICE DIRECTOR FOR 
CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN AFFAIRS NICOLO' GORETTI DE 
FLAMINI.  GORETTI SET THE TONE FOR REMARKS THAT SEEMED 
CONTRADICTORY BY OPENING A HALF-HOUR DISCOURSE WITH THE 
COMMENT, "I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY.  I COMPLETELY AGREE."  HE 
CONCURRED THAT THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IS WORSENING WITH, 
FOR EXAMPLE, THE HARASSMENT OF THE PROJECT VARELA ORGANIZERS. 
 GORETTI WAS FAMILIAR WITH ALL OF THE CASES DESCRIBED IN THE 
NON-PAPER AND HAD EVEN RECEIVED A COPY OF THE DEMARCHE THAT 
AMEMB PARIS HAD DELIVERED.  HE PROMISED TO PASS THE NON-PAPER 
TO THE EU PRESIDENCY FOR THE UPCOMING MEETING AND NOTED THAT 
THE DANISH PRESIDENCY WAS VERY WELL INFORMED BECAUSE, HE 
BELIEVED, IT HAD AN AMBASSADOR IN HAVANA. 
 
3.    (C) AS NOTED IN REFS C AND D, GORETTI HAD CONCERNS 
ABOUT HOW TO SUPPORT PROJECT VARELA.  NOTING THAT THE GOI 
AGREES WITH VARELA, HE SUGGESTED THAT THE USG NOT "PUSH TOO 
MUCH," WHICH COULD DISCREDIT LOCAL ACTIVISTS.  CASTRO'S CLAIM 
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PAGE 03        ROME  05355  01 OF 02  311600Z 
THAT THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION WAS THE REAL FORCE BEHIND VARELA 
WAS INCORRECT BUT AN EASY CRITICISM.  INSTEAD, THE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SHOULD FINESSE ITS SUPPORT.  FOR 
EXAMPLE, FORMER PRESIDENT CARTER COULD MORE CREDIBLY PUSH THE 
INITIATIVE THAN THE USG.  NOTING THAT THE EU HAD MADE A 
STATEMENT IN FAVOR OF IT, GORETTI CALLED VARELA A "USEFUL, 
DEMOCRATIC INITIATIVE" THAT UNFORTUNATELY HAS NOT BEEN 
APPRECIATED BY THE GOC. 
 
4.    (C) ADDRESSING THE EU-CUBA DIALOGUE, GORETTI SAID, 
"PERSONALLY I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE VERY SUCCESSFUL."  THE 
DIALOGUE HAD "BEEN WITHOUT CONTENT SINCE DECEMBER ... NOT 
VERY FRUITFUL OR ADVANCING."  NONETHELESS,  HE ASSERTED, IT 
WAS "GOOD" OR "WORTH A TRY" TO CONTINUE. 
 
5.    (C) GORETTI DESCRIBED THE EU MEMBERS AS FALLING INTO 
THREE  CAMPS:  THE UK, WHICH WAS ABSOLUTELY OPPOSED TO 
DIALOGUE; SWEDEN, HOLLAND, AND DENMARK, WHICH THOUGHT 
DIALOGUE WAS HOPELESS AND INAPPROPRIATE BECAUSE OF HUMAN 
RIGHTS ABUSES; AND A "LATIN" GROUP OF ITALY, FRANCE, BELGIUM, 
AND TO A CERTAIN EXTENT SPAIN AND PORTUGAL, WHICH FAVORED 
DIALOGUE WITH CUBA IN ORDER TO PUSH FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND 
ENCOURAGE A FUTURE ECONOMIC OPENING. 
 
6.    (C) FOR ITS PART, THE GOC FAVORED CONTINUING DIALOGUE 
WITH THE EU, NOTING THAT IT HAD GOOD BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH 
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES BUT A POOR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EU. 
FURTHERMORE, IT WANTED TO JOIN THE AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN, 
PACIFIC (ACP) INITIATIVE ESTABLISHED BY THE COTONOU 
AGREEMENT.  THE LATIN GROUP HAD HELPED CUBA OBTAIN OBSERVER 
STATUS AT THE OPENING SESSION OF EU-ACP TRADE NEGOTIATIONS 
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REDUCING TARIFFS, AS A WAY OF PREPARING IT FOR A POST-CASTRO 
ERA.  CUBA NEEDED TO BE EDUCATED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF 
COMPLYING WITH INTERNATIONAL REGULATIONS INSTEAD OF BEING 
ISOLATED.  (AS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS, GORETTI CITED CUBA'S 
REFUSAL TO ACCEPT INTERNATIONAL RULES IN THE PARIS CLUB WITH 
REGARD TO THE DEBT IT OWES RUSSIA.)  TO BECOME A MEMBER, 
HOWEVER, THE GOC WOULD HAVE TO IMPLEMENT THE COTONOU CRITERIA 
AND SUBMIT AN APPLICATION.  THE GOI DOUBTS CUBA COULD EVER 
QUALIFY UNDER CASTRO. 
 
7.    (C) GORETTI PREVIEWED THREE OTHER ISSUES LIKELY TO COME 
UP NOVEMBER 4:  RENEWAL OF THE EU COMMON POSITION, A 
POTENTIAL UNHRC RESOLUTION, AND CUBA'S NEED FOR HUMANITARIAN 
ASSISTANCE.  THE CUBANS WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY ASK FOR THE 
DECEMBER NON-RENEWAL OF THE "TOUGH" EUROPEAN COMMON POSITION 
THAT CALLS FOR CUBAN DEMOCRATIZATION.  IN A DIPLOMATIC DANCE 
WHOSE ENDING IS PRE-DETERMINED, THE EU WOULD PROMISE TO TAKE 
CUBA'S VIEWS INTO CONSIDERATION BUT CERTAINLY RENEW THE 
POSITION.  THE RENEWAL WOULD INFURIATE THE GOC, WHICH WOULD 
CLAIM THAT THE EU WAS TOO INFLUENCED BY THE UNITED STATES. 
THE GOC WOULD BE SIMILARLY IMPOTENT TO FORESTALL THE ANNUAL 
UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONDEMNATION OF IT, ABOUT WHICH IT 
 
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                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ4286 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  05355  02 OF 02  311600Z 
ACTION WHA-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AMAD-00  CIAE-00  DODE-00  DS-00    EUR-00 
      FBIE-00  VC-00    TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    LAB-01   VCE-00 
      NSAE-00  OIC-02   DSCC-00  PRM-00   DRL-02   NFAT-00  SAS-00 
        /005W 
                  ------------------017D75  311654Z /38 
R 311455Z OCT 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6711 
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE 
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION COLLECTIVE 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
USEU BRUSSELS 2908 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 005355 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2007 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, CU, IT 
SUBJECT: GOI COMMITTED TO BUT PESSIMISTIC ABOUT EU-CUBA 
DIALOGUE 
 
WAS "WORRIED." 
 
8.    (C) THOUGH IT WAS "OUT OF CHARACTER," CUBA WOULD 
REQUEST MORE AID NOV. 4, GORETTI PREDICTED.  RECENT TYPHOON 
DAMAGE HAD COMPOUNDED THE POST-9/11 DOWNTURN AND CREATED A 
"CRITICAL, VERY ALARMING SITUATION," WITH A THOUSAND FAMILIES 
HOMELESS AND MANY MORE STARVING.  IN THIS DESPERATE CONTEXT, 
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PAGE 02        ROME  05355  02 OF 02  311600Z 
THE GOC HAD ASKED THE EC FOR HELP, PARTICULARLY FOOD AID. 
 
9.    (SBU) FINALLY, GORETTI NOTED, TWO HUNDRED AMERICAN 
BUSINESSMEN HAD RECENTLY VISITED CUBA TO SELL GOODS AT THE 
AMERICAN STAND AT A COMMERCIAL FAIR ATTENDED BY CASTRO. 
GORETTI CLAIMED THAT THE AMERICANS HAD GROSSED $250M.  HE 
NOTED THIS WITH SOME ENVY, BECAUSE ITALIAN BUSINESSMEN TEND 
NOT TO GET PAID FOR THEIR GOODS, WHICH THE GOC BUYS ON 
CREDIT.  STILL, THE GOI WAS PLEASED WITH THE AMERICAN SALES, 
BECAUSE CUBANS "DESPERATELY NEED EVERYTHING." 
SKODON 
 
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 2002ROME05355 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL