US embassy cable - 02ROME5543

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 005543 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR WHA/CCA AND EB/ESC/ESP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/14/2007 
TAGS: PREL, ETRD, PHUM, CU, ETRD, PHUM, CU, IT, UNGA, ITPREL, UNGA, HUMAN RIGHTS 
SUBJECT: CUBA/UNGA: ITALIAN RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON 
ANTI-EMBARGO RESOLUTION 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  05543  01 OF 02  141424Z 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 223006 
     B. ROME 5355 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POLMINCOUNS T. COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.    (U) THIS IS AN ACTION MESSAGE.  PLEASE SEE PARA 5. 
 
2.    (C) SUMMARY:  IN RESPONSE TO A DEMARCHE ON THE CUBAN 
ANTI-EMBARGO RESOLUTION, MFA COUNSELOR GORETTI STATED THAT 
THE GOI WOULD VOTE THE AGREED EU POSITION.  HE DISAGREED WITH 
U.S. POINTS ON THE SCOPE OF THE EMBARGO, ITS IMPLEMENTATION, 
AND THE EFFECT OF THE RESOLUTION BUT WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE 
EU EOV WOULD EMPHASIZE HUMAN RIGHTS.  GORETTI SHARED A 
READOUT ON THE NOV. 4 EU-CUBA TALKS, WHICH HAD GONE AS HE HAD 
EXPECTED--BADLY.  THE EU HAD RAISED A NUMBER OF HUMAN RIGHTS 
AND FREE MARKET CONCERNS, AND THE GOC'S RESPONSES RANGED FROM 
"99.9% OF CUBANS LIKE THINGS THE WAY THEY ARE," TO "WHY DON'T 
YOU GO PICK ON SOMEBODY ELSE?" TO CLAIMING THAT U.S. POLICY 
TOWARD CUBA AND CUBAN AMERICANS WAS TANTAMOUNT TO TERRORISM. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
3.    (C) POLOFF DELIVERED REF A DEMARCHE REQUESTING 
NON-SUPPORT OF THE CUBAN ANTI-EMBARGO RESOLUTION NOVEMBER 8 
TO NICOLO' GORETTI DE FLAMINI, MFA OFFICE DIRECTOR FOR 
CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN AFFAIRS.  GORETTI STATED THAT 
THE GOI WOULD VOTE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE EU POSITION. 
PRINCIPAL GOI CONCERNS IN CUBA ARE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND THE 
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION.  "THE CUBAN POPULATION IS STARVING," 
GORETTI SAID, AS A RESULT OF BALANCE OF PAYMENTS PROBLEMS 
CAUSED BY A DECREASE IN THE EXPORT PRICES OF SUGAR AND NICKEL 
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PAGE 03        ROME  05543  01 OF 02  141424Z 
AND AN INCREASE IN THE IMPORT PRICE OF OIL.  GORETTI WAS 
CERTAIN THE EU EXPLANATION OF VOTE (EOV) WOULD BE STRONGLY 
CRITICAL OF THE GOC HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD. 
 
4.    (C) GORETTI TOOK EXCEPTION TO THE ARGUMENT THAT THE 
U.S. EMBARGO DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH FREE TRADE, CITING 
HELMS-BURTON, BUT AGREED WITH POLOFF'S ARGUMENT THAT THIS LAW 
WAS LIMITED TO DEFENDING THE RIGHTS OF U.S. FORMER PROPERTY 
HOLDERS.  HE ALSO DISAGREED WITH THE POINT THAT THE GOC 
PRESENTS THE PASSAGE OF THE ANTI-EMBARGO RESOLUTION AS AN 
INTERNATIONAL ENDORSEMENT OF ITS REPRESSION. 
 
5.    (C) IN GORETTI'S "PERSONAL VIEW," "AMERICANS ARE THE 
FIRST NOT TO RESPECT THE EMBARGO."  AS HE HAD REF B, HE 
REFERRED TO A TRADE EXPOSITION IN WHICH 250-300 AMERICANS HAD 
TAKEN PART ALONG WITH CASTRO.  HE CLAIMED THAT THE AMERICANS 
HAD BROKEN THE EMBARGO BY PARTICIPATING, THOUGH HE MENTIONED 
THE SALE OF FOODSTUFFS, WHICH POLOFF CLARIFIED ARE NOT 
COVERED BY THE EMBARGO.  ACTION REQUEST:  POST WOULD 
APPRECIATE FURTHER  INFORMATION ON THIS EPISODE, IN CASE 
GORETTI RAISES IT AGAIN.  END ACTION REQUEST. 
 
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EU READOUT ON MEETING WITH CUBA:  DIALOGUE OF THE DEAF 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
6.    (C) GORETTI SHARED AN EU DOCUMENT THAT GAVE A DETAILED 
READOUT OF THE NOVEMBER 4 EU-CUBA DISCUSSIONS IN COPENHAGEN. 
THE FOLLOWING QUOTES REFER TO WHAT WAS WRITTEN IN THE 
DOCUMENT AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY QUOTES OF WHAT WAS SAID IN 
COPENHAGEN. 
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7.    (C) THE EU TOLD THE GOC, "CONTINUOUS (CONTINUING) 
HARASSMENT OF DISSIDENTS IS OF DEEP CONCERN."  IT HAD "HOPED 
FOR A PROPER DISCUSSION IN THE CUBAN ASSEMBLY OF THE VARELA 
PROJECT."  IN REPLY, THE GOC ASSERTED, "NOBODY ACCUSED CUBA 
OF SYSTEMATIC HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, NOR FOR EXAMPLE OF 
TORTURE OR DISAPPEARANCES AS IN MANY OTHER COUNTRIES....  THE 
VARELA INITIATIVE WAS PROOF THAT CUBANS CAN SPEAK."  EIGHT 
MILLION CUBANS HAD VOTED TO MAKE THE SOCIALIST CHARACTER OF 
THE CONSTITUTION INVIOLABLE. 
 
8.    (C) URGING THE GOC TO RELEASE POLITICAL 
PRISONERS--NAMING LEYVA, BRUZON, PADRON, AND BRIZUELA, 
SPECIFICALLY--THE EU ASKED THE GOC TO RATIFY THE CIPPR AND 
CESCR HUMAN RIGHTS TREATIES.  IN RIPOSTE, THE GOC SAID THAT 
"POLITICAL PRISONERS WERE PAID BY THE UNITED STATES, SO IN 
MANY COUNTRIES, THEY WOULD GET WORSE TREATMENT," BUT IN CUBA 
THEY WERE TREATED THE SAME AS OTHER PRISONERS.  THE GOC 
SUGGESTED THAT, INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING THE LEAD OF THE UNITED 
STATES, WHICH "HAD A VENDETTA AGAINST CUBA," THE EU SHOULD 
CONCERN ITSELF WITH HUMAN RIGHTS IN OTHER COUNTRIES, SUCH AS 
CHINA. 
 
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"BLAH, BLAH, BLAH" AND THE FIGHT AGAINST (U.S.) TERRORISM 
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                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTO8165 
 
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ACTION WHA-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   AMAD-00  CEA-01   CIAE-00  COME-00 
      CTME-00  INL-00   DODE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00    EAP-00   EB-00 
      EUR-00   EXIM-01  E-00     FBIE-00  VC-00    FRB-00   H-01 
      SSA-01   TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    ITC-01   LAB-01   L-00 
      VCE-00   AC-01    DCP-01   NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OES-00   OIC-02 
      OMB-01   DHS-00   OPIC-01  PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00 
      P-00     SCT-00   SP-00    IRM-00   SSO-00   SS-00    STR-00 
      TRSE-00  T-00     USIE-00  EPAE-00  PMB-00   DSCC-00  PRM-00 
      DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00     /014W 
                  ------------------0864F1  141425Z /38 
R 141310Z NOV 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6911 
INFO AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 
USINT HAVANA 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
USEU BRUSSELS 2955 
USMISSION GENEVA 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 005543 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR WHA/CCA AND EB/ESC/ESP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/14/2007 
TAGS: PREL, ETRD, PHUM, UNGA, CU, IT 
SUBJECT: CUBA/UNGA: ITALIAN RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON 
ANTI-EMBARGO RESOLUTION 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  05543  02 OF 02  141424Z 
 
9.    (C) GORETTI INDICATED THAT THE REST OF THE DIALOGUE HAD 
CONTINUED "BLAH, BLAH, BLAH" OR IN A SIMILAR VEIN, WITH THE 
EU PRESSING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND MARKET FREEDOMS, AND THE GOC 
REPLYING DEFENSIVELY OR AGGRESSIVELY.  THE EU NOTED THAT 
THERE HAD BEEN NO PROGRESS ON HUMAN RIGHTS, SO IT WOULD LIKE 
TO SEND THE UN HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.  THE GOC 
REFUSED.  THE EU CITED PROBLEMS FOR EUROPEAN INVESTORS AND 
SAID CUBA NEEDED TO INSTITUTE MARKET REFORMS.  THE GOC 
THANKED THE EU FOR ITS POSITION ON THE EMBARGO, WHICH IT 
CLAIMED WAS "ENDING STEP BY STEP BECAUSE OF PRESSURE FROM 
U.S. BUSINESS ON CONGRESS." 
 
10.   (U) GORETTI SHARED A THICK BOOK THAT THE GOC HAD 
DISTRIBUTED AT THE MEETING.  ENTITLED "THE FIGHT ON 
TERRORISM:  CUBA--CONTINUING TERRORIST U.S. ACTION," THE BOOK 
CATEGORIZED U.S. ACTS SUCH AS REMARKING ON CUBA'S BIOLOGICAL 
WARFARE PROGRAM AS TERRORISM.  IT FURTHER PROVIDED A LIST OF 
"TERROR ATTACKS" AND MIAMI-BASED "TERROR CELLS," MANY OF 
WHICH IT CLAIMED ARE SUPPORTED BY THE USG. 
 
11.   (U) LOOKING FORWARD, GORETTI PREDICTED A SIMILAR UNHRC 
RESOLUTION TO LAST YEAR'S, URGING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL 
REFORMS.  THE NEXT EU-CUBA MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER 
2003 IN HAVANA. 
SKODON 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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 2002ROME05543 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL