Cuba Pushes For Open Trade With U.S.

Communist Nation Eager For White House Change, Already Seeking World Support

(AP)  Looking ahead to a new American administration, Cuba's top diplomat in Washington opened a campaign Wednesday to generate world pressure to kill a half-century-old U.S. trade embargo that he likened to genocide.

"It's equivalent to genocide; its intention is strangulation," Jorge Bolanos said in an Associated Press interview a week before Cuba plans to ask the U.N. General Assembly to condemn the U.S. boycott of his country.

Bolanos steered clear of presidential politics, but he said Cuba was ready for talks with the United States "if the U.S. considers Cuba an equal partner in negotiations."

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has said he would be willing to meet with Cuban leader Raul Castro without preconditions and would ease restrictions on family-related travel and on money Cuban-Americans want to send to their families in Cuba.

Republican nominee John McCain, meanwhile, has called the offer to meet "the wrong signal," but also has said he favors easing restrictions on Cuba once the United States is "confident that the transition to a free and open democracy is being made."

The United States has no diplomatic relations with Cuba and lists the country as a state sponsor of terror. The trade embargo, imposed in 1962, has been tightened during President Bush's two terms.

"The last eight years have seen the most ruthless and inhumane application of the blockade," Bolanos said.

It "typifies the act of genocide" and from the start was designed to undermine the Cuban revolution of 1959 led by Fidel Castro, the diplomat said. Forced to retire because of intestinal illnesses, Fidel yielded control of the government to his brother, Raul.

"He is better and better every day," Bolanos said. "He is writing." But Bolanos said he did not know if Fidel Castro, now 82, would be able to participate in the half-century anniversary celebration of the revolution in Santiago at the end of the year.

Bolanos, who heads Cuba's "interest section" in Washington out of the embassy of Switzerland, said he had "no doubt the blockade is going to disappear" at some point.

Next Wednesday, the U.N. General Assembly will consider a resolution calling on the United States to end the trade embargo. Every year for the past 17 years, the Assembly has approved Cuba's resolution, but the United States has not yielded.

"It is the most isolated issue at the U.N.," Bolanos said, and the U.N. has "a psychological and moral effect."

The diplomat, a former ambassador to Mexico, Brazil and Britain, predicted the embargo, in time, will "disappear."

Representing a government the United States shuns, Bolanos said he is limited in his travels to the Washington area and is permitted among government offices only to visit the State Department, where he said he has had occasional meetings.

However, he said, the diplomatic community has treated him as "an ambassador in full capacity."

Again and again, in a 50-minute interview conducted mostly in English, Bolanos returned to the U.S. embargo and its impact.

He said a few sick Cuban children have been unable to receive proper medical treatment because the United States would not approve the export of catheters. Some material for the blind also is under boycott, and Cuba was unable to purchase washing machines from Mexico because they had parts manufactured in the United States, he said.

"Eleven million Cubans live under the blockade's effects," he said. "Each day, each of them, child, woman, man, elder of whatever social position or religion, suffers without distinction, the perverse effects of the blockade."

The cost to Cuba has risen to $93 billion, but the blockade has failed to undermine the Cuban government "because of the irrevocable will of the Cuban nation to defend its legitimate right to self-determination," the ambassador said.

[liberalme]

First they have to get rid of the "wet foot dry foot" rule!

[swin5]

Would somebody mind telling me why we have it in for Cuba? Republicans are afraid to change policy toward
Cuba because that would be soft on national defense, like Cuba is really a threat. Democrats won''t change policy because that would dishonor their beloved JFK.

Rushman says do some research. Too bad he doesn''t do his research, he just pretends he did. Before Castro, Cuba was ruled by one of the most corrupt and bloodthirsty dictators ever by the name of Fulgencio Batista. Batista turned Cuba into a playpen for the American mob, at great profit for himself. Castro''s
revolution not only ousted Batista but also the mob. The mob retaliated by having a certain son of a mob lacky, who happened to be president, to first support an invasion to get rid of Castro. When that didn''t work, this president then tried to have Castro assassinated. Well, we all know who ended up being assassinated and how this whole sordid piece of our history was covered up to prevent international embarrassment. And here we are, nearly 50 years later still following a foreign policy towards Cuba that has no relevance to today''s world - a foreign policy that I bet few people in this country would ever be able to explain or understand. That is unless of course we merely say that they are commies so they must be the bad guys. When will it end?

[rushman71]

ramos937: Have you paid any attention to why this is so? I guess not, since your a friggen idiot!!! Cuba is a COMMUNIST nation, ever since the puto Castro took over and dictated the country!!! I think you better do a little bit more research before you make such a pathetic comment next time!!! DUMBFUQ!!!

[navyjimfl]

President "O" will open up relations and trade with Cuba......the communist country will still have a stranglehold on the people but the government of Cuba will get the credit and the money.......more Americans can start vacationing in Cuba where many go already.....special resorts just for tourists.....the poor will stay poor in Cuba......

[pedropan84]

The Cuban situation has not been properly addressed not just by the Bush administrations or Clinton. Today neither candidate has a firm grasp on what is occurring in our own back yard. This is a complex problem with a simple solution.
1. End the embargo now! The embargo has proven to be in-effective for the US. The Embargo has not stopped Italy or Canada from investing in the island. The only effect that the embargo has had has been to further Castro''s with Propaganda against the Imperialist Yankee. Every president since then has fallen for Castro''s Propaganda machine.
2. End the preferred immigration status Cubans have. This should be followed by a strict hardship Visa restriction to just 2500 per year. This is not going to be popular among Cubans here in the states so no candidate will risk being bold to adopt new policy until elected. The Wet foot/Dry Foot is an embarrassment of an attempt to create meaningful policy.
3. Finally we Americans must come to the realization we are ALL Americans... we are just Americans from the North vs. Americans from the South ... this includes Venezuela, Columbia, Argentina etc. Not popular but we must open our minds to this concept to address further foreign intervention (China and Russia to mention the most aggressive).
That is my 2 cents unpopular as it may be. Cuba will have enough problems trying to explain how the horrible embargo has been lifted but now they don''t have money to purchase anything they were "denied".

[ramos937]

Cuba has now made the first gesture. I very much hope that President Obama responds favorably to talks once he takes office.

The embargo is a complete failure and is a godsend to those counries that ignore it. China, England, Canada, Germany, France and all of the Latin American countries are now openly trading in violation of the Helms-Burton Act. They are hoping that we continue with our stupid policy for many more years.

[TommyCraig]

Being that we have trade with China and Russia, we would be hypocrates to continue the "no trade" with Cuba. By having trade could possibly warm relations and expose that nation to more democratic possibilities.
I disagree with CBS_Oliver''s parallel of the US missiles in Turkey with the Soviet missiles in Cuba. The Soviet Union was a true enemy to mankind. Freedom was abolished for the average citizen in this Godless rotting euphoria of a utopia. The dictator of that government (the communist party) wanted to bury America. The Soviets had stolen Freedom from all nations that were devoured by it. We weren''t perfect by any stretch. However, the soviets were truly an evil empire.

[krotec54]

This strategy of punishing the people of a nation in an effort to coerce them into changing their government to suit our desires has to continue until they do. This is the only humane way to make a nation change their government. It has been proven that communism does not work.
We know that the Cuban people are proud and stubborn. They do not want to admit that their government has not help the country in any way.
Why do they ask for America to help, when they have normal commerce with others Latin neighbors to help them?
Are they trying to tell us that products from other countries are inferior?
When communism cease to exist in the Caribbean will we see the embargo %u2018disappear.%u2019

[antoniof123]

Why does Cuba need us? Didn''''t their glorious peoples revolution promise a workers paradise and land of plenty? Have not Soviet technology and consumer products been satisfying, plentiful and cheap through the years?
Posted by tborawski at 12:30 PM : Oct 23, 2008

The are asking the UN did you read the artical or just the headlines?

They want to end this insanity but the GOP don''t as usual. The GOP needs hate to continue or else they will just disapear and that would be nice.

[tborawski]

Why does Cuba need us? Didn''t their glorious peoples revolution promise a workers paradise and land of plenty? Have not Soviet technology and consumer products been satisfying, plentiful and cheap through the years?