[NYTr] Continuing State of Siege: Rice and the Fifth Column (Cuba/Spain)

[nytr at olm.blythe-systems.com]

sent by Jane Franklin

Continuing State of Siege:  Rice and the Fifth Column

[U.S. policy toward Cuba is to increase, to always increase, the State
of Siege.  For just one example, please see the New York Times article
below. Secretary of State Rice runs around the world trying to shore up
the "dissidents" as a force to help Washington overthrow the Cuban
government. Then, when Havana arrests any of the U.S.-linked
"dissidents," various collaborators (of one stripe or another) complain
about "human rights" violations.  Now Washington has to be concerned
about Venezuelan and Bolivian independence as well.]

The New York Times - June 2, 2007

U.S. Questions Spain's Leaders on Cuba Policy

By VICTORIA BURNETT

MADRID, June 1 _ Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice bluntly criticized 
Spain_s increasingly close contacts with Cuba on Friday and prodded the 
Spanish government to do more to support dissidents in Cuba as it
prepares for what she called a _major transition_ _ a reference to the
health of Fidel Castro.

_I made very clear before I came and in my meetings that I have real
doubts about the value of engagement with a regime that is
antidemocratic,_ Ms. Rice told reporters after a meeting with Miguel
_ngel Moratinos, the Spanish foreign minister.

Ms. Rice_s six-hour trip to Spain, where she also met with Prime
Minister Jos_ Luis Rodr_guez Zapatero and King Juan Carlos, was the
highest-level visit by a United States official since Mr. Zapatero made
good on an election promise and pulled Spanish troops out of Iraq in
2004. That decision sharply cooled the relationship cultivated by Mr.
Zapatero_s predecessor, Jos_ Mar_a Aznar, who had been a strong ally in
the Iraq invasion and pushed Europe to take a tough stance on Cuba.

Appearing at a news conference with Ms. Rice on Friday, Mr. Moratinos
said her trip signaled that relations were back to normal. Still, the
brief visit appeared to have been dominated by differences over how to
promote a transition to democratic rule in Havana once Mr. Castro is
incapacitated or dead.

_I_m particularly concerned that the dissidents in Cuba get the right 
message,_ Ms. Rice said, referring to a decision by Mr. Moratinos not
to meet with Mr. Castro_s opponents during a visit to Havana in April.
_People who are struggling for a democratic future need to know that
they are supported by those of us who are lucky enough to be free._

Mr. Moratinos defended Spain_s approach, saying it had as much, if not
more, contact than any other country with Cuban dissidents. In an
interview before Ms. Rice_s visit, he said he hoped that the United
States would respect Spain_s position.

_What Spain is not prepared to do is be absent from Cuba,_ he said.
_And what the U.S. has to understand is that, given they have no
relations with Cuba, they should trust in a faithful, solid ally like
Spain._

Appearing relaxed despite their differences over Cuba, Ms. Rice and Mr. 
Moratinos stressed strong cooperation in fighting drug trafficking and 
terrorism, as well as their joint role in stabilizing Afghanistan,
where Spain has about 750 troops deployed under NATO.

Ms. Rice said they had spent a _great deal of time_ discussing Latin 
America, where leaders in the United States and Spain have been alarmed
by what they called the increasingly undemocratic style of Hugo Ch_vez,
the Venezuelan president. She called for Mr. Ch_vez to reopen Radio
Caracas Televisi_n, an independent broadcaster, which was taken off the
air on Sunday.

While the two countries remain far apart on policy toward Cuba, their 
differences have narrowed over how to handle Mr. Ch_vez and his
Bolivian counterpart, Evo Morales, political analysts said this week.
Mr. Zapatero_s initial friendliness toward both leaders has chilled in
the past year, as Mr. Ch_vez became increasingly autocratic and Bolivia
and Spain clashed over Mr. Morales_s decision to nationalize the
natural gas industry, where Repsol YPF, a Spanish energy company, has
significant interests.

However, analysts said they did not expect Ms. Rice_s visit to augur a 
sudden transformation of the relationship between President Bush and
Mr. Zapatero, one of the few current European leaders not to have
visited the White House. Mr. Aznar, in contrast, visited Washington
several times during his eight years in office and became the first
Spanish prime minister to address a joint session of Congress, in
February 2004.