Clinton and Lula Differ on Cuba
HAVANA TIMES, July 8 — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once again asked the Cuban government to free its political prisoners and hold “free and fair elections” in statements to the rightwing Globovision TV of Venezuela. Nonetheless, Clinton said her government is negotiating with Cuba on important issues such as migration, reported IPS.
Clinton made no mention of the Cuban Five, held in US prisons for over 10 years for gathering information on terrorist organizations based in Miami that have operated under the complacent eye and with support from Washington during 11 administrations.
Cuban President Raul Castro has welcomed a prisoner swap that would free the “dissidents” in exchange for the Cuban Five.
Meanwhile, Brazilian President Lula da Silva continued to demand Tuesday that the United States end its half-century economic blockade on Cuba. Lula brought up US-Cuba policy during a speech at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. He has repeatedly told President Obama that US relations with Latin America would get a big boost if Washington achieved rapprochement with Cuba.
Once again the U.S. demonstrates its inability to respect the sovergnty of another nation. demanding that it change and bend to the will of the U.S. The fact is that there are numerous horrendously brutal regimes throughout the whole world ( and I would not put Cuba in this category ), many of which we have installed despite the will of the people, that we do business with. But the greatest sin is that the U.S. government also refuses to allow its own citizens their constitutional right to travel – and no one, not even the ACLU, will stand up for us.