Cuba Hopes Trump Maintains Dialogue
HAVANA TIMES – The Cuban government hopes that the next president of the United States, Donald Trump, maintains the policy of dialogue “on the basis of respect,” said diplomatic sources on Thursday, reported dpa news.
“Cuba would expect the new US government to take into account these results we have achieved,” said Josefina Vidal, the chief negotiator of the Cuban Foreign Ministry in its talks with Washington.
Vidal made these statements after presiding Thursday the Cuban delegation that participated in the fifth and last meeting of the Bilateral Commission under the Government of Barack Obama.
At the meeting held in Havana, the US side was led by Mari Carmen Aponte, State Department’s Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere.
The Cuban diplomat said that Havana is ready to continue making progress in bilateral dialogues as long as it is “on a basis of respect.”
“Respect has been the key to the success and results that we have been able to obtain and to show to all those interested. That is the disposition of Cuba,” said Vidal.
The Cuban diplomat gave an example of the improvement of the relations leading to the increase of American visitors to the island.
By the end of October 2016, more than 208,000 US citizens had traveled to Cuba, an increase of 68 percent compared to the same period in 2015.
As of October, more than 1,200 cultural, scientific, academic and sports exchanges were registered, representing a growth of 12 percent compared to the same period of last year.
“Cuba reaffirmed the will of our country to continue advancing in the improvement of relations and in the construction of bonds of peaceful coexistence, beneficial to both parties,” Vidal said at a press conference.
The Bilateral Commission is responsible for facilitating the meetings held on topics of mutual interest, such as the fight against drug trafficking, and in the defense of the environment in the process of normalization of diplomatic relations.
Well Moses, Obama when clarifying in Havana that he thought that the time had come to end the embargo, clarified that in order to do so there would have to be reciprocation by Cuba. As I have previously commented, Obama’s overture was rejected exactly one week later on March 28 in the ‘letter’ supposedly written by Fidel Castro entitled: “The Man Obama” which was read at 7.00 p.m. that evening on four of the eight Cuban TV channels. The next day Bruno Rodriguez gave a speech in which he stated that there would be no reciprocation any actions had to be unilateral by the US.
Obama opened the door and had it firmly slammed in his face. Raul Castro had an opportunity but rejected it. Trump is unlikely to achieve any other result. His much boasted negotiation skills are unlikely to change anything. Incidentally, Trump’s manipulative skills are demonstrated by his condemnation of NAFTA. He has blamed the Clinton administration for an agreement negotiated in 1992 by Carla Hills of the Bush Republican administration and which following the presidential change was then signed by Clinton.
Vidal is ill-suited for dialogue with the US. She lost credibility by her recent actions in supporting the communist party students at the University of Havana by actively participating in their demonstration against the US embargo and publicly criticizing the US. She in consequence cannot expect to merit the “respect” from the US which she apparently seeks. That is unfortunate.