Posted on 08/08/2003 1:58:01 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Unlike the United States, European governments have maintained trade and diplomatic relations with Cuba since Castro's 1959 revolution. Economic ties have multiplied since the demise of East European communism deprived Cuba of COMECON markets for its sugar in the early 1990s.
Now European diplomats find themselves in the position of being the bad guys in Castro's books, while Cuban purchases of food and agricultural products from the United States have taken off since the easing of the American embargo two years ago.
Cuba has bought $480 million in U.S. farm products, but it has to pay cash due to a credit ban in the U.S. embargo. European businessmen that are owed millions of dollars for shipments to Cuba are frustrated to see U.S. firms get payed up front.
"The Americans are benefiting because the Cubans are using credit lines from French banks to pay for food imports and putting on hold debt payments to European exporters," said a European diplomat.
Facing European criticism for locking up dissidents, Cuba in May withdrew a request to joining an EU aid and preferential trade pact for former colonies, the Cotonou Agreement, which could have provided the island with up to $100 million (euros) a year in aid.
Diplomats believe Castro concluded he had lost Europe as an ally with the grim prospect of 10 former Soviet bloc nations joining the EU next year with an anti-communist agenda.
Former Czech president Vaclav Havel has nominated leading Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
In a July 26 speech, marking the fist salvos of his guerrilla uprising 50 years ago, Castro charged they would serve as "Trojan horses" for the United States inside the European Union. "They are full of hatred for Cuba," Castro said.
(Excerpt) Read more at story.news.yahoo.com ...
Yes, it would. Can you imagine the wealth they could generate if they had a free economy? The entire island could be a tourist's paradise, and cheap to travel to for Americans. It would be like Hawaii right in our own back yard. I mean, aren't we the only country that disallows tourist travel there? In spite of that, their economy sucks. Makes no sense. I imagine they could do very well agriculturally too.
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