Posted on 04/23/2002 4:55:38 PM PDT by GeneD
Filed at 7:29 p.m. ET
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) -- Uruguay's president announced Tuesday that his country was breaking diplomatic ties with Cuba, days after Uruguay sponsored a U.N. human rights vote targeting Fidel Castro's government.
The surprise announcement by President Jorge Batlle came as the Uruguayan leader charged Cuba with a series of insults against his small South American nation.
Uruguay sponsored a resolution targeting Cuba that was passed Friday by the U.N. Human Rights Commission in Geneva. The vote was a tight 23-21 with nine abstentions.
The resolution invited the communist-run country to provide its people with greater civil and political rights. It also exhorted Cuba to allow a U.N. representative to visit the island -- an idea Havana rejected.
Almost all Latin American nations on the 53-member commission approved the human rights measure, prompting Cuba to term them all ``Judases.''
In the weeks leading up to the vote, Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque accused Uruguay of ``genuflecting'' and of ``being servile'' to the United States by sponsoring the resolution.
At a news conference late Tuesday, Batlle bluntly complained that insults by Cuban leaders ``continued to escalate in tone'' to the point that Uruguay was forced to act.
``The rupture will remain until it is clear that the Cuban people have peace and liberty,'' Batlle bristled at the news conference in this South American capital.
Batlle said he instructed Foreign Minister Didier Opertti to carry out the necessary steps to formalize the break in relations. He did not elaborate nor say whether he had ordered the expulsion of Cuba's ambassador to Uruguay.
Diplomatic relations between Uruguay and Cuba date to 1986, restored after the end of a right-wing military dictatorship in Uruguay.
But relations fell on rocky times in the weeks leading up to the Geneva vote. Uruguay's government went so far as to recall its ambassador, Enrique Estrazulas, to show its displeasure.
No official could immediately be reached at Cuba's embassy in Montevideo for comment.
Well, A star and stripes, anyway.
Would that all that were true; unfortunately, Tio Fidel is still a good buddy of my adopted part-time home Viet Nam and is a welcome visitor to another Commie country..North Korea.
There's a saying in Thailand which may help to understand Thailand's position, and perhaps the other abstentions. In Thai, they say "Mai bien lai" (spelling?) which roughly translates to...the direction that the wind blows the rice stalks. This refers to the Thai decision during the 20th Century to continually play off the Russians against the Chinese by taking a noncommital position, thereby getting aid from each and dissuading both from trying to take military action against the Thais. A wimpy position? Yeah, but, a great country, great people, lousy beer, very good food.
Nah.
They'd spoild Dave's fishin' trips.
Meanwhile, Dave, go to New Zealand and catch your self a few 8-10 pound Rainbow.
Every day.
New Zealand has the best trout fishing in the world, by far!
Or doing something else similarly more meaningful than participating in an un meeting?
Picking their noses? Scratching their arses? Taking a walk by the lake?
A cab to the airport?
They, like America, [Recently replaced by Syria!] don't belong to the obscenely racist un "human rights commission?"
It seems that Fidel had decided to send them a shipment of some sort of medication, one that without a doubt is desperately needed by Cubans. Ever the magnanimous one, Fidel made a statement that he was "donating" these medicines to help them.
Uruguay's President, Jorge Batlle, quickly responded by telling Castro that his country did not require any "help" from him, and that instead of donating the medicine, Castro could subtract its worth from the 28 million dollars Cuba owed Uruguay.
Ballsy people these Uruguayans.
Gotta love them!
Maybe Chirino is right...."...nuestro dia, ya viene llegando."
Senate Democrats refused to confirm him, so Bush recess appointed him to his current position.
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