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.
As for Fidel, he just screwed himself royally by recording and making public a discussion with the Mexican president Fox.
If Fidel was a pariah before, its nothing compared with they way leaders will shun him now! He is *really* getting senile...
Consider: those who are publicly against Fidel (presumably because the folks back home are agin Fidel) but privately aided him won't be able to any more because he could blackmail them. We are seeing the beginning of the end for this guy, he's really getting desperate (and perhaps more dangerous as well since he may do something rash)
An interesting fact of history is that during the first Cuban attempt at a war of independence (mid 1800s), the rebels used the American Stars & Stripes as their insignia. A large portion of the Cuban independence movement were "anexionistas" - who wanted the US to annex Cuba. This was partly because of a desire to become a Spanish-speaking US state/territory; partly because Mexico wanted Cuba for herself.
Due to trade with and proximity to the US; to similar histories of settlement in a new land and strained relations with the mother country; and to emotional an intellectual ties to the political thought of the US (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the struggle over slavery) - many Cubans of a century ago identified with the US as much as with Spain or other Latin Americans.
Today, that fact is twisted and perverted by the lefties.
Regards, Ivan
LOL! Thanks for the info.
One runs a travel service for fly fishers and can go anywhere. Until the NZ trip, he preferred Chile. He took his wife, a non fisher, and stayed at some great ranches. He and his son, his partner in the travel business now prefer NZ over Chile. The slides that they showed us were incredible re the beauty of the land and the incredible fish from all types of streams. They did the helicopter thing, where the copter dropped them off and picked them up at the same spot or up/down stream from the drop off place.
The best fly fisher in our group went in March, and he loved it. However, he and I have the same problem. We have a local stream that goes to fly fishing only every Nov until the end of Apr. I have caught many 6 pounders and had three break 6# tippets this year. I will leave my house today at about 12 pm and be fishing by 1 pm.
Then, we have the Williamson River in Oregon, a 6 pound trout in July/August is common for a good fly fisher. My son had caught several in the 8-10 lb range. He had one a few years ago that turned him around 360 degrees in his Hobie Pontoon Boat (my son weighs 200 #'s of Muscle). The guide on a holiday with my son said that his eyes on the second turn had deer in the head light eyes. Then, the fish broke a 10# tippet with no snags or ledges in the pool.
So I can be into big trout for a lot less $'s than a trip to NZ. The trout in NZ are the same as here, the McCloud Rainbow, an incredible rainbow specie.
My wife is now starting to get interested, she doesn't do much fishing, but would enjoy the trip my travel friend did. The costs are great compared to Alaska and Chile.
Just about everyone who goes to NZ for the fishing loves it! Great people, great country, great fishing and incredible food and wine.
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