EU urged to reenter into respectful and constructive dialogue with Cuba

THE need for the European Union to take up the road of political dialogue with Cuba on a constructive basis of mutual respect has been backed by hundreds of institutions and public figures in Europe in an open letter to EU foreign ministers.

The missive states that the so-called common position of the European Union toward Cuba establishes conditions that "have become an obstacle to good relations and a needed dialogue between the EU and Cuba."

It emphasizes that that community posture impacts on scenarios such as the UN Human Rights Commission, Cuba’s entry into the Cotonou Agreement, and EU cooperation and negotiation with the United States in relation to extraterritorial legislation such as the Helms-Burton Act.

The text notes that the common position does not entail any strategy of cooperation with the island, and has been interpreted in a differentiated way in the heart of the 25 member countries of the Community.

With a view to reinforcing the strategic association between the EU and the Latin American and Caribbean region, a deeper and respectful political dialogue and autonomous cooperation with all the countries and Cuba in particular is needed, it adds.