Wednesday, February 02, 2005

EU and Cuba: Appeasing the Dictator

The EU has ended the "Cocktail Wars" by agreeing not to invite opponents of Fidel Castro´s dictatorship to its parties in Havana.

This sorry and sordid appeasement is a cause for shame. It contrasts unflatteringly with President Bush´s call to spread democracy across the world, and it discredits the name of Europe.

Vaclav Havel articulates it well:
EU and Cuba: Freedom vs. appeasement www.vcrisis.com: "I can hardly think of a better way for the EU to dishonor the noble ideals of freedom, equality and human rights that the Union espouses -- indeed, principles that it reiterates in its constitutional agreement. To protect European corporations' profits from their Havana hotels, the Union will cease inviting open-minded people to EU embassies, and we will deduce who they are from the expression on the face of the dictator and his associates. It is hard to imagine a more shameful deal."

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