Brussels, 22/08/2001 (Agence Europe) - Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel arrived in Havana Wednesday evening with a delegation comprising the Spanish Minister of State responsible for Latin America, Miguel Angel Cortes, and the Director for the Caribbean in the European Commission's Directorate General for External Relations, Friederich Hamburger. This visit has as goal to rekindle the political dialogue between the EU and Cuba that was suspended following support the EU gave to a Resolution by the United Nations Human Rights Commission condemning the Cuban authorities in April 2000. Nor did the authorities in Havana accept the conditions relating to the respect of fundamental rights laid down by the EU for Cuba's membership of the Cotonou Agreement which forms the partnership for the development of relations between the EU and Africa, Caribbean and Pacific countries.
Resumption of the dialogue still requires "strong signals" of the liberalisation of the Cuban regime, and the Fifteen place special emphasis on the release of political prisoners and the abolition of the death penalty. For their part, the Cuban authorities want three objectives: - participation in the EU/ACP partnership; - resumption of the political dialogue; - the EU's commitment no longer to take stances against Cuba in international fora. Talks are scheduled with Foreign Minister Felipe Peres Roque, and the Vice-President of the State Council, Carlos Lage Davila, as well as with President Fidel Castro, health permitting.