Brussels, 04/01/2005 (Agence Europe) - Cuban foreign minister Felipe Perez Roque announced in Havana on 3 January that Cuba was restoring official diplomatic relations with France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Austria, Greece, Portugal and Sweden. Cuba has already restored diplomatic relations with Spain and Hungary.
This move by the Cuban authorities seems to follow the favourable recommendations by the group of Latin American experts from EU Member States, which advised the General Affairs and External Relations Council to provisionally ease up on (for six months) on the diplomatic sanctions applied by the EU to Cuba in June 2003 following the arrest of 75 Cuban dissidents, some of whom have recently been released. The working group's main recommendation is that the rules governing invitations to official ceremonies and events celebrating Member States' national days. In June 2003, dissidents were invited to such official events, but the new recommendations suggest only official Cuban diplomats be invited, but not Cuban dissidents or high-ranking officials (see Europe of 21 December, p.5). The group also recommended stepping up contact with Cuban political dissidents and civil society and considering high-level official visits to Cuba as long as human rights are always brought up.
The EU's foreign ministers will examine the recommendations at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 31 January.