20.JUNE.08

by Olga Chamero Trias – Ambassador of Cuba

It was with great surprise that I read the Report of past June 13th, in your distinguished Newspaper, under the title Cuba sees Obama as a “more optimistic option”, presented and I quote “speaking exclusively to Searchlight on the topic…”, where, at the end of an extensive interview I gave to Searchlight, on the topic of the Terrorist Posada Carriles and the fact that most probably he would get a Presidential pardon before President Bush leaves the White House, the journalist questioned me about the American Elections.{{more}}

My comments were private, at the end of my interview. I referred to the fact that our leader Fidel Castro had commented in his Reflexions of the 25th of May, 2008, about Obama the candidate, and his position vis a vis our country. I also did mention that any normalization of relations between Cuba and United States is obliged to pass through the lifting of the illegal and criminal blockade my country has suffered during almost fifty years and I also added that any new Administration had to deal with the fact that the policy of Blockade against Cuba is already institutionalized into the legal system of United States. I did mention to him that Cuba has no preference about who becomes the next president of the United States, as the journalist properly projected in his first paragraph.

I mentioned that our leaders had always said that Cuba is open to dialogue, without pre conditions and on an equal basis, with full respect to our sovereignty. My country is the one which had been the victim for almost a century of the United States aggressive policy, and it is up to any new elected President to decide what to do vis a vis that criminal policy.

It is very unfortunate that the journalist had presented these views out of context, as an exclusive interview about the topic and also projecting it as the official opinion of my country.

I would feel obliged if you publish my comments on that Report.