Caribbean & Central America - July 2008 (ISSN 1741-4458)

The elimination of sanctions against Cuba by the European Union (EU) at the end of last month [RC-08-06] did not result in the political dialogue some had hoped for. The lack of an official response from Raúl Castro's government, the recent crackdowns on dissidents on the island, and the condemnation of the new EU immigration directive are unlikely to improve Cuba-EU relations. Meanwhile, divergences in the approach adopted by the president and his predecessor and brother Fidel with relation to the EU directive have been seized upon as symptomatic of tensions within the Cuban Communist party.

The EU's decision to drop the sanctions - which were imposed in 2003 after the last major repressive wave by the Castrist regime which left 75 dissidents, intellectuals and journalists imprisoned - was met with indignation by Cuban dissidents. The sanctions, suspended since 2005, were finally eliminated after much debate on the basis that the EU could perceive an improvement in human rights on the island.

Martha Beatriz Roque, of the Asamblea para Promover la Sociedad Civil en Cuba, complained that “by turning a blind eye" the EU had effectively encouraged the Cuban government to continue imprisoning dissidents and violating the human rights of its people. The moderate opposition movement Arco Progresista, however, approved of the EU's decision. Its leader, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, said that the Cuban government no longer had any excuse not to hold meaningful political dialogue.

Fidel Castro promptly responded to the announcement by accusing the EU of “enormous hypocrisy" by reaching out to Cuba at the same time as the European parliament approved a “brutal measure" on illegal immigrants. He said the measure would punish Latin American countries, which - he added - are made up primarily of European emigrants. His outspoken attack may have been due partly to a clause inserted in the EU resolution to eliminate sanctions at the behest of the Czech Republic (which sees Cuba as an unrepentant Communist dictatorship) promising to review the situation in June 2009. Implicit in the clause is the suggestion that Cuba should reciprocate the EU's gesture by releasing more of the 75 political prisoners it summarily sentenced in 2003, 55 of whom remain behind bars.

The government response to the new immigration law was more measured than Fidel's. Yet, only three weeks after the lifting of sanctions, the Cuban congress approved a resolution on 11 July condemning the EU's “return directive".

Crackdown
In what could be seen as a gesture of defiance, within hours of the EU announcing the elimination of sanctions, the Cuban government had arrested seven political dissidents. Then, on 2 July, the ministry of exterior relations issued a statement denouncing “provocations" by the US Interests Section in Havana (USINT) - namely its support for members of the opposition - and threatening that there could be “consequences" if it continued to interfere in the country's internal affairs.

The statement warned that the government would not tolerate public expressions of dissidence, and they were not empty words: between 3 and 6 July some 60-80 dissidents were targeted by the police. Of these, however, only 30 or so were detained for any length of time before being released. According to Elizardo Sánchez, leader of the Comisión Cubana de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional (CCDHRN), the police adopted a number of tactics to intimidate dissidents in order to prevent them from attending a meeting of the coalition platform Agenda para la Transición on 4 July and from participating in the celebrations for US Independence Day at the USINT office.

Splits within the Communist party?
The divergent response to the EU immigration directive from the government and Fidel Castro was seized on by some as evidence of a schism within the Communist party, suspicions fuelled further after Fidel issued an explicit denial that this was the case.

He also took pains to eulogise Raúl's reforms, and his praise was reported by state television on 24 June. “Fidel highly values the efforts of the leadership of the Revolution and in particular Comrade Raúl in the areas of unity, labour productivity, [and] the increase of agricultural production_ which are very important," it said.

This was significant because Fidel's opinion pieces, published in official daily newspaper Granma, often appear to be at odds with the reform agenda being enacted by Raúl to improve efficiency - the latest initiative being to boost production by providing greater incentives to workers and removing the salary cap, arguably undermining some of the core tenets of Socialism [RC-08-06].

Fidel's denial that there is infighting within the Communist party was unprecedented. There was never any official recognition of internal factions while he was in power, but his comments imply that they do indeed exist. Rumours will persist, particularly if Fidel's activities continue to increase - in recent weeks, the former president has entertained the leader of the Chinese Communist party, He Guoqiang, Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez and Uruguay's President Tabaré Vázquez.

Raúl has reciprocated his brother's attempts to quell rumours of divisions; on 13 July, he gave a speech before the national assembly, at the meeting for the first of its brief biannual sessions outlining various reforms (see sidebar). He made a point of emphasising that his speech had been pre-approved by Fidel, who had told him that it was “perfect".

• Taxis

Jorge Luis Sierra, Cuban minister for transport, announced on 8 July that Raúl Castro's government is to allow private taxi drivers to apply for licences to operate for the first time since October 1999. Paradoxically, although this may be good news for taxi drivers - most of whom have been forced to work illegally since new licence applications were suspended in 1999 - the measure is unlikely to improve freedom of movement for Cubans. Sierra said licences will be granted mainly in rural sectors, and some urban areas, to fill the gaps in the service offered by local bus services. “We will give [the taxi driver] the fuel, fix the tariff to be charged, and fix the route and schedule," he said.

• Pension reform

In his speech before the national assembly at the first of its biannual meetings, President Raúl Castro announced a pension reform, including an increase in the retirement age, to be rubberstamped by the national assembly in December. The retirement age will be lifted by five years, to 65 for men and 60 for women in response to demographic change, with official data indicating that by 2025, there will be 770,000 fewer citizens of working age than now.