Weekly Report - 25 September 2008 (ISSN 1741-7422)

Cuba's foreign minister, Felipe Pérez Roque, confirmed last week that the government had agreed to reactivate political dialogue with the European Union (EU). In late June the EU decided, in recognition of “changes initiated by Raúl Castro", to drop the sanctions it imposed on Cuba in 2003 in the wake of a crackdown on dissidents. Fidel Castro swiftly condemned the EU in one of his many published “reflections", but government silence implied a difference with Fidel. After a respectful wait, and with Cuba desperate for financial assistance after the destructive passage of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, Pérez Roque was instructed to accept the EU proposal for talks.