U.S. Makes Post-Castro Plans

Wed12Jul2006

U.S. Makes Post-Castro Plans

Dead or alive, the United States government is making big plans for what will happen in Cuba after Fidel Castro. On Monday, in a meeting led by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rica and Cuban exile Commerce Secretary, Carlos Gutiérrez, it was announced that the U.S. could "rehabilitate" a post-Castro Cuba in 18 months, as long as the transition government was willing to faciliate a democratic change. Hmmmm why does this sound so familiar? Oh yeah now I remember it's the same lines that were and continue to be given to defend the occupation of Iraq. But wait, it gets better.

According to El Diario/la Prensa, Gutiérrez said that this transition government:

...debería estar comprometido con “el desmantelamiento de todos los instrumentos de represión del estado e implementación de los derechos humanos internacionalmente respetados y las libertades fundamentales, incluyendo la organización de elecciones libres y justas para un nuevo gobierno cubano democráticamente elegido”

Oh well if Iraq is any indication then the U.S. should be out no?

This transition period plan lasts two years and would cost 80 million dollars. This latest plan is just the newest installment of a plan that has been in existance since at least June 2004, that set aside 29 million dollars for regime change in Cuba, which before than was 7 million dollars.

Gutiérrez said that the Cuban people had a choice, economic and political freedom or more repression and suffering under the current regime. He also added that part of theplan included preventing intervention from third parties that would obstruct the will of the Cuban people. He said this with no hint of irony. The Cuban people are not stupid and hopefully will realize they have more to choose from than Castro or the United States.

Via / El Diario/La Prensa