By Hermann Tertsch

Angela Merkel has begun to once again mark a clear difference from those governments in Europe, that from less of a realpolitik perspective than from a colonial and belittling Eurocentric conception, have denied the liberties of the subjects of dictatorial regimes that claim to defend their own citizens. Merkel has announced a policy toward Cuba that will take into account the totalitarian character of the regime and its treatment of political prisoners, dissidents and the population in general. It is good news that, for our integrity, this distances Spain even more from the core of European democracies. There are many European countries, especially those who have suffered Communist dictatorships such as the Czech Republic and Poland that have already been scandalized for the past four years by the attitude of the Spanish socialist government that is an accomplice to Castroism and a saboteur of all intents to pressure the Cuban regime to put an end to the implacable politics of repression.

If Angela Merkel has known to face international politics with sufficient ethical responsibility to criticize repression in large economies like China and Russia, and to  warn the long-standing despot of Zimbabwe, Roberto Mugabe, a few days ago in Lisbon, that the violation of human rights and repression of freedoms, have with reason and responsibility relevance to international relations, it was logical that the moment would come in which she would pronounce herself with regards to Cuba and the miserable living conditions of the political prisoners and all of the citizenry that is held captive. It is very sad that today the dictatorship in Havana has found in the Spanish government the main defender to dodge its abuses and avoid reproach for the violence of its political police and its squadrons of bullies. Those who refuse to skip over the cynicism and inaction in the face of someone else's pain and the political persecution of totalitarianism can only ascribe to disdain or ire upon proving, once again, the silent complicity-obstinate and obscene- of the aforesaid “Government of Spain,” which is concerned with the propaganda on juvenile acne or sexual humor and meanwhile belittles the agony of the Cuban prisoners and the widespread fear of the dissidents in the face of an escalation of repression in Cuba.

The new wave of detentions in Santiago and Havana and the renewed and strengthened threats against those who call for dignity and freedom, do not seem to interest in any way the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, who is already and rightly so considered the main defender in the EU of the dictatorship of Fidel and Raul Castro. Meanwhile, our ambassador Carlos Alonso Zaldívar, who in his day had been the supposed leader of democracy in Spain from the ranks of a communist party that condemned the dictatorship in the USSR, has become in Havana a kind of second line of defense for the dictatorship, who offends the dignity of Cubans daily with his deference to the tyranny.

The attitude of the Spanish government toward the citizenry of Cuba or Venezuela, where until recently they have had an ambassador by the name of Raul Morodo, who has also been charged with shoring up the totalitarian project of political and social experimentation, reveals to what extent Zapatero and his illusions are a danger and not only for freedom and democracy in the Caribbean. Considering that even in Spain he has made it clear that he prefers to speak to ETA than with their victims, it is logical that in Havana they only speak with those who imprison but who besides that do a good job of feeding the main journalistic apologists of the new Spanish socialism. It is called reciprocal favors.

Now in a new act of cynicism, the Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister, Felipe Pérez Roque, says that Cuba will adhere to the UN covenants on human rights. It is obvious that Moratinos and “Charlie” Zaldívar will applaud this farce for the umpteenth time. It is evident that Angela Merkel will not allow herself to be fooled. And one would hope that Nicholas Sarkozy, the French president which Spanish citizens trust more than any other of his predecessors, will join in the effort to demonstrate that Europe does defend freedom in Cuba and is not an accomplice of its political police, its dictatorship or its miseries and lies (Source: ABC, translation)