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 Editorials | Issues | January 2007 
Bush Emphasizes Support for Freedom Cause in Cuba
 BYLINE
| | Cuban President Fidel Castro gestures during a political rally. With little known about the condition of ailing President Castro over the past six months, Cuba has been abuzz with wild rumors, further fueled by speculation reaching the island from abroad. (AFP/Juan Mabromata) |
Cuban-American lawmakers said President Bush's mention of Cuba in his address was a sign that he will not waver on his tough position on Cuba.
President Bush said Tuesday his administration would continue to "speak out" for freedom in Cuba, mentioning the island for the first time in a State of the Union address.
"We will continue to speak out for the cause of freedom in places like Cuba, Belarus and Burma, and continue to awaken the conscience of the world to save the people of Darfur," Bush said in a portion of his speech listing foreign policy priorities.
Earlier, national security advisor Stephen Hadley said, "we hope there is an opportunity for a democratic transition in Cuba, where the Cuban people will have an opportunity, really for the first time, to take control of their own future and define the kind of government they want going forward."
The president did not mention Cuba when he listed nations that violate human rights in his State of the Union speech a year ago. At the time, Miami Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen praised Bush's overall speech but said she was "bummed out" by the Cuba omission.
Tuesday, Ros-Lehtinen flashed Bush a thumbs-up when he included Cuba along with Belarus and Burma.
And Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, who came to the States from Cuba as a child, said, "I think it's very important as we talk about countries that look to freedom that Cuba be among them."
Opponents of U.S. economic sanctions on the island have renewed their campaign to ease or lift them. Many also want the U.S. government to enter into a dialogue with Cuba's interim leadership under Castro's younger brother, Raúl.
The mention of Cuba in Tuesday's address was seen by Cuban-American lawmakers as a sign that Bush will not waver on his tough position on Cuba, which includes maintaining travel and other sanctions until Cuba moves toward democracy.
"At a critical moment in Cuba's history, President Bush has made clear that there must be a prompt transition to democracy and that the U.S. will not normalize relations nor ease sanctions until Cuba is free," said Miami Republican Rep. Lincoln Díaz-Balart.
"The president understands that it is in our national security interest to have a truly free neighbor 90 miles from our shores," Ros-Lehtinen said. "We must continue to press the international community to join the Cuban people in not accepting anything but true freedom and democracy."
pbachelet@MiamiHerald.com - Miami Herald staff writer Lesley Clark contributed to this report. |
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