Cuba Europe Dialogues No 1 2007 Cuba Waits for the Day After Cuban Transitional Programs Edward McMillan Scott Nikola Ho ej 2 4 Ahead of Central Europans Draft of Todos Cubanos Fredo Arias King Notes on the Draft Constitution Ready for Changes APSC Cuba and the Keys of the Spanish Transition Lucas Garve Reformists and NGO Recommendations Carlos Alberto Montaner 12 NGO Network Recent Events Cuba Libre in Bulgaria 21 Making Statement 23 while on Holiday ISHR SUES CUBA AT THE UN new Report on Human Rights In the Hands of the Generals 15 Markus Meckel Jos Antonio Fornaris 17 Charter 77 after Thirty Years Kus Miroslav 19 16 25 26 27 Document Warszaw Appeal International Committee for Democracy in Cuba 30 2007 Events 32 events 10 photo by Pavel Hroch Vojt ch Cepl 7 opinion Cuban Views on Transition a n a ly s i s Quarterly bulletin on relations between Cubans and Europeans CUBA WAITS FOR THE DAY AFTER Edward McMillan Scott he autumn streets of Havana are dark at night The few electric lights are reserved for the main highways Side streets are lit only by the occasional patched up pre revolution Buick or Chevrolet sometimes an open door throws neon light onto the pavement outside Cubans shuffle head down many are starving many ill most literally dirt poor They talk of a state of miedo fear The only colour on the crumbling colonial buildings comes from political slogans extolling the 1957 revolution led by Los Hermanos Castro The Castro Brothers One is the dictator Fidel dying from stomach cancer the other his notoriously boozy brother Raul It was difficult finding the little house where the Damas de Blanco Women in White were waiting for me They had been protesting outside their church that day about their husbands and sons imprisonment in 2003 for crimes against the state A token 75 political activists had been rounded up The Women were eager to talk eager to know my opinion about what happens next in Cuba I had come to find out and to hear more of the conditions their menfolk were being kept in My visit to Cuba on a tourist visa was organised by Vaclav Havel s committee for democracy I had come to examine Edward McMillan Scott with Oswaldo Pay T The Women told me of the unlit fetid cells the filthy food the lack of medical care at prisons hundreds of miles from their families and far from the remaining political activists in Havana night In a corner an aide was faxing press releases aimed at a Latin American diplomatic conference in Montevideo the following day The courage and determination of people like Paya and Roque is humbling to those who like myself tend to take Europe s freedom and prosperity for granted The European Parliament awarded the Women the Sakharov Prize for freedom But Europe s history has a message of expression in 2005 they could not for the world s remaining tyrannies collect it but their demonstrations are for China Cuba Egypt even Russia tolerated by the regime where democracy has now faltered The same prize was awarded to Cuban dissident Osvaldo Pay in 2002 just before the crackdown His limited political activities too are tolerated but he and his family are harassed His 18 year old daughter has just started university but she cannot make friends as the other students are instructed to shun her The courage and determination of people like Paya and Roque is humbling to those who like myself tend to take Europe s freedom and prosperity for granted Pay organised a mass petition in 2002 an extraordinarily difficult undertaking He collected more than 11 000 signatures for the reform agenda known as the Varela Project calling for economic and political freedom which My visits in the last year to each of achieved international support these countries to meet political dissidents religious activists and civil Today Paya is presenting his latest society actors have shown me how project Todos Cubanos is a plan for Europe s example holds more hope the transition of Cuba from 50 years than America s dollars let alone her of dictatorship to real democracy He divisions shows me the myriad supporters signatures but these days he cannot Such tyrannies are all following the make mass appeals same path banning use of the Internet imprisoning or killing dissidents Martha Beatriz Roque a more nation trying to control religious activity and alistic and populist figure has also stifling civil society Their days are produced a blueprint through her Civil numbered but I want the EU to do Society Assembly Promoting the Day more to bring on the day after After is a draft program for a Castrofree Cuba Edward McMillan Scott is an MEP for Conversation with Martha was dif Yorkshire Humber Conservative European ficult because the regime blasts her Parliament Vice President and founder of the alleyway with pop music day and EU Democracy and Human Rights Initiative EDITORIAL The transition towards democracy is often viewed as a power struggle but it is in a way more a consequence of prepared minds and well debated plans This issue of Cuba Europe Dialogues looks at Cubans views and plans regarding transition The past year has borne witness to a steady growth in debate on this topic within Cuba perhaps in itself a far more significant development than anyone s stomachaches The outcome of the project All Cubans was made public last spring and is presented in the first article in our analysis We have also asked several scientists and journalists from all around the world to reflect on these plans and contribute with a comparison Fredo Arias King shows what Cubans have learned from Central European achievements and setbacks Vojtech Cepl former Judge at a Constitutional Court analyses the Cuban constitutional draft and Carlos Alberto Montaner compares the paths taken by the Cubans and the Spanish The Cuban state of mind and expectations are depicted by Edward McMillan Scott European Parliament VicePresident who recently visited Cuba Among others he helped present the Cuba Europe Dialogues in Brussels and expresses his support to the NGO Network Its growing activities and importance are captured by several articles and listings in the second part of this issue I hope you will find the articles useful and we welcome your feedback Nikola Horejs Editor CUBA EUROPE DIALOGUES 1 2007 how the 100 million EU democracy fund I set up aimed at the transformation of the ex Soviet bloc could help Cuba Preparing for the Unexpected Cuban Programs for a Democratic Transition Nikola Horej A ccording to one of the
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