Cuba Solidarity Campaign: Campaigners and MPs Condemn New Bush Aggression Against Cuba
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 24, 2007
1:49 PM
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CONTACT: Cuba Solidarity Campaign
Rob Miller, CSC Director,
director@cuba-solidarity.org
uk tel: 020 7263 6452 mob.07930 693 900
or
Natasha Hickman, CSC Communications Manager on
communications@cuba-solidarity.org.uk (Mob.07813 689777)
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Campaigners and MPs Condemn New Bush Aggression Against Cuba
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WASHINGTON - October 24 -At 5.30pm on Wednesday 24 October, George Bush announced new aggressive measures against Cuba including a call for the establishment of an international “freedom fund for Cuba”, and a direct appeal to the Cuban military to act against the Cuban government.
In response to Bush’s statement, Dr Ian Gibson MP, Chair of the All Party Group of MPs on Cuba said:
“The aggressive interventionist foreign policies of the US were not appropriate in Iraq and they are not appropriate for Cuba. The US must stop attempting to undermine the sovereignty of nation states and recognise the important strategic role Cuba now holds in Latin America. We must promote stability through engagement and leave behind these US bullying tactics”
Last year 183 countries voted at the United Nations against the illegal US blockade of Cuba and only 4 countries voted to support the policy. A similar vote is expected at next weeks UN vote on 30 October. The Bush statement is clearly timed to pre-empt this vote.
Colin Burgon MP who accompanied Dr Gibson to Cuba as part of a parliamentary delegation to Cuba earlier this year said:
“The ignorance of international law of the current US President is very well known. However, this latest statement on the internal affairs of a Cuba is tantamount to calling for a coup against a sovereign state. The UN position on US interference in Cuba is crystal clear in its condemnation, as is that of the UK government, or so we are told. It is time for our government to state publicly that it cannot be acceptable for the US to dictate affairs in other countries and to remind our special friend of the UN Charter. The arrogance of the US is both worrying and lamentable.”
Rob Miller, Director of Cuba Solidarity Campaign said
" The UK Government should make it clear that engagement is a far better policy than aggression, intervention, destabilisation and conflict, and it should distance itself urgently from Bush and his 'cold war' Cuba policy."
In a statement issued today, the Cuba Solidarity Campaign calls on the UK Government to urge the United States to pursue a policy of engagement with Cuba not aggression. In accordance with the UK’s stated policy of voting against the US blockade at the United Nations, the campaign will further call on the Foreign Secretary to make an urgent public statement to distance the UK from US policy and condemn President Bush’s comments.
A full statements and response to the new Bush measures by the Cuba Solidarity Campaign is available at:
http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/news.asp?ItemID=1179
The Cuba Solidarity Campaign is a UK NGO that campaigns against the illegal US blockade of Cuba and for respect for Cuba's sovereignty.
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