| PRESIDENT VICENTE FOX SAVES FACE IN CUBA |
| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, February 18 2002 |
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| (Note: This is the second column in a series of three that Maria Elena Salinas is writing about Cuba.)
Havana, Cuba -- Mexican President Vicente Fox made a whirlwind 24-hour visit to Cuba recently. But it was the last hour that captured the most attention. That is when Fox met with a group of dissidents at the Mexican embassy in Havana. The meeting itself lasted only 20 minutes -- hardly enough time to solve all the problems of Cuba, but it was long enough to become an important symbolic gesture. Without it, Fox's visit to Cuba would have been a political disaster.
From the moment the trip was announced, it raised eyebrows and many questions. Why was Fox going to Cuba? What direction would the bi-lateral relationship take? Would Fox become a mediator between Cuba and the United States in their 43-year-old dispute? Would he promote democracy and respect for human rights during his stay? Would Fox, a one-time political outsider in Mexico, meet with Cuba's political dissidents? Would the man who ended seven decades of rule by the official PRI party change Mexico's longstanding position of nonintervention in Cuban affairs?
The official line from Mexico City was that Fox was going to Cuba on a working visit with a very tight schedule. There would be official ceremonies, a tour of Old Havana and visits to an energy plant and a medical center where Mexican patients have been treated. A limping Fidel Castro was at his side every step of the way. The goal was to strengthen diplomatic and business ties between the two countries. During an interview in Havana toward the end of his visit, Fox told me that that goal had been reached. Cuba and Mexico had formalized an agreement that would increase and protect Mexican investment in Cuba and Cuban investment in Mexico. Fox also made it clear that he opposes the U.S. embargo, and he called the Helms-Burton Law, which punishes countries that do business with Cuba, unproductive.
But Fox could not go to Cuba just to formalize a business agreement and then leave without taking some political heat back home. Too many people consider him a symbol of democracy for him to be able to visit a country widely seen as undemocratic without addressing human-rights issues. There had to be at least a symbolic gesture that Fox supports and promotes democracy outside Mexico. At the same time, however, there are political sectors in his country that want him to maintain and strengthen the traditionally close alliance between Cuba and Mexico.
Fox told me that even though he is not formally assuming the role of intermediary between the United States and Cuba, he did speak extensively to Castro about human rights and democratic reforms. He claims to have given Castro a list with names of political prisoners his government is concerned about. His meeting with the group of dissidents, which included human-rights activists and independent journalists, made it clear that he was willing to listen to all voices in Cuba. For the dissidents, it was a vote of confidence that put them in the headlines.
So why was it so important to keep the meeting a secret until the last minute? Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda said it would have been undiplomatic to overshadow the official business agenda. But Fox had to act very cautiously, because the Cuban government does not recognize the dissidents as a political opposition and has a history of jailing them. The last thing Fox needed was to be held responsible for reprisals that might be taken against them. Frankly, I think the Mexican officials could have shown more guts by not waiting until they were on an airplane heading away from Cuban territory to announce that the meeting with the dissidents had even taken place.
In the end, Fox managed to pull off his Cuban juggling act. He showed that he could do business with Cuba and at least appear to promote human rights and democracy. In 20 minutes, he was able to save face in Havana. |
