EU's Ashton mandated to work on thawing relations with Cuba

Oct 25, 2010, 15:43 GMT

Luxembourg - European Union foreign ministers agreed to let the bloc's foreign policy representative start efforts to thaw relations with Cuba, officials said on Monday.

The EU's policy since 1996 has been to make contacts with Cuba conditional on progress made in human rights. But Spain is leading calls to soften that position after it and the Catholic Church successfully convinced the Castro regime to release dozens of political prisoners.

In recognition of those calls, also supported by France and Italy, ministers meeting in Luxembourg asked EU High Representative Catherine Ashton to examine options for a resumption of political contacts, diplomats said.

'It is essentially about sending a couple of officials to Cuba,' Italian deputy foreign minister Alfredo Mantica told reporters.

He stressed that beyond agreeing on the exploratory mission, no softening of the EU's policy was decided. Mantica explained that the issue would be taken up again once Ashton reported on her efforts.

'We said she should do so as soon as possible,' Mantica explained.

Earlier on, Spain's new foreign minister Trinidad Jimenez insisted that the EU had to react to what she characterized as Cuban overtures.

'I think Cuba has done a lot, so I think that it would be a good time to find a new solution, to launch a new dialogue in the relationship between the EU and Cuba,' she said.

Germany, backed by Sweden, Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries, led the opposing camp pushing for the EU to maintain its tough line on the Communist regime in Cuba.

EU ministers held the debate in the wake the European Parliament's decision last week to award the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas, drawing attention to the plight of human rights defenders in the country.

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