EU and Cuba sign cooperation accord, restoring ties
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| Published on Friday, October 24, 2008 |
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HAVANA, Cuba (AFP): Cuba and the European Union formally restored ties Thursday, signing a cooperation agreement that put an end to five years of chilly relations, officials said.
The agreement was signed in Havana by Cuban Foreign Minster Felipe Perez Roque and EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel.
The agreement also approves an emergency humanitarian aid package of two million euros (2.5 million dollars), available immediately for reconstruction efforts for damage caused by hurricanes Gustav and Ike in September.
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The European Union's Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel (L) and Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque stand before signing the re-establishment of the relation between the EU and the Cuban government in Havana.
AFP PHOTO |
A further 25 million to 30 million euros (32 million to 38.5 million dollars) will be made available starting in 2009, officials said.
The agreement followed an EU decision in June to lift sanctions imposed against Havana in 2003 for the imprisonment of more than 70 dissidents, and for the execution of three men convicted of hijacking a passenger ferry and demanding it be taken to the United States.
"I think the elements that unite Cuba and the European Union are more numerous than those that divide us," said Michel, adding that the partnership "will have positive results for both parties."
Michel also announced the possibility of joint Cuba-EU cooperation on a variety of issues, including environmental protection, health, education and agriculture.
Roque said the agreement "opens a new phase (between the parties) that moves beyond past conflicts."
The decision, Roque said, is "consistent with the interests of the people of the European Union and Cuba."
The EU decision to restore ties represents a setback for the United States, which failed to convince eastern European allies in the 27-nation bloc to try to block the move.
EU officials have said they will review the human rights situation in Cuba every year.
Normalization of European ties with Havana was championed by Spain, which restored its relations with Cuba in 2007.
Cuban dissidents have also criticized the European Union's move, arguing that human rights in Cuba have not improved. | | | | Reads : 622 | | | |
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