MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US insistent in condemning Cuba for human rights abuses

United States announced Thursday that it will present a resolution before the United Nations Human Rights Commission condemning Cuba since Fidel Castro's regime has made no progress in the issue of respecting basic freedoms.

"United States is introducing and offering a resolution on the human rights situation in Cuba" Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mark Lagon told a press conference in Geneva.

Diplomatic sources said the U.S. delegation to the U.N. Human Rights panel, headed by former Senator Rudy Boschwitz, plans to engage in "intense negotiations" with other commission members next week with the purpose of harnessing support for the resolution condemning Cuba's regime for reiterated abuse of fundamental freedoms.

Regarding Cuba's perennial complaint about what it calls the U.S. "blockade" of the island of Cuba, Mr. Lagon rejected Havana's terminology, describing Washington's four-decade-old trade embargo as a bilateral - not multilateral - policy that is not militarily enforced and makes exceptions for food and medicine.

Joining Lagon at the press conference was the head of the U.S. Mission to the U.N. organizations in Geneva, Kevin Moley, who replied to a question about allegations that terrorist suspects held at the U.S. Navy base in eastern Cuba are mistreated by saying that the detention facility in Guantanamo is the only prison on the island that has been visited by representatives from the Red Cross.

The European Union recently sent a delegation to Cuba with the purpose of improving bilateral relations, but avoided openly condemning Fidel Castro's regime for human rights abuses.

However the delegation met with dissidents and underlined it will insist with demands of a greater freedom atmosphere in Cuba.