REPORT
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Overall, we desire a non-violent, moral policy which advances the interests
of both the U.S. and Cuban people. We recognize much inefficiency in
the Cuban command economy, lament Cuban violations of civil liberties, and
deplore Cuban human rights abuses. At the same time, we also oppose
United States policies that by themselves greatly contribute to the extreme
suffering of the Cuban people which we have witnessed.
By consensus, WE RECOMMEND
FIRST, that the U.S. embargo against Cuba should be lifted.
- We want to incrementally
lift the embargo, with the first priority given to lift the third party provisions.
- We believe Cuban clinics
should be able to import x-ray and electrocardiogram paper for diagnostic
test, vitamins, and medicines for maintaining health, and antibiotics for
curing disease.
- We support Cuba in its
plan to build 100,000 housing units without it financing being blocked.
- We want tractors to
be maintained with replacement parts, not just from salvage yards dubbed
“Jurassic Park” by one of our hosts.
- We believe that it is
criminal for healthcare to be crippled by the shortage of ambulances.
- We are too great a country
to deprive school children of supplies needed for learning and fun.
- We doubt that Havana’s
unpainted, deteriorating buildings would persist in a post-embargo world
SECOND, we advocate U.S. policy
changes to vastly multiply contacts between U.S. and Cuban citizens in every
sector of society.
To begin with, end Treasury Licensing which approves or denies which U.S.
citizen can travel to Cuba. This violates Article 12 of the Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights, a treaty which the U.S. has accepted.
Article 12 says people have a right to leave and return to their country.
We do not believe that the caveats of Article 12 apply to Cuba.
FOR U.S. CITIZENS, the violation of our right to leave our country and to
return without risking prosecution should be eliminated. Before our
visit we talked to small business owners and representatives of large corporations
who had been prevented by U.S. laws from establishing import and export markets
in Cuba.
Expanding contacts by CUBANS means stopping arbitrary and capricious delay
and denial of visas for Cubans to visit the United States on the pretext that
they will not return to Cuba. We have spoken with the following Cubans
who have been wronged by this policy:
- Cuban church leaders
who had previously returned after multiple trips in the past.
- Cuban artistic leaders
with compelling professional and personal ties in Cuba.
- Cuban teachers unable
to attend conferences, and
- Cuban farmers whose
decades long experience with large-scale organic methods would enrich U.S.
society.
THIRD, U.S. foreign policy
towards Cuba has notoriously been driven by domestic Presidential politics.
We urge that there be public acknowledgement of this disproportionate influence
on policies and the electoral process. Such as, Center For a Free Cuba
($3,317,479 of USAID), The Institute for Democracy in Cuba ($1,000,000 USAID),
Cuban Dissidence Task Group ($250,000 USAID), Cuba Net ($833,000 USAID), Grupo
de Apoyo a la Disidencia (2,700,000 USAID), Cuba On-Line ($2,625,479 USAID),
University of Miami: Cuba Transition Planning ($1,545,000 USAID), Int’l Foundation
for Election Systems ($136,000 USAID), Freedom House: Cuban Democracy Project
($1,325,000 USAID), etc…
We believe that an ultimate goal that will improve policy across the board
is the elimination of the Electoral College.
FOURTH, we do not support Radio Martí, TV Martí, propaganda,
and gift-giving to increase opposition of the Cuban government.
FIFTH, all U.S. policies and actions should be based on non-violence.
We are unalterably opposed to a military presence in or invasion of Cuba.
It is not compatible with self-determination to interfere in the governance
of a sovereign country.
We believe that policies which purposely cripple the Cuban economy do VIOLENCE
to Cuban citizens- from food and medical shortages, to housing inadequacies,
to drastically reduced travel.
FINALLY, we advocate for these changed policies to promote kinship between
our peoples. We count on our government to interrupt the cycles of condemnation,
fear, resentment, and retribution. For the well being of both our people
and our Cuban neighbors we call on our government to use its ingenuity, generosity,
and power to seize and create opportunities of reconciliation. We believe
that this will create a safer and more secure world.