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Prensa Latina

Cuba to US: Teamwork Not Donations
by Prensa Latina

Posted: Nov 3, 2005 16:46 UTC
HAVANA (PL) - Cuba repeated Thursday its willingness to cooperate with regional countries in disaster situations and rejected US interference disguised as economic help after Hurricane Wilma.

A Foreign Affairs Ministry´s (MINREX) declaration clears up details on its exchanges with the US Interest Section in Havana (USIS) related to a visit of three disaster experts.

The document says last October 25 the USIS claimed in a diplomatic note it could send three agents from the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to value damages caused by hurricane Wilma plus give an offer of eventual humanitarian help to Cuba.

In less than 24 hours Cuba responded to the US that it had not asked for international cooperation, but did not object to the three officials visit. The island´s intention was to learn from the experts and exchange criteria on natural disasters and regional cooperation.

The Cuban government insisted in a later message that it was not necessary to make economic appraisals of the hurricane´s damages for hypothetical aid.

That note also planned a working-agenda containing visits to areas affected by Wilma in Havana and Pinar del Rio.

USAID Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean Adolfo Franco declared November 1 that the experts aimed at analyzing damages and suggesting aid quantities to affected people.

He said they were neither interested in holding political talks with Fidel Castro´s government nor opening a new channel or discussing issues dealing with the disaster.

A day after, November 2, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack accused the Cuban authorities of wanting to discuss their vision on disaster response in the region.

McCormack said the US government does not wish to convert a humanitarian mission into a political dialogue on issues unrelated to help for Wilma´s victims.

He added the US was giving 100,000 dollars to "independent and non-governmental organizations" as an initial and immediate support for the Cuban people.

The Cuban Foreign Ministry says this seems like a disguised attempt to give more financing, with the hurricane as pretext, to subversive groups Washington organizes in Cuba.

That is why the Caribbean island ratifies its stance on non-help from the US government to face damages resulting from Wilma, as it already has the essential human and material resources for the recovery, which is well under way.

Cuba rejects the charge it was trying to modify the purpose of the USAID agents´ visit and denies it was trying to reap political advantages or open a channel to discuss bilateral issues.

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