Open Letter to the European Union About Free Cuba

Open Letter to the European Union About Free Cuba / Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo
Posted on January 10, 2015

Please send this text to: christian.leffler@eeas.europa.eu and add your
signature to mine if you wish. Thank you!

Friday 9 January 2015

Your Excellency Mr. Christian Leffler, Managing Director for the
Americas of the European External Action Service
christian.leffler@eeas.europa.eu

After the meetings held in Havana (29-30 April 2014) and Brussels (27-28
August 2014), Raul Castro's government unilaterally suspended the third
round of negotiations for Agreement on Political Dialogue and
Cooperation between the European Union and Cuba that were to take place
on 8-9 January 2015, in Cuba.

The previous rounds were described by you as "fruitful and
construction," where both parties worked to "advance the confidence,
respect and mutual understanding." Just when the theme of human,
political and institutional rights was to be addressed, the Havana
government postponed the dialog, without taking the Cuban people into
consideration in this disappointing decision.

By way of this letter we would like to let you know that Cuban civil
society is more than ready to continue these discussions, now that the
ministers and armed forces of the Cuban government have not taken
continued responsibility, after the abrupt death of Fidel Castro and the
restoration of diplomatic relations with the United States.

As Cubans committed to democracy and the development of our country, we
formally invite you, on whatever date and at whatever location most
convenient for the European Union's negotiators, to follow up on the
agenda of including my country in the free world, which to be legitimate
from the beginning cannot exclude the voices and will of Cuban citizens.

Yours faithfully,
Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo
orlandoluispardolazo@gmail.com

Source: Open Letter to the European Union About Free Cuba / Orlando Luis
Pardo Lazo | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/open-letter-to-the-european-union-about-free-cuba-orlando-luis-pardo-lazo/