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Further Attempts to Undermine the Cuban Government
The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, passed by the U.S.
Congress, set certain criteria for normalizing trade with Cuba. It required fundamental
change in Cuba and the creation of a transition government as well as the following:
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the relapse of all political prisoners and access to Cuban prisons by
appropriate international humanitarian organizations
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respecting internationally recognized human rights and basic freedoms as set
forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Cuba is a signatory nation;
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establishing an independent judiciary
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dissolving the present Department of State Security in the Cuban Ministry of
the Interior
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allowing the establishment of independent trade unions and independent
social, economic, and political associations
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making public commitments to organizing free and fair elections for a new
government to be held in a timely manner and with the participation of multiple
independent political parties that have full access to the media on an equal basis
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The President's report to Congress suggests the sum of four to eight billion dollars
to set up a "modern" judiciary and a "democratic" legislature, to
rebuild the infrastructure and to reestablish trade on the conditions that the above
criteria are met. Moreover, the Cuban people must get rid of their leaders and make
"democratic market reforms."
A foreign policy spokesman for the U. S. government, Michael Ranneberger, assures that
there are no plans for the US to engage Cuba militarily. He has said, "I want to
stress that the United States does not support violence as a means of achieving political
change, and does not support organizations that advocate violence." He reiterated
that the goal of the U.S. government is to promote a peaceful transition to democracy and
respect for human rights, thus there is no known forced occupation or invasion since the
Bay of Pigs.
It is important to note that there is a U.S. Naval base situated on Cuban
soil. The U.S. secured the base after signing a peace accord with Spain following the
Mexican American War. The U.S. government dictated the specifics of the Cuban
Constitution, making Cuba a protectorate of the U.S. and granting the U.S. a naval base in
the south-eastern corner of mainland Cuba on Guantanamo
Bay. The U.S. maintains control over the 30 square mile base and asserts that existing
treaties give it unilateral rights to the land. Castro has steered clear of an all out
confrontation on the issue, fearing that the U.S. would use any aggressive act toward the
base as a pretext for invading Cuba.
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