FORMER US President Jimmy Carter met in Atlanta late on Thursday with representatives of the Cuban exile community ahead of his historic trip to the Communist-ruled island.
The trip, scheduled for May 12-17, will make Carter the most prominent American who has travelled to Cuba since its 1959 revolution.
Representatives of the exile community asked the former president to raise during his meeting with Cuban President Fidel Castro the issue of civil liberties and human rights in Cuba.
They described their meeting as very positive, adding that Carter was very receptive to their requests.
The Cuban delegation was led by Jorge Mas Santos, president of the Cuban American National Foundation.
In a letter handed over to Carter, Mas Santos expressed concern that the former president’s upcoming trip would do the Cuban people more harm than good.
He also expressed the hope the visit would have a greater significance for the oppressed rather than the oppressors.
Carter has said he is looking forward to an opportunity to meet with Cuban people from all walks of life.
”I do not expect this trip to change the Cuban government or its policies,” said the former president. ”However, it is an opportunity to explore issues of mutual interest between our citizens and to share ideas on how to improve the relationship between the United States and Cuba.”
Carter’s trip comes on the heels of a vote against Havana at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva on April 19.
The UN resolution, sponsored by Uruguay, was supported by 23 countries of the 53-member commission, including Mexico, Cuba’s long-time ally.
A petition signed by thousands of Cubans will be presented to the Cuban National Assembly ”within weeks” asking for amnesty for what they call political prisoners and prisoners of expression, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday.
According to the constitution, the Assembly must consider and vote on any measure presented to them signed by over 10 000 registered voters.
The referendum initiative is sponsored by the Varela Project, a dissident effort launched in 1998 named for Felix Varela, a 19th century priest widely credited with some of Cuba’s earliest national political thought.
It calls on the National Assembly to organize a referendum on five points: freedom of expression and association; an amnesty for political prisoners who have not taken part in violence; allowing Cubans to have their own businesses and to hire and fire others freely; a new electoral law; and if the referendum is approved, for elections to be organized within a timeframe of 9-12 months. ? Sapa-AFP