Statement on Cuba's Transition

Statement on Cuba's Transition

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
Sunday, February 24, 2008

At this significant moment in Cuba’s history, we reaffirm our belief that the Cuban people have an inalienable right to participate in an open and comprehensive dialogue about their country’s future, free of fear and repression, and to choose their leaders in democratic elections. We support their aspirations for a better life, and their desire to enjoy the fundamental rights and liberties expressed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Inter-American Democratic Charter. We support their efforts to obtain a voice in their national destiny, and their desire to gain access to the resources and opportunities necessary to become masters of their own lives, enhance the well-being of their families, and achieve their God-given potential.

We urge the Cuban government to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by releasing all political prisoners, respecting human rights, and creating a clear pathway towards free and fair elections. We also urge the international community to work with the Cuban people to begin to build institutions necessary for democracy, and to support Cuban civil society. The Cuban people, facing the legacy of five decades of tyranny, merit our solidarity and support as they seek to construct a brighter future.

2008/136
From a U.S. Department of State Press Release

DoS Official Portrait of Secretary Condoleezza Rice

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* KUTV.com has this story out today on the Castro brothers and Cuba and it starts off like this... Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro president on Sunday, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel but leaving the island's communist system unshaken... In a surprise move, officials bypassed younger candidates to name a 77-year-old revolutionary leader, Jose Ramon Machado, to Cuba's No. 2 spot , apparently assuring the old guard that no significant political changes will be made soon...
Read the full story at link below...
Raul Castro Succeeds Older Brother Fidel As Cuba's President