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Cuba Lashes Out at US-UN Human Rights Meeting

VOA News
6 Apr 2002 06:35 UTC
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The Cuban government has lashed out at Argentina, Costa Rica and Uruguay for announcing plans to support a U.S. backed motion condemning Havana's human rights record at an upcoming U.N. conference. 

Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque accused the three Latin American nations of being pawns of the United States and of serving what he called a U.S. political war against President Fidel Castro's government. 

Argentina, Costa Rica and Uruguay have said they will vote against the communist-ruled island if a motion censuring its human rights record is presented at the U.N. Human Rights Commission meeting later this month. Their governments have not responded to Mr. Perez Roque's remarks. 

The Czech Republic last year sponsored a U.S. backed motion to censure Cuba that narrowly passed the assembly. 

In another development, Cuba accused diplomats at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana this week of what it calls the "subversive" distribution of radios to Cuban citizens so they can listen to U.S. government funded Radio Marti programs. Radio Marti is located in Miami, Florida. 

The Cuban government denies it violates human rights and does not keep any political prisoners. Officials routinely say that those held in Cuban prisons are what Havana calls "counter-revolutionaries" convicted of crimes against the state. 

Washington and Havana do not have formal diplomatic relations, but keep Interests Sections in each others' capitals. The U.S. Interests Section in Havana is located in the Swiss Embassy. The two countries broke official ties some 40 years ago after Mr. Castro seized power of the Caribbean island in a violent coup and instituted a communist government. 

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. 

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