Helsinki, 2nd March 2001

To Whom It May Concern:

The Government of the United States has publicly and privately expressed its intention to persist in its anti-Cuban maneuvers in the framework of the Human Rights Commission. Therefore, any new initiative to reintroduce the Cuban issue, no matter its sponsor, contents and fashion, would be distinctly U.S.-motivated and would be nothing but a deceitful and diversions ploy, to be met by the strongest Cuban rejection.

I have the honour to enclose for you information and convenient use, the Aide Memoire about the Cuban position on new maneuvres of United States that will have as in the past year, the sponsor to the Czech Republic.

Please if you need more information about this event don´t hesitate to contact me any time.

Yours,

Manuel Viñas

Chargé d´Affaires
Cuban Embassy

Uudenmaankatu 26 A3
00120 Helsinki
Phone 358 9 6802022
Fax 358 9 643163
Email: manuel.vinas@embacuba.inet.fi

Aide Memoire

* The anti-Cuban exercise imposed every year upon the Commission of Human Rights poses one of the most blatant examples of the political manipulation of international cooperation in this field. Its only purpose is to legitimize the policies of dirty war and genocidal blockade waged unilaterally on Cuba, despite the overwhelming rejection by the international community. One cannot condemn the blockade while endorsing these actions. It would be an inconsistency.

* U.S. historical hostility against the Cuban nation has envisaged direct military interventions, the organization of mercenary invasions, enforcing a criminal economic, trade and financial blockade on the island, and introducing germs to spread diseases among people and pests across the crops. It has also included the encouragement of illegal migration through the enactment of the so-called "Cuban Adjustment Act", the organization and funding of actions aimed at subverting public order and Cuban national security and even assassination attempts against its main leaders.

* In spite of the growing rejection by the developing countries members of the CHR toward successive U.S-promoted draft resolutions against Cuba, which led to its incontestable defeat in 1998, its Government has never relinquished the objective of making the Commission serve its hegemonic interests. For that purpose it has used submissive Governments, forced to publicly pretend to be the sponsors of new anti-Cuban initiatives.

* Exerting excruciating pressures and bullying other countries politically and economically, USA has managed the adoption, with the narrowest margin, of two resolutions against Cuba over the last two years. To achieve this goal, they have leaned on a sort of automatic majority concocted within the CHR, where the rich world acts as judge and jury of every event in the South.

* The international community should oppose the continuation of an initiative, designed with absolute disregard for the principles of objectivity, impartiality and non-selectivity that must characterize international cooperation in the field of human rights. It has already been publicly announced that a brand-new member of NATO, the Czech Republic, will sponsor, on behalf of the USA, a new draft resolution against Cuba on the 57th Session of the Commission on Human Rights.

* Any new draft resolution against Cuba would entail increased confrontation and polarization, which would do nothing but damage the authority and credibility of the Commission on Human Rights and would be plainly detrimental to genuine international cooperation.

* The Cuban Revolution has created conditions for Cubans to fully enjoy all human rights, not only the economic, social and cultural rights, but also the civil and political ones. It was the Revolution that institutionalized the Rule of Law in our country, and brought an end to practices such as torture, summary and extra-judiciary executions and other violations of human rights. Therefore, Cuba strongly opposes any action seeking to single out and impose a discriminatory treatment on the country, regardless of the sponsor or the text, and of the fashion in which it is introduced.

* Every attempt to "moderate" or "balance" the content of the anti-Cuban text, through the insertion of references supposedly "favorable" to Cuba, such as a mild criticism of the blockade unilaterally Imposed and enforced by US, would amount to a blunt manipulation that does not change at all the selective and unwarranted essence of this exercise. This maneuver is morally unacceptable, since the anti-Cuba resolution imposed within the framework of the CHR has become the sole remaining argument used by the US Government to try to "justify" its genocidal policy of blockade against Cuba.

* Cuba has further advanced its traditional cooperation with the international mechanisms established upon non-discriminatory basis and has maintained the course of bilateral cooperation in this field with those countries that undertake dialogue with respect and seriousness.

* Cuba has replied to all the requests of information about alleged cases of human rights violations, channeled through the different CHR procedures and mechanisms, and the mechanism of ECOSOC Resolution 1503.

* Cuba has honored, as few countries in the world have, its commitments to submit periodical reports to the bodies established under human rights international treaties, and is one of the few countries in the world that is not overdue in the fulfillment of its obligations.

* The USA is the country least qualified to judge human rights situation anywhere in the world, particularly in the case of Cuba. That Government has enforced for over 4 decades a genocidal economic, trade and financial blockade intended to subjugate through hunger and disease the steadfast will of the Cuban people; that is the true and grossest violation of the rights of the Cubans.

* US continues to foster, organize, materially support, and publicly and covertly provide funding for individuals and groups, who, both in Cuba and abroad, perpetrate actions intended to undermine the constitutional order that the Cuban people chose for itself through public referendum. These people are not dissidents, as they pretend to be, but mercenaries serving an enemy power.

* Cases like the embarrassing and painful kidnapping of the Cuban boy, Elián González, have exposed the true nature and interests of US most conservative sectors and the anti-Cuban mafia based in Miami, willing to resort to the most outrageous and disgusting practices, in order to impose their schemes of domination on the Cuban people.

* The Cuban people continues to resist and advance along the path of social transformations, inspired in the principles of social justice, people's participation and equal distribution of wealth.

* The country has attained economic recovery and growth, while meeting basic social needs through priority attention. Social-economic indicators, such as an infant mortality rate of 7.2 per every thousand live-born, just to quote an illustrating example, evidence Cuban indisputable endeavors and advancements in the realization of all human rights. The entries of education, health care and social security amount to 62% percent of the expenditures planned in the national budget for 2001 fiscal year.

* The Cuban political system ensures the most genuine democracy and people's participation. Any Cuban citizen can be nominated as candidate in the elections, with no need for the support of party machinery and regardless of his individual wealth. The elected authorities are permanently accountable to their voters, both through periodical accountability processes and through the effective and legal enjoyment of the voters' permanent right to revoke their elected representatives. Participation in elections is voluntary and has always exceeded 95% of the voters.

* Cuban National Assembly of People's Power represents the broadest sectors of society, including workers, peasants, students, artists, journalists and others, whose only merits are those related to work and public service and not to money or fortune. In Cuba, power is actually exerted by the people, according to its interests and needs. The members of the Council of State, including its President, are elected among Parliament members. The legislative initiative is undertaken by multiple social actors, including social and mass organizations.

* The Cuban people continues proving its solidarity vocation, extending its cooperation in the fields of public health and education to a large number of African, Asian and Latin American peoples.

* Cuba is proud of its human rights record, of the lofty values of its people, of its sound unity, of its capacity to resist, of its dedication to work, of its spirit of solidarity, of its ultimate resolution to defend its independence, social justice and national dignity

* Cuba requests the rejection of any draft resolution aimed at singling out in a discriminatory and selective fashion the so-called situation of human rights in Cuba.


	Helsinki, 2nd March 2001 To Whom It May Concern: The Government of the United States has publicly and privately expressed its intention to persist in its anti-Cuban maneuvers in the framework of the Human Rights Commission. Therefore, any new initiative to reintroduce the Cuban issue, no matter its sponsor, contents and fashion, would be distinctly U.S.-motivated and would be nothing but a deceitful and diversions ploy, to be met by the strongest Cuban rejection. I have the honour to enclose for you information and convenient use, the Aide Memoire about the Cuban position on new maneuvres of United States that will have as in the past year, the sponsor to the Czech Republic. Please if you need more information about this event don´t hesitate to contact me any time. Yours, Manuel Viñas Chargé d´Affaires Cuban Embassy Uudenmaankatu 26 A3 00120 Helsinki Phone 358 9 6802022 Fax 358 9 643163 Email: manuel.vinas@embacuba.inet.fi Aide Memoire * The anti-Cuban exercise imposed every year upon the Commission of Human Rights poses one of the most blatant examples of the political manipulation of international cooperation in this field. Its only purpose is to legitimize the policies of dirty war and genocidal blockade waged unilaterally on Cuba, despite the overwhelming rejection by the international community. One cannot condemn the blockade while endorsing these actions. It would be an inconsistency. * U.S. historical hostility against the Cuban nation has envisaged direct military interventions, the organization of mercenary invasions, enforcing a criminal economic, trade and financial blockade on the island, and introducing germs to spread diseases among people and pests across the crops. It has also included the encouragement of illegal migration through the enactment of the so-called "Cuban Adjustment Act", the organization and funding of actions aimed at subverting public order and Cuban national security and even assassination attempts against its main leaders. * In spite of the growing rejection by the developing countries members of the CHR toward successive U.S-promoted draft resolutions against Cuba, which led to its incontestable defeat in 1998, its Government has never relinquished the objective of making the Commission serve its hegemonic interests. For that purpose it has used submissive Governments, forced to publicly pretend to be the sponsors of new anti-Cuban initiatives. * Exerting excruciating pressures and bullying other countries politically and economically, USA has managed the adoption, with the narrowest margin, of two resolutions against Cuba over the last two years. To achieve this goal, they have leaned on a sort of automatic majority concocted within the CHR, where the rich world acts as judge and jury of every event in the South. * The international community should oppose the continuation of an initiative, designed with absolute disregard for the principles of objectivity, impartiality and non-selectivity that must characterize international cooperation in the field of human rights. It has already been publicly announced that a brand-new member of NATO, the Czech Republic, will sponsor, on behalf of the USA, a new draft resolution against Cuba on the 57th Session of the Commission on Human Rights. * Any new draft resolution against Cuba would entail increased confrontation and polarization, which would do nothing but damage the authority and credibility of the Commission on Human Rights and would be plainly detrimental to genuine international cooperation. * The Cuban Revolution has created conditions for Cubans to fully enjoy all human rights, not only the economic, social and cultural rights, but also the civil and political ones. It was the Revolution that institutionalized the Rule of Law in our country, and brought an end to practices such as torture, summary and extra-judiciary executions and other violations of human rights. Therefore, Cuba strongly opposes any action seeking to single out and impose a discriminatory treatment on the country, regardless of the sponsor or the text, and of the fashion in which it is introduced. * Every attempt to "moderate" or "balance" the content of the anti-Cuban text, through the insertion of references supposedly "favorable" to Cuba, such as a mild criticism of the blockade unilaterally Imposed and enforced by US, would amount to a blunt manipulation that does not change at all the selective and unwarranted essence of this exercise. This maneuver is morally unacceptable, since the anti-Cuba resolution imposed within the framework of the CHR has become the sole remaining argument used by the US Government to try to "justify" its genocidal policy of blockade against Cuba. * Cuba has further advanced its traditional cooperation with the international mechanisms established upon non-discriminatory basis and has maintained the course of bilateral cooperation in this field with those countries that undertake dialogue with respect and seriousness. * Cuba has replied to all the requests of information about alleged cases of human rights violations, channeled through the different CHR procedures and mechanisms, and the mechanism of ECOSOC Resolution 1503. * Cuba has honored, as few countries in the world have, its commitments to submit periodical reports to the bodies established under human rights international treaties, and is one of the few countries in the world that is not overdue in the fulfillment of its obligations. * The USA is the country least qualified to judge human rights situation anywhere in the world, particularly in the case of Cuba. That Government has enforced for over 4 decades a genocidal economic, trade and financial blockade intended to subjugate through hunger and disease the steadfast will of the Cuban people; that is the true and grossest violation of the rights of the Cubans. * US continues to foster, organize, materially support, and publicly and covertly provide funding for individuals and groups, who, both in Cuba and abroad, perpetrate actions intended to undermine the constitutional order that the Cuban people chose for itself through public referendum. These people are not dissidents, as they pretend to be, but mercenaries serving an enemy power. * Cases like the embarrassing and painful kidnapping of the Cuban boy, Elián González, have exposed the true nature and interests of US most conservative sectors and the anti-Cuban mafia based in Miami, willing to resort to the most outrageous and disgusting practices, in order to impose their schemes of domination on the Cuban people. * The Cuban people continues to resist and advance along the path of social transformations, inspired in the principles of social justice, people's participation and equal distribution of wealth. * The country has attained economic recovery and growth, while meeting basic social needs through priority attention. Social-economic indicators, such as an infant mortality rate of 7.2 per every thousand live-born, just to quote an illustrating example, evidence Cuban indisputable endeavors and advancements in the realization of all human rights. The entries of education, health care and social security amount to 62% percent of the expenditures planned in the national budget for 2001 fiscal year. * The Cuban political system ensures the most genuine democracy and people's participation. Any Cuban citizen can be nominated as candidate in the elections, with no need for the support of party machinery and regardless of his individual wealth. The elected authorities are permanently accountable to their voters, both through periodical accountability processes and through the effective and legal enjoyment of the voters' permanent right to revoke their elected representatives. Participation in elections is voluntary and has always exceeded 95% of the voters. * Cuban National Assembly of People's Power represents the broadest sectors of society, including workers, peasants, students, artists, journalists and others, whose only merits are those related to work and public service and not to money or fortune. In Cuba, power is actually exerted by the people, according to its interests and needs. The members of the Council of State, including its President, are elected among Parliament members. The legislative initiative is undertaken by multiple social actors, including social and mass organizations. * The Cuban people continues proving its solidarity vocation, extending its cooperation in the fields of public health and education to a large number of African, Asian and Latin American peoples. * Cuba is proud of its human rights record, of the lofty values of its people, of its sound unity, of its capacity to resist, of its dedication to work, of its spirit of solidarity, of its ultimate resolution to defend its independence, social justice and national dignity * Cuba requests the rejection of any draft resolution aimed at singling out in a discriminatory and selective fashion the so-called situation of human rights in Cuba.