| A newspaper cartoon published while I was in Cuba showed me
alone in a small lifeboat in the Caribbean, surrounded by sharks. The
caption was, "I shouldn't have asked President Bush for a ride home." In
fact, the ultimate goals of the White House and The Carter Center are the
same: to see complete freedom come to Cuba and, in the meantime, to have
friendly relations between the people of our two nations. But the means to
that end are quite different. One approach is to continue the four-decade
effort to isolate and punish Cuba with restricted visits and an economic
embargo. The other is for Americans to have maximum contact with Cubans, let
them see clearly the advantages of a truly democratic society, and encourage
them to bring about orderly changes in their society.
In the United States, the two sides have become polarized, with some
well-organized and politically influential Cuban immigrants aligned with
most administrations in Washington to oppose any substantive changes in our
policy. On the other hand, a growing number of business and agricultural
leaders are joining congressional moderates to call for an easing of
tensions and more normal relations with the people of Cuba. This stagnant
face-off has robbed our country of a chance to achieve our common goals.
There are indications of openness and reform in Cuba. For the first time
since the revolution 43 years ago, Cubans were permitted to hear a clear
voice calling for freedom of speech and assembly, the organization of labor
unions and opposition political parties, free elections and the admission of
human rights and International Red Cross inspectors. Surprisingly, and
without my requesting it, the entire text of my speech was broadcast on
television and radio and printed in Granma, the official newspaper.
We found an unexpected degree of economic freedom. Cuban entrepreneurs
are permitted to buy agricultural produce from farm families and
cooperatives, process the meat, vegetables and fruit and sell the finished
products from public booths. We visited one large market in Havana with 700
booths, all doing a thriving business. In addition, some homeowners are
licensed to rent spare rooms to Cubans or foreigners, truck owners may haul
goods for hire and artisans can contract for their services. Although modest
by our standards, these developments indicate flexibility not previously
evident.
There is little doubt that further reforms are thwarted by harsh demands
from Washington or Miami, which alienate Cubans and create the perception
that any further moves by the Cuban government would be a sign of weakness.
The dissidents with whom we met in Cuba were unanimous in wanting to see
less harsh rhetoric, more American visitation, an end to the economic
embargo on food and medicine, and no direct or indirect financial connection
between themselves and the U.S. government. The challenge now is to find
common ground in dealing with Cuba on which Congress, private groups and the
administration can cooperate. There are some possibilities that would
be helpful to Cuban citizens without handing either side a political or
propaganda victory. The key is to enhance people-to-people relationships,
primarily through cultural exchanges. This would naturally involve
entertainment and sports but also science, medicine, education and
agriculture.
Cuba has a superb system of education and health. Alliances between Cuban
and American specialists in these fields could be beneficial to both
nations. Another need is to begin quiet discussions between moderate Cuban
Americans and Cuba leaders, perhaps orchestrated by neutral parties. Both
governments would have to ease their policies on visa permits.
Some allegations have been raised about bioterrorism. It is true that
Cuban scientists have the technical capability of producing toxins, as do
many thousands of others in the world. The best way to answer questions and
prevent any temptation toward illicit activities is for researchers to work
side by side in laboratories and to exchange information freely at
international conferences. The wife of Cuba's foreign minister is a renowned
medical scientist who specializes in cancer of the head and throat. She has
always been free to attend meetings concerning her work, but her visa
application was denied by the United States while we were in Havana. It
would be helpful to curtail such restraints.
One reciprocal offer that already exists is to exchange university
scholarships for graduate students. President Bush recently proposed this
opportunity to certain Cuban students, and President Castro has offered six
years of medical education to future doctors from the United States. Direct
visits by private citizens are also helpful. One remarkable program is the
Friendship Force, which provides such opportunities for Americans who wish
to go to Cuba. Travelers stay in hotels for three nights and in private
homes for the rest of the week, able to observe personally how our
geographical neighbors live.
I would like to see unrestricted trade and visitation between Cuba and
the United States, as would most Americans and a strong and growing group of
Cuban immigrants in Miami. Until this goal is politically possible, we
should take other, more modest steps toward reconciliation.
Former President Carter chairs the Carter Center in Atlanta, a
nongovernmental organization working for peace and health worldwide. |
