[Marxism] State Dept. Daily Press Briefing - August 11, 2006

["Walter Lippmann" <walterlx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Daily Press Briefing
Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
August 11, 2006

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2006/70308.htm

Query on Status of Fidel Castro?s Health / Closed Cuban Society

U.S. Approach to Possible Transition to a Democratic Cuba / Access to
Information / Media Organizations? Efforts to Inform Cuban Society /
Radio and TV Marti

Castro Regime has Deprived Cubans of Their Right to Choose How They
Are Governed

QUESTION: I have a couple of questions on Cuba, please. We had a
briefing this morning about Cuba from ranking State Department
officials. Do you have anything definitive on Fidel?s health right
now? We have this, since we haven?t seen him that means it?s serious.
But what do you have that?s more firsthand?

MR. CASEY: We really don?t. I mean, I think -- obviously as you know,
this is a very closed society. The leadership is not generally in the
habit of offering up a lot of insights into either Fidel?s health or
the state of other senior members of the group.

I think what?s important for us, though, to remember is that whether
it is Fidel Castro or Raul Castro or other members of the regime,
what we want to see is Cuba move away from dictatorship and move
towards democracy. And I know that?s what Caleb McCarry and Tom
Shannon, who briefed you folks this morning, talked about in terms of
our efforts including our planning for the Committee of Assistance
for Free Cuba for what we might be able to do to help move a
transition forward, be able to help the Cuban people achieve their
own democratic ideals.

Go ahead.

QUESTION: Well, a follow-up question, also out of this briefing this
morning --

MR. CASEY: Sure.

QUESTION: -- is what kind of technological support the U.S. might be
giving to Cubans who wish to move toward democracy. There was some
talk about how to improve open communications within the country of
Cuba. Are we doing internet? Are we doing Wi-Fi? Is there some sort
of a satellite link-up where these people can receive information as
well as transmit it to tip you off that hey, we?re ready for a
transitional government, we need your help?

MR. CASEY: Well, two things. First of all, I think the future of Cuba
and the ultimate move towards a democratic system in Cuba is
something that?s going to be determined by the Cuban people. Neither
the United States nor anyone else is going to throw some kind of
switch and turn on or off Cuban efforts to change their own political
system.

As you?ve seen over the years, there have been many brave people in
Cuba who have stood up to this regime and run terrible risks for that
and have paid consequences for it in terms of being imprisoned,
tortured and suffered at the hands of the regime because of their
willingness to stand up and say they want change.

One of the things, though, that's always been clear to us is that, as
I said, this is a regime that is very closed and it's one that tries,
as part of its efforts to control the Cuban people, to restrict their
access to outside information. So one of our longstanding policy
objectives has been to find ways to get information that's objective
into Cuba, so the Cuban people can learn more, both about what's
going on in the outside world as well as have something other than
regime propaganda to rely on in terms of what's happening in their
own country. Radio and TV Marti were started based on the need to try
and do that.

As you've probably seen in recent days, Radio and TV Marti have also
used some aerial platforms to be able to broadcast, in part, to try
and overcome the jamming that the Cuban Government regularly uses to
block their signals. Certainly, both through our Interest Section and
other means, we're taking every means available to try and provide
information to the Cuban people. We'll use any technologies at our
disposal to do that.

Of course, one thing we also are trying not to do is talk in any kind
of detail about some of those efforts since, unfortunately, anything
the regime knows about what we do is something they will try and
stop. But we do want to make as a clear part of this, and a part of
our ongoing efforts not only in this time but from the past as well,
make it so that the Cuban people have access to free information, to
open information. You know, it really is -- really does say something
about a regime that it spends huge amounts of time, energy and effort
doing things like keeping people from owning satellite dishes,
keeping people from being able to hear radio broadcasts, restricting
people's access to the internet and doing other kinds of things all
because they are afraid that the Cuban people might maybe learn
something about their own country and about the rest of the world if
they were allowed free and unfettered access to your station, other
news media and other sources of information around the world.

QUESTION: One final point on the Cuban thing. It was a good
comparison that came out of the briefing this morning that I wonder
if you could amplify on a little bit. That with the Cuban Government
in place, we've got a revolutionary leader who is very much
personifying that revolution as compared to, let's say, Tiananmen
Square and the Communist Party who was able to crack down on a
dissident movement and those who would move toward democracy. Can you
kind of draw that contrast for us, as to what your characterization
is right now in Cuba; that the people who speak out won't face the
same fate as those who spoke out in Tiananmen Square?

MR. CASEY: Well, I think one thing that's clear is that as long as
this regime is in power, the Cuban people are going to be suffering
from the same kind of dictatorial practices that any of the worst
governments around the world have done.

I do have to say I think most of us find the romanticism of Fidel and
of the personality of Fidel to be somewhat strange. I think if you
look at the record of the Cuban Government during Fidel Castro?s
reign it?s one that has caused economic hardship for the Cuban
people, it?s caused political isolation for the Cuban people, and
most importantly it?s deprived the Cuban people of their natural
God-given right to be able to freely choose their own government,
freely choose how they wish to live. And the fact that you have so
many people over the years who have fled the country because of its
repression or who have faced terrible hardships -- whether that?s
jail time, whether that?s torture in prison, whether that?s simply
being deprived of their -- the ration cards that provide most Cubans
with their limited sources of food and some other basic supplies --
it?s pretty clear to me that this is not a regime that anyone should
have any illusions about.

Let?s go back here.

QUESTION: On Mexico. Today in an opinion piece in The New York Times,
the leftist candidate for the Presidency, Mr. Andrés Manuel López
Obrador has pled to the international community to join his effort in
looking for a whole recount in Mexico. Would the U.S. join his
pledge?

MR. CASEY: Well, again, I think we?ve spoken to this before and we
really don?t have anything new to add to this. We have full faith in
the Mexican democratic system and in Mexico?s electoral institutions
to make the right choice for the Mexican people on this. But this is
an important issue within Mexico, but we believe it?s one that needs
to be resolved by Mexicans and by Mexico?s institutions.

On Cuba? Go back to Cuba. Okay.

QUESTION: On Mexico, I have one too.

MR. CASEY: Flip a coin.

QUESTION: This morning we were referred more on this to DHS. But I?m
wondering if you have anything more on contingencies for the
possibility of mass exiles?

MR. CASEY: I really don?t. The Department of Homeland Security has
had in place a number of contingency plans and things that they?ve
worked on. But that really does involve domestic law enforcement and
migration issues which are really properly handled by them.

I do think the one thing that I can say is that obviously U.S.
immigration policy remains constant with respect to Cuba. And
certainly as you?ve heard in the messages from the Secretary of
State, as well as the President, to the Cuban people, we do want to
make sure that no one endangers their lives or otherwise takes
unnecessary risks by trying to put out to sea or otherwise illegally
enter the United States.

QUESTION: On Mexico.

MR. CASEY: Anybody else on Cuba?

Going once, going twice? Okay, let?s go back to Mexico.



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