Through the Carter Center, Jimmy Carter has released a report on his trip to Cuba. Excerpts follow: [Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez] acknowledged some positive steps taken by the Obama administration but maintained that the overall impact of recent policies had been very damaging to Cuba, primarily because of a tightening of financial transactions through foreign banks. Also, the continuing Helms-Burton program for "democracy promotion," which is a regime change strategy funded at $20 million, remains a serious source of concern.• There seems to be minimal direct contact between American diplomats and top Cuban officials.">Through the Carter Center, Jimmy Carter has released a report on his trip to Cuba. Excerpts follow: [Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez] acknowledged some positive steps taken by the Obama administration but maintained that the overall impact of recent policies had been very damaging to Cuba, primarily because of a tightening of financial transactions through foreign banks. Also, the continuing Helms-Burton program for "democracy promotion," which is a regime change strategy funded at $20 million, remains a serious source of concern.• There seems to be minimal direct contact between American diplomats and top Cuban officials.">

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Carter issues report on Cuba visit

Through the Carter Center, Jimmy Carter has released a report on his trip to Cuba. Excerpts follow:

• [Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez] acknowledged some positive steps taken by the Obama administration [...] but maintained that the overall impact of recent policies had been very damaging to Cuba, primarily because of a tightening of financial transactions through foreign banks. Also, the continuing Helms-Burton program for "democracy promotion," which is a regime change strategy funded at $20 million, remains a serious source of concern.

• There seems to be minimal direct contact between American diplomats and top Cuban officials.

• [Jewish leaders] say they have complete freedom to worship and adequate internet communication with the outside world, and that they had no substantive contact with Alan Gross.

• [Foreign Minister Rodríguez] concentrated on the case of Alan Gross, who was arrested, tried, and convicted on his fifth visit to Cuba for "acts against the independence of the state." Under a USAID subcontract, he was in possession of equipment designed to enhance internet communication, ostensibly for the benefit of the Cuban Jewish community, using funds under the Helms-Burton Act.

(I had been informed by the Cubans that American prisoner Alan Gross would not be released during my visit, but believe that this is a possibility after his appeals process is completed.)

• Rosalynn and I had an extensive visit with Alan Gross in a military hospital where he is confined. He expressed some regrets at now being treated much better than his fellow prisoners (after earlier poorer treatment) and said he had adequate communications with his wife and family.

• We then visited Fidel in his private home and found him to be vigorous, alert, and especially intent on monitoring voluminous media reports on his list of prescribed subjects. His primary health problem concerned his left knee and right shoulder, badly injured in a fall in 2004 at a ceremony honoring Che Guevara.

Source: //miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2011/04/carter-issues-report-on-cuba-visit.html

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