Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Zaldivar calls for anti-American Spanish policies in Cuba
Spain Herald

The establishment of US military bases on Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire would seem a means to stop Venezuela from advancing on Cuba. At any rate there is much jockeying for position regarding a transition in Cuba.

-Am

Carlos Alonso Zaldivar, Spain's ambassador in Cuba, supports an anti-American role for Spain in case Cuban dictator Fidel Castro should die, according to Spanish analyst Rafael Bardaji. Last week, a rumor of Castro's death reached diplomatic circles in Havana, who immediately began to carry out contingency plans. According to Bardaji, Zaldivar maintains that Spain's role in the post-Castro transition should be one of confrontation with the United States, which he believes is an adversary of Spanish interests in Cuba.

Bardaji said that the rumor of Castro's death has revealed the Zapatero administration's strategy on a possible transition to democracy in Cuba. He stated that the administration's plan is to lead the transition in Cuba after Castro's death, and that Zaldivar would be in charge.

Bardaji said that in a "very long" telegram, Zaldivar explained to Moratinos what Spanish policy should be "during Castro's last days." Zaldivar had two recommendations: "The principal adversary of Spanish interests in Cuba is the US, not the Castro dictatorship, and Spain should put anti-American policies into practice, even feeding anti-imperialist forces inside the island so that, when the time comes, American penetration of Cuba will be more difficult."

Therefore, Bardaji criticized Zaldivar's "incongruency, as he does not understand the weight of geography, the proximity of Cuba to the most dynamic power in today's world...Spain as a friend could do a lot, but as an enemy, which is the current administration's policy, it can do nothing." He added, "The moral drift that leads him to side with the anti-democrats and totalitarians contrary to the opposition suffering under the Castro regime is even more serious."

http://www.spainherald.com/3305.html




Background:
We are extremely worried about getting to Cuba first when Castro dies. Moreover the Chinese have a listening post on Cuba I imagine we would like to get rid of as soon as possible.

He did not mince his words, arguing that the United States must be prepared to intervene within hours of Castro's death to prevent his compinches — his accomplices — from cementing their hold on power.
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But the largest military exercise in the Caribbean, taking place throughout April and May, is "Operation Partnership of the Americas," for which the George Washington aircraft carrier strike group - which includes roughly 6,500 sailors, a 60-plane air wing, and three smaller warships - has been deployed to the region.

Ports of call will include the Dutch islands 50 km off the coast of Venezuela. The operation is organized by the Miami-based U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military activities in Latin America, and its objective, according to U.S. Navy officials, is "to support maritime security in the area."

Some observers, however, believe that the operation has been launched as "a warning to Cuba and Venezuela."
Nicolás Maduro, the speaker of the Venezuelan legislature, maintained that Kemp’s statements were aimed at "preparing the psychological and political conditions in Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire" to justify the installation of U.S. military bases on the islands.
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