European Reaction to Expulsion of Delegates

Harsh criticism of the castro regime from Germany, Italy, and Poland in the wake of the expulsions of several delegates and journalists from those countries who were planning to attend the Assembly meeting in Cuba.

The latest press release from the Assembly Support Center in Miami highlights reactions from each of those countries. The following is translated from Spanish.

From Germany:
Foreign Affairs Minister Joschka Fischer criticized the expulsions of German deputy Arnold Vaatz and Czech senator Karel Schwarzenberg, referring to it as "unacceptable behavior by Cuban authorities".

Vaatz, who is vice president of the parliament of the opposition party Christiandemocratic Union (CDU), called it a "flagrant violation of international rights". The CDU has called for a change in policy towards Cuba as a result of the recent events, calling on German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to "reimplement sanctions against Cuba". The CDU criticized Schroeder for not paying enough attention to human rights violations in Cuba.

From Italy:
Minister of Foreign Affairs has requested a meeting with the Cuban Ambassador in Rome for an explanation regarding the detaining of Italian journalist Francesco Battistini by Cuban authorities.

From Poland:
Minister of Foreign Affairs called the expulsions "an inadmissable violation of international rights". The minister went on to state that "the Polish government will not tolerate such treatment of its citizens". "We demand that the Polish journalists be given all assurances of safety given by international law so that they can continue their work without obstacles in Cuba".