France moves to improve relations with Cuba

by Rhonda J Mangus | February 26, 2009 at 11:04 am

263 views | 28 Recommendations | 13 comments

French President Nicolas Sarkozy sent Socialist former minister Jack Lang to Cuba on an ",...ad hoc mission to test the waters for change in Cuba."

French envoy Jack Lang met with Cuban President Raul Castro on Wednesday as France moved to improve relations with the Communist island in hopes of steering it toward political openness and rapprochement with the United States.

Lang, dispatched to Cuba by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said he and Raul Castro talked for two hours in what he said was a "direct and friendly" climate between two countries that had strained relations in recent years.

France, said Lang, wanted to be "the motor" pushing dialogue between Cuba and other parts of the world, but particularly the United States, which has imposed a trade embargo since 1962 against the island nation 90 miles (144 km) from its shores.

U.S. President Barack Obama represents "an important political change" that could bring an end to 50 years of hostilities with Cuba, he said.

"We want to substitute a climate of cooperation for confrontation," Lang said. "I'm very happy to think that we are living in a time when perhaps the end of the embargo will come."

French-Cuban ties had been frayed since the European Union imposed diplomatic sanctions on Cuba in 2003 after Havana imprisoned 75 presumed opponents of the Communist government. About 55 are believed to still be in jail.

The EU voted in June to lift the sanctions in the hope of encouraging reform in Cuba after Raul Castro replaced his sick brother Fidel Castro as president a year ago. It has since agreed to restore aid flows.

More NowPublic News Coverage on Cuba, here.

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Roy C

at 17:02 on February 26th, 2009

"French-Cuban ties had been frayed since the European Union imposed diplomatic sanctions on Cuba in 2003 after Havana imprisoned 75 presumed opponents of the Communist government. About 55 are believed to still be in jail."

And Castro dealt with gay men badly as well. But you'll never hear it from Sean Penn's mouth because it is supposed to be that the evil of the world comes from the right, whereas I say it comes from authoritarians of the right and the left.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 07:03 on March 2nd, 2009

Hi, Roy C! Thank you for reading and commenting! You may not hear it from Sean Penn's mouth, but I will acknowledge that gay men have not only been treated badly in Cuba, but throughout the world, along with the LGBT community in general. However, it is the case that Cuba is working toward a better place for its LGBTpopulation. In fact last year (May 17th), while Cuban citizens, one among many nations, were celebrating International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), the United States and individual US's states' did not organize one single event to promote IDAHO.

harringtola

at 05:46 on February 27th, 2009

Interesting times and developments. So many different ways of interpreting and attempting to solve old problems. Some say that new leadership in Cuba might not be really new at all. Time will tell.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 07:08 on March 2nd, 2009

harringtola, thank you for reading, commenting, and for the recommendation! If you haven't already, you might want to read Cuba: A New Era. It is very likely that political change is not on the agenda, but improving Socialism is. Time always tells!:)

harringtola

at 12:59 on March 4th, 2009

Thank you for the suggestion, I will indeed.

manuberman

at 13:01 on February 28th, 2009

March 2006

manuberman has contributed a photo to this story.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 07:09 on March 2nd, 2009

Thank you for stopping by and for the photo, manuberman!

Fripouille

at 19:07 on March 1st, 2009

lol!

An ex-68 French revolutionary militant and career political caviar dilletante sent to one of the last bastions of communism.

Wow! This is going to change the world!!!!

Sarkozy has a good sense of humour, that's all I can say.........

Rhonda J Mangus

at 07:22 on March 2nd, 2009

Fripouille, thank you for reading, commenting, and for the recommendation! My understanding is that Lang is a household name in France thanks to a popular spell as culture minister in the 1980s under President Francois Mitterrand, who had close ties with Fidel Castro. It would seem to me then that Lang is an excellent choice.

Fripouille

at 07:36 on March 2nd, 2009

Hi Rhonda, you are right, that was his job.

My comment was not really addressed to Lang's suitability or not for the job, but just to what seems to me to be the irony of it all given the historical context.

Is he suitable? more than many, I suppose. After all, Sarkozy could have made a worse choice - Ségolène "I-Got-Obama-Elected" Royal for example lol!!

Lang is popular, in a kind of "He's just a loveable and harmless old socialist" way in many people's eyes. However, it's only fair to say too that his immoderate taste for the Paris chic and high life, at odds with his principles, is well-known and severely commented, and he has many well-deserved political enemies due to what is seen as his political double-dealing.....

Rhonda J Mangus

at 08:21 on March 2nd, 2009

Fripouille, thanks for clarifying!:)

Paschen

at 03:57 on March 2nd, 2009

It is Ironic in a way is it not?

Fripouille

at 05:00 on March 2nd, 2009

Yes Paschen, it is. :)

I am one of those who just happens to believe that communism is in its final death-throes, so the idea of an ex-extreme-left-wing agitator from a failed 'revolution' being sent to see the representative of an old and very sick communist is almost ghoulishly funny!

(No offense to Mr Castro, the man, by the way. I wish him well in his fight against illness...)