Appeasement redux

Munich, 1938

"I believe it is peace in our time," British Foreign Minister Neville Chamberlain, Sept. 30, 1938, after meeting in Munich with German dictator Adolf Hitler.

AFP has details on the appeasement agreement reached this week between Cuba and Spain, including this:

(Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel) Moratinos signed a document with Cuban counterpart Felipe Perez Roque that creates a mechanism for political consultations, including on the sensitive issue of human rights.

"We stand before a novel mechanism," Moratinos said of the plan, which is to begin with discussions about a timetable and setting an agenda for approaching issues.

Among its stated goals are "the promotion and protection of all human rights for everyone and to contribute to effective, constructive and non-discriminatory treatment of the problem in international forums."

It also paves the way for "political consultations" that would "create a climate of mutual trust" and commits both sides to "non-interference in internal affairs" and "dialogue and negotiation for resolving differences."

The Cuban foreign minister said the talks had not touched on the thorny subject of Cuban political prisoners.

"It was not on the agenda, it is up to legal Cuban bodies to deal with it. This is not a matter we discuss with other countries. It is an internal problem in Cuba," he said. (emphasis added)

Shamelessness, and on Spain's part, shamefulness, in our time, indeed.

Havana, 2007

''I come to Cuba to know and to listen, to share and not to impose. ... European partners can establish a serene and confident relationship with Cuba,'' Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, April 2, 2007, during visit to Havana.