The 28 foreign ministers of the European Union held its previously announced meeting on Monday in Brussels, with a focus on Syria and Afghanistan. The agenda went as scheduled and excluded Cuba, despite the fact that European sources had hinted at the possibility of a change in EU policy toward the island.
Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, José Manuel García-Margallo said that the issue of Cuba was not on this meeting's agenda because it has been "deferred" to the next Minister's meeting, to be held on 10 February in the Belgian capital.
"There has not been any talk of repealing the Common Position. There has been talk of giving a mandate to the European Commission to explore the possibility of reaching a partnership agreement. An agreement that has as a central element, respect for human rights," Garcia-Margallo told reporters in Brussels.
The Common Position was approved by the Council of Ministers in 1996 and places conditions on the EU's relations with Cuba until there is democratic progress on the island. Garcia-Margallo also warned that the Common Position would not be repealed until the bloc achieves a partnership agreement with Havana and until the Cuban regime guarantees respect for human rights.
García-Margallo said that a group of experts from the Member States have been working for months to shape the negotiating mandate, hoping to reach consensus before taking it to the Ministers. The mandate would require unanimity of the 28 Ministers in order to be adopted, the agency Europa Press News informed.
He added that once consensus is achieved, this mandate will help the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, to initiate formal contacts with Havana to explore options for a partnership based on political dialogue and cooperation.
"Only if the partnership agreement comes to fruition, that is, if there is a guarantee to respect human rights, among other issues, then the partnership agreement would replace the Common Position," Garcia-Margallo said, while stressing that, "In the meantime, the Common Position still has the same effects as it always has."
