Madrid - Several European Union countries have asked Spain to clarify what kind of policy it will pursue in relation to Cuba during its EU presidency in the first half of 2010, government sources said Wednesday. Countries including Germany, the Czech Republic and Lithuania had asked for a clarification, the sources said.
Spain would like to modify the EU's 1996 "common position" on Cuba, which links relations to democracy and respect for human rights on the Caribbean island, the sources explained.
Spain will seek a bilateral agreement similar to the ones the EU has with countries such as China and Russia, under which Havana would no longer be subjected to a "constant scrutiny."
Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos has come under criticism for not meeting dissidents during his visit to Havana last week.
Conservative opposition representative Jorge Moragas on Wednesday accused Moratinos of ignoring the EU position on Cuba and of having become an "ambassador of Castroism," in a reference to Cuban leader Raul Castro and his predecessor Fidel Castro.
Moratinos said the Spanish government had an "enormous respect" for Cuban dissidents, with whom it was in constant contact, adding that it was not "compulsory" for him to meet them during his visit.
