Madrid - Ibero-American General Secretary Enrique Iglesias on Wednesday gave his backing to Spain's controversial policy of stepped-up relations with Cuba, which Madrid wants the European Union to imitate during its EU presidency in the first half of 2010. "Spain is doing well to maintain that dialogue," Iglesias told journalists in Madrid, which houses the Ibero-American secretariat.
Some EU countries are critical of Spain's plans to modify the union's 1996 common position on Cuba, which links relations to human rights and freedoms on the Caribbean island.
Iglesias said he hoped Cuban leader Raul Castro would attend the Ibero-American summit in Estoril, Portugal, from November 30 to December 1.
There have been "important evolutions" in Cuba for instance on the economic front, Iglesias said.
