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<font size=3><br><br>
</font><font face="verdana" size=2 color="#800000">To many people around
the world, the inhumanity and hypocrisy of US foreign policy is
graphically represented by the images of American soldiers (both women
and men) torturing imprisoned Arab civilians in Iraq, and echoed again by
the stories emanating from those illegally incarcerated and tortured by
American soldiers at Guantanamo. The US spirit of unilateralism and
aggression is similarly summarized by the Bush administration’s refusal
to abide by the Geneva Conventions and its rejection of previously signed
international accords (from the environment to weapons proliferation);
not that the Democrats were much better when Clinton opposed the
international ban on land mines or when Gore flew to Europe to oppose the
application of the Fourth Geneva Conventions on the West Bank and Gaza
Strip. No wonder the US government (supported mainly by Israel)
demands other nations to exempt or shelter Americans from prosecution at
international courts of justice.<br><br>
<br><br>
By the way, the article below, as is typical of those appearing in the US
“mainstream press”, reinforces the illusion that the only opinions that
seem to matter are those of US officials. No comment was sought
below from any Cuban official for the billboard they put up, although
their billboard was supposedly the main subject of this
article.<br><br>
<br><br>
Joy to the world … <br><br>
-- Wael Masri<br><br>
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<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041217/wl_nm/cuba_usa_dc_2">http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041217/wl_nm/cuba_usa_dc_2</a><br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=4><b>Cuba Erects Iraq Abuse Billboards
Near U.S. Mission<br><br>
<br>
</b></font><font face="arial" size=1 color="#999999">Fri Dec 17,12:25 PM
ET<br><br>
</font><font face="arial" size=2><i>By Marc
Frank</i></font><font face="arial" size=1> <br><br>
HAVANA (Reuters) - </font><font face="arial" size=2>Cuba put up several
huge billboards near the U.S. mission on Friday with pictures of abused
Iraqi prisoners and American soldiers pointing a rifle at children, in
response to a U.S. Christmas display in support of imprisoned Cuban
dissident. <br><br>
Two billboards with photos of hooded and bloodied inmates at Iraq's Abu
Ghraib prison, a swastika and the word "fascists" in bold red
letters were erected across the street from the U.S. diplomatic mission,
where the display of Christmas lights includes the number 75, in
reference to 75 pro-democracy activists imprisoned for lengthy terms last
year. <br><br>
Another billboard faces the back of the building, with large photos of
U.S. soldiers searching and pointing a rifle at children, presumably in
Iraq. <br><br>
A U.S. diplomat called the billboards fanatical and hyperbolic.
"There couldn't be a better contrast: the U.S. wishing Cubans happy
holidays, Frosty waving at passers-by and an effort to prompt discussion
on human rights on the one side, and screaming Cuban government
billboards on the other," he said. <br><br>
Cuba had demanded this week that the U.S. display at the mission on
Havana's busy sea-side drive be taken down. The president of the National
Assembly, Ricardo Alarcon, called it "rubbish" and "a
provocation." <br><br>
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Wednesday the display
and the number 75 showed "our solidarity with Cubans who struggle
for democracy and freedom" and would remain until the holidays were
over. <br><br>
The U.S. diplomat in Cuba said: "The torture at Abu Ghraib ... has
been investigated, reported and discussed fully and openly in the United
States. ... The Cuban government does not allow a single word of dissent
in its media and jails those who dare espouse different ideas."
<br><br>
Washington broke off diplomatic relations with Havana and imposed
sanctions on Cuba after Fidel Castro
(<a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/wl_nm/cuba_usa_dc/13732563/*http:/news.search.yahoo.com/search/news?fr=news-storylinks&p=%22Fidel%20Castro%22&c=&n=20&yn=c&c=news&cs=nw">news</a>
-
<a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/DailyNews/manual/nm/wl_nm/cuba_usa_dc/13732563/*http:/search.yahoo.com/search?fr=web-storylinks&p=Fidel%20Castro">web
sites</a>)'s 1959 revolution, but the two countries maintain interests
sections in each others' capitals. <br>
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