Friday, April 13, 2012

Calderón's 24 hours in Cuba

Calderón finally went on an official visit to Cuba - finally, as it's long planned and repeatedly postponed - where he met the unelected President Raúl Castro, and notably condemned the U.S. embargo against the island. He did not meet with, it seems, any of the Cuban dissidents to the regime, and as far as official declarations go, nor do any major announcements, agreements, etc appear to have been signed in the short visit (he also went to Haiti).

It wasn't Calderón's first visit to Cuba - he went as PAN president in 1998 - but many thought this official state visit wouldn't come to pass given the not too friendly declarations a few months back from Fidel Castro, who in his infinite wisdom suggested that "the empire didn't let" AMLO win in 2006, meaning that the U.S. somehow rigged the 2006 election. Hence, Calderón was a spurious president. And on this visit, Felipe did not meet Fidel.