Without stating its specific position on plans to use the U.S. Naval Base at Guantamano, Cuba, to house 20,000 ethnic Albanian refugees, the government said it ``will not put up any obstacles, and is even willing to help'' any humanitarian support efforts.
The Foreign Ministry statement, published on the front page of Granma, the Communist Party daily, comes two days after Cuba's vice minister of foreign investment criticized plans to use Guantanamo to house the refugees.
The vice minister, Raul Taladrid, has no say over foreign policy but because the government had not issued any other statements about Kosovo or the refugees, his comments were widely reported by the foreign media.
``It is necessary to clarify that these opinions are strictly personal,'' the Foreign Ministry said of his statements.
``The innocent victims, whatever their nationality, ethnicity or religion, should receive maximum aid, both within and outside of Yugoslavia,'' the ministry said.
The statement also criticized the NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia.
Cuba greatly resents the continued existence of the American base, which was set up under a lease agreement after the Spanish-American War.
In the past, the Cuban government has criticized the alleged treatment of refugees held at the base, including tens of thousands of Cubans seeking political asylum.
The 20,000 refugees who will be sent to Guantanamo will not be eligible to apply for asylum or any other benefit because Guantanamo is a military base, not U.S. territory.
© Copyright 1999 The Associated Press