Published Friday, April 24, 1999, in yara!

JOHN SUAREZ

RE: The Dalai Lama's message

John Suarez is coordinator of the Free Cuba Foundation.

RE Amaury Cruz's April 23, editorial The Dalai Lama's message: Boycotts and non-cooperation with evil are the basis of why I support economic sanctions against the Cuban government, while at the same time supporting the sending of over $800 million dollars worth of food and medical supplies a year directly to the Cuban people by Cubans in the diaspora.

We both agree that the Dalai Lama's message of peace "is not a destination; it is the way." We Cubans need to learn that to resolve our own ongoing auto-genocide. Furthermore, we agree on the need to abandon our "attachment to our self-righteous notions."

Therefore I ask you to reconsider your opinion that, " for four decades the United States has followed a pressure-cooker strategy toward Cuba." Its simply not true. If it were, there would not be 2 million Cubans in Exile, nor countless nations investing in the island. The so-called "pressure cooker strategy" is an illusion at best.

Finally, the movement led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama has proclaimed "Free Tibet before Free Trade." On June 22, 1998 four people were arrested for unfurling a banner across from the Chinese Embassy protesting President Clinton's trip to China. The banner read "Clinton and Jiang: Free Tibet before Free Trade."

Among the 25 protesters, including a Tibetan nun, members of groups such as Amnesty International and Students for a Free Tibet took part. In the same spirit as the Tibetan's proclamation I as a Cuban declare: "Free Cuba before Free Trade."

Copyright 1999 yara!