From Viña del Mar to Isla Margarita/TITLE></HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"> <H2>From Viña del Mar to Isla Margarita.</H2> In November 1996, the rulers of the Iberoamerican countries united in what is historically known as Cumbre de Viña del Mar, in Chile. As a result of the issues debated during this Cumbre, those gathering in Vina del Mar, proposed a document, resuming their conclusions into three well defined topics and sections:<P> First Section: Governability for an efficient and participative democracy;<BR> Second Section: Cooperation derived from the Cumbres of the Iberoamerican Conference; and<BR> Third Section: Issues of special interest.<BR> <P> The importance that these presidents gave to a system of government efficient and participative is such that it filled the First Section, implying that without democracy all the other goals are unattainable. The document declares in pertinent part "the sum of these commitments and principles, sustained by the cultural and historical wealth we share, and that has compelled us to gather in this Iberoamerican Conference, is the foundation and the conceptual frame, the guidance to the reflections, decisions and objectives we have proposed in connection with the issue of governability towards an efficient and participative democracy." This document defines concepts and set forth goals to reach and roads to travel by Iberoamerica in the hope to arrive to the Third Millennium, with firm step and strong democracies which will advance towards progress, political stability and the happiness of their people.<P> <P> All the presidents signatories to this transcendental document were democratically elected by their people, except one, the dictator who for 38 years has oppressed the people of Cuba. Inconsistent isn't it?<P> <P> Looking into this inconsistency, an objective analyses points to three facts: first, the mere presence of a dictator among democratically elected presidents is illogic; second, these presidents of democracies must have questioned themselves what was the meaning of Fidel Castro's signature in ratification of the document; and third, these democratic presidents must have realized that either their legs were being pulled or they have acquired a duty to study and define in 1997 at Isla Margarita what were the results, if any, of the Vina del Mar 1996 Conference.<P> <P> The Isla Margarita Cumbre is coming soon, and in preparation for this Conference more than 35 Cuban exiled organizations have gathered their efforts and, months ago, begun to visit the Consulates of the Iberoamerican countries in Miami, Florida, as well as the presidents and opposition leaders in their own countries, with the purpose of bringing to their attention the proposed objectives condensed in the Vina del Mar document and to request that their governments formally questioned the government of Cuba if it has comply with the principles established and the goals proposed by said document as the signature posted on it commits to do.<P> <P> In the meantime, the persecution to oppositors, the repression and the human rights violations continue to be and have increased in Cuba to the point that the mere possession of the postulates of Vina del Mar constitute a transgression of the law called "possession of enemy propaganda," allowing the corrupt Cuban judicial system to impose any sanction of incarceration they deemed appropriate.<P> <P> Finally, numerous exile organizations will make themselves present in Isla Margarita, to claim from the presidents gathered there to demand Fidel Castroto answer why he has not comply with his duty to further in Cuba the "governability towards an efficient and participative democracy," to which he committed to when he signed the Vina del Mar document, or in the alternative, be confronted with the falsehood and immorality of his actions, and the frankly disdain towards the other presidents and the Conference when he signed a document that he ignored apparently without any consequence.<P> <P> This participation of the Cuban exiles is not of political implications, it is only the honorable presence of people claiming for the destitute people of Cuba the inalienable rights every human being has to an Iberoamerica that said is, and wants to be even more, a stronghold of democracy in the world. </BODY></HTML>