Spanish ambassador defends Cuba prisoners deal

Spain’s ambassador to the United States, Rafael Dezcallar, defended his government’s recent mediation efforts in Cuba to release a group of political prisoners, during a visit to Miami Wednesday, saying it was "better to engage [Cuba] than to shut the door."
In return for securing the release of 52 dissidents, many jailed since a crackdown on political opposition in 2003, Spain has agreed to seek the end of European Union sanctions against Cuba. After mediating the release at the weekend, in partnership with the Catholic church in Cuba, Spain's foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos argued that there was now "no reason" to maintain the EU sanctions.
In what appears to be a return to a previous era of more direct Spanish engagement with Cuba’s communist government, Dezcallar said Cuba was at a “historical moment” of political transition - “because of genetical reasons” - that required a new approach. “How can we be more influential in order to make sure that when the historical moment … comes, the transition is as smooth as possible?” he said.

"Speaking at a Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce lunch, where his remarks were mostly focused on Spain’s economic recovery, Dezcallar recognized that many people might feel that Cuba’s release of political prisoners who should not have been in jail in the first place “should not merit a prize.” But he defended the deal saying that Spain believes now is an important time for engagement.
“At this moment we believe that the embargo policy was useful probably to prevent Cuba from becoming a communist, Soviet-led base in the Caribbean, but it has not been able to end the Cuban dictatorship,” he said. “The Castro brothers are always there. So it did not work in that respect.”
Skeptics in the audience, including members of the Cuban Liberty Council, businesswoman Remedios Diaz Oliver and radio host Ninoska Pérez, argued Spain should have exerted tougher pressure to secure the release of all the estimated 160 political prisoners in Cuba. Diaz Oliver said she and others suspect a hidden agenda, related to Spanish efforts to secure payment of large debts owed to Spanish companies by the Cuban government.
Dezcallar, who was former head of Spanish intelligence, knows Cuba well. Spain was content to have won the release of 17 prisoners so far, after last weekend’s agreement, with more to come in the next few weeks.
Instead of following U.S. policy which seeks regime change in Cuba, Spain had more realistic political goals, he argued. “We are not going to change the Cuban regime. What we can help is ease the situation of Cubans living under those conditions,” he said. “We are happy we could help those people get out (of jail),” he said. “Even if we cannot change the regime it will be a step in the right direction.”
While Cuba’s communist leaders refuse to undertake democratic reforms, it was important not to lose sight of ways to help “better the condition of the poor people who are in that big island prison,” he said. When the opportunity arose to secure the release of political prisoners, Spain believed there was a “moral duty to try to follow that path even if that can give certain legitimacy in the short term to the Cuban government,” he added.