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DE RUEHUB #0252 0741936
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R 151936Z MAR 07
FM USINT HAVANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1450
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHWH/WESTERN HEMISPHERIC AFFAIRS DIPL POSTS
RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN 0061
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN 0049
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUCOGCA/COMNAVBASE GUANTANAMO BAY CU
RUESDM/JTLO MIAMI FL
RUMIAAA/USCINCSO MIAMI FL
C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000252
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2017
TAGS: PGOV KDEM CU
SUBJECT: XXXXXXXXXXXXNEED A MILLION CUBANS IN THE STREETS
Classified By: COM Michael E. Parmly; Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
1. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX told COM and Pol-Econ Counselor
March 14 that she was withdrawing from her day-to-day running
of the APCS for health reasons and also to focus on the
bigger picture. XXXXXXXXXXXX objective for the next few months is to
plan for how to mobilize a million Cubans to take to the
streets to demand significant political and economic changes.
XXXXXXXXXXXX did not provide any specific target date, although XXXXXXXXXXXX acknowledged Fidel Castro's funeral as one
catalyst and the tenth anniversary of a seminal opposition document "The
Nation Belongs to All" ("La Patria es de Todos") that
XXXXXXXXXXXX authored, landing them all in prison.
2. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX said she was worn down from having to act as
leader and also XXXXXXXXXXXX own secretariat for the APCS,
XXXXXXXXXXXX last major event being the congress of independent libraries, that concluded at the end of February with a
ceremony at our PAO residence. The recent release from prison of APCS
Vice-President Rene Gomez Manzano allowed XXXXXXXXXXXX more leeway; Gomez Manzano will now share the leadership with
Felix Bonne Carcases, the APCS's other vice-president. MBR would still,
inevitably, be reachable to the thousands of members of the
opposition, particularly families of political prisoners, who
turn to XXXXXXXXXXXX for help. However, XXXXXXXXXXXX would not continue the same pace of constituent services that she
had delivered in the past.
3. (C) The big picture, said XXXXXXXXXXXX, required time to reflect.
XXXXXXXXXXXX admired Oswaldo Paya for his ability to think
and write and strategize. "We have reached a new level of
maturity and need to set aside rivalries," XXXXXXXXXXXX added.
XXXXXXXXXXXX commented that wherever XXXXXXXXXXXX is stopped by total strangers who say they recognize XXXXXXXXXXXX and
respect what XXXXXXXXXXXX stands for. XXXXXXXXXXXX believes that XXXXXXXXXXXX has developed a network nationwide that,
at the right moment, could very realistically put a million Cubans in the streets. The trick was to aim for the
mobilization at the exact point when its
impact would be the most transformational.
4. (C) Comment: We agree with MBR's main point that the
current repertoire of oppositionist activities has reached a
certain limit that, while still worthy and necessary, does
not add up to a sufficiently combustible mix to bring about
regime change. In our view, only XXXXXXXXXXXX and Oswaldo Paya have the nationwide name recognition to mobilize anything
close to
a million Cubans. In this context it is encouraging to hear
her speak favorably about Paya.
PARMLY