A top Cuban diplomat said Thursday neither the United States nor Cuba has profited from the decades-long embargo of the island.
"Cuba has been in a severe economic crisis. People are suffering. We need almost everything," said Dagoberto Rodriguez, first secretary at the Cuban Interests Section, which serves as his government's representative in Washington, D.C.He spoke at the University of Utah.
From the American perspective, he said, the embargo has not achieved its desired result - the overthrow of Cuban President Fi-del Castro.
And in recent years, tensions between the two countries have escalated following the downing of two American civilian planes on the edge of Cuban airspace in 1996 and passage of the Helms-Burton Act that attempts to punish foreign companies that invest in Cuba.
This confrontation has put a warming of relations between the countries beyond the foreseeable future, he said.
"We are looking for a single sign of improved relations. I can't see any evidence of that," he said. "What is the problem? Cuba is not supporting terrorism. It is not a drug-dealing paradise . . .. We just want a civilized relationship with the U.S."
Rodriguez said the life of a Cuban diplomat in Washington is frustrating because no American officials will meet with him for fear of political repercussions. Rodriguez said that is one reason why he came to Utah: People are curious about Cuba.
"I am trying to open a channel of communication between the Cuban and American people," Rodriguez said in an interview before his speech. "Washington is a very tough place, and we feel it is very important to explain the situation in Cuba."
Rodriguez does not look like the stereotype of a diplomat from a communist country - no army fatigues, no Chairman Mao jacket. On Thursday he wore black pants, a light jacket and his shirt collar open.
He describes himself as a moderate Communist Party member who rode his bike to the foreign ministry when he lived in Havana. Before serving in the United States, Rodriguez was sent to Canada.
Rodriguez said his nation would like to establish full diplomatic relations with the United States, but he doesn't see that happening any time soon.
The U.S. State Department classifies Cuba as among the worst of the repressive nations and the Castro government as a chronic violator of human rights and a sponsor of terrorism. Along with Iran and Libya, Cuba is one of only a few countries in the world which the United States does not share diplomatic relations.
Rodriguez acknowledged the embargo has impoverished his nation, causing many people to seek escape by boat.
"It is understandable that people would want to leave Cuba," he said. "They are very poor."
However, the Cuban economy grew at a brisk 7.8 percent last year, and the country welcomed 1 million visitors in 1996, the highest number since Castro took power in 1959, he said.
On the downside, a hurricane last year damaged this spring's sugar harvest, a staple crop in Cuba. As a result, the government had to significantly revise its economic growth forecasts.