Richardson held an impromptu news conference at Havana's National Hotel before heading to Jose Marti airport. He told reporters, "Perhaps the Cuban government doesn't really want to improve relations with the United States. Perhaps that's the message they're sending."
The former New Mexico governor, ex-U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and highly respected international troubleshooter was invited to the island last week, officially to discuss "Cuban-U.S. relations." Those were buzz words, of course, for the Alan Gross case, which has complicated the two countries' affairs since Gross' arrest in December 2009. Richardson arrived in high spirits on September 7, no doubt convinced that when he left he'd have Gross in tow. Instead, he was told almost immediately that he wouldn't even be permitted to see the 62 year old American contractor. The Cuban regime has made it no secret that it wants to trade Gross for the Miami Five (see my post below).
After the Cuban Foreign Minister informed Richardson last Friday that no meeting would be arranged, Richardson went knocking on doors all over Havana. He met with Cuba's influential Cardinal Jaime Ortega, and with diplomats from several other countries. "I've been here a week, I've tried everything and made every effort, but I see that nothing's going to change," he said before departing.
The Washington Post called the Cuban rebuff "an extraordinary insult." But some Cuba-watchers have said the real significance of the failed mission is that it suggests significant division within upper echelons of the Cuban leadership.
I say once more: it's time to make a trade -- Gross for the Miami Five -- and get on with the business of normalizing U.S.-Cuba relations: http://www.theyucatantimes.com/2011/08/alan-gross-y-los-cinco-de-miami/
This is so sad! What a dismal failure!
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