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November 2003

Colombian President Calls Human Rights Defenders Terrorists
During a speech to the Colombian military on September 8 President Alvaro Uribe attacked human rights groups by stating that they were acting "in the service of terrorism." The president's remarks came on the same day that human rights groups released a report that condemned government abuses and attacks on civil liberties. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, (D-IL) sent a letter signed by other members of Congress to Secretary of State Colin Powell urging the U.S. to publicly separate itself from the Uribe's comments and to make a strong statement in support of Colombian human rights defenders. Powell has recently defended Uribe as a strong supporter of human rights. Another letter, drafted by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) was sent to President Uribe expressing strong concerns regarding continued links between the military and paramilitary groups as well as an Uribe proposal for peace negations to allow paramilitary leaders to escape any jail time in exchange for symbolic reparations or small fines. For more information on these letters and other information on the deteriorating human rights conditions in Colombia contact the Latin American Working Group at www.lawg.org.

U.S. Policy on Cuba to Implement More Restrictions
President Bush, in a White House ceremony, announced new restrictions on travel and contact with Cuba, further isolating the country and enabling the Castro regime to continue it's strangle hold on information in the country. The President also announced support for dissidents in Cuba who are calling for political and economic reform, specifically mentioning the Varela Project and leading dissident Oswaldo Paya. U.S. policy would also allow more Cuban refugees to enter the U.S. and will encourage Cubans to leave their country.

During the CMSM/LCWR delegation to Cuba in March, Conference leadership met with Paya and other dissidents, church leaders, and Cuban people who are affected by the 40-year U.S. policy of isolation. All of these people, whom the President claims to support, were clear in their call for the U.S. to end the embargo and isolationist policies because they have directly led to the control of information by the government, the lack of solidarity-building with supporters outside of Cuba, and limited the free flow of information that would allow new ideas to flourish in Cuba. President Bush has place the emphasis on stopping the flow of money to Cuba. Our partners in Cuba have responded that what is much more damaging is that ideas and solidarity are stopped as well.

Cuba's Religious Conference (CONCUR) President Christina Colas, RSCJ, has contacted CMSM saying that she does not understand the restrictions because "our people do not want to be more isolated than we are. It is very difficult for us to be open to the world without visitors." She goes on to say, "The money is important to our people but what is more important is that we need the support and backing of others so our young people will not leave the country but stay and contribute to the development of their own country."

At the August Assembly, CMSM members approved a resolution promoting normalizing relations with Cuba and greater solidarity with the people of Cuba working for human rights, justice, and political reform, based on our findings during the delegation. Following the approved actions, the Conference has sent a letter and statement to President Bush and Administration and Congressional officials expressing our concern that this new policy will further erode the rights of the Cuban people. Christina's remarks were also passed on to the Administration allowing a voice from the Cuban people to speak directly to our government. You can read the Resolution and the letter on the CMSM website, www.cmsm.org. You can use the letter as a model to send to the President or to disseminate information about the concerns of the Cuban people.

Who Pays for Rebuilding Iraq?
The House and Senate have passed an $87 billion supplemental spending bill for the rebuilding of Iraq and to continue U.S. military presence in the region. $66 billion will be used to pay for military operations, $18.6 billion will be used for restoring economic stability to Iraq, $793 million for health care, and $217 million for border security. $98 million was removed from funds for Iraqi reconstruction to pay for leaves for U.S. military personnel. The original proposal from the Administration called for funds approved for reconstruction in Iraq to be made in the forms of grants but the Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure that would require half of the funds to be made in the form of a loan to be added to Iraq's debt burden. Another measure that narrowly failed would have required any further funds for Iraq to be conditioned on matching funds from the international community.

Iraq's economy, already devastated from over a decade of sanctions and embargoes, has been further impacted by the war over the past months. The war has also destroyed the infrastructure which has not yet been rebuilt. The U.S. bears a great responsibility in financing the rebuilding of Iraq and given the growing unrest due to U.S. military presence, greater efforts need to be made to bring in the international community, especially the United Nations, to rebuild the nation. Although Iraq is rich in oil reserves, it is suffering under a crushing debt because it has been prevented from engaging in the world economy for over ten years. Currently, the debt stands a $11,000 per person in Iraq. Some U.S. politicians believe that because of Iraq's oil capacity, it should pay for its own reconstruction and that the U.S. should only provide loans that would have to be repaid.

Working in collaboration with our colleagues in the U.K and partner organizations in the U.S. CMSM will advocate that the U.S. recognize its responsibility in contributing to the rebuilding of Iraq and to hand over much of the rebuilding program to the international community that might enjoy greater credibility with the Iraqi people. Amnesty International is closely monitoring the situation and has suggestions for actions on their website, www.amnesty.org. Information about Iraq's debt can be found on the Oxfam website, www.oxfam.org.

Challenge of 2004 Election Calls for "Faithful Citizenship"
With the 2004 Election only a year away, the U.S. Bishops have once again launched their "Faithful Citizenship" program to appeal to U.S. Catholics to be actively involved in the electoral process for "a new kind of politics – focused on the moral principles, not on the latest polls, on the needs of the poor and vulnerable not on the contributions of the rich and powerful, and on the pursuit of the common good not the demands of special interests."

Using the image of a table to describe the challenges facing the nation and the world, the "Faithful Citizenship" statement asks, "Who has a place a the table of life?" and asks where there are places for the hungry, homeless, those lacking health care among other issues. Catholics are also called to protect the weak and vulnerable, advance justice, and pursue peace. The statement says the church as an institution is called to be "political but not partisan." Resources for the "Faithful Citizenship" program are available at the USCCB website, www.usccb.org or calling the publishing department at 800-235-8722.

Stan De Boe, OSST/Editor

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