Cuba accepts aid, selectively

The messages from Cuba seem pretty clear on two fronts.

First, if you consider Raul Castro’s relatively low profile and Fidel’s many commentaries over the past week, is seem clear that in this crisis, it’s Fidel that is calling the strategic shots.

Second, while I would like to reserve some hope that U.S. government aid may contribute to the hurricane relief effort, it seems clear that Cuba is not going to accept U.S. aid. The Bush Administration dropped its requirement that a U.S. assessment team visit Cuba before any aid delivery, and it has shown a willingness to deliver aid directly to the Cuban government rather than to private entities or international agencies. The latest offer was made Friday, and includes building supplies. Nonetheless, as we learn from Fidel Castro’s September 16 commentary, Cuban national dignity and protection against U.S. espionage are the deciding factors for him.

In a September 20 commentary, Fidel complains that some U.S. government aid is being channeled through political groups that want to change Cuba’s form of government. That, in his view, taints any U.S. offer.

But even if you agree with Castro’s qualms about the Bush Administration’s offers, what to make about an apparent Cuban decision, reported by EFE, to reject aid from all but two member states (Belgium and Spain) of the European Union? The reason, EFE reports, is that Cuba maintains a policy of “not accepting direct aid from nations that have not normalized cooperation agreements” with Cuba. Amazing.

Where does all this leave Cubans in affected areas? Here’s a report from the Miami Herald, from Banes and Gibara in Holguin province, where locals are working on their own as they wait for substantial aid to arrive.

The longer-term question is whether Cuba’s relief and recovery requirements will be met effectively by relief provided by the government and international sources. Here’s hoping all the sources of aid – governments, international relief agencies, and family members working within and around the Administration’s restrictions – can succeed. In his September 20 commentary, Fidel Castro says that in addition to offers of cash and material aid that he doesn’t quantify, more than $1 billion in “loans and soft credits” have been offered by Russia, Angola, China, Vietnam, “and others.”