Department of Foreign Affairs again exposed on Cuba policy

How did a flat and persistent refusal on the part of the Middle East Section of the Department of Foreign Affairs to view a film containing evidence of Israeli brutality directed against Palestinian pilgrims and Irish observers at a checkpoint in Bethlehem in October, 2006 manage to expose the department’s hostility towards Cuba?

Repeated requests to have the department look at the Bethlehem film were flatly refused. However, when the film was presented to the Americas Section of the department as having been filmed in Cuba the response was entirely different. Immediately, the department wanted to see the film and requested written additional information on the background to the “incident” in Cuba, the outcome, et cetera.

When the Irish Times contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs for a comment on an article being written by Eddie Holt on this issue, suddenly the department changed its position. The officials in the Middle East Section would be delighted to watch the film, to meet representatives of the group involved, and to make representations to the Israeli embassy. A meeting did take place, at which all manner of excuses were offered as to why the section refused to view the film when first approached. However, in relation to Cuba the really scary bit emerged when one of the officials at the meeting, explaining why the department was so adamant in declining to view the Bethlehem film, and so eager to see the “Cuba” film, declared that there was “no conspiracy against Cuba” in the department.

The Cuba Support Group has no problem accepting that statement. The problem is that there is no conspiracy against Cuba; if there was a conspiracy we might be able to deal with it. It is worse than that. Hostility to Cuba in the department requires no conspiracy: it is ingrained as a matter of policy, and the expression of that hostility requires only the slightest catalyst.