Czech minister: EU would like dialogue with Cuba, depending on human rights situation

The European Union would like to develop a political dialogue with Cuba, depending on how Havana behaves in the area of human rights, the Czech foreign minister, Jan Kohout, said at a meeting in Prague on Thursday of EU foreign ministers and the Rio Group, of which Cuba is a member. The Czech Republic, currently presiding over the EU, is a strong critic of the Cuban regime, and was opposed to the bloc’s dropping of sanctions against the country last year. The EU is set to re-examine its policy on Cuba next month. Representatives of the Rio Group, which is made up of 23 Latin American and Caribbean states, attended a summit with the EU in Prague on Wednesday and Thursday.