NCC Appeals for Dialogue Between U.S. and Cuba
Episcopal News Service. September 7, 1994 [94160D]
The National Council of Churches (NCC) recently made a dual appeal to the U.S. and Cuban governments urging actions that may ease the hardships and "the accumulated frustration" of the Cuban people, which have in recent days swelled the numbers of Cubans fleeing their country, despite changes in U.S. immigration policy aimed at discouraging mass exodus. In the August 25 statement, the NCC points to Cuban "economic errors" and calls on the Cuban government to "allow more economic and political improvements," especially "liberalization of policies toward agricultural workers thus increasing basic food production." The statement also said that "successive U.S. administrations also bear responsibility for the current incidents by maintaining the embargo and by placing pre-conditions for dialogue."