Norway says Cuba agrees to wider human rights dialogue

CNN September 15, 1998 Norway says Cuba agrees to wider human rights dialogue

                  OSLO, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Norway said on Monday that Cuba had agreed
                  to discuss human rights in what Oslo hailed as a sign of greater political
                  openness by Havana after a visit this year by Pope John Paul II.

                  "We proposed to expand our already existing cooperation with the Cubans
                  into a human rights dialogue...on social and economic rights and civil and
                  political rights," deputy foreign minister Janne Haaland Matlary said.

                  "They were very favourable to this idea," she said after returning from a
                  week-long trip to the Caribbean island, ruled since 1959 by Communist
                  President Fidel Castro.

                  Haaland Matlary said that, as a first step, Cuba would host a seminar in
                  about six months' time on the rule of law and the role of the judiciary, partly
                  arranged by Norwegian professor Jan Helgesen.

                  "It will focus on freedom of expression," she said. "Cuba is is interested in
                  developing this kind of cooperation. It's a sign that (Cuba) is opening up
                  after the papal visit."

Pope John Paul visited Cuba for five days in January in a landmark visit that
consolidated an official thawing towards religion in the atheist state.

                  Norway, which helped broker the landmark 1993 peace accords between
                  Israel and the Palestinians, likes to see itself as a neutral broker outside the
                  European Union. Officials said Canada has also won assurances of wider
                  political dialogue with Cuba.

During her visit, Haaland Matlary said she jointly hosted a seminar on the
press, globalisation of the media and the role of journalists in Havana.

                  Norway also agreed to work with Cuba on examining economic
                  management. "We have experiences that are perhaps important to the
                  Cubans, like maintaining the welfare state amid the pressures of
                  globalisation," she said.