Friday, August 27, 2004
HAVANA (AP) -- Cuba broke diplomatic ties with Panama after the outgoing Panamanian president pardoned four Cuban exiles the communist government accuses of trying to assassinate President Fidel Castro.
Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso issued the pardons Thursday, six days before she is to leave office, despite Havana's threat to sever relations over such a move and what she said were threats against her life.
Cuba's reaction was swift, saying "as of this minute, 4:15 p.m., diplomatic relations between the Republic of Cuba and the Republic of Panama are broken for an indefinite time."
"The president of Panama, accomplice and protector of terrorism, will carry the historic responsibility of this repugnant and treacherous action, and will also be responsible for the new crimes these assassins could commit in the future," the Cuban statement read.
Moscoso said she wanted to prevent a future government from extraditing the four -- Luis Posada Carriles, Gaspar Jimenez, Guillermo Novo and Pedro Remon -- when they finish their prison terms.
"We know that if they stay, they would face the possibility of being extradited to Venezuela or Cuba where I am sure they would have been killed," she told a news conference.
Moscoso is to hand over the presidency Sept. 1 to Martin Torrijos, son of populist military strongman Omar Torrijos, who had friendly relations with Castro.
The two nations have had relatively friendly relations since restoring ties in the early 1970s.