Cuba criticizes Hungary as 'accomplice' of U.S.

HAVANA -- Cuba branded Hungary an "imperial accomplice" of Washington on Wednesday for granting political asylum to 29 Cubans who were held at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. naval base.

Those given Hungarian visas were among 44 Cubans picked up at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard. Authorities deemed them at risk of persecution if repatriated and held the group at the U.S. base while officials sought a third country to take them.

Many were dissidents and some were at the base more than two years.

The Cubans at the Guantanamo base included 17 who staged a hunger strike to protest conditions, but it ended Aug. 17 when Hungary announced it would take 29 migrants.

A third country was expected to take seven more and five others were approved to go to the United States. One chose to return to Cuba for family reasons, and the status of a couple who were offered Hungarian visas but apparently refused them, was unclear.

Cuba's Foreign Ministry issued a statement that "the government of Hungary acts as an accomplice to the empire," and said it would be later rewarded by the U.S. government.

It said that "servile" Hungary "insists on demonstrating to its powerful and aggressive master that it can count on its abject loyalty."

In Budapest, Hungarian Foreign Ministry spokesman Gyorgy Odze said "for now we are examining the statement of the Cuban government but have no further comment."

He added that it was unclear when the Cubans granted asylum are expected to arrive in Hungary: "I could be this year or even next year."

Cuba's statement also accused U.S. officials of flouting international law by sending the migrants to Guantanamo, saying that arranging asylum for them will encourage more unsafe sea voyages by Cubans leaving the island.

It said the U.S. now fails to repatriate 16 percent of the Cuban migrants intercepted at sea, even though American policy mandates that Cubans caught on the water are sent home while most making it to U.S. territory can stay.

The 81-year-old Castro has not been seen in public since emergency intestinal surgery forced him to cede power to his younger brother more than a year ago, and his condition remains a state secret.