TIGblogs TIG | TIGblogs GROUP TIGBLOGS LOGIN SIGNUP
Bahamas Blog International
Bahamas Blog International
While other countries are battling for Cuba to rejoin OAS, Cuba says it is not interested
Related to country: Cuba

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

By Oscar Ramjeet -
In San Pedro Sula, Honduras:


I write from the Press Centre while the 39th Annual Assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) is in progress and I am somewhat at a loss as regards the tremendous move by nearly all of the 34 member nation for Cuba’s re-entry into the western hemispheric bloc, and Cuba seems not to be keen.

All the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, as well as most of the Latin American countries, have been supporting the communist country to rejoin, but it seems as if the Castro administration, maybe because of its frustration, is thinking otherwise.

On Tuesday night, the host country, Honduras joined the radical leftist governments pushing for Cuba’s immediate return to the OAS.

The delegates put severe pressure on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a closed door session specially arranged to see if a compromise could be reached as regards to the 47-year-old suspension.

Clinton remains adamant in maintaining the US demands that the OAS abides by the democratic principles enshrined in its own Charter and requires Cuba to free political prisoners and improve basic rights before it returns to the fold.

But the radical Latin American countries like Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua are setting no conditions because they call Cuba’s suspension a “historic mistake.”

As indicated, I am baffled at the situation, because it was only two or three days ago that Cuba issued a statement that it wants nothing to do with the OAS. The statement said, “The OAS central topic has now become a second class theme and Cuba has once more manifested its disinterest in becoming an active member in the organisation.”

The Cuban official newspaper stated that Havana has no interest in being part of such a continental organisation. “Cuba does not need the OAS. It does not want it even if it is reformed; we will never return to Washington,” said the Cuban Communist Party mouthpiece.

It went on to say that that this position had already been expressed by Fidel Castro and president Raul Castro.

Even though Cuba rejects the OAS, analysts said, many countries want to use the debate to push for the lifting of the decades-old US embargo on Havana, while others want to embarrass the United States.

Moreover, despite the negative position taken by Cuba, the president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, continued to debate the topic. In El Salvador, when Mauricio Funes was being installed as the new president, Zelaya said, “If the OAS did not rectify its position about the reintegration of Cuba in the organisation, it would be condemning itself.”

The Honduran leader made a very important point when he said, “It is not to include Cuba, what we fight for is for the principles of the OAS in the 21st century. We cannot want that any other country passes through what Cuba went through just because it has a different ideology.”

In his lengthy speech, OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said, “On the matter of Cuba, I do not think any additional comments are in order at this time, since my position is well known and the Foreign Ministers will express an opinion in the next few hours. This matter involves the principal values that underlie our system. The inclusiveness proclaimed in our founding Charter and the democracy we have enshrined in our Inter American Democratic Charter. Therefore we should not shy away from discussing the topic. However, with an eye in particular on the past, let us focus on the desire to forge a consensus. We want to move forward and to leave behind a past that for many is not positive, but not at the cost of falling once again into divisiveness. In recent years, we have always been able to function best and most harmoniously by following that rule.”

June 6, 2009

caribbeannetnews

June 6, 2009 | 5:29 PM Comments  0 comments

You must be logged in to add tags.


Dennis Dames's Profile


Latest Posts
Rastafari: Ja's...
Caribbean countries...
Jamaica: The gay...
Gambling and human...
Gorbachev Russia’s...

Monthly Archive
December 1969
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
February 2012

Change Language


Tags Archive
america american bahamas barack caribbean crime crisis cuba cuban development economic economy financial global health history ict4d individualeconomy international investment military obama people political revolution trade war washington world

Links
A+ Links Int'l
Affiliate Marketplace
Bahamas Dames
Bahamas Political Blog
Bahamas Search
Bahamian Phone Cards
Blog Directory
Blog Directory
Blogadr
BlogExplosion
Caribbean Blog International
Cheap Int'l Calling Cards
Crooks Blog
DAD's Matchmaking Online
Dating Network
Dennis Dames Hotels...
Dennis Dames Online...
Dennis Dames Pages Online
Free Paid Web Directory
LS Blogs
Politics Blogs
Top Web Blogs
Vote For Me
Woo Love Poems Menu


2495170 views
Important Disclaimer