Clinton details conditions for Cuba entry to OAS
By MATTHEW LEE
Associated Press Writer
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton firmly opposed allowing Cuba to rejoin the Organization of
American States unless it adopts democratic reforms, an isolated U.S.
stand that prompted Honduras to label the U.S. embargo on Cuba a "day of
infamy."
President Barack Obama's top diplomat heard multiple complaints from
fellow diplomats as others at the group's annual general assembly here
demanded immediate action to rescind Cuba's nearly 50-year-old
suspension without conditions.
Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, the host of the meeting, urged that
the 1962 resolution that suspended Cuba's membership be revoked on
Tuesday, calling its Cold War-era passage and the imposition of the U.S.
embargo on Cuba a "day of infamy" and a grave injustice.
"Friends, it is time to correct that mistake," he told the meeting.
"Were we to leave this place without rescinding that decision ... we
would be colluding with that mindset of yesterday."
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said the United States is using the
OAS as a tool of repression and said Cuba's 1962 suspension was due to
the support of former Latin American dictators "imposed and used by the
Yankees."
"The OAS continues to be an instrument of domination of the United
States," Ortega told a news conference after the opening session. He
accused the Obama administration of being no different from previous
administrations.
"The president has changed, but not American policy," the Sandinista
leader said.
Paraguay's President Fernando Lugo said the foreign ministers "should
show in Honduras that there's a unified America, with no discrimination,
with no veto to economic models, social or political that could be
freely adopted by every country."
Earlier, Clinton told Caribbean leaders that she and Obama "do look
forward to the day when Cuba can join the OAS."
"But we believe that membership in the OAS must come with
responsibilities and we owe it to each other to uphold our standards of
democracy and governance that have brought so much progress to our
hemisphere," she said.
She expressed hope that a "common way forward" could be found despite
U.S. demands that Cuba's re-entry be tied to the release of political
prisoners, respect for basic human rights and steps toward democratic
pluralism.
The United States is largely alone in the OAS in demanding conditions.
Almost all other members of the OAS are calling for Cuba to be allowed
to rejoin the 34-nation group without conditions.
Faced with a solid bloc of countries opposed to the conditions, U.S.
officials came out in support of a Brazilian proposal to adopt a working
group on the matter that is also backed by Chile. Sich a step would kick
the issue to an as-yet uncertain date.
That tactic angered representatives of the region's growing number of
socialist-run countries like Nicaragua, Venezuela and Bolivia. All are
pressing for a vote even though Cuba has expressed no interest in
rejoining the bloc.
The organization generally makes decision by consensus, proponents can
push ahead with a resolution that needs only a two-thirds majority, or
23 votes, to pass.
Forcing a vote would put Clinton in a difficult position because
regional and U.S. officials say there are easily enough countries to
pass it unless a consensus emerges to delay action until the working
group delivers its findings.
The Obama administration is toeing a delicate line as it reaches out to
Cuban leader Raul Castro by lifting restrictions on money transfers and
travel to the island by Americans with family there.
Cuba has agreed to a U.S. proposal to resume immigration talks with
Washington that former President George W. Bush suspended in 2003 and to
negotiations on restarting direct mail service between the two countries.
But the Castros say they want a full lifting of the decades-old U.S.
embargo on Cuba, something the administration has refused to consider
without reforms.
Clinton is at Tuesday's meeting as the representative of the last
country in the Western Hemisphere without full diplomatic ties with Cuba.
El Salvador had been the only other one, but in his first act as the
country's first leftist president, Mauricio Funes on Monday restored his
country's diplomatic relations with Cuba that had been broken in 1961.
Associated Press writers Nestor Ikeda and Freddy Cuevas contributed to
this report.
Clinton details conditions for Cuba entry to OAS - Cuba -
MiamiHerald.com (2 June 2009)
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/story/1076756.html
No comments:
Post a Comment