SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The
lifting of a 47-year-old ban on Cuba by the Organization of American States
(OAS) marks the failure of the United States' isolation campaign against the
island country.
At the 39th OAS general assembly in the Honduran city
of San Pedro Sula, the 34 members on Wednesday unanimously voted in favor of
revoking Cuba's exclusion from the group.
As of now, all technical obstacles to Cuba's re-entry
to the OAS have been removed, though the United States insists Cuba's final
return to the organization should be discussed on the basis of "OAS principles,
values and practices."
Analysts said the event shows Washington's isolation campaign against Cuba has failed.
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Participants to the 39th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) have their family photo session in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, June 2, 2009. The 39th OAS General Assembly kicked off here on Tuesday, during which the re-entry of Cuba to the OAS will be discussed. (Xinhua/Rafael Ochoa)
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Founded in 1948 as a regional political organization,
the OAS had the United States as its leader and a major financial supporter in
the early days, and member states had to conform to U.S. values and standards of
democracy.
Cuba was shut out of the OAS in 1962 during the Cold
War when the United States imposed pressure on the organization in an attempt to
overthrow the socialist government of Cuba and isolate it.
Voices opposing U.S. sanctions against Cuba were not
heard at a time when the U.S. called the shots in Latin America. However, as
Washington's influence in Latin America has dwindled over the years, left-wing
leaders such as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Brazilian President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva have become the major forces in the region.
Latin American countries also became increasingly wary of U.S. interference in their internal affairs as they improved relations with Cuba.
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Delegates applaud after the Organization of American States (OAS) general assembly reached an agreement to readmit Cuba during its plenary session in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, June 3, 2009. The Organization of American States on Wednesday has ruled in favor of the return of Cuba to the body. (Xinhua/Jairo Cajina)
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On Monday, with the resumption of diplomatic
relations with El Salvador, Cuba has now restored formal ties with all Latin
American countries.
On Tuesday, Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya,
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, and Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo all
said the OAS should revoke Cuba's exclusion from the organization. U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had left the meeting but her deputy Thomas A.
Shannon, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, continued
to join the discussions.
As countries in the entire Latin America and
Caribbean region support Cuba's re-entry into the OAS, the final move now
depends only on the United States and Cuba itself.
Last Friday, a U.S. State Department spokesman said:
"We would welcome the day when Cuba is able to join the OAS, but ... they have
to take certain concrete steps in order to meet democratic principles that
define OAS membership."
However, Cuba and its leaders have repeatedly said
they are not interested in rejoining the OAS.
After Barack Obama took office as U.S. president,
Washington admitted its policy toward Cuba has "failed" while seeking to improve
ties with the country by lifting U.S. restrictions on travel and cash
remittances to Cuba for Cuban-Americans with relatives on the island.
Whether or not Cuba returns to the OAS will have a
far-reaching influence on U.S.-Cuban relations.
OAS plenary votes to end Cuba's
exclusion
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras, June 3 (Xinhua) -- The
Organization of American States (OAS) voted to revoke Cuba's exclusion from the
organization on Wednesday, the last of the two-day 39th OAS general assembly,
being held in Honduran city of San Pedro Sula.
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The 39th General Assembly of the
Organization of American States (OAS) holds its plenary session in San
Pedro Sula, Honduras, June 3, 2009. The OAS on Wednesday reached an
agreement to readmit Cuba, excluded since 1962, without conditions.
(Xinhua/Jairo Cajina)
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"It is resolved that resolution six,
adopted on Jan. 31, 1962, at the eighth Foreign Ministers Consultative Meeting,
which excluded the Cuban government from participation in the Inter-American
system, is ruled null and void for the OAS," said Honduras Foreign Minister
Patricia Rodas at the start of the meeting's plenary session. Full story
OAS chief urges members to debate Cuba
re-entry without fear
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Cuba's
potential reintegration to the Organization of American States (OAS) should be
discussed without fear, OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said Tuesday.
In his opening speech to the 39th OAS general
assembly in the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula, Insulza called on members to
tackle the topic with a willingness to reach consensus and avoid division.
Full story
Fidel Castro rejects conditions for
dialogue with U.S.
HAVANA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Former Cuban leader Fidel
Castro on Tuesday rejected the conditions placed by U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton for a possible "open dialogue" between Washington and Havana.
In an article entitled "The Clapping and the
Silence," published by Cuban media on Tuesday, Castro described Clinton's
announcement on the possible resumption of bilateral talks on migration and
direct mail service as "rude and far from being diplomatic." Full story
Fidel Castro responds to U.S. sentence
against Cuba
HAVANA, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Cuban former Leader Fidel
Castro on Sunday responded to the decision of a U.S. court in favor of a
Cuban-American who has involved in the murder of prominent revolutionary figure
Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
In his "Reflections" entitled "The Justice in the
U.S." published by local press, Castro said that the sentence of giving one
billion U.S. dollars to the Cuban-American was "the biggest one given, to the
moment, against the Cuban government." Full story
