Raul Castro - Reuters
July 17, 2007, 06:30
A transfer of power in Cuba to Raul Castro, the acting president, could
pave the way for a debate on its return to the Organization of American
States, the head of the hemispheric forum said yesterday. "There has
been some change ... that leads us to think that there is a transition,
a certain shift in the balance of power in Cuba," Jose Miguel Insulza
told reporters when asked if Cuba was drawing closer to the rest of the
Americas.
Cuba was expelled from the OAS in 1961 as Fidel Castro, Cuban leader,
steered the island toward communism. Castro handed over power to Raul,
his younger brother, in July last year, after undergoing intestinal
surgery and has not appeared in public since. Cuban officials say
Castro, who will turn 81 in August, is recovering well from his illness,
but have not indicated whether he will retake the helm of government.
This month, Cuba announced municipal elections in October that will end
early next year in the renewal of the Council of State. It remains to be
seen whether Fidel Castro will continue as its president and Cuba's head
of state. He has held the post since the one-party system was set up 30
years ago. "I would not dare forecast anything, or say how deep these
changes are or where are they are leading to. But I do think it is going
to be possible to re-establish a long overdue dialogue about Cuba in our
organization," Insulza said.
Since the end of the Cold War, most Latin American nations have restored
ties to Havana, with the exception of El Salvador. With the rise of
leftist governments in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua, Cuba's
Communist government today enjoys the closest relations with Latin
America since Castro took power in a 1959 revolution.
Canada largest investor in Cuba
Canada, which joined the OAS in 1990, is the largest foreign investor in
Cuba and the main source of its tourists. The United States has
maintained a trade embargo against Cuba since 1962 and opposes
readmitting Havana to the OAS. Sanctions were tightened under the Bush
administration, which rejects a succession from one Castro brother to
another, calling it a change from "one dictator to another."
Insulza said he does not want "to reopen old wounds" and that a
discussion about the return of Cuba to the OAS would only take place if
all member states agreed. "If any member country does not think that it
is the right time to change our stance toward Cuba, I am sorry but I
will not impose that," Insulza said. - Reuters
http://www.sabcnews.com/world/south_america/0,2172,152677,00.html
No comments:
Post a Comment