Foreign ministers of the Organization of American States have voted to
lift Cuba's suspension, apparently paving the way for it to rejoin the
group.
Cuba was suspended from the 34-member OAS in 1962 over its
"incompatible" adherence to Marxism-Leninism.
The US secretary of state, who left Honduras before the vote, had urged
democratic reforms as a condition.
The move came hours after former president Fidel Castro again said Cuba
had no interest in rejoining the OAS.
Ecuador's Foreign Minister, Fander Falconi, said the decision was made
"without conditions" but that it set mechanisms for Cuba's return
including its agreement to comply with OAS conventions on human rights
and other issues.
Clarifying terms
The group's foreign ministers and ambassadors, who met in San Pedro
Sula, Honduras, were expected to clarify the terms of their agreement in
the coming hours.
Immediately following the announcement, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya
said: "The Cold War has ended this day in San Pedro Sula."
The news came as former Cuban leader Fidel Castro reiterated that Cuba
had no desire to rejoin.
Writing in state newspapers on Wednesday, he said the OAS should not
exist and historically had "opened the doors to the Trojan horse" of the
US to "wreak havoc in Latin America".
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left Honduras before the final
vote, saying the organisation had been unable to reach consensus on Cuba.
While the US looked forward to Cuba rejoining the group eventually, she
said on the first day of the summit, "membership in the OAS must come
with responsibilities".
"It's not about reliving the past," she added. "It's about the future
and being true to the founding principles of this organisation."
Many Latin American countries have pushed to readmit Cuba without
preconditions, but the US wants Havana to undertake democratic reforms
as a condition of re-admission.
Since taking office, President Barack Obama has sought to ease tension
between the US and Cuba, including ending restrictions on
Cuban-Americans visiting and sending money to relatives.
Washington and Havana have also agreed to resume regular talks on
migration issues.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/8082146.stm
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