Posted on June 4th, 2009
June 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today
released the following statement on the Organization of American States
General Assembly's resolution on Cuba:
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"This weak resolution undermines the OAS's foundation by only paying lip
service to the principles upon which the Democratic Charter stands. It
allows for loose interpretation of what should be a clear set of
fundamental democratic principles and standards regarding human rights,
and we are already seeing this interpretation play out.
"The member states of the OAS could have used this as an opportunity to
reaffirm a commitment to democracy and human rights by defining an
unambiguous path by which Cuba would be readmitted. It would be a path
guided by the fundamental principles of the OAS, including those
outlined in the Inter-American Democratic Charter and the OAS Charter,
and including the release of political prisoners, the adoption of basic
human rights and democratic reforms. I will closely watch how this
process unfolds, but a lack of commitment to democracy and human rights
at the OAS will bring a debate into the U.S. Congress about how much we
are willing to support the OAS as an institution."
"This is a sad day for the human rights activists, political prisoners
and independent journalists who are struggling inside of Cuba to promote
peaceful democratic change. It is also a sad day for the U.S., in which
it has become evident that our leadership in the Hemisphere has ebbed to
this low. This is the result of a long-standing absence of U.S.
leadership in the Hemisphere and the continuing lack of a relevant Latin
America agenda. Unless the Obama administration has a more expansive
plan of engagement in the region, Cuba will continue to dominate the
discussion and democratic principles will continue to erode. We could
have used the General Assembly in Honduras to discuss energy, public
security, and economic and social development. Instead, even after the
unprecedented gestures of goodwill sent by the Obama administration, we
fought for three days over absurdly vague language that we can expect
will be the source of constant disagreement moving forward. Only by the
administration having a hemispheric plan of action and a real engagement
in Latin America will we avoid this in the future."
Source: Senator Robert Menendez
Senator Bob Menendez Statement On the OAS Cuba Resolution | All American
Patriots: US politics, domestic and world news, science, environment,
energy and technology (4 June 2009)
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