Venezuela
President Hugo Chavez (top left) speaks to Bolivia
President
Evo Morales (bottom left), Brazil President Luiz
Inacio
Lula da Silva (bottom center), Cuba President Raul
Castro
(top center), Mexico's President Felipe Calderon
(top
right) and Chile President Michelle Bachelet, at a summit
of
leaders from Latin American and Caribbean nations, Dec. 16.
Estadao, Brazil
Latin Americans Tell U.S.: 'End Embargo on Cuba'
"These actions amount to a
clear anti-American bias during the four summit events organized and chaired by
Brazil, with the center of attraction being Fidel Castro's brother, Raul."
By special reporters Denise
Chrispim Marin and Tânia Monteiro
Translated By Brandi Miller
December 17, 2008
Brazil
- Estadao - Original Article (Portuguese)
COSTA
DO SAUIPE: The Summit of Latin
America and the Caribbean (CALC), an unprecedented event coordinated by the
government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva [Brazil], will make a special
declaration today condemning the economic embargo imposed by the United States
against Cuba, which has been in effect since February of 1962. In a very short
meeting yesterday, the leaders of 18 Latin American countries that form the Rio
Group 
decided to include Cuba.
Hours earlier, Cuban
President Raúl Castro read a short speech during a meeting of Mercosur as a special guest of the bloc's Brazilian
president. Although they have little practical impact, these actions amount to
a clear anti-American bias during the four summit events organized and chaired
by Brazil, with the center of attraction being Fidel Castro's brother.
During yesterday's meetings,
Raúl Castro avoided touching directly on the conflict between his country and
the United States. Indirectly, he struck out at Washington by condemning its
neoliberal policies and saying that the international crisis was the result of
an "unjust and selfish economic order," supposedly contrary to the
one followed by Havana for the past 50 years.
NEGOTIATION
Upon arrival at the Bahian
resort on Monday night [Dec. 15], Castro declared to the press that he hoped
that the future American president, Barack Obama, would be open to a
conversation about ending the embargo. "If Mr. Obama wants to discuss
things, we will discuss," he said. "It's getting increasingly harder
to keep Cuba isolated. We're small but we have shown that we cannot be easily
dominated."
Also yesterday, displaying a
new attitude of confrontation with Washington, Venezuela President Hugo Chávez
stated that he would advocate the inclusion of Cuba into the Summit of the
Americas . This is a
mechanism created in 1994 under the leadership of the United States, which gave
legal substance to negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas, and
which excluded Cuba with allegations that the country had broken with the
Democratic order.
AFFINITY
Chávez didn't advocate the
return of Cuba to the Organization of American States , from which
Havana has been suspended since the beginning of the 1960s for the same reason.
But Chavez attacked the organization, describing it as the "ministry of
the colonies of the United States." Raúl Castro yesterday dismissed the
possibility of a Cuban return to the OAS, "with or without the presence of
the United States in the organization."
Brazil's movement in favor of
Cuba's inclusion in key regional groups and its coordination of Latin America
and the Caribbean, without outside influence or guardianship, garnered wide
support. Álvaro Uribe of Colombia and Alan García of Peru pulled out of the
meeting at the last minute due to flooding that has affected their countries.
In this way, the summits in
Bahia have shown an increasing affinity between the governments of Brazil,
Venezuela and Bolivia in discussions about an autonomous and independent Latin
America with relation to the United States.
"Without meddling from
the North, we can resolve our problems despite our differences," Bolivian
Evo Morales said. "We're starting to walk down a path without tutelage
from the empire. The U.S. is no longer in command here," said
Chávez
SHOE
THROW
Arriving late at Costa do
Sauípe after the Mercosur meeting had already ended, Chávez didn't allow
Sunday's shoe episode in Baghdad pass, when an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes
at George W. Bush. "We're going to ask the new U.S. government for
respect. Look at the shoes that they threw at Bush. The ones I brought are much
lighter."
Reuters reported that on
Wednesday, at the start of a news conference, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva quipped to reporters, "Please, nobody take off your shoes.
In this heat, if anybody takes off their shoes, we'll know right away because
of the smell," reaping laughter from reporters and politicians alike.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Earlier in the day, Lula
threatened to throw a shoe at President Chavez if the long-winded leftist
leader spoke beyond his allotted time.
THE SAUÍPE SUMMITS
MERCOSUR: A common market
project started in 1991 by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Venezuela
is in the process of becoming a full member and Bolivia, Chile, Colombia,
Ecuador and Peru associate members.
UNASUL (Union of South
American Nations ): An
integration project of the two continental groups, Mercosur and the Andean
Community of Nations, plus Chile, Guyana and Suriname. Panama and Mexico are
observers.
The Rio Group: A Latin
American consulting group created to mediate political crises in Central
America during the 1980s. It helped resolve the Peru-Ecuador war and in the
recent conflict between Ecuador and Colombia.
Summit of Latin America and
the Caribbean: A Latin American project of integration based on existing
groups, free of interference from the United States. In principle, it is open
to all 33 countries in the region.
CLICK HERE FOR PORTUGUESE
VERSION
[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
December 22, 10:45pm]
