Cuba President Raul Castro, left, shakes hands with Mexican
President
Enrique Pena Nieto, at the second summit of the Community of Latin
American and Caribbean States. The group, which excludes the United
States and Canada, elected Castro, leader of the last dictatorship
in
the Americas, president for the year.
Latin America
Condemns U.S. Blockade of Cuba; Elects Raul Castro CELAC
President (La Razon, Bolivia)
"The island's
nomination to lead the 33-nation group - which excludes the United States and
Canada - was described by some governments as a Cuban victory without precedent
since 1961, when Fidel Castro assumed power after the revolution that ended the
dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. ... The Santiago
Declaration calls on Washington ...to
end the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba."
A protester holds a sign with Venezuela President Chavez during a march for the 'People's Summit,' organized by social groups during the second summit of the Community of Latin American, Caribbean States in Santiago, Jan 25. The sign says, 'Keep up together, Keep up the revolution.'
Cuba assumed the rotating presidency of the Community of
Latin American and Caribbean States [CELAC] yesterday. The forum, held in Santiago Chile, released a statement
condemning the economic blockade imposed by the United States against the
Caribbean island.
"We
firmly reject all unilateral coercive measures with extraterritorial effect
that are contrary to international law and commonly accepted standards of free
trade," states part of the Santiago Declaration.
The special
statement by CELAC, read out by Chilean President Sebastian Piñera,
mentions, "the necessity of ending the commercial and financial blockade
by the United States on Cuba." Yesterday, CELAC
held its first summit meeting since its inception one year ago, in Caracas. Now
Chile passes the presidency to Cuba.
The island's
nomination to lead the 33-nation group - which excludes the United States and
Canada - was described by some governments as a Cuban victory without precedent
since 1961, when Fidel Castro assumed power after the revolution that ended the
dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista
"This is
an act of justice. After over 50 years of resistance to a criminal imperial
blockade, let Latin America and the Caribbean tell the United States with one
voice that all efforts to isolate Cuba have failed and will continue to
fail," wrote Venezuela President Hugo Chavez from Cuba, in a letter that Nicolas Maduro
read out to the summit audience [watch below].
The Santiago
Declaration calls on Washington, in compliance with successive resolutions
adopted by the U.N. General Assembly and in response to repeated calls from
Latin American and Caribbean nations, to end the economic, commercial and
financial blockade against Cuba.
"We will
act in total adherence to international law, the Charter of the United Nations,
and the fundamental principles governing the development of relations among
nations," said Cuba President Raul Castro, who added one more sentence:
"Don't worry, I will only be in charge for a year, and Chile will be in
command again in 33 years," Castro quipped.
The conclusion of CELAC
The Santiago
Declaration supports the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking. It also
decided that Ecuador would preside over CELAC in
2015, after the international forum is held in Cuba and then Costa Rica.
Forum supports use of acullico (a ball of coca leaves mixed with ashes) and the
production of quinoa.
The presidents of CELAC expressed support for
the chewing of coca and production of quinoa [photo, left].
Chilean President Piñera reading the Declaration,
which called for a vote of support for the "traditional use of chewing
coca and to the International Year of Quinoa."
The driving
force behind both strategies was the government of Evo
Morales [Bolivia]. The United Nations decided to readmit Bolivia into the Single
Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, which rejoined with one
reservation: that it does not accept the treaty's requirement that chewing the
coca leaf must be banned. According to President Morales, this alone is a
victory over the United States.
Moreover,
Bolivia prevailed over the U.N. to declare 2013 to be the International Year of
Quinoa. On February 22, President Evo Morales will
officially launch the event in New York. Regarding the CELAC
Summit, Piñera said that his government met all
expectations and asked member countries to continue the task of integration.
"The
summit that just ended fulfilled all the objectives and goals we had set and
raised. The theme of the summit was, 'Aiming High,' and I think that we really
did," the Chilean president said.
The presidents of 
