President Santos visits Cuba
By Manuel Alberto Ramy
Havana, 03/07/ 2012. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos arrived in Havana today. The visit has a double purpose: the signing, together with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, of the annexes to the Partial Reach Trade Agreement of November 2011, and meeting with President Raúl Castro on the matter of Cuba’s participation in the coming Summit of the Americas.
The signing with the Venezuelan president was set for March 1, but had to be postponed due to Hugo Chávez’s surgery in Havana. Now it will be formalized with benefits for both countries, for according to public sources, at least 90% of trade between Colombia and Venezuela would be free of duties. Obviously this is the culmination of a very important agreement for both parties and strengthens the relations that have been improving since former Colombian President Uribe stepped down.
The subject of Cuba and the Summit of the Americas in April in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) is a delicate matter. For one part, the eight member countries of ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America) are suggesting they might not attend if Cuba is not invited; on the other hand, Washington has made plain its position that Cuba is not a member of the Organization of American States (OAS) – sponsor of all the previous summits. Cuba has declared its willingness to attend as long as it is with its full rights and at the same time has repeated, once again, that it is not interested in returning to the OAS, from which it was suspended in 1962. Several months ago, Havana rejected an invitation to be reinstated in the organization.
The $64,000 question then becomes: What will happen? I do not believe that ALBA members would boycott the summit. Havana, which is carrying out a very pragmatic and far from an ideologized foreign policy, is very much aware of the strategic situation. Thus, I believe that it will avoid putting important governments such as those of Brazil, Argentina or Mexico in the delicate position of choosing between the island’s assistance or non assistance. The same is ture for Peru or Colombia itself, the latter the host country. The whole continent – including Cuba – with the exception of the U.S. and Canada, is integrated in the grand project of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Latin American countries are at odds with Washington’s Cuba policy, and have made their positions clear in international forums such the UN General Assembly, and to a large extent have been enthusiastic and supportive of the changes that Raúl Castro’s government is carrying out. I believe that the strategy will be to bolster the unity that has been reached. On the other hand, if the U.S. denial would prevent the island nation’s participation, nevertheless the subject of Cuba will undoubtedly be present at the 6th Summit of the Americas. Count on it.
Progreso Semanal/Weekly authorizes the reproduction of all or part of the articles by our journalists as long as the source and author are identified.
