Cuba rejects OAS remarks about its political system

HAVANA — Cuba rejected recent statements made by Luis Almagro (photo at top), secretary-general of the Organization of America States (OAS), on the island’s political system, stating that Almagro had no “credibility” to speak about Cuba.

Speaking to local media, Rogelio Sierra, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, said that Almagro’s remarks about Cuba were made in Miami where he met with a group of people who “defend, support and encourage aggressive actions” against Cuba, including terrorism and the U.S. economic blockade.

“Almagro has no credibility, moral or ethics, to judge what the Cuban government and its people do. He makes a big mistake in ignoring our decision to be sovereign and independent,” said Sierra.

The OAS official visited Miami last Saturday to meet with a Cuban dissident group. He used the occasion to call for “democratic reforms” and demanded that Havana hold Western-style elections to choose its next leader. President Raul Castro will step down in April.

Havana’s deputy foreign minister pointed out that Almagro tried to delegitimize Cuba’s right to sovereignty, and independence to decide its political system while supporting “illegal opposition groups and their allies in the U.S.”

“He met in Miami with a sector of the Cuban community in the United States, which still dreams of overthrowing the Revolution. On the contrary, he has not said a word about recent remarks made by the U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, who supported a military coup against Venezuela,” said Sierra.

Despite being a founding member of the OAS, Cuba was suspended in 1962. In June 2009, foreign ministers of OAS member countries lifted Cuba’s suspension. Havana, however, has reiterated it would not return to the OAS.

[Parts of this article taken from Xinhua.]