A bloc of leftist countries meeting in Havana on Friday condemned the exclusion of certain nations from next month’s Summit of the Américas, after the United States said it only wanted leaders of governments that respect democracy to attend.
By Reuters – Nelson Acosta
May 27, 2022
The United States will host the Summit of the Américas from June 6 to 10 in Los Angeles, and has said it will not invite the governments of Venezuela or Nicaragua. The summit coordinator said it was up to the White House whether it would invite Cuba but said Cuban civil society activists had been asked to attend.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said this week that he would not attend under “any circumstances” even if invited. Late on Friday, one activist in Cuba alleged state security had told her she would not be allowed to attend either.
The 10 countries known as the ALBA bloc – including Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua – issued a statement from Havana saying they “reject the exclusions and discriminatory treatment at the so-called Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.”
In addition, they described the exclusion as “arbitrary, ideological and politically motivated” and said “this unilateral decision constituted a serious historical setback in hemispheric relations.”
Shortly beforehand, in a broadcast speech, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro described the upcoming summit as “erratic.” He applauded other nations such as México, which is not a member of ALBA, that had “stood up to raise the voice of the truth of an entire continent.”
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, along with the leaders of Bolivia and several other countries, have threatened to boycott the summit if certain countries are excluded.
This week, Reuters confirmed that 13 of the 14 countries of the Caribbean community, which does not include Cuba, were planning to attend the Los Angeles meeting.
CUBA QUESTION
The United States has not made public which Cuban civil society activists had been invited to attend the Summit of the Américas.
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Read More: Reuters – Latin American leftist bloc condemns exclusions from U.S.-hosted summit
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