Latin American
Countries Normalize Ties With Cuba
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Latin American
Countries Normalize Ties With Cuba
Havana - Latin
America has opened a new chapter in its ties
with Cuba as Costa Rica reestablished ties
and El Salvador intended to resume ties with
the country.
Havana and San Jose agreed last week to
resume diplomatic relations despite both
sides have been caught by political
disagreements on a number of issues in
recent years.
"Today the world is completely different
with what it was in those days," Costa Rican
President Oscar Arias said on Wednesday. San
Jose and Havana suspended ties on Sept. 9,
1961.
He said the diplomatic ties with Cuba were
broken during the Cold War era, but the
world has changed since then and the
decision of restoring the ties is
justifiable at this moment.
Cuba's Foreign Ministry said the decision is
"in accord with its call for integrity and
unity with the brotherly people of Latin
America and the Caribbean."
In San Salvador, newly elected President
Mauricio Funes said his government intended
to restore ties with Cuba.
The outgoing Salvadorian President Elias
Antonio Saca had refused to normalize ties
with Cuba despite the fact that its
neighbors like Honduras, Guatemala,
Nicaragua and Panama had done it.
Now, Funes is expected to close an era which
began in 1959, when the revolutionary army
led by Fidel Castro took power and nearly
all Latin American countries agreed to cut
diplomatic ties with Cuba in the following
year.
Half a century later, Latin America lives
another reality as many governments choose
to step away from Washington and break U.S.
isolation of Cuba.
On December 2008, the Latin American and
Caribbean Summit held in Brazil issued a
declaration without precedent demanding an
end of the embargo set by the U.S. against
Cuba since 1962.
It will be one of the main issues at the 5th
The Americas Summit, to be held in Trinidad
and Tobago from April 17 to 19, without
Cuba's participation.
The issue will be discussed at the Summit
without the intention of cornering U.S. or
anybody, Trinidad and Tobago's Prime
Minister Patrick Manning said last week.
Many Latin American countries also called on
the U.S. President Barack Obama to lift
sanctions against Cuba.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva said Latin America expects Obama to
lift or at least to loose its embargo
against Cuba because there are not moral,
political or economic justifications to keep
these sanctions.
Since end of 2008, Cuban Leader Raul Castro
has met with leaders from many countries,
signaling that Latin America is opening a
new chapter in its ties with Cuba.
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