MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Consensus on nuclear energy, Middle East at summit

Cuba sought consensus Wednesday on the use of nuclear energy and the conflict in the Middle East as diplomats work to hammer out the declaration that will emerge from this week's summit here of the Non-Aligned Movement.

The foreign ministers of the 116 NAM members were supposed to have finalized the text a day ago.

During a press conference, Cuba's deputy foreign minister, Abelardo Moreno, said that along with the release of the final document the leaders will sign another statement in which they will defend Iran's right to develop nuclear technology for energy production.

While that stance has the general support of the NAM, several representatives gathered in Havana told reporters that some countries want the final document to demand that a clear legal framework be established for nuclear energy.

Besides the delicate matter of the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program, consensus is still lacking on the definition of terrorism and on a statement about the conflict in the Middle East, Moreno acknowledged.

For her part, Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Consuelo Araujo said that she was confident a consensus would be reached before Saturday on the complex definition of terrorism.

"We're aware that in the history of the NAM we've never arrived at a consensus regarding the definition; I hope we can do so! but traditionally it hasn't happened," she said.

With regard to the Middle East, Moreno said that the NAM's ministerial committee on Palestine will meet Wednesday night and "should approve a draft declaration in support of the Palestinian people." He stressed that Cuba, as host and the country that presented a first draft, has no desire to create divisions within the movement, but rather to "reach consensus" and "reconcile" differing opinions.

"We're not talking about victories or defeats," the deputy minister said when asked whether the language of the text drafted by Havana - especially portions critical of the United States - was being toned down following press reports about apparent complaints by some members of the NAM. The movement was founded at the height of the Cold War by countries eschewing allegiance to either superpower, but that didn't stop Castro's Cuba from being a client of the former Soviet Union or other NAM governments from maintaining close ties with the United States.

Despite arguments over the final declaration, the biggest question here is whether Fidel Castro, who handed power provisionally to his younger brother Raul after undergoing surgery, will make a public appearance during the gathering. Tuesday night, Raul Castro said on the Latin American TV network Telesur: "don't believe that (Fidel) is lying in bed; he has a telephone in hand giving orders." Fidel, who has led Cuba since Jan. 1, 1959, reportedly plans to attend a dinner with the NAM heads of state and government later this week.