MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Cuba closer to region accepts political dialogue on OAS

Inzulsa: “The door has opened for Cuba to begin re-joining regional organizations”

Cuban president Raúl Castro said he was willing to talk about the possible re-incorporation of Cuba to the Organization of American States, OAS, from which it was expulsed in 1962, according to press reports from Brazil where the Latinamerican and Caribbean summit is taking place with the participation of leaders from the 33 countries.

Apparently Mr. Castro met with OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza, a former Chilean Socialist Home Secretary and presidential hopeful for next year, to talk about the issue during one of the sessions when Bolivian president Evo Morales argued in favour of Cuba's full integration to regional organizations. According to diplomatic sources although during the meeting Castro told Insulza that Cuba was not urged about OAS, he admitted that several regional leaders have been pressing the issue, one of them Mr. Insulza himself, so in honour to his political standing in Chile and the region, --not as an OAS official--, he would gladly establish a "dialogue". It was during this half hour private meeting that the two leaders apparently agreed on the need for the Cuban government to join the political consulting Rio Group, which effectively happened, and was later announced as one of the achievements of the summit. "This means the door has opened for Cuba to begin re-joining regional organizations and forums", said Insulza. Raúl's brother, the ailing Cuban leader of the revolution, Fidel has always taunted and joked about OAS which he considers a "puppet" instrument from Washington.