MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Latinamerica divided on procedure to lift OAS ban on Cuba

Political divergences impeded the Organization of American States, (OAS) Permanent Council from officially debating for the first time since 1962, the possible re-entry of Cuba to the inter-American system.

At the council’s plenary session this week several draft resolutions lifting the ban imposed on Cuba in 1962 were to be approved for their presentation at the OAS General Assembly scheduled for June 1 and 2 in Honduras.

Back in 1962, in the midst of the Cold War and the missiles crisis, at an urgent Foreign Affairs ministers summit held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, Cuba was suspended from the OAS because of its links with the Soviet-Chinese block, that were considered “incompatible” with the inter-American system.

The agenda of this week’s meeting had before it two resolutions: one from Honduras, which called for an end to Cuba’s suspension and a second from Costa Rica, more cautious, which requested the Inter-American Law Committee opinion on the legal procedures for such an action.

But there were two other motions from Nicaragua and from the Caribbean countries.

Basically all proposals were similar, said Carlos Sosa Honduras ambassador before OAS, but some countries expressed concern about what followed, “the day after” when the ban on Cuba had been lifted.

OAS state members have been discussing the different drafts for several days, but given the difficulties to overcome existing divergences, the several regional groups decided at last minute on Thursday on a “gentlemen’s pact” and not present their respective proposals but rather give themselves more time to consider them.

Cuba, both under Fidel Castro, and now with President Raúl Castro have repeatedly said in public and in private that there is no intention from Havana to return to OAS, an “outdated and discredited” organization which must disappear.