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Cuba opens Celac summit and warns against 'foreign interference'

Tuesday, January 28th 2014 - 21:12 UTC
Full article 37 comments
Chavez was remembered with a minute of silence at the opening ceremony in Havana Chavez was remembered with a minute of silence at the opening ceremony in Havana

The President of Cuba Raúl Castro warned against the “foreign interference” suffered by Latin America and the Caribbean region at the Tuesday opening of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit in Havana, which brought together representatives from the 33-nation group.

 The group will make public its declaration on Wednesday which is expected to support Argentina's claims over the Falklands; condemn US blockade of Cuba, declare the area a region of peace and free of colonies, and probably call for Puerto Rico to join Celac.

Castro criticized the “long history of intervention in external affairs, military invasions and bloody coups d'état” which in his opinion were carried out by “the centers of power who will not give up control of the region.”

The meeting in Cuba of the 33 member-nations who make up CELAC, in an initiative spearheaded by late Venezuela president Hugo Chávez and which does not include the United States or Canada. Chávez was honored at the conference by a minute's silence.

“We are still living in a world ruled by an unfair, exclusive international order, in which threats to peace and foreign interference in the region continue,” Castro added, before calling for the construction of a new model based on the region's needs.

One of the final resolutions of the Havana Declaration, negotiated ON Monday by foreign ministers and which will be passed over for approval by heads of states, will be to consider the region as a peace zone.

“The dangers to peace continue in several areas of the world and fellow nations have been the object of threats, unilateral measures of coercion and legal action for the lawful actions they have adopted in defense of their sovereignty,” Castro fired.

On Wednesday participants will sign a more than 80-point declaration covering issues from the fight against poverty to the solution of conflicts by peaceful means.

Data from the Economic Commission for Latin America (CEPAL) reveals that the regional poverty rate in 2012 reached 28.2% of the population, affecting 164 million people.

Categories: Economy, Politics, Latin America.

Top Comments

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  • Condorito

    Wake me when Castro realizes the Cuba suffers from decades of dynastic Castro interference.

    Jan 28th, 2014 - 09:19 pm 0
  • ilsen

    @1 Enjoy your sleep, you have plenty of time... But before you go, here is a little bedtime story, well... more of a moral fable perhaps... (bear with me, it does have a topical theme)...

    Once upon a time, (well, Sept, 2013 actually), in a land far, far away from Chile, (thank you Lord!), called Venezuela, where an Ogre called Hugo used to live, Deputy Minister of Interior, José Vicente Rangel, announced that (due to the anti-crime 'Pacification Plan') three street- gangs had laid down their arms and “would change their lifestyle ” .
    They certainly did change it! Living in the village of El Delirio, (Barlovento), a Government-declared 'Zone of Peace' they received a micro-loan from the national government and at once surrendered their weapons . They exchanged a few revolvers and old semi-automatic pistols for “benefits.” [cash]
    With the money , according to police, the crooks bought seven AK -45's and a van.
    Now engaged in the kidnapping industry in the Barlovento region and nearby cities, they have even come to Caracas....
    http://www.eluniversal.com/sucesos/131103/zonas-de-paz-tienen-su-toque-hamponil
    Sleep well, little one...

    So, children, gather round now. What have we learnt today about Chavez's CELAC (for it was he, the progenitor), 'Zones of Peace', and the 'Bolivarian' approach? We will see similar idiotic muddled thinking from this conference and their Zone of Peace. I sincerely hope not.

    Now let us pray....

    (nope that didn't work either, now no wonder the the Colombians are snuggling up to a nice (British) CLASS 23 FRIGATE!!!!!!!!!!!!! they must be wondering what the hell “Dr Crass-tina & The Fidler” are going try and get them to sign-up to this time!)
    Night night all. God Bless.

    Jan 28th, 2014 - 10:24 pm 0
  • Think

    Strange..........

    When the Mayor of Pocklington, England (Pop.: 8,337) farts with a Falklands scent, we get a full MercoPress article about that........

    But when President Castro's, speaking in front of the leaders of 32 American Countries, clearly attacks English Colonialism in the South Atlantic, MercoPress “forgets” to mention it.....

    Strange......

    Jan 28th, 2014 - 10:27 pm 0
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