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OAS votes to readmit Cuba after 47 years
By NESTOR IKEDA, Associated Press
The Organization of American States voted Wednesday to revoke the 1962 measure suspending communist Cuba, overturning a landmark of the Cold War in the hemisphere.
"The Cold War has ended this day in San Pedro Sula," said Honduran President Manuel Zelaya immediately following the announcement. "We begin a new era of fraternity and tolerance."
The action doesn't mean Cuba will return to the 34-member body that helps coordinate policies and mediates disputes throughout the Americas. Cuban officials have repeatedly insisted they have no interest in returning to an organization they consider a tool of the United States.
The decision was taken by consensus, meaning the United States accepted it, though Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had lobbied personally for requiring Cuba to make democratic reforms and improve respect for human rights. The decision seemed to catch State Department officials in Washington off guard. >>> Go to Full Story >>>
Summit: A Caricom opportunity
The host Prime Minister Patrick Manning has said the Summit of the Americas provides an opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago and its Caricom partners to play a leadership role in the geopolitics of the hemisphere.
He also sees it as a chance to help shape a development agenda that'll serve to enhance sustainable development across the entire region. Mr Manning is pushing for hemispheric integration and solidarity. But the specifics Caricom states are hoping for from the summit haven't been articulated. Caribbean journalist and commentator Rickey Singh gave BBC Caribbean his expectations of the hemispheric gathering. (Listen to Interview)