OAS chief stresses on Cuba's integration with organisation

OAS chief stresses on Cuba's integration with organisation
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited/Yahoo India News

Washington, May 27 (EFE) Newly-elected secretary general of the
Organisation of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro has prioritised
Cuba's full integration back into the organisation, Spanish news agency
Efe reported on Wednbesday.
"OAS must end the cold war with Cuba's re-incorporation. This will
require an effort from the organisation and also from Cuba," the former
Uruguayan foreign minister told reporters on Tuesday after his appointment.
Almagro specifically addressed the matter in his acceptance speech,
highlighting the "turning point" marked by Havana's participation for
the first time in this year's Summit of the Americas in Panama.
"Cuba's presence, combined with renewed bilateral relations with the
United States... is beneficial for the entire hemisphere," he told the
OAS Permanent Council at its headquarters in Washington.
"We will work to fully integrate Cuba to the OAS, obviously taking into
account the need to respect times and processes," he added.
So far, Cuba has not shown any interest in rejoining the OAS, of which
it was a founding member in 1948.
In 1962, Cuba's membership was suspended after the Fidel Castro-led
revolution took control of the country, as its adherence to
Marxism-Leninism, Communism and the Soviet bloc put it at odds with the
US-led capitalist bloc that controlled the OAS.
That suspension was lifted in 2009.
Almagro, who forged good relations with Raul Castro's government during
his time as Uruguayan foreign minister (2010-2015), is well positioned
to negotiate with Cuba.
However, Cuba is not expected to take up an active membership in the OAS
any time soon, according to diplomatic sources and experts consulted by Efe.
"It is a process that has its own time-frame; we will try to push for
total integration without affecting the interests of the parties
involved," a source from Almagro's transition team told Efe.

Source: OAS chief stresses on Cuba's integration with organisation -
Yahoo News India -
https://in.news.yahoo.com/oas-chief-stresses-cubas-integration-organisation-083614103.html