EU, Latin America urge US to lift embargo on Cuba

EU, Latin America urge US to lift embargo on Cuba

Brussels (AFP) - The EU joined Latin America and the Caribbean in
calling Thursday for the United States to lift its decades-old embargo
on Cuba and in vowing to help secure a global deal in Paris to curb
climate change.

Leaders of the three regions ended a two-day summit in Brussels
welcoming December's announcement by US President Barack Obama and his
Cuban counterpart Raul Castro that they would restore diplomatic ties
between their countries.

"In this context, we expect all necessary steps to be taken towards an
early end to the embargo," the EU and Latin American nations said in a
joint statement.

The sanctions have had "undue humanitarian consequences" for the Cuban
people and are "damaging to the legitimate development of economic ties
between Cuba, the European Union and other countries", it said.

The United States earlier this month dropped Cuba from its terror
blacklist, but the US embargo imposed on the communist-run island nation
in 1962 remains in place and will be a key hurdle in resuming diplomatic
ties as it requires congressional approval.

The EU and Cuba are meanwhile due to hold another round of talks in
Brussels next week in a bid to normalise their own strained ties.

In 2003, the EU froze relations with Cuba over a crackdown on activists
and journalists. It started talks to resume them in April last year.

In Brussels, leaders from the 28 EU countries and 33 Latin American and
Caribbean nations also pledged to work together to "achieve a legally
binding global climate agreement that is needed to keep global warming
below two degrees Celsius or 1.5 degrees Celsius", when they join a
global summit in Paris in November.

The lower figure was apparently put in by the Caribbean island nations
that fear rising sea levels blamed on global warming.

Negotiations coalesce around the goal of limiting global warming to two
degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-Industrial Revolution
levels.

That is a figure scientists say offers a good chance of avoiding
catastrophic damage to Earth's climate system and a future darkened by
ever-worsening drought, flood, storms and rising seas.

In a bid to deepen investment and trade links with the region, European
Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said Brussels announced during the
summit a total of more than 800 million euros ($900 million) in support
for the 33 nations.

Source: EU, Latin America urge US to lift embargo on Cuba - Yahoo News -
http://news.yahoo.com/eu-latin-america-urge-us-lift-embargo-cuba-151024220.html;_ylt=AwrC1C5C9nlV10EAanvQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBybGY3bmpvBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMyBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--