BELIZE SUPPORT CUBA’S RE-ADMITTANCE INTO THE OAS

June 04, 2009

The Organization of American states has voted to re-admit Cuba into the hemispheric body.  The decision to lift the forty seven year suspension came on Wednesday at the OAS wrapped up its thirty ninth regular session of the General Assembly in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.  According to a government press release, Belize's Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington's active participation in the negotiations during the General Assembly contributed greatly to the achievement of consensus on the resolution to lift the suspension. Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Fander Falconi is quoted by reporters as saying that the suspension of Cuba in 1962 was made in the Cold War, in the language of the Cold War, and that what was done in San Pedro Sula on Wednesday was to fix an historic error. Leading up to Wednesday, an increasing number of Latin American nations had pushed for Cuba to be readmitted to the Washington-based body.  The United States first proposed a resolution that would maintain the ban on Cuba, but would lay out a path for Havana to be reinstated. The thirty ninth regular session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States was held under the theme: toward a culture of non-violence.  Belize's delegation to the OAS General Assembly was headed by foreign Minister Elrignton and included Belize's permanent representative at the OAS, Ambassador Nestor Mendez and the Charge d' Affaires of the Embassy of Belize in Honduras Richard Vinelli.

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