Havana Cuba. – The VII Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) it will not stop the extinction of the organization, contrary to the assertions of the Cuban leaders. There agreement was achieved, unity in diversity, continuity and renewal, according to Bruno Rodríguez. “President Miguel Díaz-Canel shone with his memorable speech,” the Cuban foreign minister told national journalists.
In reality, the Cuban leadership will resume the political leadership of CELAC upon assuming the presidency pro tempore stalwart Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. This was the only candidate country, despite lacking the financial and logistical means to continue the programs and conferences carried out by Argentina. That will be done by the totalitarian authorities at the cost of deepening the economic hardships, without democratic elections and with the violation of the human rights of its citizens.
The VII Summit, held in Buenos Aires on January 24, with the participation of 13 heads of state and government of the 33 member countries, contrary to the triumphant words of the Cuban leaders and the efforts of President Fernández to crown the rescue initiated by Andrés Manuel López Obrador, demonstrated that the correlation of forces in the region continues to be very confrontational, without the new leftist presidencies in Bolivia, Colombia, Honduras and Chile, together with Mexico and Argentina, being able to tip the political balance towards an agreement similar to the one achieved during the beginnings of CELAC. Then, the policy of the president of the United States, Barack Obama, contributed to the atmosphere of cooperation.
Lula arrived at the meeting with the reincorporation of Brazil ―withdrawn from the organization in 2020 by Jair Bolsonaro―, still shocked by the attempted coup and pressured by the uncertainty of the events that will ensue; so he could enjoy a welcome as a great star and arrange support to try to relaunch the South American giant nationally and internationally. The heavyweights who created the organization – Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro – no longer exist, while Ecuador and Peru burn, and social conflicts are strong everywhere.
President Joe Biden tried to reach out through special envoy Christopher Dod, and Xi Jinping spoke by video about CELAC-China cooperation to expand the thriving presence in the region. Nicolás Maduro canceled the participation, citing a possible assassination attempt, and also participated by videoconference.
CELAC managed to hold the VII Conference of Heads of State and Government after five years of impasse due to the political turmoil and the changes of sign in the presidencies of the main inspiring countries of the organization. Since the VI Summit, held in the Dominican Republic in 2017, another great meeting has not been possible. the presidencies pro tempore of El Salvador (2018) and Bolivia (2019) were paralyzed, and Mexico made efforts in 2020, immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic. President Alberto Fernández assumed responsibility from January 2021 to the present, with the promotion of a broad work plan with environmental, cultural, and scientific issues, aimed at promoting collaboration, far from political confrontation.
The Summit adopted the Declaration of Buenos Aires with 111 sections and 11 thematic declarations, which included the interests of all the participants ―negotiated in advance― and only the controversial issues that are usually discussed during these conclaves remained pending. The Cuban government presented three documents condemning the US embargo, terrorism and the exclusion of Cuba from the list of sponsors of terrorism.
The governor Miguel Díaz-Canel stayed from January 22 to 25 in Buenos Aires. According to published information, he had few bilateral meetings with his counterparts, which suggests that his presence was not well received, except by politically akin participants. Cuban television showed several meetings with Fernández, in evident coordination related to the Summit. During his return, Díaz-Canel made a stopover in Venezuela to meet with Nicolás Maduro, who provided him with the plane for his trip, as he did for the trip in november. Gone are the times when Fidel Castro traveled with two large planes, and Cubana de Aviación flew the skies of the world.
CELAC does not have a secretariat; Its efforts fall on the troika made up of the president pro tempore previous, current and next (which should be approved), and a representative of Caricom.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is a group of 32 islands in the Lesser Antilles, populated by 111,269 inhabitants. Its economy rests on the export of bananas and the tourism industry, which has gained momentum since the 1990s with an upward trend, although competition in the area is strong. Its economic possibilities are very limited; in fact, it has overcome financial crises thanks to the shipment of Venezuelan oil and Cuban assistance. It does not have a large diplomatic corps, specialized personnel to carry out technical secretariat work, or infrastructure for events or communication facilities for large movements of travelers.
Probably the Government of Cuba will assume these charges, and the presence of Gonsalves in Havana will be even more assiduous.
OPINION ARTICLE
The opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the person who issues them and do not necessarily represent the opinion of CubaNet.
The post Compromise Summit? appeared first on CubaNet.
