Cuba to skip regional summit, averting diplomatic flap

Cuba has decided not to attend an upcoming hemispheric summit following talks with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, averting a diplomatic showdown with US leaders who had insisted Cuba not attend, Santos told reporters.

Santos flew to the Caribbean island on Wednesday to discuss the summit with Cuban President Raul Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is recovering from cancer surgery.

The agreement brokered by Santos, who plays host to the summit next month, will likely defuse threats by left-leaning states allied with Havana to boycott the summit if Cuba was not invited – preventing the spat from becoming a regional diplomatic row.

“We would like to sincerely thank President Castro for his generosity in manifesting that he does not want to create a problem for the summit or for Colombia,” Santos said at the airport as he was preparing to leave Cuba.

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14 Comments

  1. Sout' Rebel
    March 8, 2012

    Donkey have no business in HORSE RACE.
    The Dynastic rule of the CASTROS must come to
    an end before Cuba can be accepted as a democratic
    nation.
    Free Cuba from the CASTRO tyrants…NOW!!

  2. ?????????????
    March 8, 2012

    At least Cuba is a peaceful country agreeing not to attend at this time to avert any confusion.

    Hats off!

    On another note it is high time that the US stops this embargo on Cuba. This embargo has been on for over 50 years.

  3. March 8, 2012

    How long will this embargo last.this thing has been going on for over fifty years and it has yet to achieve its effectiveness.Fifty years ago the USA put an embargo on all things Cuban in an effort to topple the Cuban governmenment It is over 50 years the threat of Communism has vanished and yet the great society cannot see where they went wrong and stop that ineffective embargo It was during JFK this policy was instituted,how many of our young politicians were born and yet his policy still endures Come on USA wake up

  4. Cerberus
    March 8, 2012

    From the sounds of it Dominicans appear to have a monopoly on wisdom. The Cubans have decided not to attend. That is their wish and their decision and we should respect it.

  5. Anonymous
    March 8, 2012

    Well Dominica will not go either. If Obama so bad what all you doing there for. Holiday in cuba and other. STUPES

  6. BIG
    March 8, 2012

    @ WIKILEAKS,

    Bro, this is pure politics. Obama is the President of the US, and it’s an election-year. No one expects President Obama to look like he is under pressure, not even from big oil papas like Iran!

    Same time, I do understand your point of views.

    Respect.

    Take time PT! 8)

  7. Peeping Tom
    March 8, 2012

    And Obama speaks of democracy and “freedom” of people to decide.

    SMH!

    • WIKILEAKS
      March 8, 2012

      Obama is a tool of the jews, just like every US President. As a matter of fact he is starting to act like Bush.

      • DC
        March 8, 2012

        Sorry for my ignorance but what does being a tool of the Jews have to do with Cuba?

      • Malatete
        March 8, 2012

        Since Jesus was a jew, so are we!

      • WIKILEAKS
        March 8, 2012

        Malatete…you wear your ignorance as a badge of honor…Jesus was a Jew??? Really

        The Jews are still in search of the Messiah…Do you remember who killed Jesus…It was the Jews.

    • DC
      March 8, 2012

      Well in Obama’s defense here is a quote from BBC 2/25/08:

      “Raul Castro has been unanimously selected to succeed his brother Fidel as leader by Cuba’s National Assembly.
      Fidel Castro stepped down last week after nearly half a century in charge.
      Raul has in effect been president since Fidel had major surgery in July 2006. It is understood that he was the only nominee in a vote seen as a formality”.

      The is not my idea of democracy. But I do agree Cuba should be allowed to attend the summit anyway. It is past time for the embargo to end.

  8. One day
    March 8, 2012

    ‘will likely defuse threats by left-leaning states allied with Havana to boycott’

    Left-leaning states? A country has KFC, MCDonalds, American TV, free pornography on internet, Nike, gay rights, gay marriages, everything possible American, but it stands in support of a fellow nation, and it becomes a left-leaning state. What is wrong with these people?

    • pulp-fiction
      March 8, 2012

      you hit the nail on it`s head

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