Cesar Gaviria comments on OAS relations with Cuba

The Secretary General says his visit this week is intended to give the new government an opportunity to become better acquainted with the OAS and make recommendations about areas in which Belize could use OAS assistance. Gaviria says the OAS is quite satisfied with the performance of its Belize office which was established in 1995. In terms of regional issues, News Five asked the Secretary General if he can see a time when Cuba would be rejoining the Organization of American States.

Cesar Gaviria, Secretary General, OAS

“It would be difficult to anticipate that, particularly because Cuba is not looking for, has not until now requested coming back to the OAS; it will be difficult to get countries to examine that before that happens. But I think the matter of Cuba, it’s very important.

Cuba is today the main political problem we have in this hemisphere and well basically the position of the Secretariat is that, the position has been that we should be able to take every opportunity we have to look for a solution. To use diplomatic means to solve this problem. We hope in the years ahead we will be able to move Cuba to more public liberties, to more protection of human rights, to more economic freedom, and at the same time that we will be able to bring back Cuba to the community of nations.”

In related news we were today informed that Prime Minister Said Musa will be making an official visit to Cuba next month. The P.M. will carry as many as seven Cabinet ministers and a contingent of business leaders. The trip will run from the seventh to the tenth of February.