The Fifth Summit of the Americas closed in Port of Spain, Trinidad with U.S. President Barack Obama and other leaders declaring it a success although many differences remain among the 34 nations that comprise the grouping.Obama told reporters it was an opportunity to hear what other nations in the hemisphere had to say and to understand their respective points of view. He made it clear that the meeting ended with an understanding that each country was an equal member.
That was a sore point in the pre-conference rhetoric, with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez suggesting that Washington has too much influence in the Americas and that makes other nations subservient to the American agenda.
Obama put that concern to rest and said while America did not share and endorse all the opinions discussed during the two-day summit he was able to get a better understanding of the varying points of view.
He said American policy in the past was too focused on drug interdiction and American military might. He said he hopes the defining character of his presidency would be to recognize that the military role is but one of the tools at the disposal of the United States and that diplomacy and dialogue are of equal importance.
Obama stressed that the United States must do more in the region than just flex its military muscle if it wants to mend fences and expand its influence.
On Cuba, he said there is a need for Havana to release political prisoners, afford greater freedoms and reduce fees on money sent from the United States to Cuba.
He acknowledged that U.S. policy toward to Cuba won't change overnight, but said freedom for the island nation remains the ultimate goal. He also admitted that U.S. policies over the past decades have not worked as they were meant to and that they deserve another look.
Some of those policies, he observed, were in place before he was born and it is time for them to be re-evaluated. The president said it would be foolish to think that ignoring Cuba would bring about change in Cuba's government.
He noted that many countries support Cuba precisely because of its humanitarian efforts of sending thousands of doctors to developing countries.
He said, "That's why it's so important that in our interactions...that we recognize that our military power is just one arm of our power, and we have to use our diplomatic and development aid in more intelligent ways so people can see more concrete improvements in the lives of their peoples as a consequence of U.S. foreign policy."
Obama also told reporters he was encouraged by signals sent from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, which he said provide an opening for progress.
For his part Chavez declared that his country and the United States have the political will to work together to improve relations."We have a different focus obviously, but we are willing, we have the political will to work together," Chavez said in reference to Obama.
The same sentiment came from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who said the Summit had created a chance for a new era in relations between the United States and Latin America. He said the moment is right for talks between Caracas and Washington.
The Canadian Prime Minister joined other hemispheric leaders in declaring the summit an unexpected success. Stephen Harper said that while the he 34 leaders couldn't agree on a final declaration, they agreed to adopt a much shorter final statement.
Despite the differences, he observed that there was constructive dialogue and nobody stormed out as was the case in the last summit in 2005 in Argentina. That summit also saw angry confrontations with the United States, which at the time was led by President George W. Bush.
Harper and the other leaders credited the success of the summit to Obama, who set the tone for the discussions when delivered a strong message of co-operation and respect at the opening session on Friday.
No comments:
Post a Comment