Cuban president to attend 4th Cuba-CARICOM summit in Port of Spain

Cuban President Raul Castro

The fourth Cuba-Caricom Summit opens in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Thursday with President Raul Castro attending along with several heads of Caricom states.

Castro is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the Diplomatic Centre Wednesday afternoon. 

He was host of the 3rd summit, which was held in the Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba in December 2008.

At that meeting Castro promised a greater integration of the Caribbean region, with Haiti, Guyana, Jamaica, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines in line for some immediate benefits.

The Santiago de Cuba declaration, signed at the end of the conference, called on US President-elect Barack Obama to end the decades-old American trade embargo against Cuba. 

It also called on the international community to support efforts to protect the economic, social and cultural rights for everyone, included the right to development. 

The document also called on the world to reaffirm its commitment to the right of the people of the world to live in peace and security, respecting the right to self-determination. 

Read the declaration: DECLARATION OF SANTIAGO DE CUBA ISSUED FOLLOWING THE THIRD CARICOM-CUBA SUMMIT, 8 DECEMBER 2008, SANTIAGO DE CUBA, CUBA