They made the call at the fourth Caricom-Cuba summit held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port-of-Spain.
Cuban President Raul Castro, the guest of honour at the summit, and CARICOM chairman St Kitts Prime Minister Denzil Douglas spoke about the embargo, which affected the venue for the meeting.
The summit was scheduled to be held at the Trinidad Hilton but had to be shifted to NAPA afater the U.S. government refused permission to allow Cuban officials attend the talks there.
The summit was scheduled to be held at the Trinidad Hilton but had to be shifted to NAPA afater the U.S. government refused permission to allow Cuban officials attend the talks there.
The Hilton is managed by Hilton worldwide, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Helms-Burton act that forbid American companies from having contact with Cuban officials.
The summit coincide with the 39th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and four CARICOM states.
CARICOM secretary general Irwin LaRocque noted that the declaration of relations between Caricom and Cuba was launched in 1972 by the late leaders of T&T, Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana.
Every three years leaders gather to mark Caricom-Cuba day on December 8, he stated.
Douglas said the Caricom-Cuba relationship has remained robust and urged all states to pool resources and stand behind common principles to advance objectives.
"For us, in particular, adherence to the principles of self-determination of peoples, of non-interference in the internal affairs of states and of upholding the rule of international law," he stated.
"It is in keeping with these principles that Caricom has remained resolute in its firm stance of calling for an end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo of the Republic of Cuba," Douglas declared.
"Caricom therefore takes the opportunity of this summit to again urge the government of the United States to lift with immediate effect, the unjust economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed against Cuba.”
Castro spoke after Douglas and stated that his country will always be grateful for the support of Caribbean nations in the fight to get the Americans to end their embargo against Cuba.
Castro spoke after Douglas and stated that his country will always be grateful for the support of Caribbean nations in the fight to get the Americans to end their embargo against Cuba.
"The expectations of the so-called 2009 Summit of the Americas held in this city (Port-of-Spain) have failed to rise above the rhetoric,” he said. U.S. President Barack Obama attended the 2009 summit.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar noted that all CARICOM members voted consistently on various occasions over the years in favour of the annual UN General Assembly Resolution which called for an end to the trade embargo and blockade of Cuba.
“I admire the generosity and sense of kinship of the Government and people of Cuba, who despite their own economic and financial challenges are still imbued with a sense of kindness unmatched even among those countries which are better circumstanced,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar said the region must breathe new life into the Caricom-Cuba Joint Commission to fulfill the mandate of its mission.
Persad-Bissessar said the region must breathe new life into the Caricom-Cuba Joint Commission to fulfill the mandate of its mission.
No comments:
Post a Comment