After 47 years, the Organization of American States today voted unanimously
to lift its ban on Cuba. That’s right – after weeks of negotiations
- all 34 members of the OAS agreed to scrap the suspension of Cuba and readmit
the communist nation into the OAS. The decision was made at the meeting of the
OAS General Assembly in Honduras. And while the historic decision is the news
tonight, what’s also interesting is that Belize didn’t just vote
– it played a part.
A release from the Government Press Office says that there were weeks of intense
negotiations during which Belize’s Ambassador to the OAS Nestor Mendez
represented the Caribbean Community along with a representative from Jamaica.
Belize’s Foreign Minister Sedi Elrington is also had a leading role in
the negotiations. Cuba was banned in 1962. The U.S. opposed the decision but
accepted it on the condition that the entry is, "the result of a process
of dialogue" which Cuba has to request and must be in line with OAS principles.
There has been no response from Havana but Fidel Castro we must note has never
expressed interest in returning to the OAS and over time he has instead repudiated
the OAS. We should note that Cuba remained a member of the United Nations even
after it was kicked out of the OAS.
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