The issue of attending the 9th Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles in June remains a contentious one among CARICOM leaders.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said on Sunday that the country is urging its fellow members not to attend the Summit of the Americas unless Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua are invited.
Gonsalves said on Sunday the only way we can discuss issues sensibly is if there is inclusion.
“Some countries, from the beginning, have said they would participate, even if they felt that Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua should be invited. There have been some who have refused to go but now want to go because the Biden administration has now moved toward a positive direction with the recent minimalist changes, but the changes are unilateral and not of much significance to normalizing relations”.
The administration announced last week that Biden would expand flights to Cuba and end restrictions on how much money immigrants can send to Cuba, a remnant of Trump’s hard-line Cuba policy. Moreover, the administration said it would ease sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro if he commits to dialogue with U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó.
Gonsalves points out that the US has been sending emissaries and keeping in contact with Heads of Government, seeking persuasion from them to attend, even if Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua are not invited.
The St Vincent leader noted that one thing is certain: “You can’t have a CARICOM statement saying that all CARICOM governments will attend when some don’t want to”.
“Some governments seem set on attending or inclined to attend. Others said they would send a foreign minister instead of a head. Mexico, for example, has said it won’t go at the level of a president. Bolivia has decided not to go. Honduras has also announced that it will not attend.
Others are saying they want Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela invited, but we will still come even if they’re not invited.
Currently, the year is 2022, so why are some still debating old battles from the mid-20th century while there are so many challenges in the Western Hemisphere. It does not make sense to exclude people at this time”.
Gonsalves stated that presidential, congressional, or gubernatorial politics in Florida should not imprison the foreign policy of Saint Vincent, CARICOM, or even the Americas.
Summit of the Americas is an international summit meeting of leaders of countries in the Organization of American States.
