Spanish PM plays down Ibero-American summit's Cuba stance

Monday, October 17, 2005

MADRID, Spain (AFP): The Spanish prime minister on Sunday played down what he called a "false polemic" surrounding the adoption of resolutions favourable to Cuba at an Ibero-American summit this weekend.

One resolution, which demanded an end to the "blockade" of Havana by Washington, was "almost a conventional ritual" at such summits, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said in an interview on Cadena Ser radio.

Washington riposted to the resolution by denying that it operates a blockade, preferring to call its policy that of an "embargo".

A US embassy spokesman was quoted by the newspaper ABC Saturday as saying "it would be unfortunate if such a text were to be interpreted as support for the Cuban dictatorship".

Zapatero said that he had never had "the passion, nor the interest or the occasion" to meet Cuban President Fidel Castro, who was invited but did not attend the summit in Salamanca, Spain.

Spain's right wing opposition accused Zapatero of giving in to Cuba's demands during the 15th Ibero-American summit, which brought together 19 heads of state and government from Andorra, Portugal, Spain and Latin American states.

A second resolution on Cuba backed steps to "obtain the extradition or bring to justice" Luis Posada Carriles, a prominent enemy of Cuban President Fidel Castro, without explicitly naming him.

The resolution was later modified to open the possibility of a trial for Carriles in the United States, and no longer solely demanding his extradition to Venezuela.

Posada, at present in jail in the United States, is accused of an attack on a plane belonging to Cubana de Aviacion in October 1976 which caused the death of 73 civilians. He is wanted by Venezuela. 

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that he had no problem with the change to the resolution, but that Carriles would risk the death penalty if tried in the United States.

Speaking at a news conference, Chavez also said that Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina were the key anchors for integration in Latin America.

"Here's the axis, the strongest axis for integration of South America: Caracas, Brasilia and Buenos Aires," Chavez said. 

He said the three countries were the "political and economic force and have the capacity to become the locomotives of Latin America."

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