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Fidel and the Cuban people have been
absolved by history
Affirms Manuel Zelaya in the 39th
General Assembly of the OAS after Cuba’s expulsion
from that body is revoked
SAN
PEDRO SULA, Honduras, June 3.—Manuel Zelaya,
president of Honduras, the host nation for the 39th
OAS General Assembly, today affirmed that Fidel
Castro, the maximum leader of the Cuban Revolution,
and his people have been absolved by history and
that a “wise rectification” had been made by
repealing the agreement via which Cuba was suspended
from the Inter-American System in 1962.
Although the United States tried to prevent it, the
Cuba issue was the focus of attention for all the
heads of state and foreign ministers present at this
meeting, and Washington had no option but to finally
abide by the decision adopted, with no conditions
whatsoever.
Daniel Ortega, the president of Nicaragua, affirmed
here that leaving without effect
Cuba’s
expulsion from the OAS washes out a stain that has
hung over the organization since 1962.
Speaking in the plenary session, Ortega stated that
the next step must be the elimination by the
United States
of the blockade it has imposed on Cuba for half a
century.
He
noted that it was only possible to win this battle,
wash out this stain, because Cuba has not
surrendered, has not succumbed to the multiple
aggressions that it has suffered in all orders.
He
also highlighted that after 50 years of blockade,
Cuba remains resolute and is continuing to develop
and to promote its values of solidarity.
Ortega added that the countries of the Bolivarian
Alternative for the peoples of Our America (ALBA)
contributed to winning the resolution, which he
considered yet another victory for the Cuban people,
for the people of Martí, for the people of Fidel.
For
her part, Honduran Foreign Minister Patricia Rodas
sent a historic embrace of solidarity to the people
of Cuba. On reading out the agreement that
unconditionally suspended Resolution 6 adopted on
January 31, 1962, she affirmed that this was
achieved by acclamation of the delegations present,
after their speeches in the plenary referred to the
obsolete OAS document as ignominious.
At
the same time, Fander Falconi, Ecuadorian foreign
minister, noted: “We have amended history and that
fills all Latin Americans with satisfaction.”
Meanwhile, according to CNN, the United States had
to temper its tone to that of the meeting, a task
assumed by Thomas Shannon, assistant secretary of
state, in his speech. (SE)
Translated by Granma International
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