OAS member states agree to lift suspension of Cuba

[Jimmy2]

BY FRANCES ROBLES

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras -- Cuba's 47-year suspension from the Organization of American States will be lifted, thanks to an agreement reached Wednesday by foreign ministers assembled in Honduras, diplomats here announced.

''The cold war has ended today in San Pedro Sula,'' Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said.

The United States-- which had been pressuring the OAS for weeks to condition Cuba's readmission to the hemispheric group on democratic principles and commitment to human rights -- characterized the agreement as good news, saying it does in fact contain important clauses.

Ecuador's foreign minister, Fander Falconí, told reporters there are no such conditions.

''This is a new proposal, it has no conditions -- of any kind,'' Falconí said. ``That suspension was made in the Cold War, in the language of the Cold War. What we have done here is fix a historic error.''

Cuba was suspended from the OAS in 1962. More and more Latin American nations had pushed for Cuba to be readmitted to the organization.

Hillary Clinton worked through the day Tuesday trying to convince Latin American nations to allow some conditions but left before reaching agreement.

The U.S. State Department pointed to crucial language within the resolution: ``...that Cuba's participation in the OAS would be the result of a dialogue initiated at the government of Cuba's request and in conformity with the practices, purposes and principles of the OAS.''

In 2001, the OAS passed the Inter-American Democratic Charter, which calls for member nations to embrace democracy.

''The historic action taken today eliminates a distraction from the past and allows us to focus on the realties of today,'' said State Department spokeswoman Sara A. Mangiaracina, ``and continue with the president's efforts to support the desire of the Cuban people to determine Cuba's future consistent with our core principles.''

The next step is Cuba's.

Cuba has called the organization a ''cadaver,'' and said publicly and often that it has no interest in joining.

''Here on forward we depend on the sovereign will of the State of Cuba,'' said Honduran OAS ambassador Carlos Sosa. ``If they show interest to return to the organization, they will do so within the normal procedures and a final decision would be made by the OAS plenary.''

University of Miami Cuba expert Andy Gomez, who was at the OAS conference this week, said the 1962 suspension may have been lifted, but to rejoin the organization, Cuba would have to agree to sign the organization's democratic charter.

''This is meaningless,'' Gomez said. ``This does not mean they are back in.''