Venezuela and Bolivia Challenge OAS on Supporting U.S. and Cuba

The draft had been ready since Friday, but Bolivia’s proposal to include the end of the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba forced the permanent representatives to request extra time to allow them to communicate with their countries and determine their official positions. Although all countries agreed to classify the normalization as a “historical” fact, disagreement arose over Bolivia’s proposal – supported by Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ecuador and El Salvador – which did not get enough votes to move forward. The lifting of the embargo on Cuba depends on the United States Congress, but the Venezuelan envoy to the OAS, Carmen Velasquez de Visbal, considered that “an appeal of this kind would help the government of this country in its contacts with the legislature.” More…