POLITICS: Absences to Cast Shadow on Havana Summit

By Patricia Grogg Reprint | | Print |

Patricia Grogg

HAVANA, Jul 1 1999 (IPS) - The likely absence of four presidents from the Ninth Ibero-American Summit, to be held in the Cuban capital, jeopardises the meeting itself as well as the host country’s attempts to make it “the best summit yet.”

But Cuban president Fidel Castro has the promise of Jose Maria Aznar, president of Spain, that he will do everything possible to prevent desertions at the November summit, which has brought the leaders of Latin America, Spain and Portugal together every year since 1991.

“Spain will work hard to win the participation of the maximum number of countries. But it is not an easy job,” said Aznar, after meeting with Castro in Rio de Janeiro earlier this week at the Latin American and Caribbean-European Union Summit.

Chilean president Eduardo Frei decided to cancel his trip to Havana summit after failing to convince Aznar in Rio to take steps on behalf of Chile’s former dictator, Augusto Pinochet, who begins trial Sep. 27 in Britain for extradition to Spain where he faces charges of crimes against humanity.

The Frei government charges that Spain, in requesting Pinochet’s extradition, has ignored the principle of legal territoriality which was agreed to during the Ibero-American Summit held last year in Portugal, and which coincided with Pinochet’s arrest in London.

The second absence may be that of Argentinean president Carlos Menem, acting in solidarity with Chile, according to one source – or as a statement against Cuba’s “lack of democracy,” according to other sources.

Castro does not appear to take Menem’s words of disapproval very seriously, saying that Menem is “an amiable man” and “friendly,” who believes “in his duty to criticise us” before the press.

Castro said in Rio de Janeiro that he had not received “official notice” about Frei’s and Menem’s likely boycott of the Ibero- American Summit. “The summit will be a success,” declared Castro, “we will be at the service of all our guests.”

Arnoldo Aleman, president of Nicaragua, was the first to announce that he will not go to the summit in Havana. Aleman pointed to the lack of democracy in Cuba, but representatives from his government have participated in the summit’s preparatory meetings.

“The president of Nicaragua will not be attending” the summit, said Avil Ramirez, Nicaraguan delegate to the first meeting of Ibero-American Coordinators in April, which met in Havana without the participation of El Salvador.

El Salvador’s president, Francisco Flores, is also expected to boycott. His reason for not attending the November meeting is that Cuba recently declared the death penalty against two Salvadoran citizens accused of terrorism.

Spain’s foreign minister, Abel Matutes, believes that in order to reach the goals of the Ibero-American summits – which include the deepening of democracy and defending human rights – it is “more intelligent” to go to the meeting instead of looking for ways “to rupture dialogue.”

Other officials from the Spanish foreign affairs ministry said in Rio that, even though Spain’s King Juan Carlos will not be making an official visit to the island, he is planning on participating in the Summit.

Cuban authorities, meanwhile, continue their preparations with a foot on the accelerator. Next week is the second of three coordination meetings prior to the summit.

The Ninth Ibero-American Conference on Education began this Thursday as representatives examine the effects and challenges of globalisation on the participating countries, which share culture and history.

The meeting, which is one of several sector-specific meetings related to the summit, confirmed the attendance of 20 of the 21 Ibero-American nations, according to the Cuban education minister, Luis Ignacio Gomez.

The Ninth Ibero-American Summit will focus on the topic: “Ibero- America and the Risks of Globalised Crisis,” in continuation of the 1998 debate in Portugal on “The Challenges of Globalisation and Regional Integration.”

The annual Ibero-American summits began in 1991, initiated by Mexico, with the goal of bringing together the heads of states of the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries of Europe and America to discuss the issues they have in common.