ALBA Still Undecided on Americas Summit
HAVANA TIMES, March 21 — The countries of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA) have yet to reach an agreement on whether to attend the Summit of the Americas conference set for April in Colombia.
In a speech yesterday, Bolivian Deputy Foreign Minister Juan Carlos Alurralde reiterated the demand for Cuba’s presence at the meeting.
However, the diplomat said that a decision has still not been made by the ALBA group as a bloc as to whether they will boycott the meeting in a sign of protest.
Currently Venezuela’s president is in favor of attending. “After having met on several occasions, we believe that we should go to the summit,” said Hugo Chavez in phone call to state-run television in his country.
The proposal not to attend the international event was initiated by a request by Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa at the last ALBA Summit, which was held in Caracas in early February.
ALBA is comprised by: Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica.
It’s difficult to understand why any of the countries of Latin America would attend a conference that obeys the dictates of the empire, much less why any ALBA countries would attend. Hugo should know that his attending will be taken as a sign of weakness, and this will encourage further aggression against his country.