Raul Castro to Skip Ibero-American Summit

HAVANA TIMES — Cuban President Raul Castro will not be attending the 22nd Ibero-American Summit to begin on Friday in Cadiz, Spain, confirmed on Monday Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Jose Manuel García-Margallo.

The island’s government will instead be represented by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, according to a report from Europa Press

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will also not be attending; likewise the Paraguayan delegation, which “at the request of Spain” declined to participate due to a conflict it maintains with its South American neighbors.

Despite these absences, the Spanish minister has expressed his satisfaction with the level of attendance confirmed so far. He stressed that “the important thing” is what will be discussed in Cadiz.