CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

The OAS: Amidst Pressures and Dilemmas

CUBA, May 27, 2009. In many occasions, those who set up a trap against others end up being the victims, which could be the case of the United States. Washington was never able to enjoy a full victory when it forced the expelling of Cuba from the Organization of American States, since the action did not mean the isolation of the Caribbean nation from the peoples and political forces in the continent, which are currently urging the OAS to correct its decision.

In order to please US interest in 1962, the OAS separated Cuba from its membership and now it hesitates in considering the revocation of its decision, just to not upset Washington. What was considered a majority favoring the withdrawal of the decision has become unanimous call.

Jose A. Mora then OAS General Secretary in 1962 played and inglorious but easier role than the one being played by Jose Miguel Insulsa. The current OAS General Secretary is being urged to give an answer to over 30 countries with the organization.

Insulsa, engaged in his commitment to OAS member nations and confident on the flexibility of statements of President Obama in the Summit of the Americas, in Port of Spain, decided to submit the Cuba issue to the OAS Council for consideration during the next General Assembly of that organization next June 2 and 3 in Honduras.

Bearing in mind the firm position by ALBA member nations in Port of Spain, the most difficult thing to achieve is consensus to postpone the debate on the issue, which would be the formula preferred by the United States. That strategy has been picked by Costa Rica, which proposed to submit the issue to the Juridical Committee of the hemispheric organization where it could rest in archives for long. Another option for Insulsa is to present several resolutions to encourage debate and achieve the postponement of the issue.

In any case, while Cuba looks at the scene from outside, the current situation looks a challenge more than a threat since what is at stake is the credibility of the United States. Cuba is not the core of the problem, but the real intention of President Obama when he said he wanted a restart of US policy towards Cuba and a peaceful relation with the countries of the region under equal grounds.

Insulza can no back up now, the truth is that he does not have a hot potato on his hand, but that he himself is the hot potato. Getting Washington out of trouble 47 years ago was not a problem, but now it is.

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