The Cuenca Summit closes without an official declaration due to lack of consensus
EFE (via 14ymedio), Cuenca (Ecuador), 16 November 2024 — The XXIX Ibero-American Summit, held in the Ecuadorian city of Cuenca, closed this Friday without an official statement due to the lack of consensus among the 19 participating countries, of the 22 that make up the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking group, in which there has also been no representation of Mexico, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
All countries, except Argentina, agreed to support a document that would include support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), public policies on gender equity and the fight against climate change, among other issues, according to EFE sources.
Meanwhile, the Cuban delegation opposed approving a statement that did not contain an explicit condemnation of the United States embargo, as the representative of Argentina intended.
The representative of President Javier Milei, Ambassador Eduardo Acevedo, expressed the refusal of the Argentine Government to subscribe to these articles and, in return, proposed that the 19 countries sign a document that collected only the matters mutually agreed, something that Cuba and the rest of the countries opposed.
According to Acevedo, Argentina was willing to approve 71 of the 72 paragraphs of the (failed) Declaration of Cuenca and 17 of the 24 special communiqués.
The difficulties in signing a consensus document prolonged the discussions of the first day of the summit, when the foreign ministers met behind closed doors to prepare the document that the Heads of State and Government had to sign on the second and last day of the summit, reserved in principle only for the leaders of the countries, but which on this occasion had to be opened to lower-ranking representatives, due to the absence of practically all Latin American presidents except the host.
Finally, the conflicting positions of Argentina and Cuba prevented an official declaration by the 19 countries attending the summit.
Cuban representative Rodolfo Benítez accused Argentina of “coming to ruin the summit” while the Argentine Eduardo Acevedo denounced Cuba’s violations of human rights
Both delegations starred this Friday in a bitter exchange of disqualifications during the plenary session of the meeting.
Cuban representative Rodolfo Benítez accused Javier Milei’s Executive of “coming to ruin the summit,” while the Argentine ambassador, Eduardo Acevedo, denounced Cuba’s violations of human rights.
The Cuban representative accused Argentina of trying to make the summit fail by denying climate change and the rights of women and indigenous peoples, but warned that it failed by isolating itself from a declaration signed by the rest of the participants except the government of the ultra-liberal Milei.
Meanwhile, the Argentine delegate stated that his country “cannot and will not remain indifferent to violations of the rule of law and human rights. ” He pointed out that, “in the opinion of the Argentine Government, Cuba must restore democracy and respect the human rights and freedoms of its inhabitants.”
This harsh exchange occurred after the two countries clashed in the adoption of an official declaration to conclude this Ibero-American Summit, because Argentina opposed a consensus to advance in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, in terms of gender equity and the fight against climate change, among other issues, according to EFE sources.
Meanwhile, the Cuban delegation opposed approving a statement that did not contain a condemnation of the United States embargo on the Island.
“They did everything possible to prevent pronouncements” in favor of the aforementioned proposals, denounced the Cuban representative, who attributed to the Argentine delegation the use of “hate speech” and an “absolute submission to Washington in defending the blockade against Cuba.”
Acevedo wondered what actions the Ibero-American community is taking against the serious human rights violations in Cuba
However, according to Rodolfo Benítez, Argentina ended up failing, because “they have not received the support of anyone,” in reference to its exclusion from the joint statement that replaces the official statement and “shows the historical positions of the Ibero-American nations.”
“Ladran, Sancho, sign so we can get going,” Acevedo said to the Cuban delegation in his reply during the altercation in the plenary session of the summit. The ambassador also replied that Argentina was willing to approve 71 of the 72 paragraphs of the (failed) Cuenca Declaration and 17 of the 24 special communiqués.
“The real reason why Cuba is carrying out this new attack has to do with the underlying situation that my delegation mentioned,” he said, in reference to the first intervention of the Argentine representative before the plenary, in which he was very critical of the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
In that first statement, Acevedo wondered what actions the Ibero-American community, made up of 22 countries, is taking “against the serious violations of human rights in Cuba, which continue after more than half a century of authoritarian and repressive government.”
“How is it possible that we are silent in the face of this serious situation? How is it possible that we sit at the same table debating calendars and statements without mentioning the siege that continues in Nicaragua on the independent press, the deprivation of nationality of political opponents and the persecution of civil society organizations?”
“Our position is very clear: Cuba must restore democracy and respect human rights and individual freedoms”
“Our position is very clear: Cuba must restore democracy and respect human rights and individual freedoms. It is essential that it does not promote totalitarian policies in the region and that it focuses on improving the quality of life of its population through respect for freedom and providing well-being to all its citizens,” he emphasized.
To refute Acevedo’s arguments, the Cuban representative said: “Argentina can give consider Washington’s order to attack against Cuba fulfilled, but it stands alone.”
The Cuban delegate pointed out that the Ibero-American summit “cannot become hostage to isolationist positions that seek to set back the work achieved for more than three decades.”
“The future relevance and existence of this forum is put at risk,” said Benítez, who demanded that “the historical heritage we have built be respected, always overcoming our differences.”
And he went on to say that Argentina cannot give lessons in democracy to Cuba when the Milei government “mistreats retirees and opposes the rights of indigenous peoples and women.”
Benítez recalled that, during his speech in the plenary, he defended the historical claim of Argentine sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, because “the friendship of the Argentine and Cuban people – he stressed – surpasses any political ideology and the whims of any government.”
Translated by Regina Anavy
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