Havana, Jan 29 (Prensa Latina) The 2nd Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is expected to conclude today with important statements, particularly in proclaiming the region as a zone for peace and free of nuclear weapons.
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Such agreement is transcendental when there are still bilateral conflicts in the region, which in case, for example of Chile and Peru, has caused a decision of the International Court of Justice over a territorial dispute.
This concerns a Cuba’s proposal, which as a pro tempore president of the group also boosted the fight against hunger, poverty and inequality, issues that will have significant statements from the leaders of the bloc.
Another of the initiatives to be approved is the establishment of a CELAC-China forum, with emphasis in economic issues and the fundamental role that Asian country is playing in the world.
The summit will speak out decisively for the peace process that the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-Peoples’ Army (FARC-EP) have been negotiating for more than one year in Havana.
Precisely, the Colombian insurgency had requested CELAC greater involvement in supporting these talks.
The Havana meeting will reiterate the support for Argentina’s sovereignty over the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands, among other issues that will give substance to many special documents of the meeting.
Maybe, the most important thing of the Cuban summit is to ratify CELAC as a space of union within diversity of the member countries, all of them from the continent, except the United States and Canada.
So that, President Raul Castro, considered as a priority the establishment of “a common political space, in which we make progresses towards the achievement of peace and the respect among our societies.”
This statement was made by Raul Castro at the opening the 2nd Summit of this integrationist group. He said CELAC should consider self-determination, sovereignty and inequality of the States as indispensable principles.
Today, Cuba will hand over the pro tempore presidency to Costa Rica, which will be received it by the president of that Central American country, Laura Chinchilla.
From here to the 3rd CELAC Summit in San Jose, this young group could have taken a further step in the way of unity and its own maturing, according to analysts of the region.