Connecting the Americas: Partners for Prosperity,”
Sixth Summit of the Americas, a gathering of 31 heads of
state and government from the Western Hemisphere, opened in Colombia’s
Caribbean resort city of Cartagena on Saturday.
“Connecting the Americas: Partners for Prosperity,” offers regional leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff a platform to discuss policy issues of common interest and outstanding challenges like development and security. Many controversial issues are also likely to be brought up during the leaders’ meetings and discussions, such as Cuba’s re- admission to the Organization of American States (OAS) and presence at future Americas summits, as well as proposed changes to drug control policies in some Central American states.
Political analysts note that the United States and Canada are often at odds with most of the Latin American nations over these issues, making it hard for the leaders to reach a consensus.Addressing the opening session of the summit, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos called for efforts to overcome the differences over Cuba, an issue that has long roiled U.S. relations with Latin American countries.
He dismissed “isolation” and “embargo” against Cuba, calling it “an anachronism that keeps us anchored to an outdated Cold War era. “
“We cannot be indifferent to the process of change that is going on in Cuba. It is time to overcome our differences so that this process can receive support,” he said.
He expressed hope that Cuba would be present at the next summit, saying its absence then would be “unthinkable.”
Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, also called for all the 35 countries of the Western Hemisphere to be included in future summits so as to enhance and consolidate the inter-Amercan dialogue.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, battling cancer, and Nicaraguan President Jose Daniel Ortega are absent from the summit as well.
Cuba was suspended from the OAS in 1962 at the height of the Cold War. The suspension was officially lifted in 2009, but the country has chosen not to return to the pan-American bloc.
Colombian President Santos urged his peers to stop stalling and re-examine the approaches to the fight against drug trafficking “without dogma, without prejudice,” by looking at ” different scenarios and possible alternatives.”
Drug trafficking breeds organized crime and violence in Latin America, Mexico and Central America in particular, and there is a growing consensus that the root cause lies in the massive use of narcotics in the United States and an unending flow of money and weapons southward to drug cartels.
Obama administration has acknowledged its shared responsibility and consented to a debate on the issue at the summit, but said “no” to the idea of legalizing and decriminalizing drugs as proposed by some Central American leaders.
“This summit is not going to resolve this issue, but it can be a starting point to begin a discussion that we have been postponing for far too long,” Santos said.
Stating that all countries are equal, the president said the United States has learned that it alone cannot bear “the entire brunt” of keeping the world in balance and in peace.
At the last summit in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009, Obama pledged to pursue an equal partnership with Latin American countries, stating that “There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations, there is simply engagement based upon mutual respect, common interests and shared values. U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated on Saturday that all nations in the Americas are equal partners, with no one being “senior or junior,” as he called for greater efforts and proposed concrete measures to better connect the hemisphere.
” I’ll say it again — in the Americas there are no senior or junior partners, we’re simply partners,” the president told the sixth Summit of the Americas, echoing what he said at the last summit three years back.
“That’s the spirit that’s allowed us to make progress in recent years,” he told 30 other hemispheric peers.
Obama’s stated pursuit of partnership with Latin America marks a departure from his predecessors, who had pursued a leadership role in the region.
He told the assembled leaders that the Americas must continue cooperation and collaboration in boosting trade and development, defending the security of its citizens and standing up for democracy and human rights.
On the fight against drug trafficking, which he acknowledged ” very difficult,” the president stressed that his country will not relent in its efforts.
“Here in Cartagena, I hope we can focus on our mutual responsibilities,” he said. “As I’ve said many times, the United States accepts our share of responsibility for drug violence.”
Polls have shown the general public in Latin America see crime, violence and insecurity as the region’s top problem, and there is a growing consensus that the root cause is the massive use of narcotics in the United States, and an unending flow of money and weapons southward to drug cartels.
“That’s why we’ve dedicated major resources to reducing the southbound flow of money and guns to the region. It’s why we’ve devoted tens of billions of dollars in the United States to reduce the demand for drugs,” he remarked.
“And I promise you today — we’re not going to relent in our efforts,” he said.
Addressing a CEO summit of the Americas earlier Saturday, the president said “no” to the idea of legalizing and decriminalizing drugs as proposed by some Central American leaders.
“I personally, and my administration’s position, is that legalization is not the answer,” he said.
“If you think about how it would end up operating, that the capacity of a large-scale drug trade to dominate certain countries if they were allowed to operate legally without any constraint could be just as corrupting if not more corrupting then the status quo,” he explained.
Washington launched the 1.6 billion-U.S.-dollars Merida Initiative in 2008 to help fund the anti-drug operations in both Mexico and Central America.
“Today, I can announce that the United States will increase our commitment to more than 130 million dollars this year to support the regional security strategy led by our Central American friends, ” Obama said at the summit.
Seeking to build on what he called sustained engagement with the region, the president announced a series of initiatives, including the Broadband Partnership of the Americas, which aims to provide faster Internet to more communities, especially in rural areas, to “ensure that no one is left behind in our digital age.”
In his remarks, Obama did not mention Cuba, which is shut from the summit for the sixth time due to Washington’s opposition.
“Media agencies
“Connecting the Americas: Partners for Prosperity,” offers regional leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff a platform to discuss policy issues of common interest and outstanding challenges like development and security. Many controversial issues are also likely to be brought up during the leaders’ meetings and discussions, such as Cuba’s re- admission to the Organization of American States (OAS) and presence at future Americas summits, as well as proposed changes to drug control policies in some Central American states.
Political analysts note that the United States and Canada are often at odds with most of the Latin American nations over these issues, making it hard for the leaders to reach a consensus.Addressing the opening session of the summit, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos called for efforts to overcome the differences over Cuba, an issue that has long roiled U.S. relations with Latin American countries.
He dismissed “isolation” and “embargo” against Cuba, calling it “an anachronism that keeps us anchored to an outdated Cold War era. “
“We cannot be indifferent to the process of change that is going on in Cuba. It is time to overcome our differences so that this process can receive support,” he said.
He expressed hope that Cuba would be present at the next summit, saying its absence then would be “unthinkable.”
Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, also called for all the 35 countries of the Western Hemisphere to be included in future summits so as to enhance and consolidate the inter-Amercan dialogue.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, battling cancer, and Nicaraguan President Jose Daniel Ortega are absent from the summit as well.
Cuba was suspended from the OAS in 1962 at the height of the Cold War. The suspension was officially lifted in 2009, but the country has chosen not to return to the pan-American bloc.
Colombian President Santos urged his peers to stop stalling and re-examine the approaches to the fight against drug trafficking “without dogma, without prejudice,” by looking at ” different scenarios and possible alternatives.”
Drug trafficking breeds organized crime and violence in Latin America, Mexico and Central America in particular, and there is a growing consensus that the root cause lies in the massive use of narcotics in the United States and an unending flow of money and weapons southward to drug cartels.
Obama administration has acknowledged its shared responsibility and consented to a debate on the issue at the summit, but said “no” to the idea of legalizing and decriminalizing drugs as proposed by some Central American leaders.
“This summit is not going to resolve this issue, but it can be a starting point to begin a discussion that we have been postponing for far too long,” Santos said.
Stating that all countries are equal, the president said the United States has learned that it alone cannot bear “the entire brunt” of keeping the world in balance and in peace.
At the last summit in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009, Obama pledged to pursue an equal partnership with Latin American countries, stating that “There is no senior partner and junior partner in our relations, there is simply engagement based upon mutual respect, common interests and shared values. U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated on Saturday that all nations in the Americas are equal partners, with no one being “senior or junior,” as he called for greater efforts and proposed concrete measures to better connect the hemisphere.
” I’ll say it again — in the Americas there are no senior or junior partners, we’re simply partners,” the president told the sixth Summit of the Americas, echoing what he said at the last summit three years back.
“That’s the spirit that’s allowed us to make progress in recent years,” he told 30 other hemispheric peers.
Obama’s stated pursuit of partnership with Latin America marks a departure from his predecessors, who had pursued a leadership role in the region.
He told the assembled leaders that the Americas must continue cooperation and collaboration in boosting trade and development, defending the security of its citizens and standing up for democracy and human rights.
On the fight against drug trafficking, which he acknowledged ” very difficult,” the president stressed that his country will not relent in its efforts.
“Here in Cartagena, I hope we can focus on our mutual responsibilities,” he said. “As I’ve said many times, the United States accepts our share of responsibility for drug violence.”
Polls have shown the general public in Latin America see crime, violence and insecurity as the region’s top problem, and there is a growing consensus that the root cause is the massive use of narcotics in the United States, and an unending flow of money and weapons southward to drug cartels.
“That’s why we’ve dedicated major resources to reducing the southbound flow of money and guns to the region. It’s why we’ve devoted tens of billions of dollars in the United States to reduce the demand for drugs,” he remarked.
“And I promise you today — we’re not going to relent in our efforts,” he said.
Addressing a CEO summit of the Americas earlier Saturday, the president said “no” to the idea of legalizing and decriminalizing drugs as proposed by some Central American leaders.
“I personally, and my administration’s position, is that legalization is not the answer,” he said.
“If you think about how it would end up operating, that the capacity of a large-scale drug trade to dominate certain countries if they were allowed to operate legally without any constraint could be just as corrupting if not more corrupting then the status quo,” he explained.
Washington launched the 1.6 billion-U.S.-dollars Merida Initiative in 2008 to help fund the anti-drug operations in both Mexico and Central America.
“Today, I can announce that the United States will increase our commitment to more than 130 million dollars this year to support the regional security strategy led by our Central American friends, ” Obama said at the summit.
Seeking to build on what he called sustained engagement with the region, the president announced a series of initiatives, including the Broadband Partnership of the Americas, which aims to provide faster Internet to more communities, especially in rural areas, to “ensure that no one is left behind in our digital age.”
In his remarks, Obama did not mention Cuba, which is shut from the summit for the sixth time due to Washington’s opposition.
“Media agencies
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