Ecuador will not attend the Summit of the Americas, says Correa

Ecuadorean president, Rafael Correa, announced Wednesday he will not attend the Summit of the Americas to be held in Colombia on 14 and 15 April to protest the U.S. boycott of Cuba’s participation.

“I personally will not attend these summits again, in which Latino problems are not discussed,” said the president quoted by Efe during a press conference in Ankara, where he is on official visit.

Cuba has never participated in the Summit of the Americas. This year, seven countries of the Alba Alliance (Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua and three Caribbean nations) threatened not to attend this year’s event in Cartagena next month.

“A summit for Latin American countries is organized, but they exclude a Latin American country: Cuba is barred by the U.S. boycott,” Correa reiterated.

“I’ll be honest, I like America because I studied there, but I cannot accept that a country excludes another one. I am appalled and do not want to hurt my American friends if I say that Latin American people does not agree anymore with the organization of such summits,” said the president of Ecuador.

“All kinds of statements about democracy are spoken in these meetings, but they never speak on true democracy, those are words that never become facts,” said Correa. (FL)