15th International IberoAmerican Conference
Though it has received virtually no coverage in the US press, the 15th International IberoAmerican Conference has recently concluded in Salamanca, Spain. Representatives, frequently the heads of state, from all of Latin American and Spain meet regularly to discuss issues common to their mutual interests. This conference is frequently viewed as controversial by the US government since Fidel Castro of Cuba is virtually always among one of the attendees. Latin American nations and Spain not only do not participate in the 50 year embargo of Cuba, but they regularly express their dissatisfaction with the US position.
In nearly all of the 15 conferences, resolutions have been approved by a majority of nations which condemn the US position, and this year’s conference was no exception. What is different this year, as reported in El Pa??s, is that the US embassy in Spain has formally expressed their “disquiet” with respect to the resolution. The embassy maintains that it is unsettling that the resolution has used the word “blockade” instead of what it considers preferable “embargo.”
See the article which covers the US expression of ‘inquietud’.
The controversy has expanded since the US comments, and the Spanish government has subsequently affirmed that there will not be any changes to the language of the resolutions in question. Further, the official Spanish response to the US position has been to express surprise at the US position, given that the word ‘blockade’ has been used in previous resolutions which did not result in objections from the US.
See the article reporting Spain’s reaction to the US position as published in El Pa??s.
Further adding to the controversy, Mexican President Vicente Fox, long considered a conservative ally of the Bush administration, has weighed in with his comments.
usar el t?©rmino ?Äúembargo?Äù o ?Äúbloqueo?Äù al fin y al cabo es lo mismo
(to use the term ‘embargo’ or ‘blockade’ in the end it’s all the same)
When asked to comment on Washington’s reaction, Fox continued:
“habr?° que preguntar a Washington. A m?? no me inquieta para nada defender principios y valores que M?©xico defiende en la arena internacional, y uno de ellos es el principio de no intervenci??n y de no bloqueo, y de no embargo, porque no es el camino”
(you’ll have to ask Washington. It doesn’t disquiet me at all to defend the principles and values that Mexico defends in the international arena, and one of those is the principle of non-intervention, of not blockading, and of not using embargoes, because that isn’t the right road to follow.)
The Chanciller of Argentica, Rafael Bielsa, was also quoted as saying that the responses of the United States were “un poco sobredimensionadas” (a little overblown).