No accord on Cuba as America’s leaders end summit

COLOMBIA: Leaders from across the Americas failed to agree Sunday on Cuba's inclusion at future summits in the face of US and Canadian opposition, ending a rough two days for US President Barack Obama. Obama, who defended his stance on Havana at a post-summit press conference, also faced questions on Washington's approach to the drug war and found himself on the defensive over an embarrassing Secret Service prostitution scandal.

The vast majority of the region's democratically elected leaders attending the talks in the coastal Colombian city of Cartagena said they wanted Cuba included in future meetings.

But Obama, backed by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, objected and the summit ended without the release of a final statement, as happened at the previous summit in Trinidad in 2009.

Cuba has yet to take part in a Summit of the Americas, a regular meeting sponsored by the US-based Organization of American States (OAS).

Explaining his opposition to Cuba's participation, Obama told a press conference that he hoped for a democratic transition in the hemisphere's only one-party Communist state but said it had not yet taken place.

“The fact of the matter is Cuba, unlike the other countries participating, has not yet moved to democracy. Has not yet observed basic human rights,” Obama told a news conference. “I am hopeful that a transition begins to take place inside of Cuba.” But he added: “We haven't gotten there yet.”

Summit participants also did not agree on a call by Guatemala to consider decriminalizing drug use in view of the failure of the war on narcotrafficking, which is creating havoc across the region, particularly in central America. But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, the summit host, said participants agreed on the “need to analyze results of the current (anti-drug) policy and to explore new approaches to strengthen the fight and to be more effective.” Santos, who leads the country that is the world's leading cocaine producer, said the 33 leaders present at the summit gave a mandate to the OAS to begin the process.

AFP