THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) reiterated its call for an immediate and unconditional end to the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the Government of the United States of America against Cuba, when the Sixth Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Caribbean Community and the Republic of Cuba opened in Guyana on Friday.

CARICOM Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, said the Caribbean Community also rejects the unilateral and extraterritorial nature of the actions taken by the U.S. He said recent and ongoing developments at the regional and hemispheric levels have had significant impact on not only Cuba, but CARICOM Member States as well.

“CARICOM and Cuba both support the importance of multilateralism in the conduct of international affairs. We both adhere to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, including non-interference and non-intervention in the internal affairs of states, prohibition of the threat and use of force, respect for sovereignty, adherence to the rule of law, respect for the constitutional framework and democracy, and the right of people to self-determination,” Ambassador LaRocque said. He said for both CARICOM and Cuba, it is important that the Caribbean Region remains a zone of peace.

Grenada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Labour, and Chairman of the Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR), Peter David, condemned the actions of the U.S. “We denounce the imposition of unilateral, coercive measures and the application of new more onerous ones under Title III of the Helms-Burton Act whose extra-territorial measures violate international law. We condemn in the strongest terms this tightening of the unjust US economic, financial and commercial embargo against Cuba,” the Grenadian minister said.

He noted the actions of the U.S run counter to the strongly-held view that economic development and stability contribute to international peace and security. “These developments in our Region have the potential to affect our continuous efforts at sustained development of our countries,” he posited.

The Grenadian Foreign Affairs Minister said the Sixth Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of CARICOM and Cuba provides another opportunity for dialogue and the exchange of views on ways and means to maintain a course that would lead to a better future for both Cuba and CARICOM Member States.

Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, while underscoring the importance of maintaining a zone of peace, said that peace is being threatened; and both Cuba and CARICOM have a duty to reaffirm their commitment with Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace as stated in the proclamation at the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

He maintained that only in a climate of mutual respect and confidence can the Region prosper.

“Peace admits no ambiguities. It cannot be said that all options are on the table, when one of them, the one that is most needed, has been rejected; and that is dialogue,” the Cuban Foreign Minister told his CARICOM counterparts.

Minister Rodriguez Parrilla said Cuba welcomes CARICOM’s decision, in wake of the threat of use of force and foreign interference, to ratify its stand and defend the validity of the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and International Law. He also directed the Region’s attention to the attempts at re-establishing the implementation of the Munroe Doctrine, a complete opposite to the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.

“I would like to reiterate to you our gratitude for your firmness in denouncing the US government’s authorisation to activate Title III of the Helms-Burton Act so that lawsuits can be filed at the courts of that country against Cuban or foreign entities that legally engage in commercial business or investments in properties that were once nationalised in Cuba in full adherence to national and international laws, as was recognised by the US Supreme Court ruling on the Sabatino case,” the Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister said.

Noting that the Helms-Burton Act is arbitrary, Minister Rodriguez Parrilla said it is an insult to the sovereignty of Cuba and of third States. He assured his counterparts that the attempts to suffocate the Cuban economy will fail. “We recognise your resolute and irrevocable decision to join us in rejecting the genocidal economic, commercial and financial blockage imposed by the United States against our country and the fair claim to put an end to it,” he said.

Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings, was among foreign ministers who attended the Sixth Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Caribbean Community and the Republic of Cuba at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.