– additional $30M for CaribbeanBy Tusika Martinin TrinidadThe call for the embargo against Cuba to be lifted began in the opening ceremony of the Fifth Summit of Americas when Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner urged that the United States remove this barrier noting that Cuba has opened the avenue for this to occur.Less than forty minutes later the United States President in his address to the leaders of the hemisphere sought a new beginning with Cuba.Addressing the distinguished gathering, President Barack Obama said that he knows that there is a longer journey and it must be travelled to overcome decades of mistrust, but there are critical steps that can be taken towards a ‘new day.’In an impressive presentation, the American President said that his administration is prepared to engage Cuba on a wide range of issues including drugs, migration, economic issues,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, free speech and democratic reform.He also announced a US$448M Micro-finance Growth Fund for all countries of the hemisphere, to enable immediate assistance for those that have been hit hard by the global financial crisis.An additional US$30M was given to the Caribbean to strengthen cooperation on security in the region.“We come together at a time that is very critical to us for the people of the Americas, our well being has been setback by the historic economic crisis, our safety has been endangered by a broad range of threats but this can be eclipsed by the promise of a new prosperity and personal security and protection of liberty and justice for all the people of our hemisphere.”He said that it is a future that can be built together ‘but only if we move forward with a new sense of partnership.’According to the American President it is well known that promises of partnership have gone unfilled in the past and the trust has to be earned over time.“The United States has done much to promote peace and prosperity in the hemisphere… at times we have been disengaged and at times we have sought to dictate our terms but I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership… there is no senior partner or junior partner in our relations… it’s simply engagement based on mutual respect, common interests and shared values.”He added that to move forward,NFL Jerseys Outlet, countries of the hemisphere cannot be prisoners of past disagreements and too often, opportunities to build a fresh partnership with the Americas has been undermined by stale debates.“I did not come here to debate the past instead I come to deal with the future…we must learn from history but we must not be trapped by it. As neighbours we have a responsibility to each other and to our citizens,jerseys from china, and by working together we can take important steps forward to advance prosperity, security and liberty…that is the 21st century agenda that we have come together to enact, that is the new direction that we can pursue.”President Obama added that the hemisphere must come together on behalf of a common prosperity.“We will work with you to ensure that the Inter-American Development Bank can take the necessary steps to increase its current levels of lending and to carefully study the need for recapitalization in the future.”The United States has changed over time, he said, and it has not been easy, but it is not only the United States that has to change. He pointed out that countries couldn’t blame the United States for all of the problems in the hemisphere.But even as President Obama extended a hand of renewed partnership, his country came in for a great deal of criticism from President of Nicaragua,Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys, Daniel Ortega Saavedra,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, who refused to call the summit ‘the fifth summit of the Americas’ as Cuba and Puerto Rico were not present.He criticized the United States as he spoke about the war against Nicaragua, in which the international court had ruled that the United States pays the people of that country compensation.Additionally, he said that the U.S. is yet to honour that ruling.In expressing his solidarity for Cuba, President Ortega said that he is very uncomfortable attending the summit. He told the leaders that the day will come when Latin America and Caribbean countries will stand in unity and the walls that were built against Cuba and Puerto Rico will come ‘crashing down.’Yesterday marked 48 years since the United States invaded Cuba,Stitched NFL Jerseys, he said, adding that President Barack Obama was just less than four months old at the time.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday that the Obama administration views current U.S. policy toward Cuba as having failed.Clinton, who has joined the American President at the summit, said the United States welcomed remarks from Cuban President Raul Castro, who said Havana is prepared to discuss any issue with Washington,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, including human rights, press freedoms and political prisoners. But the Cuban leader insisted the island be treated as an equal.
