EuroLat calls for the lifting of the US embargo against Cuba

USPA NEWS - After concluding the regular meeting of the four standing committees of the Euro-Latin American (EuroLat) Parliamentary Assembly in Panama, the president of the European Parliament delegation, the Spanish Ramon Jauregui, said the majority position of the delegation on various current issues.

Regarding the recent attack in Tunisia, Jáuregui expressed "strong condemnation" and its condolences to the victims of this new barbarism. He also reiterated his called on governments to rejection "all violence and terrorism as a means of achieving political objectives" and the complete cooperation to combat it. It also showed its "maximum solidarity with all victims of terrorism and in particular those who suffered recent attacks in Belgium, France, Denmark and Tunisia."

The President of the EP delegation recommended that member countries of the EU and the Community institutions "to continue the negotiation of bilateral Agreement on Political Dialogue and Cooperation between Cuba and the European Union, began in April 2014, paying particular attention to participation civil society and the inclusion of standard clauses in this kind of agreements." He also welcomed the upcoming official visit to Havana by the High Representative and Vice-President Federica Mogherini and considered that the three negotiating rounds held so far "are concrete manifestations of support for normalization of relations."

He also hopes that the future agreement "contributes to improving the living conditions and social people, reaffirming the importance of working systematically in promoting the values of democracy and human rights, including freedom of expression, association and meeting. MEP, on behalf of the opinion of the majority EP delegation welcomes the resumption of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States announced last day December 17, 2014, "which is a historic event and long awaited after more than 50 years."

Hopes that the United States and Cuba progress in deepening their political, economic, commercial, social and cultural relations and implement without reservation the principles, norms and customs that govern diplomatic relations between States and ensure coexistence peacefully within the international community." Also considered "must restore the trust, friendship and cooperation that should exist among neighbors and between countries of the bi regional and its political and commercial partner States" and calls for the lifting of the US embargo against Cuba and the laws of effect extraterritorial as has been repeatedly claimed by the United Nations General Assembly as part of the process.

Deep concern about Venezuela

Regarding the situation in Venezuela, expressed its "deep concern about the developments that have taken place in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in recent months," he calls the "full respect for freedom of expression and the right to participate in peaceful demonstrations as stipulated in the Venezuelan Constitution"; exalts the values of "tolerance and respect for human life and human rights as essential precondition for dialogue," according to the objectives of the Assembly to contribute within the Euro-Latin American space to promote peace, respect for the rule of law, democratic governance, promotion and protection of human rights and international law.

He also calls on the Venezuelan authorities, in view of the upcoming parliamentary elections, "seize the pre-election period to establish an inclusive political process based on consensus and shared responsibility through genuine national dialogue with the meaningful participation of all democratic political forces.“ The Chairman of the delegation considers "indispensable" for internal dialogue that the release of all political prisoners imprisoned arbitrarily, as has been claimed by many international bodies and agencies of the United Nations.

And about Colombia, Ramón Jáuregui expressed his "satisfaction" with the progress made to date in the process of negotiating a peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) launched in October 2012 in Havana. Also calls on it to expand the ELN and hopes that the ongoing negotiations will soon culminate in a final agreement endorsed by the Colombian society and allows achieving a stable and lasting peace that ends more than half a century of armed conflict internal and note most notably the right of victims of the conflict to a full, true and fair view of the physical, moral and material damages suffered repair.