OAS chief sees Cuba eventually rejoining group

MONTREAL (Reuters) - The head of the Organization of American States said Monday he was confident Cuba would eventually rejoin the 34-member organization, but that it would require more dialogue.

The OAS unanimously agreed last Wednesday to scrap a decision made in 1962 at the height of the Cold War suspending Cuba from the hemispheric group after Fidel Castro led the Caribbean nation to Communism.

Cuba's government welcomed the OAS move but said it was not interested in joining the institution, which it sees as an instrument of U.S. dominance in the region.

Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary-general of the OAS, told reporters in Montreal he expected that view to soften.

"I expect things to change," Insulza said on the sidelines of an economic conference.

"They were saying very bad things about the OAS before. They're not saying those bad things now. People change and I think that we always have to promote a dialogue," he said.

Insulza said he planned to start talks with the Cuban government in a few months but said the OAS had no specific agenda or timeline for advancing the issue.

"Right now we're looking more to the bilateral dialogue they are going to begin with the United States. I think that's the main issue today," he said.

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has described the OAS as an instrument of neoliberal economic policies and U.S. influence in Latin America. Washington has said Cuba's readmittance to the organization would be conditioned on international scrutiny of its one-party rule and respect for human rights.

(Reporting by Louise Egan; editing by Rob Wilson)