Clinton faces pressure on Cuba at OAS meeting

By John Whitesides

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faced a wave of criticism Tuesday from Latin American leaders demanding Cuba's reentry, over U.S. objections, to the Organization of American States.

At a meeting in Honduras of the 34-member hemispheric group, the United States' refusal to support Cuba's return to the OAS was painted as a dying symbol of U.S. domination in the region.

The OAS suspended Cuba in 1962 after Fidel Castro's revolution steered the island toward communism and a close alliance with the Soviet Union. Cuba has said it is uninterested in rejoining the group.

"We cannot leave San Pedro Sula without correcting that other day that will live in infamy," Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said of the decision to boot Cuba. "It's time to correct that mistake."

Failure to rescind the suspension of Cuba would make Latin American nations "accomplices" in the decision, said Zelaya, who has moved closer to Venezuela's socialist leader Hugo Chavez since taking power in 2006.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega told a news conference the OAS "was created as an instrument of American political domination and expansionism in Latin America and the Carribean."

He played down U.S. President Barack Obama's recent overtures toward engagement in the region. "He has shown goodwill but he's trapped. The president has changed but not American policy," Ortega said.

Clinton has repeatedly said the United States will not support Cuba's reentry until it embraces the democratic principles outlined in the group's charter and makes progress on human rights issues and the release of political prisoners.

U.S. ISOLATION

The U.S. stance on Cuba has left it increasingly isolated in the region as Latin American countries have restored diplomatic relations with Cuba and pushed for an end to the decades-old U.S. embargo.

New President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador, the last country in the region without Cuban ties, renewed diplomatic relations with the island nation Monday shortly after his inaugural.

"It's not about reliving the past. It's about the future and being true to the founding principles of this organization," Clinton told a morning breakfast with Caribbean foreign ministers.

"We do look forward to the day when Cuba can rejoin the OAS, but we believe that membership in the OAS must come with responsibilities," said Clinton, who will address the OAS later Tuesday. "I'm confident we can come up with a common way forward."

The United States and OAS members were still hunting for possible compromises on Cuba as the meeting adjourned for lunch. OAS leaders hoped to avoid a vote unless there was a consensus on the issue.

Obama has pledged to engage Cuba and taken steps toward a more open relationship, lifting restrictions two months ago on travel and remittances to Cuba for Cuban-Americans with relatives on the island.