U.S. Legally Barred From Supporting Cuba's OAS Readmission

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, raised new concerns today regarding the authority for U.S. officials to encourage Cuba's reinstatement into the Organization of American States (OAS).  Statement by Ros-Lehtinen:

"The recent decision by U.S. officials to encourage Cuba's reintegration into the OAS clearly contradicts current U.S. law.

"Long-standing U.S. policy, as enshrined in the LIBERTAD Act (Helms-Burton law), has been to oppose any efforts by the Cuban regime's sympathizers and enablers to terminate the dictatorship's suspension from OAS membership.

"The U.S. position has been firmly rooted in the promotion of freedom and democracy for the Cuban nation.  We have clearly said that Cuba should not participate in regional groups until there is a freely elected, fully participatory, democratic government in power in Cuba.
 
"The Cuban people have long looked to the U.S. as the one nation courageous enough to stand against Cuba's repressive communist regime.

"Lamentably, it appears that U.S. leaders have succumbed to the peer pressure of the OAS.  Do we now value the approval of Castro apprentices and sympathizers in the Hemisphere more than upholding our core values, democratic commitments, and national security interests?

"I urge U.S. officials to reconsider this recent decision and continue to serve as a beacon of hope for those in Cuba who struggle for the day when they are finally free of the shackles of tyranny."

BACKGROUND:  Section 105 of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 states that "the President should instruct the United States Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States to oppose and vote against any termination of the suspension of the Cuban Government from participation in the Organization until the President determines under section 203(c)(3) that a democratically elected government in Cuba is in power."