“The Puerto Rico independence committee and GCSM also discussed work together in solidarity as part of unity/ peace integration of Caribbean and Latin America, We support the resistance and struggle of Puerto Rico for its independence, even when the country is not represented in CELAC, and we celebrate the pardon given to Oscar López Rivera, which is the result of the struggle of his people and international solidarity for his release,” Khan said.

Georgetown: Under the theme: “For Peace, Unity and the Integration of Our America,” the Guyana Cuba Solidarity Movement (GCSM) represented Guyana at the recent social movements and political organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean, held in the city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

President David Granger also attended the Fifth Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which was held on January 23 and 24, in the city of the Dominican Republic. President Granger said that the deepening of regional integration, between Latin America and the Caribbean is in important for their development and security.

Speaking at the event President of the (GCSM) Haleem Khan said the movement he represents is a member of the Assembly of the Peoples of the Caribbean (APC) group and with the signing of the document at the Fifth Summit of Heads of State and Government of CELAC it is hoped that it will contribute further to the consolidation and strengthening of this important mechanism of consensus and joint action of our countries to defend the interests and rights of nations and peoples.

Adding that the VII assembly of the (APC) will be held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on October, 26-30, 2017, Khan said the recent CELAC meeting was a foundation for further cooperation between countries which must join efforts in order to combat together the great evils afflicting people such as poverty, hunger, unemployment, the lack of access to health care services, education, and decent housing, gender inequality and the violence against girls and women amongst others.

“We endorse the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, as agreed in 2014 by the Heads of State and Government in the Second Summit of CELAC,” he said “We are guided by the unequivocal conviction that the most effective resource is the unity of nations and peoples and in that spirit we reiterate our militant commitment to do all that is necessary to get that popular force to rise, and thus set up an impenetrable barrier against the ambitions of U.S. imperialism and its allies.”

Except for Brazil and Chile, Khan said most of the countries of the region have the United States as main trade partner. President Donald Trump has threatened to renegotiate free trade deals signed by his country to protect employment.

Without directly referring to Trump’s warnings, Latin American and Caribbean governments expressed their “determination to adopt appropriate measures to prevent or mitigate” possible effects on their economies and the loss of jobs.

Moreover, Khan said CELAC called on the new North American administration to put an end to the embargo against Cuba “without conditioning” and welcomed the improvements for the normalization of relations between both countries.

“The Puerto Rico independence committee and GCSM also discussed work together in solidarity as part of unity/ peace integration of Caribbean and Latin America, We support the resistance and struggle of Puerto Rico for its independence, even when the country is not represented in CELAC, and we celebrate the pardon given to Oscar López Rivera, which is the result of the struggle of his people and international solidarity for his release,” Khan said.

CELAC is a regional bloc of 33 Latin American and Caribbean states that was formed at the Unity Summit in Mexico on February 23, 2010. It aims to unite all of the Latin American and Caribbean states in order to strengthen the political, social and cultural integration of the region, improve its quality of life, stimulate its economic growth and advance the well-being of all of its people. (Caribbean Trakker)