The Heads of State and Government from Latin America and the Caribbean, gathered in Costa Rica, in ocassion of the III CELAC Summit, made an appeal to end the United States blockade against Cuba.

SPECIAL DECLARATION OF THE COMMUNITY OF LATINAMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STATES ON THE NEED TO PUT AN END TO THE ECONOMIC, COMMERCIAL AND FINANCIAL BLOCKADE IMPOSED BY THE UNITED STATES AGAINST CUBA

The Heads of State and Government of the Latin America and the Caribbean States gathered in Costa Rica, on the occasion of the III Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), on 28 and 29 January 2015:

1. Express their strongest opposition to the coercive economic measures not supported by the International Law, including all those unilateral actions imposed on sovereign countries for political reasons, that impair the well-being of their peoples and are designed to prevent these countries from exercising their right to decide, by their own free will, their political, economic and social systems.

2. Reiterate their firm rejection to the application of laws and measures contrary to International Law, such as the Helms-Burton Law, including its extraterritorial effect, and urge the Government of the United States of America to put an end to its application.

3. Welcome the announcement made last December 17 by the Presidents of the Republic of Cuba and the United States of America, Raul Castro Ruz and Barack Obama, respectively, on the reestablishment of diplomatic relations. In light of the declaration formulated by President Obama, and urge to take all actions within his executive powers to substantially modify the blockade against Cuba and the United States Congress to initiate, as soon as possible, a discussion on removing it.

4. Remember that, since 1992, the United Nations General Assembly has reiterated in 23 resolutions, the need to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed against Cuba by the Government of the United States of America and highlight the support given by 188 member States of the United Nations to the most recent Resolution A/RES/69/5, approved on October 28th, 2014, and calls upon the international community to maintain identical attitude while the blockade against Cuba is in existence.

5. Reiterate their opinion that this blockade is contrary to the principles of the United Nations Charter and International Law.

6. Reiterate their deep concern and rejection to the strengthening of the extraterritorial dimension of the blockade, as well as on the increasing persecution of Cuba´s international financial transactions, which is contrary to the political willingness of the international community.

7. Request to the Government of the United States of America to fulfill the successive resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, and in response to the repeated calls from the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, which is contrary to International Law, severely and unjustifiably damaging the well-being of the Cuban people and affecting peace and coexistence among the nations of the Americas.
 
Belén, Costa Rica, January 29th, 2015