Cuba slams US for exclusion from Americas Summit

The Cuban government has denounced the United States for keeping Havana from attending next month's Summit of the Americas. "There has been no surprise," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told reporters in Havana on Thursday, adding, "It's been the chronicle of an exclusion foretold.” Rodriguez made the comments a day after Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos met with Cuban President Raul Castro to resolve the dispute over Cuba's attendance. Santos told his Cuban counterpart that no "consensus" had been reached on Cuba’s invitation. "We all understand that consensus in this case means approval from Washington," Rodriguez said. The Cuban foreign minister, however, thanked Bogota for its efforts to find a compromise under which Havana would be able to take part in the summit. Cuba has not participated in any of the five past summits. In February, some Latin American countries led by Ecuador's left-of-centre government had proposed a possible summit boycott if Cuba was not invited. Washington says that only "democratically elected" leaders should attend the gathering. Rodriguez accused the US of disrespecting Colombia and the rest of Latin America. The Summit of the Americas is to be held on April 14-15 in the Colombian city of Cartagena. Presidents from across the hemisphere, including US President Barack Obama, are expected to attend the summit.