Marco Rubio Urges John Kerry to Oppose Cuba Taking Part in Summit of the Americas

From his perch on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wrote U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about Cuba taking part in the seventh Summit of the Amercias which will be held in Panama. In the letter, which was written on Tuesday, Rubio accused the Obama administration of sending mixed messages on whether Cuba should take part in the summit.

Allowing a country that is a habitual violator of human rights and has not allowed a free election in over 50 years would damage everything that the summit wishes to accomplish, Rubio wrote. Cuba should not be allowed to undermine the commitment to democracy made by the remaining nations of the Western Hemisphere during the summit process. Moreover, the United States should not stand idly by if Panama does indeed intend to invite Cuba to the summit.

Rubio pointed to resolutions supporting democracy in the Western Hemisphere from the third Summit of the Americas held in Quebec City back in 2001 and insisted the U.S. should stand by them.

I urge you to reaffirm the United States position that Cuba should only be welcome to participate in the summit when the Castro regime abandons its repression of the islands population and to ensure that the nations of the Western Hemisphere are left with no doubt that the United States will stand firmly behind the formal commitment it made at the Quebec Summit, Rubio wrote.