Panama's ruling party rejects U.S. actions against Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Jan 25 (ACN) The ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) of Panama rejected the 'act of terrible cynicism' of the U.S. government by calling Cuba a sponsor of terrorism, it was announced on Sunday in the Panamanian capital.

The repudiation was expressed in a letter signed by the secretary general of the PRD, Pedro Miguel Gonzalez, addressed to Angel Arzuaga, head of the International Relations Department of the Communist Party of Cuba, in which he also wished the island 'the greatest of strengths to face the challenges of this new year'.

In the text, Gonzalez assured that 'it is an act of terrible cynicism and irony on the part of an administration that only a few days before incited its followers to take over the Capitol (in Washington), an act considered an uprising and internal terrorism by various sectors in the United States itself', reported Prensa Latina news agency.

He warned that the unilateral qualification of the outgoing government headed by Donald Trump against Cuba, violates principles of international law, moves away from peaceful solutions to disputes between nations and is a setback to the process of normalization of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, initiated by the Obama administration.

The leader urged the new U.S. administration led by Joe Biden, to 'correct such an outburst in the shortest possible time' and said that a stage of dialogues with Latin American and Caribbean governments on the continental problem should be initiated.

These meetings, according to Gonzalez, should take place 'in symmetrical conditions' and could generate a path of rapprochement with a minimum agenda of the problems afflicting the region, under criteria of mutual respect and 'in particular, the resumption of dialogue with Cuba'.

The letter recalled the words of General Omar Torrijos, when in the midst of the increased blockade of the Caribbean nation and the attempt to impose its isolation, he said on March 15, 1973 before the United Nations Security Council, which exceptionally met in Panama: 'Every hour of isolation suffered by the brotherly people of Cuba constitutes 60 minutes of hemispheric shame'.