Before returning to his country March 7, after an official visit to Cuba, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said that no consensus had been reached on Cuba’s presence at the coming Summit of the Americas, indicating that for that reason, "It is very difficult to extend an invitation.".
Speaking to the press at the airport, where Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla bid him farewell, Santos said, "We discussed in detail the issue of Cuba’s participation in the Summit of the Americas scheduled to take place in Cartagena, Colombia, this coming month but, as we said from the beginning, this is an issue which requires consensus, which unfortunately we were unable to reach."
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He nevertheless expressed his appreciation for the hospitality and generosity with which his counterpart Raúl Castro Ruz received him during his working visit to the island.
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Santos, who travelled to Cuba to meet with President Raúl Castro and visit Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Frías, reported that he had a number of fruitful meetings concerning international, regional and bilateral issues.
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Moreover, he expressed his desire that this "uncomfortable situation" which has persisted unresolved for many years, not be repeated during the next Summit, to be held in Panama.
