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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| New US-free Americas bloc planned | New US-free Americas bloc planned |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Latin American and Caribbean nations have agreed to set up a new regional body without the US and Canada, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has said. | Latin American and Caribbean nations have agreed to set up a new regional body without the US and Canada, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has said. |
| The new bloc would be an alternative to the Organisation of American States (OAS), the main forum for regional affairs in the past 50 years. | The new bloc would be an alternative to the Organisation of American States (OAS), the main forum for regional affairs in the past 50 years. |
| Mexico is hosting a regional summit in the beach resort of Cancun. | Mexico is hosting a regional summit in the beach resort of Cancun. |
| The OAS has been dogged by rifts between some Latin American members and the US over economic policy and trade. | The OAS has been dogged by rifts between some Latin American members and the US over economic policy and trade. |
| Its has also been criticised as promoting US interests over those of other members. | Its has also been criticised as promoting US interests over those of other members. |
| The new grouping "must as a priority push for regional integration... and promote the regional agenda in global meetings," Mr Calderon told the summit, which includes leaders and representatives from 32 countries. | The new grouping "must as a priority push for regional integration... and promote the regional agenda in global meetings," Mr Calderon told the summit, which includes leaders and representatives from 32 countries. |
| The proposed new grouping was one of the main issues on the agenda of the two-day summit, ending on Tuesday. | |
| Cuban President Raul Castro was quick to applaud Mr Calderon's announcement as a historic move toward "the constitution of a purely Latin American and Caribbean regional organisation". | |
| Cuba was suspended from the OAS in 1962 because of its socialist political system. In 2009, the OAS voted to lift Cuba's suspension but the country has declined to rejoin. | |
| Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez earlier expressed his support for the proposal, citing it as a move away from US "colonising" of the region. | |
| A US State Department official said he did not see the new body as replacing the OAS. | A US State Department official said he did not see the new body as replacing the OAS. |
| The summit has also reportedly backed Argentina's claim over the British-owned Falklands. | The summit has also reportedly backed Argentina's claim over the British-owned Falklands. |