Our delegation has decided not to join the discussions of the civil society and the social actors scheduled for this afternoon.

This decision was made after the collective reflections on the basis of the stage designed in the Civil Society’s Forum forcing us to sit next to the mercenaries hired from abroad aiming at deposing the country’s political and social system.

The presence of individuals related to terrorists like Luis Posada Carriles and Félix Rodríguez Mendigutía has been  particularly offensive. Since we arrived in Panama, we have repeatedly denounced, with documented evidence, the true identity of these presumed representatives of the Cuban people. We reject the manipulation conducted by the press on our response and its ill-intended omission of the testimony we have presented.

The mercenaries have received the official invitation to attend this afternoon’s  plenary session. Based on the respect we have towards the host president and the other leaders, including President Obama, the delegation of the authentic civil society has decided not to take part in that meeting.

We want to express our rejection to all document issued not coming from the debates which took place yesterday in the Tables of Civic Participation and Democratic Governability in the Cristal and Bella Vista halls.

Cuban Delegation to the Civil Society’s Forum and social actors of the 7th Summit of the Americas