President Barack Obama, left, talks to Prime Minister
Patrick Manning during the inauguration of the Fifth
Summit of the Americas at the Hyatt Regency Hotel
last night.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning last night made a direct appeal to US President Barack Obama to end the trade embargo on Cuba. Manning did so during the official opening of the historic Fifth Summit of the Americas at the Hyatt Regency, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain. “All of us would like to see a proper reintegration of Cuba into institutions of the western hemisphere,” Manning said. He then said the recent announcements by Obama about the issue were “cause for great optimism.”

Obama announced the removal of certain restrictions on Cubans living in the US. Earlier, Manning said that Obama’s election to the US presidency “brings a tremendous amount of hope and we in T&T share the positive anticipation that his administration will indeed be heralding the dawn of a new day.” Manning, who is chairing the three-day meeting being held here for the first time, called on all 34 heads of state and government to ensure that respect for all was maintained during the deliberations. Manning said it would be “a mistake” if anyone was allowed “to dominate our deliberations.”

“It will be a tragedy if we allow any one issue to be a great source of discord and it will be an error of existential proportions, if we are not able to conduct our business on the basis of cordiality and mutual respect,” he said. “Let it not be said of us that we failed our people in their hour of need because we lacked the maturity and good sense to conduct our business in a rational and objective manner.” Earlier, Manning said the issue of assistance to small developing nations like Caricom states must be discussed at the meeting. He said crime, terrorism and other critical issues affecting member states must be addressed at the summit.