Thursday, April 09, 2015

Press Release by Cuban Civil Society Organizations Present in Panama
The Cuban delegation reiterated that it will not share the same space as mercenaries and terrorists and demanded that they be banned from the event as they do not represent the dignified Cuban people

Redacción Internacional | internacionales@granma.cu
APRIL 8, 2015, 4:45 p.m.

Since yesterday the Cuban delegation began to discover irregularities in the accreditation process for the Civil Society Forum, despite the fact that its 68 members had met the registration requirements and had received formal acceptance messages from the Organizing Committee. Following complaints, the team responsible for these procedures reported that the credentials were not ready and attributed the delay to organizational and technical issues.

With just half an hour to go before the official opening of the Forum, 28 delegates had still not received their credentials. They were informed that all those included in the list of accepted participants could access the hall by showing their passports, regardless of the fact they did not yet have their credentials. Exercising their right, the members of the delegation presented themselves on time at the entrance of the event hall. Upon arrival, they were surprised to find that there was no list and that they would not be allowed to enter. It was later learned that several of the previously exposed mercenaries were being allowed to enter through another door.

Finally, thanks to the delegation’s protests at the entrance to the hall, just a few minutes before the opening, all the accredited delegates were able to enter. There, we reiterated our complaints regarding the presence of mercenaries in the Forum and we left out of respect for President Varela, who would heading the inauguration.

The Cuban delegation will not sharethe same space as mercenaries and terrorists.Once again we demand that they be banned from the event as they do not represent the dignified Cuban people.

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