CELAC: SPECIAL DECLARATION

Special Declaration of the Heads of State and Government of Latin America and the Caribbean, (CELAC), gathered in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, on occasion of its 5th Summit on January 25th, 2017:

1. Reiterating its commitment to multilateralism and to the principles enshrined in The Charter of the United Nations and International Law, including sovereign equality and territorial integrity of States;

2. Reaffirming the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace, adopted at its Second Summit in Havana on January 29th, 2014;

3. Reaffirming the Special Declaration on the return to the Republic of Cuba of the territory occupied by the United States Naval Base in Guantánamo, approved in the 4th CELAC Summit, on January 27th, 2016;

4. Aware of the existence, for more than a century, of the United States Naval Base in Guantanamo, territory of the Republic of Cuba, which is constantly claimed by its people;

5. Acting in the light of the process towards the normalization of relations between the Republic of Cuba and the United States of America, which is an element that contributes to the stability of Latin America and the Caribbean;

6. Consider that the return to the Republic of Cuba of the territory occupied by the US Naval Base in Guantánamo, as has been repeatedly called for by the Cuban people and government, should be a relevant element of that process, through bilateral dialogue in conformity with International Law.

CNIDOH/AO