Panama: Civil Society Forums Start Amid Controversy

The civil society forums being held ahead of the 7th Summit of the Americas began Wednesday amid strong controversy due to the organizers' decision to exclude some delegates from Cuba's mass organizations and invite leaders of tiny unrepresentative so-called dissident groups. This promoted a walkout by the Cuban and Venezuelan delegations. Panamanian social organizations, meanwhile, condemned the presence of counterrevolutionary Cuban delegates linked to terrorist organizations in Miami. In an interview with teleSUR, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela stressed positive aspects of the upcoming Summit, such as the presence of Cuba, civil society organizations, a personal representative of the Pope, and university presidents. teleSUR