CELAC IS A GREAT HOPE, SAID ECUADORIAN PRESIDENT IN FRANCE

Paris, November 11- Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa stated in France that Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is the great hope of Latin America to have its own space without hegemonic interferences.

Interviewed by Prensa Latina news agency on the current processes of integration, Correa highlighted CELAC role and said that Cuba has had a good performance this year as pro-tempore president of that organization.

"We need new mechanisms because the old ones, as Organization of American States (OAS), headquarters of which is in Washington, do not function", he said.

He also said that United States blockade on Cuba is the largest attack on OAS Inter-American Charter and that organization does nothing to prevent it.

"22 times United Nations General Assembly has condemned the blockade, last week took place the most recent one, and it does not change anything", said Correa.

Correa said that OAS has become the remains of colonialism in American continent, and despite the efforts to modify it, it is easier to build something new and that is CELAC.

CELAC main characteristic is that, for first time, nations of the area meet without the presence of US and Canada, or any other power from another continent.

"In this organization we can have our own space to analyze and resolve regional conflicts, which indeed we already do", Correa said.

"This organization provide us with the right place to defend human rights without the terrible hypocrisy of nowadays", said Correa.

He said that few days ago, some 15 Ecuadorian non-governmental organizations, made up by people who lost recent elections, were received in United States to denounce alleged attacks on human rights committed by Ecuadorian government.

"It is ridiculous. How much longer we are going to be attacked for the simple fact of not lowering the head as previous managements did", he said.

Correa, who concluded a three-day visit to France, gave a press conference where he discussed various issues related to Latin American and the world.

He later traveled to Lyon city to hold a meeting with local mayor, Gerard Collomb, to perform the last stage of his stay in France.

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