Cuba, Latin America’s Black Sheep, Is Gaining in Effort to Get Back Into the Fold

HAVANA —  Communist Cuba, long the black sheep of Latin America, is making progress in its effort to rejoin the regional fold.

The trend reversing Havana’s isolation in Latin America culminated in June with the restoration of diplomatic ties between Cuba and Brazil, the largest country in the region, after a 22-year break.

The shift from military to civilian government in Brazil and other Latin American countries has provided Cuba with an opening for improving relations.

Nevertheless, a South American diplomat in Havana observed, the improvement is gradual.

“Cuba is still not considered to be an integral part of the Latin American system,” he said.

But another South American diplomat emphasized that significant progress is being made. Cuba, he said, “is being seen less and less as an adversary and more as a member of the family of Latin American nations.”

Havana established diplomatic ties with Bolivia in 1983 and with Uruguay last year. Cuba also has embassies in Argentina, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Venezuela. In May, Cuba was accepted as an observer by the Latin American Integration Assn., a grouping of South American countries that hope to form a common market.

Cuba Ostracized

Cuba’s isolation began in 1964 when, at U.S. urging, the Organization of American States voted to suspend its membership and isolate the Communist government in Havana in terms of trade and diplomatic relations. Not all Latin American countries complied, but until the sanctions were lifted in 1975, Cuba was largely ostracized.

The isolation eased in the late 1970s, but in the early 1980s, diplomatic quarrels cooled relations between Havana and civilian governments in Peru, Venezuela and Ecuador. Military governments continued to shun Cuba.

Ricardo Alarcon, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, said in an interview that Cuba’s isolation generally coincided with the predominance of right-wing military governments in Latin America.

“That stage obviously has ended,” Alarcon said.

He said Cuba wants to “develop these relations, widen them, deepen them,” and that this is happening, contrary to U.S. wishes.

“It is clear that an objective of the Reagan Administration was to reinforce the isolation of Cuba,” he said. “Despite that being the declared policy, they are now unable to impose it.”

What is different now from 1964, he said, is “a more solid will for independent action” by Latin American governments, and “the strengthening of a Latin American awareness, beyond differences that exist among us.”

He said Cuba aspires “to be part of a united Latin America.”

Alarcon and other Cuban officials repeatedly have said they are not interested in rejoining the Organization of American States because the United States is a member. They have advocated instead the creation of a new regional organization of which the United States would not be a part.

“With the United States,” he said, “there can be dialogue, communication, but the United States does not belong to this region.”

‘Counteraction of Interests’

Alarcon said Latin American interests are often at odds with U.S. interests and added that “in practice, the counteraction of interests with relation to the United States is what unites Latin America.”

Cuba’s goal is not to isolate the United States in the region, he said, “but to isolate its policy.”

Kenneth Skoug, director of the State Department’s office of Cuban affairs, challenged that version of Cuban President Fidel Castro’s aims.

“Castro’s goal is not only trying to break out of his own isolation, but trying to isolate the United States in Latin America,” Skoug said.

He said the Cubans want a regional security organization that would exclude the United States.

“They want something where they would be able to assert a tremendous amount of influence,” he said.

Skoug said the United States has warned Latin American governments of what it sees as dangers in expanding relations with Cuba.

“We essentially tell them what our concerns have been with Cuba, how Cuba uses diplomatic relations for subversion,” he said.

Skoug recalled that Colombia, after renewing relations with Cuba in 1975, broke them again a few years later because of evidence that Cuba was giving aid to Colombian guerrillas. Colombia has not renewed diplomatic relations with Cuba but under Belisario Betancur, who was president until succeeded by Virgilio Barco Vargas on Thursday, has had friendly contacts with it.

Some analysts contend that a good way for a Latin American government to avoid trouble with leftist guerrillas is to maintain friendly ties with Cuba.

Another diplomat said Cuba apparently now sees more prospects for advancing revolutionary ideas in Latin America through the political process rather than by guerrilla action.

Desirable Influences

Some diplomats argue that closer relations between Cuba and other Latin American governments could result in desirable influences on the Cuban government through what might be called “constructive engagement.”

“Any closer contact with Latin America is going to be very healthy,” one diplomat said.

Another predicted that, over the years, interaction between Cuba and the rest of Latin America will affect both systems.

“Where interaction is extensive, and I think it will be between Cuba and Latin America, I can’t see any avoidance of change,” he said. “The question is, who will it affect more?”