Nicaragua, Venezuela urged U.S. to lift embargo against Cuba

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Nicaragua and Venezuela on Wednesday urged the United States to lift the nearly-half-century embargo against Cuba.

"The embargo is not history; (it) is past and present. When I talk about the embargo I am also talking about the future because it has not been cleaned till one day the United States decide to lift that embargo," Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said during the 39th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS).

At the meeting, the OAS member states agreed to lift Cuba's 47-year suspension from the Inter-American system.

The decision means a "victory more for the Cuban people," Ortega said.

"Cuba has fought a battle, a heroic one for 50 years, facing many aggressions from the U.S., that is why it deserves our recognition," Ortega said.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said the revocation of the suspension of Cuba represents "an assertion to Cuba, to its people, to Commander Fidel Castro and to the historical direction of the Revolution."

Maduro also called for lifting the embargo against Cuba, which he said is a step more "in favor of the regional integration."