Leaders from Spain, Portugal and Latin America, ignoring US concern, backed a strong call yesterday for an end to the US embargo on Cuba and for the suspected bomber of a Cuban airliner to be tried.
The 22-nation Ibero-American summit stood by the wording of the resolution despite an unusual public expression of concern by the US embassy in Madrid over an earlier draft.
"We ask the government of the United States of America ... to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade that it maintains against Cuba," a final statement said.
Spain's opposition press pounced on the resolution as a diplomatic "own goal" for Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who irritated Washington soon after taking office last year by pulling Spanish troops from Iraq.
Some newspapers said the wording of the resolution, which spoke of a "blockade" rather than an embargo, was tougher than past statements, but Zapatero said it was similar to past UN resolutions and described his government's relations with Washington as "suitable, correct, fluid".
The leaders also approved a Cuban-backed resolution on terrorism in which they supported steps "to achieve the extradition or bring to justice the person responsible for the terrorist attack on a Cubana de Aviacion plane in October 1976 which killed 73 civilians."
The resolution is a reference to Luis Posada Carriles, a former CIA operative who Venezuela wants extradited from the United States and put on trial over the bombing.
A US judge has ruled that Posada, who has denied involvement in the attack, may not be deported to Cuba or Venezuela, saying he faced the threat of torture.
Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, leading the Cuban delegation in the absence of veteran communist leader Fidel Castro, hailed the resolutions earlier this week as a victory for Cuban diplomacy.
The U.S. embassy in Madrid had earlier publicly announced its concern over the two resolutions favouring Cuba.
"It would be unfortunate if these texts were interpreted as a sign of support for the Castro dictatorship," an embassy spokesman said.
To smooth ruffled feathers, the US embassy released a statement to Spanish news agencies on Saturday saying US-Spanish relations continued to be solid.