 Clashes marred the end of the summit |
Without mentioning the United States, the summit called for a multilateralist approach in solving most pressing global problems and vowed to combat terrorism in all its manifestations.
In a veiled criticism of US difficulties in Iraq, French President Jacques Chirac said: “Security problems that raise the use of force have become global and should be dealt with in a multilateral framework in order to be handled legitimately.”
Caribbean ministers at the summit echoed Mr Chirac’s call.
“All the Caricom ministers who spoke, they’ve made that point, particularly after our experience at the United Nations and our efforts at the security council with regard to helping Haiti,” Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell told BBC Caribbean Service.
“It just shows the necessity for the multilateral movement to be very strong,” he said.
Mr Mitchell said he saw the relationship between EU and the Latin American and Caribbean region as a “counterbalance” to the world’s superpower, meaning the United States.
Declaration “decaffeinated”
The summit condemned Iraqi prisoner abuse and called for the world to back the International Criminal Court and the Kyoto Protocol – indirect criticisms of the United States without mentioning it by name.
Correspondents said some Caribbean and Latin American were disappointed that there wasn’t tougher and more direct language against the US.
However, Cuba was the only delegation to withhold its approval of the final declaration, with foreign minister Felipe Perez-Roque calling it “decaffeinated”.
The Cuban government later issued a statement in Havana likening the EU to a “flock of sheep, subordinate to Washington.”
But European Commission President Romano Prodi fired back at Cuba during a news conference, saying he regretted “very much this attitude from the Cubans authorities because I don’t think it’s in the best interest of Cuba to confront the European Union.”
Clashes
On trade issues, the summit reached only limited agreement on reform, with the EU giving a guarded welcome to a proposal by the G20 – a group of developing states led by India, South Africa and Brazil – for agricultural tariff cuts.
Clashes between rioters and police marred the end of the summit.
Mr Chirac was forced to cancel a news conference as groups of protesters pelted riot police with missiles.
Around 20 people were injured and more than 90 arrested amid the mayhem just a short distance from the summit venue.
The authorities say a violent student movement was behind the anarchy.