Roundup: ALBA demands U.S.repeal of executive order on Venezuela

The Bolivian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) demanded Tuesday that the United States repeal an executive order declaring Venezuela as "threat" to its national security.

In an extraordinary summit held in Caracas, presidents and representatives of the 12-nation regional bloc rallied behind Venezuelan head of state Nicolas Maduro, who has accused Washington of trying to topple his administration.

"Never before in history the United States has attempted to govern Venezuelans by decree. We don't represent a threat to the American people and will never think of attacking that country," said Maduro at the summit.

The ALBA nations agreed to form a group of "facilitators" from the region's various integration blocs to "mediate" between Venezuela and the United States.

"ALBA along with Unasur, Celac and Caricom will conform this group to bring down the tensions and figure out a friendly resolution to the conflict," said the bloc in a declaration.

During the summit, Cuban President Raul Castro made the strongest defense of Caracas despite the ongoing talks with Washington to resume diplomatic relations after more than 50 years.

"The U.S. needs to understand once and for all that it can't seduce or buy Cuba, just as it can't intimidate Venezuela. Our unity is indestructible," Castro said.

Washington has stated that the sanctions it slapped on Venezuela would not affect its negotiations with Cuba, but Castro made it clear in Caracas that the two issues are linked.

Castro is set to meet U.S. President Barack Obama at next month's Summit of the Americas in Panama and the U.S. administration has said it would like to have its embassy opened in Havana before the meeting.

A third round of negotiations over the restoration of full diplomatic relations ended Tuesday after a day of talks, but neither Cuba nor the U.S. provided details on whether progress was made toward a deal on reopening embassies in Washington and Havana.

Leftist Bolivian President Evo Morales also lashed out at the White House, calling its recent threats against Maduro a "barbarity".

"This is the best moment to come together and prepare our nations against any threat coming from the U.S.," he said.

At the summit, the bloc's members defined a common position for the April Summit of the Americas where Obama is expected to meet all presidents of the region and they will demand the end of the "harassment" against Venezuela.

ALBA was launched in 2004 by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and former Cuban President Fidel Castro as a leftist alternative to the United States' proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.

ALBA's members are Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Granada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Endi