Interview: EU-Cuba agreement predicts continued thaw with West -- LatAm experts

The historic deal reached Friday between Cuba and the European Union (EU) shows the success of the island nation's move to normalize ties with the West, say experts in Latin America.

"The EU-Cuba deal comes against the backdrop of improving Cuba-U.S. relations," said Evandro Carvalho, a professor of international law at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio and senior expert with the Center for BRICS Studies at China's Fudan University.

According to Carvalho, the United States is seeking to reclaim lost ground in Latin America, which it has somewhat ignored in recent years amid other priorities such as the war on terror. During this period, South America saw the rise of left-wing governments, with vastly different policies from those of the United States.

He believed that the EU-Cuba deal could also help push forward a trade agreement under discussion for two decades between the EU and the Mercosur countries -- Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Venezuela.

"However, negotiations between the EU and Mercosur will remain difficult, since they must tackle complicated issues such as agricultural markets, where Brazil has a strong opinion," added Carvalho.

Javier Zarco Ledesma, coordinator of the International Relations Center at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), said Europe simply could not lose the chance of re-establishing ties with Cuba, especially after the United States got the ball rolling.

"Obviously, Europeans had the desire to see this agreement come to fruition and it was the right time," he said.

The deal also touched upon the thorny issue of human rights by ending a 20-year policy, known as the "common position" on Cuba, which restricts EU ties with the island until political reforms are made. The policy was rejected by Havana as interference in its domestic policy.

However, both sides stated on Friday that they would pursue new talks on human rights.

"I believe that Cuba is open to the discussion. This is evidenced by the upcoming visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, during which he will meet with prominent Cuban human rights activists," he added.

The deal, which establishes an ongoing political dialogue and sets parameters for economic cooperation and delivery of aid to Cuba, is subject to ratification by the governments of the 28 countries of the EU as well as Cuba. Endi