Posted at 1:18 p.m. EDT Wednesday, April 14, 1999

Spain urges leaders to attend Havana summit

Washington, Apr 14 --(EFE)-- Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has urged Iberoamerican leaders to attend a regional summit set for November despite fears that the meeting's Havana venue would be a sign of support for Cuba's communist government.

``What really concerns me is that the Iberoamerican summit takes place. It was the heads of states and government who decided that the 1999 summit should be in Havana,'' Aznar said after a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Bill Clinton on Tuesday.

Several Central American nations have questioned the decision to hold the summit in Havana due to the lack of progress on the part of Cuba in instituting democratic reform.

Aznar, who was in Washington for a one-day working visit, said he wanted Cuba to enjoy freedom, prosperity, and democracy in the future.

``It is what I want and I think President Clinton wants the same,'' he said.

During talks at the White House, Aznar told Clinton that the summit must unfold in an environment of openness and cooperation among all member states and that, ``regional integration must be linked to free-trade agreements.''