New York, September 29 (EFE-RHC) -– The United States has reaffirmed its opposition to Cuba's participation in the Americas Summit, on grounds that only "democratic" countries should attend, but did not specify whether it would skip the regional conference if Panama goes forward with its intention to invite the Cuban government.

The U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roberta Jacobson, made the U.S. position known the day after Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela said at the United Nations that he is making an effort to have all the region's heads of state attend the 2015 Americas Summit to be held in his country.

Panama is the host country of the summit, Jacobson said at a press conference in New York, and as such it will decide who to invite. She did not specify whether the United States would refuse to attend in case Cuba is there, because that is still a hypothetical situation.

The solid opposition of the United States and Canada kept Cuba from attending the 2012 Americas Summit, given that Colombia, the host country, decided that the island could only be invited if there were a consensus that it should.