But she found herself isolated as other members of the group at its annual general assembly demanded immediate and unconditional action to rescind Cuba's nearly 50-year-old suspension.

"We do look forward to the day when Cuba can join the OAS," Clinton said as top officials from the regional bloc began their annual general assembly here.

"But we believe that membership in the OAS must come with responsibilities and we owe it to each other to uphold our standards of democracy and governance that have brought so much progress to our hemisphere."

"It is not about reliving the past," Clinton said. "It is about the future of being true to the founding principles of this organisation."

She also expressed hope that a "common way forward" could be found, but the United States demands that Cuba's re-entry be tied to the release of political prisoners, respect for basic human rights and steps toward democratic pluralism.

However, others seized on her words and said looking forward demanded a break with the past.

Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, the host of the meeting, urged that the 1962 resolution that suspended Cuba's membership be revoked on Tuesday, calling its passage and the imposition of the US embargo on Cuba a "day of infamy" and a grave error.

Time to correct that mistake

"Friends, it is time to correct that mistake," he said. "Were we to leave this place without rescinding that decision ... we would be colluding with that mind-set of yesterday."

The United States is largely alone in the OAS in demanding conditions. Almost all other members of the OAS are calling for Cuba to be allowed to rejoin the 34-nation group without conditions.

Faced with a solid bloc of countries opposed to the conditions, US officials are hoping to stall a vote on reversing Cuba's suspension from the OAS.

But the region's growing number of socialist leaders, spearheaded by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Bolivian President Evo Morales are pressing for a vote, and US officials are unsure how the meeting will proceed.

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza pleaded with the representatives to come to a consensus.

"Let's not be shy to discuss the issue, but, remembering our past, let's put forward the will to reach consensus," he said. "We want to progress and leave behind a past that has not always been positive but let's not fall into divisiveness."

Even though Cuba has expressed no interest in rejoining the bloc and the organisation generally makes decision by consensus, proponents can push ahead with a resolution that needs only a two-thirds majority, or 23 votes, to pass.

Enough countries in favour

Forcing a vote would put Clinton in a difficult position because regional and US officials say there are easily enough countries in favour.

Diplomats have been scrambling to reach consensus on a compromise resolution but, as of late Monday, had been unable to do so.

The administration is toeing a delicate line as it reaches out to Cuban leader Raul Castro and by extension his ailing brother Fidel by lifting restrictions on money transfers and travel to the island by Americans with family there.

Cuba agreed over the weekend to a US proposal to resume immigration talks with Washington that former President George W. Bush suspended in 2003 and to negotiations on restarting direct mail service between the two countries. It has also proposed exploring cooperation on counternarcotics and terrorism as well as on disaster preparedness.

US increasingly isolated

But the Castros have repeatedly said they want a full lifting of the decades-old US embargo on Cuba, something the administration has refused to consider without reforms. That stance has left the United States increasingly isolated.

Clinton is at Tuesday's meeting as the representative of the last country in the Western Hemisphere without full diplomatic ties with Cuba.

El Salvador had been the only other one, but in his first act as president, Mauricio Funes on Monday restored his country's diplomatic relations with Cuba that had been broken in 1961.

Dozens of Honduran, Nicaraguan and Salvadoran workers protested outside the heavily guarded Honduran-Arab Club, where the meeting took place, claiming that the organisation is unfairly dominated by the US.